Matt’s reverence for the natural world first took root in the Northeast, where escapes to the mountains, lakes or coast were never far away. After completing a BA in Environmental Geography at Colgate University, he headed west to work in the ski industry and gain freshwater research experience across Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. He supported these seasonal jobs by assembling plankton nets, sediment coring devices, Van Dorn water samplers, and other field equipment for sale at Aquatic Research Instruments. He then relocated to the upper midwest to research toxic algae blooms and earned his MS in Water Resources Science from the University of Minnesota – Duluth. After two terrific years on the shores of Lake Superior, he again headed west and returned to the land of high peaks, open spaces, persistent drought, and rapid development. After years researching water quality problems spurred by human activity, he poured himself into the advancement of forces that make socio-ecological systems thrive. He worked on several regenerative farms, volunteered for Lake Pend Oreille Waterkeeper’s water quality monitoring program, became an Idaho Master Naturalist, discovered a love for foraging, cooked professionally, and graduated from the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance’s Conservation Leadership Institute.
Since joining POWJH in May 2022, Matt has used his passion for science to cultivate the restoration and protection of our sacred Snake River Headwaters watershed. He facilitates water quality monitoring, teaches students in classrooms, leads public outreach events, writes grants, and collaborates with local government, federal land managers and partner organizations on issues related to impaired waterbodies, wastewater management and drinking water quality. Matt unequivocally believes in the power that local food systems and clean water have to unite and fortify communities. He is grateful to serve our watershed and is always on the lookout for new ways to use information and experience to build a holistic stewardship ethic.