FAIRHOPE, Ala. — Dr. Riki Ott, community activist, a former commercial salmon "fisherm'am" and a marine biologist with a specialty in oil pollution, will speak in Fairhope on Friday, June 11, at Centennial Hall on the Fairhope campus of Faulkner State Community College.

The talk is at 6:30pm. Admission is free, and the talk is open to the public.

As a young woman, Ott moved to Alaska to pursue her career and interests, and became a firsthand witness to the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989.

According to her website, “The local economy, communities, and thousands of miles of environment were devastated. And then ignored.”

Since that time, Ott has devoted her life to seeking justice for everyday people, their livelihood and the environment.

She is the author of "Sound Truth and Corporate Myth$: The Legacy of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill" and "Not One Drop: Promises, Betrayal, and Courage in the Wake of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill" (Chelsea Green, 2008).

She is also the founder of three nonprofit organizations that deal with lingering harm from man-made environmental disasters.

For more information on Dr. Ott, visit her website at www.rikiott.com.