ALTON - The Sierra Club will bring wildlife ecologist Dana Ripper to Alton, on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, to discuss “The Risks of Microplastics” during a speaker series event at Old Bakery Beer, 400 Landmarks Blvd. The program is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m.
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Ripper focuses on conservation through ecosystem health. She has a master’s degree in ecology from Arkansas State University and worked on wildlife research projects across the United States before making Missouri home in 2008.
In 2010, Ripper co-founded the Missouri River Bird Observatory, a nonprofit organization “dedicated to conservation via science, education, and advocacy.”
The event description says plastic production and waste mismanagement “pose significant threats to climate stability, biotic and abiotic natural resources, and human health and quality of life,” and notes that one of Ripper’s major emphases in her work with the observatory is “systemic reduction in single-use plastics.”
Ripper is a certified presenter with the Beyond Plastics Speakers Bureau, according to the event information.
The Sierra Club encourages attendees to arrive before the 6:30 p.m. start time and have dinner during the program at Old Bakery Beer.
