• To provide accurate results and timely, professional service for wildlife/ecological research and conservation
• To develop strong working relationships based on mutual respect and personal accountability
• To provide a positive, enjoyable working environment where employees maintain a team approach, and work together to focus on solutions rather than problems
• To strive for ongoing personal growth in technical and interpersonal skills

History

Matson's Laboratory, LLC enters its 42nd year of providing biologists with histological preparations to aid in managing wildlfe populations. Owners Gary and Judy Matson started the laboratory in 1969. Gary Matson, MSc (Zoology, University of Montana), has formal graduate training in histology and histological microtechnique.

Primary services are cementum age analysis and tetracycline biomarker screening.

Work is done entirely on a custom basis on specimens sent to us by our clients. We work for wildlife research/management agencies in most North American states and Canadian provinces as well as other countries. We accept specimens from any private research organization or government agency. Specimens are also accepted from private individuals (hunters, outfitters, taxidermists) within the U.S.

Environmental and safety concerns

Matson's laboratory takes the following steps to protect technicians from harmful exposures, and to minimize environmental contamination resulting from the laboratory's operation.

Conservation Award

The Burk-Brandborg Award for outstanding individual contributions in a given year was presented to Gary Matson for his leadership with Friends of Two Rivers, a group of Milltown and Bonner residents committed to the cleanup Milltown Reservoir and the removal of the Milltown Dam. The conservation award, presented on Earth Day, April 22, 2004, honors writer Dale Burk and the late Bitterroot Forest Supervisor G.M. Brandborg.

Gary’s past involvement in conservation issues includes work on the teratogenic effects of the brush killer 2,4,5-T , helping to organize area community opposition to the Northern Tier pipeline, work on land use issues as a board member of the Montana Environmental Information Center (formerly EIC), and membership in many conservation organizations.

Thanks

Throughout our entire business lifetime, begun in 1969, we have enjoyed the full support of you for whom we work... biologists, researchers, and technicians around the world. Your continued help and encouragement are why we're still here, and we appreciate it.

We expect our facility to be a permanent one, offering standardized technical services on a personal level to the world community of wildlife professionals.