Coastal Management & Planning Office
Coastal Management &
Planning
The mission of Comprehensive Resource Management Plan (CRMP) is to develop a plan to sustain Mississippi's coastal resources and to provide for a healthy economy in the coastal area.
CRMP is focused on developing a comprehensive strategy, along with the necessary tools, to manage the impacts of economic growth and development on the environment of the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Key impacts of concern included non-point source water pollution and the loss of critical wildlife habitat. The objective of the CRMP process is to build the capacity of state and local governments to manage and protect coastal wetlands and marine resources in Mississippi by coordinating agency efforts, developing the necessary partnerships among public and private entities, and integrating wetland protection and management into the lifestyle of the coastal community. The principle effort to reach that goal will be organized and conducted by the CRMP under the auspices of the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources.
In the CRMP process there are 18 city and county partners involved. These partners include the 11 coastal cities and the coastal zone counties of Jackson, Harrison, Hancock, Pearl River, Stone, and George. Since January 1, 2001, CRMP has trained over 200 local, county, and state land use planners to use ArcView GIS.
CRMP’s first
model, Coastal
Mississippi Land Suitability Model 
, was released in November
2001 to stakeholders in city and county governments. The model is a non-regulatory
regional planning tool that can be used to assess environmental conditions,
address growth management issues, and accommodate sustainable development.
Highlights of the CRMP program include:
Recipient of the
ESRI Special Achievement Award, recognizing CRMP as an outstanding user
site for utilizing GIS to promote smart growth, at the 2001 ESRI International
User Conference
CRMP was featured in the NOAA publication Coastal Services magazine, Volume
4, issue 3 (May/June 2001).
CRMP was showcased by NOAA at the 2001 International Coastal Zone Conference.
Mississippi Gulf Coast Heritage Area website
Public Access Inventory Phase I (10 MB pdf) 
Mississippi Gulf Coast National Heritage Area Environmental Assessment (8.4 MB pdf)
Mississippi Gulf Coast National Heritage Area Management Plan (7.9 MB pdf)
Finding of No Significant Impact (signed) (3.8 MB pdf)