Donald L. Carcieri
Governor

Former Governor J. Joseph Garrahy
Chairman of the Commission

James Boyd
Staff for the Commission

Administered by the Coastal Institute at the University of Rhode Island

Bay and Watershed Planning Panel
Chair: Michael Rauh (Washington Trust Co.)
Staff Support: Richard Ribb (NBEP)

Purpose: Address the need for a long-term comprehensive Bay and watershed plan and mechanism that incorporates goals, indicators (environmental, economic, and social), short-term strategic plans for priority issues, and, in coordination with the Intergovernmental Panel, an interstate agreement with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The panel will interact with the other panels that target specific discrete issues in order to help keep a watershed-wide perspective and integrate all panel recommendations into a final plan that will be implemented and updated using adaptive management principles.

Short-term Charges: By March 2004, develop a Phase I Strategic Work Plan that draws together recommended solutions – i.e., initial steps – identified by the various panels, and adopted by the full Commission, to address priority issues. For another initial product, the panel will develop an outline of how a comprehensive Bay and watershed plan could be structured, determining the need for different elements like a State of the Bay report, an analysis of current governance, a strategic monitoring plan, a coordinated research agenda, a communications strategy, a funding strategy, etc. This work will constitute the groundwork for the development of a Comprehensive Bay and Watershed Plan that builds on and updates existing planning efforts and addresses the issues facing the Bay and its watershed in a prioritized, collaborative, well coordinated, effective, and sustainable manner.

Panel Members
Michael Rauh, Community
Rich Ribb, NBEP
Jan Reitsma
Jenn McCann, CRC
Steve Olsen, CRC
Margherita Pryor, USEPA
John O’Brien, RIDOA
Doug Foy, MA Gov’s Office
Townsend Goddard, RIEDC
Stephen Smith, SRPEDD
Topher Hamblett, STB
Grover Fugate, RICRMC
Ken Payne, RI Senate
Scott Milla,r RIDEM
Dan Varin, RIWRB
Meg Kerr, RI Rivers Council
Mike Keyworth, RIMTA
Paul Pinault, NBC

Panel Resources

Meetings