In 2016, Mitch served as the FC-FLIP Abandoned Mine Lands intern with the San Juan National Forest in Durango. While at the SJNF he helped characterize mine contamination on Forest land in the Mineral Creek watershed. He then worked as a seasonal Bonita Peak Mining District (BPMD) field technician from 2016-2018 and assisted on a variety of hydrology and ecology studies under MSI guidance, including a pack llama trip!. As a result of repeated visits to sampling sites in the Silverton area, Mitch formed a deep personal connection to Bonita Peak.

He went on to graduate school, where he conducted a novel tracer study on the hydraulic connectivity of seeps and springs at BPMD using geochemical data collected by MSI. His research was published in August 2020 as part of his master’s thesis at the University of Colorado - Denver, where he completed his MS in Environmental Science with a minor in Water Quality.