Shuster of Warwick was elected president of Save The Bay

By GRETA SHUSTER

Lifelong Warwick resident George Shuster claims to be Save The Bay’s first board president who is younger than the organization itself.

At the organization’s 54th annual meeting Thursday, the Shusters, 48 ​​accepted the ceremonial gavel and the responsibilities that come with it from former board chairman Gib Conover.

“Gib Conover has been a great Board President,” Shuster said. “He knew how to embrace board members and bring out the best in all of us.”

Growing up in Governor Francis Farms, Shuster remembers connecting with Bay in his neighborhood. “At the end of the street, there was a path through the woods to Occupessatuxet Bay,” he said. “I spent a lot of time down there and in Gaspee Point. The water was often dirty and smelly. Those are my first memories of the Bay.”

As Shuster has grown, his relationship with the Bay has remained the same in more ways than one, and the water is cleaner than ever. He swims with friends from Conimicut Point to train for Save The Bay’s flagship summer fundraiser, the Save The Bay Swim from Newport to Jamestown. “There’s no place in the world I’d rather be than the Upper Bay, and that’s pretty much been true my whole life,” he said.

Warwick plays a hugely important role with Save the Gulf and its mission. With 39 miles of shoreline, more than any other municipality in Rhode Island, there are thousands of residents living at low elevations in close proximity to the Gulf. Shuster said, “If we can do the right thing to protect Warwick Bay, that will have a measurable impact on the Bay in general.”

Shuster’s position as Chairman of the Board will last for two years. During this time, he hopes to help the organization make the most of its newly expanded resources. Save The Bay has a new executive director, a new downtown Newport aquarium, a new director of advocacy, and a new director of marketing and communications, along with new staff members in the development, communications, habitat restoration and education departments.

There are countless ways to help Save the Bay, and through those things, help Narragansett Bay itself. You can become a member of Save The Bay, visit the new Newport Aquarium, take a trip to walk the grounds of the Bay Center at Fields Point in Providence, or participate in Save The Bay’s shoreline cleanup and habitat restoration projects. Visit www.savebay.org for details.