Matthew Kusper has been involved in the conservation industry since 2018 when he joined his first Conservation Corps. Since then, he’s embarked on trail projects in the Carolinas, Alabama, Virginia, Kentucky, Colorado, and Maine. 

First exposed to the highlands of western Maine during his thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail in 2019, he returned to the region in 2021 to lead the MATC’s trail crews for two seasons. Kusper is an accomplished ski bum having worked at Crystal, Stowe, and Saddleback Mountains as a ski instructor, rental technician, lift operator, and most recently as a ski patroller. 

Kusper will oversee the trails, campsites, and Leave No Trace outreach in the Bureau of Parks and Lands’ Bigelow Preserve & Flagstaff Lake Public Land, Crocker Mountain, Mt. Abraham, and newly conserved Barnjum areas. “I am absolutely enamored with Maine’s High Peaks,” says Kusper, “and am honored to have the opportunity to improve sustainable access to the region’s abundant outdoor recreation opportunities.”

Please join us in welcoming Matthew to HPA.