About Us
Our mission at PlantWise is to provide the best possible restoration or landscaping services for our clients while doing the most ecological and aesthetic good for the sites in which we work. PlantWise, LLC is a business dedicated to creating, restoring, and interpreting native ecosystems and plant communities throughout Michigan, Ohio and northern Indiana. Towards that end, we work with private and public landowners to:
- Develop management plans for maintaining or restoring natural landscapes
- Conduct prescribed ecological burns
- Complete invasive plant removal projects
- Manage remnant or created natural areas
- Design and install landscapes of all scales using native plant species
- Conduct plant and animal inventories
- Map existing ecosystems and natural communities
- Coordinate volunteer groups for planting or restoration work
- Conduct training for all aspects of natural area restoration
- Develop brochures and signage to help people understand and appreciate the natural features around them
Who We Are
We are a small company, which means every person and every personality counts.
David Mindell
Owner
David founded PlantWise, LLC in 1998. He and the business are dedicated to creating and restoring native ecosystems and plant communities and working with people to bring native habitats into their yards and lives. David is the primary burn boss, oversees PlantWise’s invasive plant control projects, and ensures that the whole PlantWise operation is running smoothly.
Prior to PlantWise, David was the Stewardship Coordinator for the City of Ann Arbor’s Natural Area Preservation Division. He received a Master’s degree in Natural Resources (forest ecology and ecosystem management) at the University of Michigan’s School of Natural Resources.
David lives with his family on the west side of Ann Arbor in a cedar-sided house surrounded by prairies, rain gardens, a large vegetable garden, and lots of solar panels. He enjoys the sunshine, running, playing his banjo, and trying to keep up with his kids.
Cayla Tinney
Landscape Designer / Project Manager
Raised in northern lower Michigan near the mouth of the Jordan River, hard work outdoors and healthy native plant communities have always been an integral part of her home and culture. Her experience includes; landscaping, gardening, small scale farming, invasive plant control & surveys, prescribed burning, an education in art and design and an undergraduate degree in ecosystems management. Cayla has been with PlantWise since 2010.
Cayla also works as a visual artist. Check out her amazing work at www.caylatinney.com.
Trenton Von Klingler
Crew Leader
Trenton has always loved Michigan’s parks and natural areas and is dedicated to their preservation. He has an Associate’s degree in Horticulture and a Bachelor’s degree in Biology (Natural Resources). He has been working professionally in ecological restoration and native landscapes since 2009. He also has experience propagating native grasses, forbs, trees, and shrubs. Trenton helps make sure projects in the field run smoothly and that the methods we use are effective.
In his free time, Trenton enjoys playing bluegrass music, reading, cooking and gardening. He loves plant identification!
Sarah Rustic
Office Manager
Although Sarah’s education is in aviation, her true calling has always been to the outdoors. She spent nearly a decade living in a tent cabin while working and exploring in Yosemite National Park. After spending the next 5 years working for a biking and hiking adventure company in California, she and her family moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan which they are happy to now call home. Sarah lives with her husband, child, and two rescue dogs and in her spare time enjoys gardening, cooking, camping, mountain biking, and hiking.
John Bujdoso
Field Crew
John graduated from Wayne State with a degree in Environmental Science and a minor in Geology. He enjoys gardening and germinating his own veggies and flowers. He’s a dog lover and in his spare time makes music and plays in a beer hockey league. One day he hopes to start his own environmental business and travel to Hungary to meet his relatives.
Sam Danko
Field Crew
Sam has always been “that nature guy.” His earliest memories are of landing tale-worthy fish, witnessing amazing birds, and taking in breathtaking views. Growing up, Sam didn’t know exactly what sort of career he’d want, he just knew that it had to be in nature.
It was during his education in environmental science at the University of Toledo that his hometown went through the infamous “Toledo Water Crisis,” an ecological event caused by excess farm runoff, algae, and atypical winds around Lake Erie, resulting in a three-day drinking water advisory affecting over 400,000 people. After the crisis, Sam started talking to his professors and classmates about taking action. With the help of an amazing departmental community, Sam formed a lasting student group of environmental advocates and led multiple initiatives to install rain and native plant gardens across campus.
During this time, Sam was amazed by all the volunteer support he received in these endeavors, as well as the general passersby interest. While building these gardens, students, teachers, and contractors for the school would ask, “What are you guys doing out here?” Sam realized how much he loved answering these questions, as well as the immense educational value in native plant landscaping.
His goal is to someday take his passion back to Toledo, where he hopes to work with the city and local farmers to help reduce runoff by using green stormwater solutions to help protect Lake Erie.
Cathy Mathews
Field Crew
Cathy grew to love nature and everything to do with the outdoors during her family’s trips to the Upper Peninsula. This led her to study wildlife management at Northern Michigan University and graduated in 2020. During her summers working for the Great Lakes Conservation Corps, she learned the importance of habitat to local wildlife and became dedicated to ecological restoration.
She found her love for travel and being immersed in different cultures while volunteering abroad during school breaks. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, reading, playing with her dog, and volunteering in the local community when she gets the chance.
Micah Heintzelman
Field Crew
Micah is an Ohio native with a passion for natural resources and a love for the Great Lakes region. He graduated from Ohio state and although he is a die hard Buckeye he was drawn to Michigan’s beauty and now calls it home.
With a strong connection to the outdoors, Micah spends his free time exploring nature through hiking and kayaking and you might even catch him on the basketball court perfecting his skills. As an advocate for preserving the environment, Micah’s dedication to sustainable practices shines through in all aspects of his life.
Rollin Bresson
Field Crew
Jenna Rausch
Field Crew
Growing up, Jenna went camping with her family, traveling to various states and parks across the U.S. She has visited 44 of the 50 states so far! During her travels, she fell in love with the outdoors and knew that she wanted a career in nature.
In 2021, Jenna graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in Ecology, Evolution, and Biodiversity. Since then, she did two summers as a research technician studying sea lamprey in the Great Lakes, and worked for the DNR doing restoration work. In her spare time, she likes reading, hiking, crafting, and spending time with family and friends!
Max Dunn
Field Crew
Having grown up in Lake Orion, Michigan, Max had nature at his fingertips and developed a deep appreciation for the many lakes, wetlands, forests, and prairies that surrounded him. His interest in these natural communities and their soil, flora, and fauna originated in a high school geology class when he began comprehending the concepts of nature’s interconnectedness and constant change on a deeper level. This class also inspired him and his two best friends to backpack the length of Isle Royale in 2017 after graduating High School. At Michigan State University, he could be found reading under the open canopy oaks surrounding the clock tower. He recently graduated with a degree in Crop and Soil Sciences. Max currently enjoys improving his landscape design skills, cooking with his girlfriend, and the invigorative properties of cold air and water.
