PAST EVENTS

The purpose of this symposium is to develop opportunities and document progress toward a new vision of designed, permitted, offshore ecosystems that have windpower energy systems
Please visit the symposium website for additional information and registration form

Stakeholder group meetings are a forum that engages key constituencies and the public in the development of the Ocean SAMP (learn more). There will be a presentation by Dr. Peter Paton titled Ocean SAMP: Bird Use of Offshore Waters. Meetings are open to the public, but spade is limited. Please RSVP to amber@crc.uri.edu or 874-6106.
Agenda | Bird Presentation | Public Review Process | Research Update

The R.I. Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) Ocean Special Area Management Plan (SAMP) Subcommittee will hold an informational meeting at Block Island Town Hall, Old Town Road, Block Island at 11 a.m., Monday, Sept. 21, 2009 as an opportunity to update the community regarding progress on the SAMP. The Subcommittee is offering this meeting to ensure that island residents and decisionmakers are fully able to access the SAMP process, similar to other Rhode Island communities. Also, Block Island is a coastal community which stands to be greatly involved with the SAMP, as waters surrounding the island are being considered as a potential site for testing a small windfarm as a renewable energy pilot project.
View Presentation

Join chef and cookbook author Normand Leclair for a seafood cooking demonstration at the Narragansett Community Center featuring black sea bass and mahi mahi, with samples for the audience. Copies of his book Culinary Expressions will be available for purchase. Part of the 10th Annual Summer Community Lecture Series sponsored by Rhode Island Sea Grant, the URI Cooperative Extension/Nutrition and Food Sciences Department, the R.I. Ocean Special Area Management Plan, and the R.I. Coastal Resources Management Council. This event is also sponsored by the Town of Narragansett/Parks and Recreation.
The demonstration is free, but seating is limited, so you must contact Rhode Island Sea Grant at (401) 874-6800 to reserve your seat.

Near-shore aquaculture is constrained by social, environmental, political, and other concerns, but open-ocean aquaculture offers the potential to not only grow seafood to serve the country's growing demand, but also, in New England, to be a sustainable alternative for fishing communities, preserve working waterfronts, and generate substantial economic activity in coastal communities. The potential for co-location of offshore energy and food production facilities will also be discussed. Part of the 10th Annual Summer Community Lecture Series sponsored by Rhode Island Sea Grant, the URI Cooperative Extension/Nutrition and Food Sciences Department, the R.I. Ocean Special Area Management Plan, and the R.I. Coastal Resources Management Council.

Ocean Survey Vessel Bold is EPA's flagship oceanographic research vessel. It will be docked at the at the University of Rhode Island's Bay Campus in Narragansett, RI. On board, kids can experience marine life up close with a touch tank, and learn about oceanographic equipment including nets for collecting fish and plankton, water quality samplers, and side scan sonar instruments that map the seafloor.   

Demonstrations of water quality sampling instruments and an underwater video camera will be provided by marine scientists from Narragansett Bay Estuary Program, University of Rhode Island, and EPA, who will explain the equipment and discuss research they have conducted in New England. Several local environmental organizations will also be at the event, providing information and materials on their work. 

The Bold is visiting the area to do work in support of R.I.'s ocean special area management planning efforts that will guide offshore energy development. The NBEP and URI-GSO oceanographer Dr. John King secured the use of the EPA research vessel to conduct seafloor mapping and water quality sampling in R.I.'s coastal waters.   

Work is underway to gather data to assist in siting offshore renewable energy facilities (wind farms) in R.I. coastal waters. Environmental conditions, existing uses, ecological impacts, and technological constraints are all factors to determine viable sites for offshore energy development. Malcolm Spaulding, URI professor of ocean engineering, will describe the marine spatial planning approach that is being used. This work is being done as part of the R.I. Ocean Special Area Management Plan to zone Rhode Island's waters. Free. Part of the the 2009 Summer Community Lecture Series sponsored by Rhode Island Sea Grant, URI Cooperative Extension/Nutrition and Food Sciences Department, the R.I. Ocean SAMP, and the R.I. Coastal Resources Management Council. Free.

The 28 coastal states in the continental United States consume 78 percent of the nation's electricity, and electric rates in New England are already greater than 50 percent of the average national rate. These factors, along with an immense potential for generating energy, make offshore wind development a promising option. Offshore wind can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality, and provide a more secure national energy supply. Although offshore energy shows great promise for future U.S. energy supplies, this presentation will address the specific challenges and barriers that offshore wind development faces today. By Walt Musial, principal engineer, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, National Wind Technology Center, Golden, Colo. Musial serves on the International Energy Agency's Ocean Energy Systems Executive Committee. Free. Part of the the 2009 Summer Community Lecture Series sponsored by Rhode Island Sea Grant, URI Cooperative Extension/Nutrition and Food Sciences Department, the R.I. Ocean SAMP, and the R.I. Coastal Resources Management Council. This lecture is also sponsored by the North Kingstown Free Library.

The conference, sponsored by RINHS, Rhode Island OceanSAMP, and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, engaged over 215 scientists, organizations, and citizens in an investigation of ocean development impacts on marine ecosystems and resources. Rhode Island researchers and resource managers joined speakers with experience in off-shore wind energy development from Denmark, Great Britain and elsewhere. In addition to the scientific sessions, there were organizational displays and presentation of the 2009 Distinguished Naturalist Awards. View program and Powerpoint presentations

Presentation by Malcolm Spaulding: Preliminary Screening Analysis for Ocean SAMP | Agenda | ICM Policy Cycle | OSAMP Data Layers | Notes

Presentation by Jon Boothroyd and John King: The Ocean Floor: What is it, what's in it, and why is it important for human and natural activities.
Agenda | SAMP Document Creation Timeline | RINHS Symposium Overview | Jon Boothroyd Presentation | John King Presentation | Notes