Speaker Hays Cummins will talk about his experiences, “Exploring Costa Rica through Science, Culture and Photography.”
4:00 PM, Wagon tour of Tall Timbers with Jim Cox, or informal birding & socializing (Bring your binoculars!)
5:30 PM, Dinner, Annual Meeting, Election
6:00 PM, Presentation
Here are the logistics:
GATHER at Tall Timbers as early as 4:00 PM for informal birding and socializing. Do bring your binoculars! If you want to go on the wagon tour, please arrive between 3:45-4:00 PM. Seating is limited, so it will be first come, first served.
SUPPER will begin at 5:30 PM so please have your covered dish, one per person or family, there by that time. Please bring a serving spoon. Label your serving dishes and spoons. Please also bring an index card with the name of your covered dish. Mention on the card whether it is vegan, vegetarian, gluten free or if it has nuts in it. AAS will supply ice cold minted water, iced tea, cold brew coffee, and lemonade.
LET’S SEE HOW LITTLE WASTE WE GENERATE Each person should bring their own plate, bowl, utensils and cup or water bottle. If you forget, we will have extras on hand. We also recommend bringing a cloth napkin and a washable cloth bag in which to stow your used dishes. Sustainability starts with us. We’re looking forward to seeing you there.
The presentation will begin at 6:00 PM and you are welcome to join us for that if you can’t make it to the dinner.
Hays Cummins
Dr. Hays Cummins is Professor Emeritus & Distinguished Educator and Teacher of Geography at Miami University (Ohio). He grew up in the swamps and bayous of southern Louisiana catching as many snakes as he could find. He received his PhD in oceanography from Texas A&M University and has led scores of international courses to the Bahamas, the Netherlands Antilles, Belize, Australia, Namibia and Costa Rica. While at Miami University, he was Principal Investigator (PI) or Co-PI of over $4.5 million of grants. His research focuses on the reconstruction of past ecological communities in marine systems and understanding ecological change. He also has a passion for conservation, ecological restoration, climate change, tropical ecology, coral reefs, weather, birding, astronomy, and photography.
He has authored many research papers and popular articles focusing on science and science education. Recent publications include books on Bahamas birds and coral reef fish as well as journal articles on coral reef disease on the Great Barrier Reef and a synthesis paper on American beaver canals and their environmental effects.
Hays is now a permanent Florida resident and enjoys living in the wilderness of the Florida Big Bend with his wife Donna. Their property is in a conservation easement with Tall Timbers Land Conservancy.
An Introduction to Hays Cummins
by Peter Kleinhenz
Dr. Hays Cummins is one of the first people that pop into my mind when I think of "conservationist". He has spent an entire career dedicated to better understanding the natural world, from weather to paleontology to coral reefs to birds. But he also has spent an entire career educating others, and not just people he's paid to teach. And then, of course, he has protected not just one but two tracts of land, one in Ohio and one in Florida. Hays, along with his equally-impressive wife Donna, generously donated conservation easements on both tracts of land to ensure that they are protected forever.
As if this is not enough, Hays has an insatiable curiosity about the world around him and is someone I would define as a "lifelong learner". He knows how to ask a good question and, despite his deep well of knowledge, is humble enough to always seek out more information from others around him. Whether on Facebook, on field trips, during lectures, while leading international trips, or talking to private landowners out in the country, he's constantly sharing both his old and new knowledge with others in an effort to move the conservation needle forward and inspire others to care as much about conserving this planet as he does. The best way to put it, I think, is that Dr. Hays Cummins is a true inspiration to anyone with even the slightest love of nature and wild places. If we had more of him, the world would be a much better place.
