Paul Earnshaw (left), president of the Buckeye Brook Coalition, was honored Sunday at the annual Save the Bay meeting where he was presented the Alison J. Walsh Award for Outstanding Environmental Advocacy. Earnshaw was recognized for bringing new members into the fold, ushering in a new era of community outreach and overseeing the annual Earth Day cleanup of Buckeye Brook. Earnshaw engages with national organizations to investigate offshore causes of herring run population declines and actively advocates for the protection of Buckeye Brook. In addition, he leads paddle tours of the brook, brook cleanups and assists with the Coalition’s annual herring run count. Also honored at the meeting was Dr. Vincent Rose (center), who has served 34 years on the Save the Bay Executive Board and received the volunteer of the year award, and former Save the Bay executive director Curt Spalding, who was named to the Board of Trustees. Spalding, who now heads EPA’s New England regional I office, joined the Save the Bay staff in 1987, staying with the agency for 20 years. Listening to current Save the Bay executive director Jonathan Stone describe the challenges ahead – especially funding shortages faced by cities and towns – Spalding said, “It’s back to the future.”