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Nature Conservancy's President Abruptly Announces Resignation

Steven J. McCormick guided the Arlington-based environmental group through its rockiest years. (2002 Photo By Sarah L. Voisin -- The Washington Post)

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He added that a new multi-year fundraising campaign will make the job even more demanding.

"It's a combination of things," he said of his decision. "There's never a perfect time to leave. "

He said he would like to remain in conservation, perhaps working on global warming.

McCormick played a pivotal role in the Conservancy's response to public concerns after the Post series and subsequent government examinations.

The series described how the Conservancy had logged forests and drilled for oil under the last native breeding ground of an endangered bird species. It reported that the charity's governing and advisory boards had grown to include executives from corporations that had paid millions of dollars in environment-related fines. It showed how the Conservancy had engaged in deals with executives on its boards.

The stories detailed how the Conservancy gave low-interest loans to its executives and sold scenic properties to its employees and trustees, who built homes on the sites and reaped large tax breaks.

After the Post series, the Conservancy restructured its board and banned some practices, including lending money to insiders, selling land to trustees and drilling on preserves.

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