Matt is a range scientist, former ranch manager, and a conservationist of wildlands, wild waters, and wildlife. He has paddled throughout the West, including the Dolores River from source to the Colorado during 2023, and the Green River from its source to the Colorado in 2021, exploring wildlife connectivity between the Northern and Southern Rockies.

He works with ranchers and agencies on strategic grazing management and rangeland health through his business Shining Horizons Land Management, and has worked with ranchers to prevent conflicts with large carnivores such as grizzly bears and wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountains through his nonprofit project Reintegrating Wildness. He is also a volunteer and swiftwater rescue technician with Montezuma County Search and Rescue.