Matthew Podolinsky

Background

About Matthew Podolinsky

Over 10 years of experience in public land management, stewardship, and advocacy. Over the last two years as the Utah Program Coordinator for the National Forest Foundation, I have built and expanded the program's scope of work across the state. Our work in Utah focuses on updating and building new recreation infrastructure, forest restoration, and establishing collaborative partnerships. Graduated from the University of Utah in the Parks, Recreation, and Tourism department in May 2022. Thesis:"The Effect of Moral and Threat Appeals on Reducing Depreciative Behaviors at Rock Art Sites." This multidisciplinary project utilized a theoretical framework from psychology, visitation/recreation management, and archaeology to determine effective messaging to protect rock art from visitor impacts. My professional career has been heavily influenced by my childhood growing up in Montana. While growing up, I developed a love for natural places and outdoor recreation. This led me to pursue a career related to natural resource education and management. I primarily conducted Northern Goshawk nest surveys, in addition to Grizzly Bear hair surveys and Elk cover surveys for the U.S. Forest Service in Helena, MT. As a Park Ranger for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management at Garnet Ghost Town (Montana), I led guided tours of the park to the public. In addition, I conducted Lands with Wilderness Characteristic surveys on BLM lands in western Montana. I was employed as a Park Ranger by the Bureau of Reclamation at Lake Berryessa Recreation Area (California) for one season. I was employed by the National Park Service as an Interpretive Park Ranger in Glacier National Park (Montana) for the 2016 and 2017 summer seasons. I moved to Colorado to work as a Park Ranger in Mesa Verde National Park in 2018. For the 2019 summer, I was hired as a Forest Protection Officer in Bend, Oregon for the Deschutes National Forest. In 2020, I worked as a Wilderness Ranger in the High Uinta Wilderness for the Ashley National Forest in Utah. I worked as the Engagement Specialist for the Utah Cultural Site Stewardship Program housed in the UT State Historic Preservation Office.