There is no such thing as a typical day for Chris Matthews, Natural Resources Manager for Mecklenburg County (North Carolina) Parks and Recreation. One day, he might head to the local TV station to educate the public about coyote behavior. And another day, the launch of a plant and wildlife inventory for a planned park site might be interrupted by a call to rescue an egg-laying snapping turtle from a tangle of fencing.

While Matthews may wear many hats, the 7,000 acres of land he and his team of natural scientists study and manage testify to Mecklenburg County’s single-minded commitment to conservation. “The county had a vision…that it was going to be important to establish and protect nature preserves,” Matthews says. And carrying out that vision required staffing a team of people who could inventory existing and future land assets and offer guidance on the best uses of the sites.

Matthews, whose parents are both biologists committed to the conservation of public lands, grew up immersed in questions of how to protect endangered species and enrich local natural habitats.  After earning master’s degrees in Applied Ecology and Conservation Biology, Matthews served for several years as a member of Mecklenburg County’s Stewardship Advisory Committee—a role that led him ultimately to his current position. His job, as he describes it, is a constantly evolving combination of pure environmental science, public education, and citizen engagement.  Matthews admits that, since conservation scientists have not traditionally served in full-time parks and rec leadership positions, he deals with the occasional barb.

“When someone says something to me like, ‘I can’t believe we pay people to watch the trees grow,” I welcome it,” Matthews remarks. “It’s a chance to explain the environmental and economic value of what we do as conservation scientists.”