Lyle Russell is an author, blogger, ISA certified arborist, wildlife educator, and podcast host originally from Tampa, Florida. He is a member of multiple genealogical societies, with ancestral links in the United States back to the Mayflower landing. He has received multiple awards, including the Bronze Roger Sherman Medal from the Sons of the American Revolution, The Tennessee Recreation and Parks Association Arts Award, The Dennis Rainier Award for Excellence in Sports Programming, The Elk River District BSA Long Rifle Award, and the Medal of Merit for Lifesaving from the Boy Scouts of America.
In April of 2021, Lyle and his wife Valerie founded the Middle Tennessee Raptor Center, a licensed non-profit wildlife rescue that helps injured birds of prey return to the wild. Injured raptors that cannot be returned to the wild become Raptor Education Ambassadors. Lyle and Valerie perform about one hundred education programs per year for schools, festivals, church and civic groups, along with scout camps and summer day camps. Their programs focus on raptor conservation and the importance of these amazing birds in our ecosystem. Their goal is to establish a private park and nature center in Tullahoma.
When he’s not writing, blogging, or creating podcasts, Lyle enjoys traveling to education programs with his birds, woodworking, reading, hiking and falconry. He lives, works, and writes in the heart of Middle Tennessee.
Find out more about the Middle Tennessee Raptor Center here.
See Lyle at TEDxTullahoma 2023!