George Shuster, lifelong resident of Warwick, claims to be the first Board President of Save The Bay to be younger than the organization itself.

At the organization’s 54th annual meeting Thursday, Shuster, 48 accepted the ceremonial gavel and the responsibilities that come with it from previous Board President Gib Conover.

“Gib Conover was a terrific 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 recalls connecting with the Bay in his own neighborhood. “At the end of the street, there was a path through the woods down to Occupessatuxet Cove,” he said. “I spent a lot of time down there, and in Gaspee Point. The water was often dirty, and it smelled. Those are my first memories of the Bay.”

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

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

Shuster’s position as Board President will last two years. During that 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 aquarium in Downtown Newport, a new Director of Advocacy, and a new Director of Marketing & 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 to help Narragansett Bay itself. You can become a member of Save The Bay, visit the new aquarium in Newport, take a trip to walk the Bay Center grounds at Fields Point in Providence, or participate in Save The Bay shoreline cleanups and habitat restoration projects. Visit www.savebay.org for details.