Our most recent Chairperson, David Prosten, has retired, sold his home in Annapolis, and is moving to Cape Cod. We will miss him, and his tireless work for the environment.
Quoting from Michael Murdoch, David's predecessor as group Chair, who said "The Anne Arundel Sierra Club has become a respected environmental organization because we have many talented and informed members who give generously of their time to protect and preserve our environment."
David Prosten replaced Michael in the summer of 1999 as our group Chair. In his election biography David stated that he was "a member of the Sierra Club since the early 1980s," and "was attracted to and continue to work with the Sierra Club because of its aggressive involvement in the political arena, where so many decisions are made that affect the environment. A single greed-driven negative act by government can wipe out decades of individuals' efforts to protect our planet and its natural resources and wonders."
Since then, David has certainly been one of those members who gave generously of his time and energy. He held positions as Chair, Vice-Chair, Political Chair, Fundraising, Membership, and Chapter Delegate. David was interested in working to increase membership, and create new projects. He was instrumental in planning a successful yard sale of outdoor equipment in the summer of 1999, volunteered and participated in Earth Day events at Quiet Waters Park, including developing a 5K race as a fundraiser.
The City Council of Annapolis, Anne Arundel County, and the State Legislature had many environmental issues come before them during the years of David's tenure.Do you remember talk of building a WalMart in the Annapolis Town Center? Some other issues got our attention during that time: strengthening emissions standards in the Clean Car Act, Global Warming and the Plastic Bag Ban, stormwater management and the health of the Chesapeake Bay, a comprehensive plan (both city and county) to guide land use and development leading to rezoning laws, and the General Development Plan, impact fees for new development, and most recently on-going opposition to the huge Crystal Spring development. David was present and accounted for in these issues and more, including his participation in the Peoples Climate March in New York City in 2014.
David's leadership and contribution to Annapolis, Anne Arundel County, and the Sierra Club is incalculable. All of us who have worked with David will miss him greatly.
We bid David and his wife, Sarah, a fond farewell as they move on to a new chapter in their productive and interesting lives.
By: Susan Youngs, Liz Vanden Heuvel, and Pat Church