AUBURN – The Stanton Bird Club will hold its monthly natural history meeting at 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 4, at the Auburn Public Library. All are welcome free. The speaker will be Richard Anderson, founder of the International Appalachian Trail/Sentier International des Appalaches.

Anderson will present a visual tour of the route of the trail, the history of the development of the trail and stories about some of the 100 hikers who have already thru-hiked the trail.

The trail is the longest international hiking trail in the world at 1,900 miles, and Anderson has traveled extensively along the route in New Brunswick, Quebec, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador. He is president of the Maine Chapter of International Appalachian Trails.

Anderson graduated from the University of Maine in 1957 with a BS in wildlife management. From 1957 to 1969 he worked as a fishery biologist for the Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Department.

In 1969 he became the conservation director for the Maine Audubon Society and in 1970 he became the executive director of Maine Audubon. He was the director when Maine Audubon spearheaded the passage of the returnable bottle bill and developed Gisland Farm. He has led hundreds of field trips for Maine Audubon Society to areas through Maine and Eastern Canada.

Anderson served as the commissioner of the Department of Conservation when Joseph Brennan was governor from 1980 to 1987. He also was appointed chairman of the Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund by Gov. John Baldacci.

The Stanton Bird Club membership dues help to support land stewardship at three sanctuaries owned and managed by the club in Lewiston and Monmouth. For more information, call 782-5238 or go to www.stantonbirdclub.org.