Michael is a native of Algiers, the only part of the city of New Orleans that lies within the Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary. He was BTNEP’s Invasive Species Coordinator from 2004 to 2019, and rejoined the program in 2022. He currently manages projects to conduct research, control, management, outreach and public education on invasive species. He chairs BTNEP’s Invasive Species Action Plan Team and is a member of the Louisiana Aquatic Invasive Species Task Force, chaired by the LA Dept. of Wildlife & Fisheries. Michael also represents BTNEP in matters of coastal restoration and storm protection planning. He served on the Habitat Evaluation Team for the US Army Corps of Engineers’ Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Study (LaCPR), and represented BTNEP on the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) Framework Development Team for both the 2012 and 2017 Master Plan. Michael is also the current Vice President, founding member and instructor for the Louisiana Master Naturalists of Greater New Orleans.
