Mike spent five years, camera in hand, exploring the natural history of whooping cranes across the continent. His efforts have been made into a book, podcast, and feature length film. This project is ongoing as Mike continues to share the story of these magnificent birds through multi-media, presentations, and adventure trips.

Since 2011, Platte Basin Timelapse has used timelapse photography and multimedia storytelling to explore the Platte River Basin and the water that connects its landscapes, wildlife, and communities. Mike co-founded the project and directs it. Today, PBT produces films and stories, conducts research, gives presentations, and creates educational programs that inspire care for our natural world.

In 1999, Mike embarked on a five-year journey to document the migration of sandhill cranes across North America. Traveling 65,000 miles across four countries, his work became On Ancient Wings: The Sandhill Cranes of North America, a book exploring the lives of cranes and the diverse habitats they connect across the continent. Mike was also featured in the national PBS documentary, Crane Song.

From 2005 to 2009, Mike traveled 100,000 miles across the Great Plains from Canada to Mexico, documenting the wildlife, landscapes, and conservation challenges of a region often dismissed as “flyover country.” His work became the book Great Plains: America’s Lingering Wild, a traveling exhibition, and a PBS documentary.