Specifications include, but are not limited to: The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) is soliciting proposals to update our 5-year State Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP). The SCORP will outline a path to an improved outdoor recreation and open space system that improves the health of our citizens, that continues to enhance our quality of life, and that is accessible to all Rhode Islanders. The SCORP will outline our strategies to ensure that we continue to provide appropriate and accessible recreational opportunities for a growing and changing demographic; ensure that these resources are well-maintained, resilient, and remain relevant to our shifting population; and position Rhode Island as a recreational tourism destination. Additionally, the SCORP will identify goals and strategies for protecting wildlife habitat, water quality, scenic resources, and productive agricultural land. The SCORP will: • Create a vision for the future parks, recreation, and open space system, based upon: o Community needs and priorities o Changing demographics o Changes in the community including impacts associated with climate change o Emerging recreation trends • Be inclusive and strongly shaped by community input and feedback • Be consistent with other State Guide Plan elements. • Detail the benefits of outdoor recreation, based on the latest scientific findings (health, wellness, community cohesiveness, economic engines, quality of life and environmental justice, protecting natural resources and wetlands); 1. Project management • Report to and take direction from the SCORP Working Group (made up of staff representatives from RI DEM) with input from the SCORP Advisory Committee, consisting of members from outdoor recreation interest groups and advocacy organizations. • Prepare and conduct presentations to the SCORP Advisory Committee and the State Planning Council and its Technical Committee on the ongoing sections of the working draft. • Provide meeting notes for project team meetings, respond to questions and record comments for use in revising plan. • Regularly and effectively communicate with DEM Division of Planning and Development staff. • Anticipate Meetings up to 2x per month with working group and up to monthly with Advisory Committee. It is anticipated that several of those meetings will be cancelled during the process • Meetings as necessary to secure approval by State Planning Council (including Technical Committee presentation(s) • Submittal to National Park Service for approval, revisions as required. 2. Public Outreach and Engagement Initiative: Recommend and implement a comprehensive, innovative, and effective process for engaging the public and eliciting useful and reliable information. It is anticipated that some public engagement will include direct contact with users of key resources and will therefore be conducted during Summer 2023. • The public engagement process should be a creatively designed process to elicit authentic and substantial public input and recommendations from all sections of the Rhode Island population.
