Winona LaDuke—American environmentalist, economist and author—will give a free public lecture at 7 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 11, at Prochnow Auditorium, as part of the 14th Biennial Conference of Science and Management for the Colorado Plateau and Southwest Region.

The event is sponsored by NAU’s Institute of Tribal Environmental Professionals in celebration of its 25th anniversary.

As executive director of Honor the Earth, LaDuke works nationally and internationally on the issues of climate change, renewable energy and environmental justice alongside indigenous communities. She lives and works on the White Earth reservation in northern Minnesota and is a two-time vice presidential candidate with Ralph Nader for the Green Party.

In her own community, she is the founder of the White Earth Land Recovery Project, one of the largest reservation-based non-profit organizations in the country. She also is the co-founder of Honor the Earth, a grassroots environmental organization focused on indigenous issues and environmental justice. She is an advocate of protecting indigenous plants and heritage foods from patenting and genetic engineering.

In 2007, LaDuke was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame, recognizing her leadership and community commitment. In 1994, LaDuke was nominated by Time magazine as one of America’s 50 most promising leaders under 40 years of age. She also was awarded the Thomas Merton Award in 1996, Ms. Magazine’s Woman of the Year in l997 and the Reebok Human Rights Award in 1998.

LaDuke has written extensively on Native American and environmental issues. She is the author of six books, including Recovering the Sacred, All our Relations: Native Struggles for Land and Life, Last Standing Woman and The Winona LaDuke Chronicles, her newest work.

The Biennial Conference brings together resource managers and research scientists, including students, to share information and learn from one another to foster the common goal of improving the management of the region’s incomparable natural and cultural resources. Hosted by Northern Arizona University, the conference will take place Sept. 11-14, and include 500 participants and more than 350 presentations.