Currently president of Endangered Encounters, Michael is not new to the travel business and brings with him years of experience. He has decided to join our organization in order to expand the horizons of conservation based travel. He was president and founding partner of Dragonfly Expeditions, a luxury nature-based adventure tour company out of Miami, Florida, Michael started the company in 1996 after his father died of a long illness. Creating the company from the ground with the sole desire to provide the kind of travel adventures that he had experienced while exploring the Caribbean. He decided to provide environmentally responsible "green" travel that immersed travelers not only in the flora and fauna, but also the culture, history, and people of a destination while offering them the luxury and attention to detail that they demanded. This is what gives his company the opportunity to connect people to nature while making the environment's voice heard more clearly. He believes that by educating his travelers and working with local governments to foster sustainable tourism and conservation efforts in these regions many of these fragile environments can be saved or conserved. This philosophy helps to create an atmosphere of excitement and learning through adventure and awareness while helping to preserve endangered ecosystems. His hopes of providing a service who when preformed correctly had the power to change the way people experienced their world and hopefully make a difference in their lives was recognized by Conde Nast Traveler Magazine when Dragonfly Expeditions was named one of the best ecotour companies in the world. In addition, his diverse resume includes curatorial work in the museum world as well as working deep in the Florida Everglades with troubled youth in a guided wilderness program. Presently, he is Manager of Adventure and Exploration Programming for the New York City Urban Park Rangers. He manages hundreds of programs that help introduce inner city youth to New York's many park lands through the excitement of canoeing, rock climbing, camping, orienteering and many more. He is proud to bring his skills and his thirst for adventure to Endangered Encounters.