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Finzel, Matt

Senior Scientific Specialist, Wetland Plant Ecology
1816 South Oak Street
Champaign, IL  61820
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Education

M.S., Natural Resources & Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois. 2025.

B.S., Environmental Sciences, Policy and Management, University of Minnesota. 2018.

Biography

My work integrates applied ecology, field botany, and restoration science to inform conservation planning and improve ecological assessment methods in Midwestern wetland and grassland systems. My professional background includes habitat restoration and natural area management with the Champaign County Forest Preserve District and the McHenry County Conservation District. Duties include conducting botanical surveys, Waters of the U.S. and wetland delineations, and assessing ecological restoration sites throughout Illinois. 

Honors and Awards

Illinois Native Plant Society: Budding Botanist Award, 2022