Bio

Matt Cochran is an accomplished wetland and stream restoration ecologist with more than 25 years of project management experience across a broad range of natural resource initiatives involving wetlands, streams, dam removal, lakes, and fjords. He is highly skilled in all facets of wetland and stream restoration, including feasibility assessments, conceptual and detailed design development, regulatory permitting, construction oversight, and compliance monitoring. Matt has designed and/or implemented more than 105,000 linear feet of stream channel improvements, removed over 10 low head dams, and restored more than 15,000 acres of wetlands and peatlands ranging from small 2 acre sites to expansive systems exceeding 3,100 acres.

His background includes extensive U.S. and international experience, highlighted by 19 years in Denmark, where he served as a Nature Restoration Area Manager. In this role, he oversaw project coordination, bid process administration, cost estimation, scheduling, and staffing for wetland and stream restoration projects throughout the country. He also managed contracts with landowners and subcontractors, facilitated progress meetings, and presented technical findings in public forums. In addition, Matt has substantial experience conducting wetland delineations, stream evaluations, threatened and endangered species surveys, and navigating U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Section 404 Nationwide and Individual Permits, as well as Section 401 Water Quality Certifications.

Matt is actively engaged in several professional organizations. He currently serves as President of the Ohio Wetlands Association (OWA) and has been a member of its Board of Directors since 2024. Since 2017, he has served as Treasurer on the Board of Directors for the European Chapter of the Society of Wetland Scientists (SWS). He also contributes to the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) through his service on the Certification Committee.