Mike graduated from Oregon State University with a degree in Natural Resources specializing in restoration ecology and horticulture. He has worked as a habitat restoration project manager in the private and public sector in the northern Willamette Valley for 15 years. In 2025 he started Back Forty Restoration to focus on emerging challenges faced by a robust community of habitat restoration practitioners throughout the Willamette Valley. He also continues to work in the field as a habitat restoration practitioner on projects large and small.