(Michigan City, IN) - A local environmentalist working to protect the Lake Michigan shoreline and surrounding area is stepping down from her position.

Natalie Johnson has been Executive Director of Save the Dunes for more than nine years.

“I have made this decision so that I may spend more time with my family in the St. Louis area. I am looking forward to my next adventure which will relocate me closer to where I grew up while also maintaining some roots in this incredible region I have grown to love so dearly,” she said. 

Johnson thanked various interested parties and stakeholders for their work and success in protecting the watershed at the southern tip of Lake Michigan.

“I am proud of what we have done together, from holding polluters accountable to celebrating pollinators, to creating a greater awareness of our most treasured assets,” she said.

Johnson said she would remain involved with the organization until her replacement is named.