Renowned naturalist Rudy Gelis of Ecuador will speak at MTSU Monday, May 6, in Cantrell Hall of the Tom H. Jackson Building. A collaboration between MTSU’s biology department and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency is bringing him to the area to speak. (Submitted photo by Yanayacu Biological Station and Center for Creative Studies)

Renowned naturalist Rudy Gelis will present a lecture from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, May 6, in Middle Tennessee State University’s Tom H. Jackson Building.

The presentation by Gelis (pronounced GEL-LUS) is titled “Conservation in Ecuador: How Ecotourism and Citizen Science Help Protect Resident and Neotropical Migrant Bird Species.” His appearance also will include a question-and-answer session followed by an informal mixer.

The event is free and open to the public. To locate parking, a printable campus map is available online at http://tinyurl.com/MTParkingMap12-13.

“It provides a unique opportunity for the public to hear about the amazing biological research being conducted in Ecuador by a host of international scientists and citizen volunteers,” said Richard Martin, an adjunct professor in the MTSU Department of Biology.

Gelis’ presentation will utilize PowerPoint, drawings, oral descriptions, bird calls and more, Martin said.

MTSU’s biology department and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency are partnering to bring Gelis to the area.

Gelis, a graduate of Berea College in Kentucky and owner of Pluma Verde Tours in Quito, Ecuador, began his career in ornithology when he was awarded a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship in 1997. After studying nesting Andean Condors in Argentina and penguins on the Falkland Islands, he settled in Ecuador.

Gelis instructs university-level natural history courses in Ecuador and frequently offers ecotourism courses and assists in professional workshops for guides and park guards in Latin America.

In addition to MTSU, Gelis’ 2013 U.S. speaking tour includes lectures at Brown and Cornell universities.

For more information contact Martin at Richard.Martin@mtsu.edu or call 615-351-2627.

— Randy Weiler (Randy.Weiler@mtsu.edu)