So grateful for everyone who has contributed and shared kind words.

This support is helping ensure Matthew’s case is heard with context, dignity, and care for both people and the land.

We’ll continue to share updates as we move through the court process. Thank you for being part of this.

,Please Read

Matthew Franzen is a U.S. veteran and professional arborist who has lived for over a decade in open, non-commercial presence on land he believed in good faith to be public.

During that time, he has:

• Reduced wildfire risk

• Protected mature trees

• Restored soil health

• Lived without utilities to minimize environmental impact

• Cost taxpayers nothing

This is a civil land-use case, not a violent or commercial crime. The court is deciding how to resolve it — not whether laws exist.

We are raising funds only for court fees, so Matthew can be heard with full context and dignity.

You don’t have to agree with his choices to support a humane, responsible legal process.

Thank you to everyone engaging thoughtfully.

Matthew has faced incredible challenges over the past decade. Ten years ago, he was evicted from his home on what many believe were wrongful charges in a city dominated by the wealthy. In response, Matthew—a veteran and arborist—chose a peaceful form of protest by building a platform in a tree, believing the land in Aspen was public. There were no signs indicating otherwise, and it was only later confirmed that the treehouse was on private land, a mistake even the owners acknowledged.

Matthew has always cared deeply for the environment. He built his treehouse in an eco-friendly manner, performing fire mitigation and even insuring the structure under his arborist business. His daily life reflects his commitment to sustainability: his heating system sequesters carbon as biochar, and his composting toilet uses biochar to keep nutrients in the soil and out of the water, saving thousands of gallons and preventing pollution. For over ten years, this treehouse has been Matthew’s only home—a place he has lovingly maintained and protected.

Now, Matthew is facing misdemeanor trespassing charges, and the sheriff wants to remove him from the land. With a trial date set for April 28, 2026, in Glenwood Springs, Matthew urgently needs financial support to cover attorney fees and continue his legal fight to keep his home. Your support will help Matthew fight to keep his home and continue his environmental stewardship. Please consider donating to support Matthew’s cause and help protect both his well-being and the land he loves.

More details about Matthew :

Thank you for taking the time to read this .

Harmony & Blessings ❤️

Sophie

Matthew’s Story: When Stewardship Becomes Resistance

For many people, justice begins and ends with the words legal and illegal. But history has shown us—again and again—that legality is not the same as morality, and compliance is not the same as courage.

Matthew is a veteran, an arborist, and an environmentalist. He is also a man who has spent over a decade living simply and intentionally in service of land most people pass by without a second glance.

More than ten years ago, Matthew lost his rental home after being charged under circumstances he believed were unjust. With limited resources and few allies, he made a decision that would define the next chapter of his life: instead of disappearing, he chose to stand his ground—peacefully, visibly, and with purpose.

Believing the land to be public, Matthew built a small platform in a tree and began a long-term, nonviolent protest. What began as survival became stewardship.

Over the years, he transformed neglected land into a living example of ecological responsibility. He mitigated fire risk. He created biochar to improve soil health and capture carbon. He built an eco-greenhouse piece by piece, alone, using reclaimed materials. He lived without running water or modern conveniences—not out of ideology, but out of respect for the land and a desire to leave no harm behind.

Matthew didn’t extract. He restored.

He didn’t exploit. He protected.

Now, after more than a decade of peaceful presence, the sheriff’s department is attempting to remove him. The conversation has narrowed once again to trespassing statutes and technicalities—while ignoring the larger truth: Matthew has given more to this land than most people ever will.

This is not a story about ignoring the law. It’s a story about questioning whether our systems leave room for humanity, for environmental responsibility, and for people without wealth or power.

Matthew is not a criminal archetype. He is a veteran who served his country, an arborist who understands forests as living systems, and an environmental innovator who proved—through action—that another way of living is possible.

His life challenges us to ask uncomfortable questions:

• What happens when survival itself becomes criminalized?

• Who gets grace, and who gets punishment?

• Why do we dismiss solutions simply because they come from someone without money, status, or political backing?

Matthew’s cause is not about defiance—it’s about dignity. It’s about the right to exist without causing harm. It’s about stewardship as a form of resistance in a world that too often values profit over people and short-term gain over long-term survival.

Supporting Matthew isn’t about endorsing lawlessness. It’s about recognizing courage, compassion, and vision where society often sees only a charge on paper.

If we want a world that treats both people and the planet better, we need to start listening to those who have already been living that future—quietly, bravely, and at great personal cost.,