There is no question that the best part of offering DEL Exec Ed programs is getting to meet the participants and learn how they tackle the regional environmental issues currently on their plate. In the past year, facilitators and staff from DEL and Battelle Memorial Institute have had the privilege to offer CMSP training in several U.S. regions. A selection of images and recollections from these experiences only touches upon the experiences that were shared.
At the Great Lakes region Capt. Eric Vogelbacher, Chief of the Resources and Planning Division for the Ninth Coast Guard District, shared his perspective on the Great Lakes coastal planning dilemmas and proposed solutions, summarized in this OpenChannels blog post .
The next course coincided with one of the many deep freezes that hit New England in January 2015. Nearly thirty participants braved the ice, wind, and snow to meet in Avery Point, CT. One participant was Tyson Bottenus, Sustainability Director for the NGO Sailors for the Sea. Bottenus, representing the recreational boating industry’s interests in the process, reflected in a blog post that “…despite the fact that most boaters act independently of each other, the group as a whole deserves a seat at the planning table to voice our opinions and concerns about further development.”
In February, Exec Ed program assistant Laura Lipps thawed out in San Diego while helping to administer the West Coast regional training. In the image below, participants learned about different stakeholder perspectives by playing “Flotsam and Jetsam”, the marine twist on “Apples to Apples.”
Participants at CMSP-West Coast, San Diego, CA. Courtesy of Laura Lipps
Facilitator Virginia Guhin outlines a day’s work, CMSP-West Coast, San Diego, CA. Courtesy of Laura Lipps
This series of trainings, funded in great part by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, wrapped up with the CMSP-Pacific training, located in Honolulu, Hawaii. Participants here definitely traveled the furthest to discuss how to factor in distance, scale, and culture into the marine planning equation.
This section of the Oahu coast might look pristine, but residents discussed multiple user groups at the busy nearby Port of Honolulu.
Cameron Black of the State of Hawaii Energy Office identifies compatible uses and conflicts surrounding the Honolulu airport.
It took four days to get all of this information assembled, but the group only had a few minutes to summarize their plans in an “elevator speech” at CMSP-Pacific, Honolulu, HI.
Facilitator Mike Barrett photographs a quintessential Hawaiian rainbow overlooking both densely packed harbors and pristine landscapes.
Facilitator Leslie-Ann McGee aptly states in her workshop introduction that coastal planning is mostly about managing human behaviors. We wish all of our participants continued success in this process, and hope that the networks that were created in class will contribute to the ultimate success of their regions.
written by Allison Besch, DEL Staff. Photos courtesy of Allison Besch except where noted.