08/28/2022
A fond farewell to Dr. Chris Marsh
Dr. Chris Marsh – birder extraordinaire, devoted dad and husband, passionate educator, and conservationist – has retired after nearly 25 years as the executive director of the Spring Island Trust. Chris grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina and his interest in birds began when he was just a teenager. At Oregon State University he completed his Ph.D. in zoology studying the diets of shorebirds. Before becoming executive director of the Spring Island Trust, Chris was a professor at Brevard College and later Coastal Carolina University as well as an environmental consultant.
One of Chris's most significant accomplishments as the Executive Director of the Spring Island Trust is the development of the story of Port Royal Sound and why this region is distinctive from other estuaries. When Chris first arrived in the Lowcountry, these distinctions were not well understood. He sought out research studies to support to develop this knowledge, worked with countless community partners to share and refine his message, and disseminated it widely through the Master Naturalist program that he helped create more than twenty years ago. He has been a champion of regional water quality, led top-notch educational programs, mentored teachers and community leaders, and guided the establishment of Spring Island as a model community for how humans and nature can coexist to the benefit of both.
Besides his achievements as a scientist, Chris is deeply devoted to his family. He and his wife Barbara have been married for 45 years and together raised four children. In addition, they were foster parents for many years and have given a lot of love and care to all the children in their lives.
Spring Island, the Lowcountry, and all of us have benefited deeply from Chris’s enthusiasm, passion, knowledge, and care during his tenure as executive director of the Spring Island Trust.
~Lowcountry Master Naturalist Summer 2022 Newsletter
