Many years of environmental volunteering led Mike to managing an ecological digitisation project at the National Trust for Scotland, followed by completing an eighteen month ecological surveying training program with the Scottish Wildlife Trust.

Having been awarded SNH licences for bat and great crested newt surveying, Mike most recently become a certified Riverfly Partnership volunteer in Greater Manchester. 

He is now a Project Officer within the Natural Course LIFE Integrated Project team, and is hosted by the Greater Manchester Ecology Unit.  This role involves the ecological study of the Irwell Catchment, in partnership with local authorities, the Environment Agency, United Utilities, Natural England and the Rivers Trust, and applying citizen science where appropriate.