Contact: Richard Ribb 222-3961

Date: Friday, December 11

Time: 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (wrap-up 4 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.)

Event: COASTAL HABITAT RESTORATION CHARRETTE (Stakeholder Workshop)

The Department of Environmental Management is bringing together community groups, fishermen, legislators, researchers, state and federal agencies, and other coastal stakeholders to establish a shared vision for the restoration of salt marshes, seagrass, and other coastal habitats in Rhode Island. The charrette has been organized by DEM's Narragansett Bay Estuary Project (NBEP) and will be facilitated by Vision Rhode Island, a non-profit group dedicated to helping Rhode Islanders guide the evolution of the state's landscape.

In planning the event, NBEP has worked closely with the Coastal Resources Management Council, Save the Bay, and other key parties to provide a forum that will help to shape the future of Rhode Island's coastal environment; provide for the exchange of information; and lay the groundwork for improved coastal restoration efforts in Rhode Island.

Expected outcomes of the charrette:

• Goals statement: The establishment of collective goals and priorities in restoring coastal habitat.
• Project Inventory: A list of restoration projects - completed, ongoing, and potential - for publication
• Restoration Plan: Recommendations for a statewide coastal restoration plan - what it might look like, who might undertake it
• Legislation: Recommendations regarding the need for and nature of state legislation to guide and fund further coastal habitat restoration efforts.
• Outreach: Raise public awareness of the need, and potential, for coastal restoration in Rhode Island.