Peter B. Lord took the ferry to Block Island for the first time in the early 1970s and, like so many other visitors, knew immediately that he wanted to return -- as often as possible.

His first assignment on the island as an environment reporter for The Providence Journal was a story, in 1988, about coping with development.

The Conservation Foundation, a national group, had chosen Block Island for a program to teach the community how to preserve open space while accommodating growth. Keith Lewis spoke about the importance of protecting the island's natural beauty.

"Our success or failure on this little island has global implications," Lewis said. "If we can't get our act together on this little island, what hope is there for the world?"

That is when Lord began to learn about the role of Keith Lewis and his father, Rob Lewis, in leading the effort to conserve land on Block Island.

A few years later, Lord spent a day with Rob Lewis at his home on the island to prepare for stories announcing that The Nature Conservancy had designated Block Island one of the "Last Great Places" in the Western Hemisphere.

In a lyrical voice, Rob Lewis spent the day talking about his beloved island, the close-knit community and the work he had begun to preserve it.

"I don't want to be pinning any bouquets on myself," he said at one point. "Better you should get this story from somebody else."

Lord went on to get the story from many sources. In the last 17 years, he has chronicled crucial moments in the preservation effort -- one deal at a time. He was there when Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt stopped to honor the islanders' accomplishments. He covered the development of the island trail system, efforts to save the endangered American burying beetle and the campaign to save the Southeast Lighthouse -- a critical icon of island life.

To prepare for this series, Lord spent many hours interviewing Keith Lewis and dozens of others who have contributed to the conservation efforts on Block Island.

He read Journal stories from the last 80 years, as well as key stories from the local newspaper, The Block Island Times. He read all 11 of Elizabeth Dickens' journals, which cover 51 years of bird watching. For background he also read Block Island -- the Land by Robert M. Downie Jr.; History of Block Island by S. T. Livermore; and a draft of the book Keith Lewis is writing about his parents, Rob and Alyce Lewis.