Our Presenter:

Michael Runtz, an Arnprior native, is one of Canada’s best-known naturalists, nature photographers, and natural history authors. He is with the Department of Biology at Carleton University where he teaches an ever popular course in Natural History.

The Presentation:

Beavers are greatly misunderstood animals.  Their ability to cut down trees and flood land puts them in a less than favourable light in many peoples’ eyes but these attributes endow beavers with the power to create entire ecosystems. This highly visual presentation will explore the fascinating life of beavers and the important roles they play in the lives of other animals as diverse as dragonflies and moose.

Biography:

Michael Runtz, an Arnprior native, is one of Canada’s best-known naturalists, nature photographers, and natural history authors. A birdwatcher since the age of five, he has lived, breathed and worked with nature all his life. A dynamic communicator, he is equally at home in the television or radio studio, lecture hall or classroom. Since its inception, more than 45,000 students have signed up for his Natural History course at Carleton University.  Michael, who also hosted an international television series Wild by Nature, is in great demand as a speaker for groups as diverse as outdoor educators, professional biologists, schoolchildren, and naturalists’ clubs both in Canada and abroad.

Eleven books on a diverse array of natural history subjects bear the stamp of Michael’s passion, knowledge and stunning photography. These include: Moose Country, The Explorer’s Guide to Algonquin Park, Beauty and the Beasts: The Hidden World of Wildflowers, The Howls of August: Encounters with Algonquin Wolves, Natural History, and, his most recent, Dam Builders: the natural history of beavers and their ponds. Michael’s award-winning photographs (three first place finishes in national photo contests), and natural history columns have graced the pages of numerous Canadian and American magazines and newspapers – nearly 2,000 nature columns with topics ranging from near-microscopic Snow Fleas to towering Moose bear his name.

Michael is also well known for his educational and conservation efforts, for which he has received numerous awards, including an Outstanding Service Award from the Federation of Ontario Naturalists, three University Teaching Achievement Awards (the first to receive that many) and a Lifetime Achievement Award from Carleton University, and The Distinguished Public Education Award from the Canadian Council of University Biology Chairs.