Archives by Tag 'socioeconomic'

Peer-Reviewed Article on Marine Protected Areas Published in “Ocean & Coastal Management” Journal

CONCUR Principal Scott McCreary co-authored an article with Marine Life Protection Act Initiative colleagues entitled “Science-based and stakeholder-driven marine protected area network planning: A successful case study from north central California“, published in the current issue of Ocean & Coastal Management [53 (2010) 52-68]. Former CONCUR intern Kathryn Hoffman was a key co-author.
In [...]

Wingspread Foundation Water Funders Forum

CONCUR Principal Scott McCreary and Associate Rebecca Tuden teamed with conveners from The Johnson Foundation at Wingspread to facilitate a three-day workshop among 27 leading grant-making organizations involved in national and regional water resource efforts. The meeting was convened from January 13 – 15, 2010 at The Johnson Foundation in Racine, Wisconsin.   Participants in the [...]

Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) – BRTF Unanimously Adopts South Coast Region MPA Proposal

On November 12, 2009, the MLPA Blue Ribbon Task Force (BRTF) unanimously (5 – 0) adopted a preferred marine protected area (MPA) proposal for the south coast study region, which includes 27 state marine reserves (SMRs), 1 state marine park (SMP) and 16 state marine conservation areas (SMCAs); this recommended proposal is referred to as [...]

New CONCUR Fact Sheet on Watershed Planning

CONCUR has prepared a new fact sheet focused on our watershed planning experience and expertise (download PDF).

Watershed planning touches on a broad range of issues including local land use policies, stream protection concerns, restoration goals, flood control, and water quality. The planning framework can be transboundary and address implications for climate [...]

Marine Protected Areas on California’s North Central Coast

On August 5, 2009, the California Fish & Game Commission voted to place roughly 20 percent of the state’s north central coastal waters (or approximately 153 square miles) into 21 marine protected areas (MPAs) and 3 marine recreational management areas. The designated waters (map below) were identified through a CONCUR-facilitated multi-stakeholder process (DFG project home [...]

CONCUR Op-Ed on Climate Change Published in the Sacramento Bee, August 16, 2009

On Sunday August 16, The Sacramento Bee published an Op-Ed piece by CONCUR Principals John Gamman and Scott McCreary that puts forward a strategy for preventing solar, wind energy and other climate change-focused projects from getting mired in avoidable conflicts. The piece offers an assessment of the source of the potential conflicts and then [...]

California Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative South Coast Study Region (2008 – present)

CONCUR is the lead facilitator for the California Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative’s Regional Stakeholder Group (RSG) in its Southern California Study Region.  The MLPA provides that California will establish a network of marine protected areas (MPAs) by 2011.  The MLPA pays particular attention to protecting representative examples of important habitats and ensuring that [...]

Design and Facilitation of a Stakeholder Involvement Process: Port of Oakland Maritime Air Quality Improvement Plan (2007-2009)

Throughout 2007 and 2008, CONCUR facilitated the Port of Oakland Maritime Air Quality Task Force, a body created to engage stakeholders in developing the Port of Oakland’s Maritime Air Quality Improvement Plan (MAQIP).
The Port of Oakland is the fourth-busiest container port in the United States and one of the nations’ gateways for trade with Asia. [...]

California Marine Life Protection Act Initiative - North Central Coast Regional Stakeholder Group (2006-2007)

CONCUR helped to facilitate this second phase of the California Marine Life Protection Act Initiative in 2006-2007. In completing their work, the North Central Coast Regional Stakeholder Group (NCCRSG) worked closely with two other bodies - a Blue Ribbon Task Force of senior policy advisors and a Science Advisory Team - to inform the decisions [...]

MLPA Central Coast Regional Stakeholder Group Facilitation Completed (2005-2006)

In 2005-2006, CONCUR facilitated the MLPA Central Coast Regional Stakeholder Group (CCRSG), a 32-member group charged with developing alternate packages of Marine Protected Areas for the region between Pigeon Point and Point Conception. The aim of the program is to build a statewide network to protect biological diversity and rebuild depleted fish stocks, and create [...]