Mike Kost formerly served as the lead ecologist and a senior conservation scientist with Michigan Natural Features Inventory at Michigan State University Extension. He has coauthored more than 75 publications, including three books on the natural communities of Michigan. Mike also managed the adult natural history education program for The Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois. He has also worked as a naturalist for the University of Wisconsin-Extension and as a land steward for the Koenen Land Preserve in Milwaukee. He earned a B.S. in Public and Environmental Administration from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and an M.S. in Biological Sciences from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.