“The Endangered Species Act: A Conservation Legacy With an Uncertain Future” will be the topic of a presentation at the Center for the Environment at Catawba College on Thursday.

Ben Prater, Southeast program director for Defenders of Wildlife and a Catawba College environmental science graduate, will examine the importance of the Endangered Species Act, the law’s uncertain future law, and how people can act to protect it.

The Endangered Species Act is arguably one of the most powerful environmental laws in U.S. history. For more than 40 years, it has helped save species from the brink of extinction and protect American icons like the bald eagle, grizzly bear, gray wolf and bison.

A career conservationist, Prater supervises and directs Defenders of Wildlife’s efforts to protect imperiled wildlife and their habitats in the Southeast. As Southeast program director, he is responsible for leading a field team focused on the protection of rare, threatened and endangered species through public outreach, advocacy, and the application of science, law and policy for the conservation of biodiversity.

He provides strategic direction for Defender’s programs to recover species and address the most pressing threats to their conservation.

Prater holds a master’s degree in environmental management from Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences at Duke University and a bachelor’s degree in environmental science from Catawba, graduating in 2002.

Prater’s speech is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday in Room 300 of the Center for the Environment. The presentation is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Call 704-637-4791 or visit www.CenterForTheEnvironment.org to register.