National Audubon Society official to discuss protection of Alaska’s public lands

Lauren Hierl gives a presentation on protecting public lands in Alaska at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 23, at room AV-1, Alcuin Library, Saint John’s University, Collegeville.

The presentation, which is sponsored by the College of Saint Benedict/Saint John’s University environmental studies department, is free and open to the public.

Hierl, Alaska policy associate for the National Audubon Society, is a ‘traveling ambassador” for protecting Alaska’s natural resources.

The public lands of Alaska – including their diverse wildlife populations – face critical conservation threats ranging from oil drilling to old-growth logging. She will discuss what is being done to protect these lands and what the public can do to help.

Hierl received her bachelor’s degree in environmental studies from Dartmouth College, and her master of environmental management and master of public policy degrees from Duke University.