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David J. Mattson

1954 - 2025

David J. Mattson obituary, 1954-2025, Livingston, MT

BORN

1954

DIED

2025

FUNERAL HOME

Franzen-Davis Funeral Home & Crematory - Livingston

118 North 3rd Street

Livingston, Montana

David Mattson Obituary

David J. Mattson

June 11, 1954 - February 2, 2025

To a blank spot on a map! That is where David Mattson always wanted to go: places as far from the sign of humans and as full of wild animals as he could get. His quest began on the family ranch in South Dakota's Black Hills where he discovered the secret haunts of elk and black bear-but not wolves because his grandfather and other homesteaders killed the last ones in the state.

David burned to atone for such losses. As a boy, he spent hours on the ranch house floor studying maps that led him to the wildest country remaining in the lower 48 states: Yellowstone. There, in the company of grizzly bears, David found home-and his superpowers. Yellowstone Park hired David to study grizzlies shortly after the last few hundred animals were protected under the Endangered Species Act. With stringy blond hair and wild blue eyes, he appeared to some as a "country rube" willing to wear out a pair of boots a season crossing Yellowstone's high country and glacial-fed rivers to collect data on grizzlies. That was until David opened his mouth and impressed veteran researchers with his observations of bear behavior, food habitats, human-bear connections-and more.

David saw large carnivores as icons of a vanishing wilderness and prisms through which to understand ecosystems and the wider world. He expanded upon the work of pioneer grizzly bear researchers Frank and John Craighead and shed new light on ecological connections and the role of grizzlies and other large carnivores as barometers of the health of ecosystems. His work underscored what the ancients have long known: the Great Bear is a mirror of ourselves and a test of our compassion.

David's colleagues could barely match his blistering pace or his prodigious output-over 1000 papers, essays, reports, articles, lectures, testimony, public talks, radio and TV interviews, and opinion pieces during his 37-year career-on topics ranging from ecology, governance, ethics, and leadership to deeper questions about "what happens between our ears."

David was a Renaissance man in a khaki field vest who challenged conventional siloed thinking and devoured disparate fields of study like a grizzly gorging on whitebark pine seeds before denning.

He shrugged off his role as one of the world's pre-eminent experts on grizzly bears, mountain lions, and other large carnivores-as well as accolades, awards, and degrees that included a Ph.D. in wildlife ecology from the University of Idaho (2000). His was a humble and practical path: solving problems between wildlife and people while striving to uphold principles of democracy to serve the broader public interest.

He believed that decisions should be based on facts, evidence, reason, and a sense of moral responsibility for the land. It was this combination of intellect, passion, and principle that inspired others to fight for wild animals and the ecosystems they depend on.

David loved the details of behavioral ecology. He was the first to document grizzlies rubbing on trees and eating dirt, wasps, earthworms, mushrooms, and fat-rich cutworm moths in remote alpine cirques. His observations of bears during their fall feeding frenzy reminded him of their ability to seemingly die and emerge in spring with new life.

Not all of David's studies were smart. After surviving a Park Service study where he deliberately harassed grizzlies in the backcountry 24/7 to see what they would do, David quipped that "grizzlies show remarkable restraint in the face of human stupidity."

Ever curious, David expanded his interest in large carnivores worldwide and conducted groundbreaking research on mountain lion ecology in the Southwest. There he discovered cougars swimming across the Grand Canyon, a male roaming hundreds of miles across the parched desert on a seeming lark, and denning mothers protecting kittens by slaughtering predatory coyotes nearby.

Other highlights of David's career include roles as Research Wildlife Biologist and Station Leader with the U.S. Geological Survey in the Southwest, as Western Field Director of the MIT-US Geologic Survey's Science Impact Collaborative, and as Lecturer and Visiting Senior Scientist at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.

At times, David risked his career to defend his "inconvenient" research that argued for more restraint and changes in management. He became a hero among scientists who similarly suffered from speaking truth to power.

Through controversy, David discovered another superpower: collaborating with environmental lawyers to save wildlife and restore ecosystems. For 30 years, he was a leading architect and spokesperson of campaigns to protect grizzlies and the largest intact ecosystems in the lower 48 states. With litigators, he crafted winning strategies that reversed policies that harmed bears and their habitat and incorporated lessons into future campaigns.

David loved sharing his insights and observations about the mysteries of the lives of grizzlies, cougars, and their ecosystems with those who might never see them in the wild. To his students, he was a nurturing mother bear. To fellow travelers seeking to save this precious earth, he shone as the north star to light the way.

David's wanderlust lured him to other "blank spots" including Far East Russia, Japan, Alaska, and the Yukon. But his home range was the Northern Rockies and the West. He passed away in his sleep in his home in Montana's Paradise Valley after a long illness.

David is survived by sons Zac and Sky, former spouse Susan Bischoff, sister Donneen, and beloved wife Louisa Willcox, as well as dogs Reilly and Maggie and cats Lucky and Puddum.

In the spirit of The Big Lebowski, one of David's favorite films, his ashes are stored for now in a Folger's coffee can -until the time when bears reemerge and when the wildflowers flush the mountainsides with color.

To honor David's work, please consider donating to one of these charities:

Western Environmental Law Center (and the work of Matt Bishop): 103 Reeders Alley, Helena, MT 59601

Alliance for the Wild Rockies (and the work of Mike Garrity): P.O. Box 505 Helena, MT 59624

Native Ecosystems Council (and the work of Sara Johnson): PO Box 125: Willow Creek, MT 59760

Herding Rescue Dogs of Wyoming: [email protected], (307) 752-0812

To offer condolences visit www.franzen-davis.com.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by Billings Gazette on Mar. 15, 2025.

Memories and Condolences
for David Mattson

Sponsored by Franzen-Davis Funeral Home & Crematory - Livingston.

Not sure what to say?





Carol Duffner

March 19, 2025

What an impressive life he led. We need more "David Mattsons" in this world. He will be missed.

Deb Jacobson

March 17, 2025

I just learned about David's work today. He clearly made important contributions in many areas. I was very sorry to learn of his passing. To his family and friends, I offer my condolences and very best wishes for peace and serenity.

Michael Whitfield

March 16, 2025

We have lost a conservation giant, a human who knew that we and the wild ones share the planet as one. Condolences to Louisa and David's children.

Steve Stringham

March 16, 2025

I met Dave during the years he worked under Dick Knight at YNP, and was highly impressed by his out-of-the-box thinking and diligence in the field. Having been targeted by the Grizzly Bear Mafia myself, I well knew he challenges he faced, and through which he perervered. He was a fount of new insights, which he promoted despite opposition from pro-delisting forces. Within the past decade or so, his websites (e.g., AllGrizzly.org) have become the equivalent of textbooks on grizzly bear evolution and ecology. The only biologists with comparable depth and breadth of insight on grizzly bears were John Craighead and his team. Visit his websites, learn from them, and enjoy the great graphics that he or some ally used to great effect. I shall miss him.

Paul Johnson

March 16, 2025

David worked with my father as a grad student at the University of Idaho College of Natural Resources, and those two spent quite a bit of treasured time in the field together working on white bark pine. My Dad had a lot of respect for Dave's intellect and work ethic. They became good friends and soon my mother also was introduced to David and became easy friends with him and his wife. Mom and Dad visited with Dave and his wife in Livingston and this is what my Mom said when I told her Dave had died: "Dave and his wife spent a lot of time at our house. We went to Livingston Montana to visit them and go out into the field where Dave was working and saw grizzly bears. They were a nice couple and I'm sure he achieved some good research."

Lee Metzgar

March 16, 2025

We have lost a brilliant and courageous advocate for wildlands and wildlife who enriched our lives and whom we will miss. I send sincere condolences to Louisa and all of Dave´s family.

Jason

March 15, 2025

What a guy! Love and peace to his family.

Margaret

March 15, 2025

To a life well-lived! You have been so admired.

Julie Stein

March 15, 2025

Thank you Dave for helping to educate a green Yale student 25 years ago on the behavior of bears as well as the behavior of the humans they must coexist with....We will miss you down here.

Wendy Dudley

March 15, 2025

Thank you for your service to the wild lands, and to all those who, like you, called it home....the bears, the cougars, the birds. May you forever roam those lands you so loved and protected.

Dusti Becker

March 15, 2025

Dave was one of the most powerful voices for grizzly bear conservation. He and his partner, Louisa were a power team, and no doubt she will carry on the fight. They were also wonderful friends.

I got to know Dave via Louisa, as she and I had gone to grad school and adventured down the Omo River in Ethiopia, together back in the 1980s. My husband, Tony, knew Dave when he worked at Yellowstone doing the statistical analyses about grizzly bear numbers and ecology. Dave was a gifted scientist and advocate for the great bear during his entire career. He was a gifted teacher and mentor for many young scientists and conservation biologists.

Dave was an awesome breakfast chef, too! He and Louisa kindly let us crash in their guest room several times when we lived in Bozeman and we had some fantastic meals and discussions with them.

Dave was well loved. Sasha, his obsessed border-collie, could hardly stand a moment without him, and Louisa's love shone for him.

The world was better with Dave in it. RIP my friend and deepest condolences to Louisa, your family, and friends. Glad to know Dave passed at home in his sleep like a grizz down for a long winter.

Jean Modesette

March 15, 2025

An inspiration and true hero. I feel so honored to have known David. My heartfelt condolences to Louisa, David´s sons and extended family. David, thank you for all that you´ve done for wildlife-they need more amazing and caring people like you. Rest Peacefully In Paradise.

Genevieve Launay

March 15, 2025

Heartfelt deepest condolences from France

Sharon Negri

March 15, 2025

We have lost a treasured conservation hero. Dave was a rare soul who boldly spoke out and stood up for sound science and effective governance. At a time when the grizzly bears and cougars need more science advocates, we can only hope that his legacy inspires others to carry the torch.

Kevin Van Tighem

March 14, 2025

Dave, the bears and the mountains will remember you and so will those of us who knew and admired you. You were one of the very best. It was a gift to know you.

Mark Boyce

March 14, 2025

Dave and I spend hours in Yellowstone talking bears about 30 years ago. I was unaware of his illness. I´m sad and send hugs for Louisa.

Neil Hartling

March 14, 2025

An inspirational leader!

Janet Njaa

March 14, 2025

The world is not as bright with the passing of David Mattson. A scientist and conservationist with a spine of steal. A man who let the science guide him without bias and political influence.

Together with his beloved wife Louisa, they did more to protect grizzly bears in the lower 48 states than almost anyone. And with great personal sacrifice. I always felt grizzlies were safe as long as Louisa and David were "on it".

The world has lost a great advocate and champion for the protection of grizzly bears in the lower-48 states and it feels dark and scary without him. Without the courage of people like David, we are adrift, waiting for the next champion to step forward and carry on his work. Undoubtedly, Louisa will carry that torch. A woman who has spent a life protecting the wilds of Montana, selflessly.

Kerry Edwards

March 14, 2025

The bears of Yellowstone are in far better shape thanks to David. Rest in peace.

William Hanson

March 14, 2025

My condolences to you all who knew David. David hewed a great monument with his life.
I wish I´d known him.

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