Authors & Presenters



posted Dec 20, 2023

Yvonne Mwangi

With an in-depth understanding of trail-related issues, Yvonne Mwangi provides up-to-date knowledge, tools, data and connections to empower communities to advance their trails and active transportation projects. She is responsible for the robust deli...


posted Dec 18, 2023

Luther Propst

As a county commissioner in the outdoor recreation destination of Jackson, WY, and the founder of the Sonoran Institute in Arizona, Luther Propst has seen first-hand the good, the bad, and the ugly of how trails and outdoor recreation can transform s...


posted Sep 26, 2023

Thomas A. Schoen

Thomas, a settler Canadian hailing from Williams Lake, on the traditional and unceded territory of the Secwépemc. As the CEO of First Journey Consulting, a trail planning and construction company, Thomas is passionate about crafting extraordinary exp...


posted Sep 15, 2023

Andrew Haffele

Andy is the Superintendent of the Wildcat Mountain Work Unit in the DNR Bureau of Parks and Recreation Management since 2016. The work unit consists of 4 State Parks and 3 State Trails including the Elroy-Sparta State Trail. Worked as a Park Ranger a...


posted Sep 14, 2023

Luke Wassesjig

Luke Wassesjig is the Tourism Manager with the Wikwemikong Development Commission and has developed a partnership with the Wikwemikong Department of Lands and Natural Resources to develop trails with indigenous communities. The Wikwemikong Tourism tr...


posted Sep 1, 2023

Colby Fangman

Colby Fangman is a native Iowan and a lifelong land and water trail user and advocate. He has worked in the public parks, trails, and natural resources sector for the entirety of his professional career. At the City of Des Moines Parks and Recreation...


posted Aug 31, 2023

Derek Hansen

Derek Hansen is classically trained as a Landscape Architect and has been a Park Planner with the City of Des Moines Parks and Recreation Department for approximately 4 years. He has experience managing a wide array of projects ranging from city-wide...


posted Aug 30, 2023

Bill Biesmann

Bill Biesmann, PE, is a senior business development and project leader for KL Engineering, Inc. He is a key resource for stormwater management, regulatory compliance, and site development solutions for municipal, state, and private development projec...


posted Aug 28, 2023

Phil Penny

At 10 years old, I walked down a trail with my mom, and it changed the way I felt and saw the world around me. Soon after I found cycling and was able to keep that sense of breaking free and exploration as I moved along the curvature of the land. Tra...


posted Aug 23, 2023

Robert Fina

Robert Fina is the owner of Fina Trails LLC, a trail design, build, and trail skills training company focused on developing sustainable trail systems in the Mid-Atlantic area. His goal is to build, and to teach others to build, trails that will last ...