Matthew grew up between the marshy, lake-spotted forestlands of Northwestern Ontario, and the coastal mountains of the Puget Sound. After completing his BS in Environmental Science at the Huxley College of the Environment at Western Washington University, he completed two service terms with Americorps. The first with the Washington Conservation Corps in Olympia, WA where he contributed baseline monitoring of the state's Aquatic Reserves. The second with the Watershed Stewards Program, which brought him to Humboldt County in 2017 where he's lived ever since. Having worked in redwood forest restoration and management for the past 5 years, he is working towards an MS in Natural Resource Management studying arboreal wildlife with his advisor, Dr. Nicholas Kerhoulas. He is excited to help the Kenai Wildlife Refuge develop their strategic foresight program, for the skill-building opportunity and the knowledge that his efforts will contribute directly to the conservation and protection of the Refuge's resources into the future.