Matthew Coombs grew up in northern Utah helping his dad and grandfather on the family’s small farm and cattle ranch. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Business and Economics from the University of Idaho before moving to South America where he spent 3.5 years working with the Peace Corps to support local communities in sustainable agriculture, agribusiness, and natural resources projects.

Matt met his wife, Casey, just before leaving Ecuador and returned to her home state of New York where they spent several years working with and managing small farms and community supported agriculture programs in New York’s Hudson Valley. Matt became involved with the Orange County Land Trust (OCLT) after hosting one of their events at a farm he was managing and eventually went to work assisting with land stewardship and the development of several community-based conservation projects with both OCLT and Groundwork Hudson Valley.

Matt and Casey returned to Utah in 2011 to attend graduate school at Utah State University where Matt studied landscape architecture and earned a Master’s degree in Bioregional Planning. Matt’s graduate work included a baseline study to support a comprehensive management plan for Utah’s sovereign land resources along the Bear River. He was hired by the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands as the Bear River Area Sovereign Lands Coordinator and spent 7 years working on everything from environmental permitting to vegetation management, recreational access and infrastructure projects at Bear Lake, Bear River and the north end of the Great Salt Lake.

Matt and Casey live in Cache Valley where they enjoy sharing the region’s many wonderful outdoor and recreational opportunities with their two children, Claire and Ben. Matt looks forward to working with private landowners and partners throughout the Bear River Watershed to help preserve critical components of the landscape, support the livelihoods of local farmers and ranchers, and maintain our rich quality of life and regional identity for future generations.