Michael Barrett photos/Battelle Memorial Institute
Duke Environmental Leadership is creating new opportunities for environmental professionals to obtain region-specific training in Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning (CMSP). A series of intensive, four-day classes to be presented in 2015 will address competing demands on coastal and ocean areas managed by stakeholders, including offshore energy development, environmental protection, commercial fishing, shipping and transportation, recreation, research and conservation, and many others.
DEL will co-present the regional CMSP classes in partnership with Battelle Memorial Institute. A session focusing on Northeast waters was held Jan. 6-9 at the University of Connecticut’s Avery Point campus. A course focusing on West Coast concerns will follow Feb. 17-20 at the Hubbs Sea World Research Institute in San Diego. A third class for the Hawaii-Pacific Region will follow Feb. 24-27.
The regional courses include instruction in stakeholder identification; resource and resource-use mapping; identification of outside factors and emergent and future uses; crafting regulatory language; plan implementation; and other key aspects of CMSP.
In addition to the regional training, a new online course is available for coastal managers regardless of location. The eight-week program will set the core curriculum within a national context designed to faciliate peer-to-peer networking. The first online course will be presented in coming weeks. It will include one hour of weekly instruction in a live, interactive setting, as well as weekly coursework to be completed by participants.
Registration for the online course and the West Coast Regional session in San Diego session is available via the DEL website. Details of the Hawaii-Pacific Regional course will follow soon.
Both the West Coast Regional and online courses are being offered for $250 (early bird registration) or $300 closer to the start date. The low fee reflects the generous financial support of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and will not be available for future courses.
DEL Director of Executive Education Programs Allison Besch has been working closely with Battelle, which launched the CMSP curriculum in 2013, to transition the curriculum to DEL. Courses being developed with the unique interests of regional participants in mind will be presented by Leslie-Ann McGee, Battelle’s director of ocean and coastal solutions, and Michael Barrett, a research scientist in Battelle’s CMSP Division. Both earned their master’s degree in environmental management from the Nicholas School of the Environment.
Future classes will incorporate Nicholas School faculty and key partners, says Sherri Nevius, assistant dean for distance and executive learning.
“We envision that the Nicholas School’s strengths in marine science and geographic information systems (GIS) mapping will further enhance the innovative practical skills currently taught in Battelle’s curriculum,” says Nevius. “DEL is pleased to team with Battelle to provide coastal decision makers with the most up-to-date, comprehensive training available.”
-Jill Warren Lucas, DEL Staff