PROGRAM TEAM
Mike grew up in northern Illinois and spent much of his youth tramping around wetlands, rivers, and savannas in search of turtles, snakes, and salamanders. He received his B.S from the University of Illinois, Champaign/Urbana in Natural Resources Environmental Sciences. He spent nearly a decade after undergrad working across the US and abroad on various herp and other wildlife research projects. Mike received his M.S at Clemson University studying drivers of bog turtle population decline and modeled the effects of conservation intervention on population status. Since then, Mike has been working to improve our understanding of the distribution and status of rare herpetofauna in western North Carolina. In coordination with various conservation partners, he has also initiated and facilitated dozens of restoration projects for hellbenders and bog turtles, from large-scale stream restoration to road passage projects. As the Southern Appalachian Programs Coordinator, Mike continues to leverage and expand partnerships to recover ARC’s priority species. In his free time, he enjoys river snorkeling, mountain biking, camping, and restoring antique motorcycles.