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February 6, 2008

Spalding to step down as director of Save The Bay

Curt Spalding, the executive director of Save The Bay, Rhode Island’s largest environmental group, told his staff today he was stepping down by this summer and will spend some time considering a new career move. The group’s board of directors plans a national search for a new director.

As the head of the state’s most influential environmental advocacy and educational group since 1990, Spalding, 50, has long been a major figure both in Rhode Island’s environmental community, but also among business and political leaders.

He took over from Trudy Coxe, who launched an unsuccessful bid for Congress that year. Spalding, who had worked at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency before joining Save The Bay as an assistant director, was less confrontational than Coxe. But under his leadership the group grew, built a state of the art headquarters at Fields Point, and introduced thousands of local children to Narragansett Bay through its educational programs.

Spalding has led campaigns to restore the ecosystem of Narragansett Bay, to block development of a container port at Quonset Point, and to expand and improve sewer systems around the Bay. Most recently he called for reforms at the Coastal Resources Management Council, the state agency that regulates coastal activities in Rhode Island.

In the last year, Spalding kept up with the times and started his own blog of observations and musings – always surrounding Narragansett Bay, which he often said was his passion.

-- Journal staff writer Peter Lord

Posted by Jack Perry  at 2:15 PM | Permalink

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