How Peter Lord Saved Rhode Island
Saturday, April 14, 2012
It is hard to believe today that in the 1980's the biggest issue in Rhode Island was an economic building boon that threatened to change Rhode Island's New England legacy into a massive collection of strip malls. The stress between the building industry and environmentalists was as passionate and contentious as today's fight between public unions and fiscal conservatives. The battles, subtext and emotion was uniquely captured by a superior reporter -- Peter Lord of the Providence Journal.
In the late 1980's the issues that dominated were open space preservation, water supply, and Superfund. Lord's unique ability to understand complex issues of science equally as well as understanding the emotion of losing a family farm in Glocester. Former RI DEM Director Bob Bendick told GoLocalProv:
Peter Lord was a talented journalist who through his intelligence and even-handed reporting about conservation and the environment had a profound impact on Rhode Island’s land and water. I remember many times during my work in Rhode Island when Peter’s stories turned the tide of public opinion toward concern for the state’s natural resources. I am saddened by his death, but I hope his friends and family can be comforted by Peter’s lasting contribution to making Rhode Island a better, healthier, more beautiful place.
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The loss of Lord is a milestone on journalism's road of transformation. We are leaving behind a time and a place when a reporter was committed, as Lord was, to a sole issue. Lord's legacy is that areas such as the Blackstone Valley Heritage Corridor or Block Island might not be quite so preserved without his ability to understand and communicate the issues related to environmental preservation.
Rhode Island's natural beauty owes much, including its future, to the journalistic skills of Peter Lord.
