SeaSketch for the Santa Barbara Channel

/
SeaSketch for the Santa Barbara Channel

Right in our own backyard, the McClintock Lab has found a critical need for thoughtful marine spatial planning. The Santa Barbara Channel is home to diverse marine life, including protected species of whales, as well as a variety of human uses. For the past year the SeaSketch team has been immersed in supporting a special working group, convened by the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary (CINMS) focused on effective management, research and outreach surrounding one of these key human uses: marine shipping.

Read More

Tools Training for EBM Practitioners

/
Tools Training for EBM Practitioners

The McClintock Lab sent lab member Grace Goldberg to San Juan, PR to speak about implementing marine spatial planning (MSP) using novel tools as part of the Caribbean Coastal-Marine EBM Tools Workshop Training, put on by the EBM Tools Network and NatureServe. She spoke about MSP process, from prioritizing objectives, to data gathering, to iterative design - emphasizing the role of a wide range of tools that provide a scientific underpinning for planning, and tools that enable effective stakeholder engagement, highlighting key resources for the participants.

Read More

A Visit to Blue Halo Montserrat

/
A Visit to Blue Halo Montserrat

They call it the Emerald Island, and you can see why, with dense green vegetation on the slopes climbing straight out of the Caribbean waters. Narrow roads wind up along the steep streams, through neighborhoods sprawling through the northwest part of the island. Now home to fewer than 5,000 residents, Montserrat once had a bustling center in the southwest, now abandoned in the shadow of a smoking caldera. The volcano blew in 1995, sending mud and pyroclastic flows through the city, displacing the majority of Montserrat’s residents.

Read More

SeaSketch for Indonesia

/
SeaSketch for Indonesia

We are excited to announce that the McClintock Lab has launched a new project in Indonesia with The Nature Conservancy (TNC). Under the leadership of Dr. Joanna Smith (TNC Canada, Global Marine Team), the SeaSketch team and Coastal Resources Mapping Ltd are developing a new project to support comprehensive marine planning in the Lesser Sunda Ecoregion of Indonesia. Our kick-off trip in June was spent dropping in on a Marxan with Zones training led by Dr. Steve Schill (TNC Caribbean Program) for the TNC Indonesia staff, as well as representatives from partnering NGO’s, universities, and government. We dove into conversations about available data, the complex multi-agency governance structure, and SeaSketch specifics. The week of exploring coral reefs, coastal communities and rich cultural performances, while learning about the science and governance context from our new colleagues, made for an unforgettable launch.

Read More

Nominating a National Marine Sanctuary

/
Nominating a National Marine Sanctuary

For the first time in two decades, NOAA has invited communities to nominate a new National Marine Sanctuary. SeaSketch has been designed to help communities do just that. And now, because of some fancy new features, you can rapidly deploy a feature-rich SeaSketch project to help your nominations meet NOAA's criteria for consideration.

Read More