WHO WE ARE
Strategic Plan 2023-2026
Mission
The Wood River Trails Coalition is a trail stewardship organization working to create, maintain and sustain our trail network for all users.
Vision
The Wood River Trails Coalition envisions a trail system that connects communities with equitable opportunities for recreation on our public lands. We aim to foster an enduring mindset of generational stewardship for our trails, a common resource.
The Wood River Trails Coalition Values…
an engaged and inclusive COMMUNITY of passionate trail stewards.
RESILIENCE as an organization, community and trail system; we are able to adapt and remain relevant through creativity and ingenuity.
EFFECTIVENESS in achieving our mission while remaining nimble, efficient and focused.
the GRIT that embodies our energy and spirit for hard work, determination, and the dirt in our boots from a day on the trails.
History
The Wood River Bicycle Coalition was founded in 2011. In 2019, we renamed ourselves the Wood River Trails Coalition to better represent our work to create, maintain and sustain our trail network for all users. We are a 501(c)3 non-profit.
Staff
SARA GRESS
Executive Director
Sara Gress began her journey with the WRTC in the summer of 2018. Sara is a Boise native who was drawn back to Idaho after a few post-college years of skiing, backpacking, climbing and driving in really big circles around the Intermountain West, a few seasons of semi-professional soccer, a stint in the Peace Corps and deciding graduate school was a good idea. Sara also worked on the Forest Service - Ketchum Ranger District trail crew for several seasons, spent many winters in a Sun Valley Ski Patrol uniform, and currently is a paid on-call firefighter/EMT with Wood River Fire and Rescue. She holds a BA in Environmental Studies from Montana State University Billings and a MS in Forest Ecosystems and Society from Oregon State University. If you run into Sara outside of work, she’s probably cursing steep grades on foot or mountain bike or praising them when they’re covered in snow.
sgress@woodrivertrailscoalition.org
ELIZABETH (LIZ) PEDERSEN
Development Director
Elizabeth (Liz) joined the Wood River Trails Coalition in 2023 as the Development Director, and as such, is responsible for overseeing the planning, execution, and evaluation of our fundraising and development strategies. She brings a wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm to our team, and is a natural community builder who aspires to bring the joy of trail access to all members of the Wood River Valley. She has a talent for bringing people together, and her approach to philanthropy is characterized by collaboration, communication, and empowerment.
Liz is passionate about the work of the Wood River Trails Coalition and is committed to working with generous individuals and businesses to create, maintain, and sustain the trails that define life in this Valley. She is always looking for new and innovative ways to engage donors and build long-lasting relationships that benefit both the organization and the community it is a part of.
When not at work, Liz can be found walking around in the mountains with her skis, either enjoying winter or actively denying the existence of summer.
epedersen@woodrivertrailscoalition.org
CARITH KAMERMANS
Field Operations Manager
Carith started working on trails in 2002 as a summer job while in College and just never left. Originally, she started working in Colorado as a crewmember with Southwest Conservation Corps, and continued to work for them as a crew leader, field supervisor and eventually program coordinator. Through that work strong ties were made to the local Forest Service district and she eventually made a move to the fed side. Here she got to work on layout, design, and new trail projects and then became the liaison for trails and special projects. Work that included coordinating the efforts of volunteers, corps crews and FS trail crews. In 2018 after finally getting her degree (semester by semester) Carith took a job working for Washington Dept. of Natural Resources. 3 years of living in a city without quick access to the mountains, spurred a search for a new place to call home with less people, more sunshine and mountains. Through all of this a love for building sustainable trails, and the engagement and mentoring of individuals (particularly youth/young adults) in this work and in the outdoors is a balance she searches for in new opportunities.
ckamermans@woodrivertrailscoalition.org
MILES EYRE
Field and Logistics Coordinator
Growing up in Salt Lake City, Miles spent most of his time in the Wasatch Range on his bike or skis. He quickly realized that outdoor recreation was important to him and he wanted to figure out how to make it more a part of his life. At the age of 19 Miles started river guiding in Stanley, Idaho on the Main and Middle Fork of the Salmon River and instantly fell in love with the Central Idaho mountains. During his time guiding he earned a B.S. in Outdoor Education from Westminster College in SLC furthering his passion for the outdoors. After 6 seasons of guiding he decided to move to the Wood River Valley in pursuit of a “real” job in the outdoor industry finding his way to the WRTC. When not working you can find Miles on his mountain bike, dirt bike, standing in a river, or boating.
meyre@woodrivertrailscoalition.org
BRIGID SEARS
Finance and Administration Coordinator
In 1989 Brigid moved to the Wood River Valley for a quintessential year off between college and law school. When one winter and one summer were not enough, she began work as a ski instructor and river guide on the Main and Middle Forks of the Salmon River. Since those early days, Brigid has managed a technical recruiting firm, worked for The Nature Conservancy and most recently for St. Luke’s Center for Community Health. Brigid is honored to have joined WRTC in the position of Finance and Administration Coordinator in March 2024. She holds a BS in Environmental Studies from the University of Vermont.
Brigid loves travel, walking in the mountains of Nepal, India, Europe, New Zealand and all over the United States, including one hundred miles of Vermont’s Long Trail. It was while walking that she realized how trails connect her to diverse cultures, fascinating people and extraordinary experiences. She looks forward to spreading the importance of WRTC’s mission and believes trail education and access are keys to maintaining the unique vibe of our valley.
Brigid’s other passions include reading, skiing, biking, sailing, gardening, and spending quality time away with her husband and dogs at their off-grid cabin.
Hybrid Trail Crew
Aidan Kellogg was born and raised in Walla Walla, WA. He's a former chef who moved to the WRV to ski patrol. He's excited to learn about the local mountains and trails while having a purpose for them. Aiden intends to work as hard on the trails as the people that made this opportunity possible, and he's grateful to be part of WRTC this summer.
Ben Copenbarger is from Bethlehem, CT. They come to the WRTC from having spent nine years exploring this beautiful state. This season, they are excited to learn and find out about all the extensive trails this Valley has to offer, and make it accessible and maintained for any and all nature-goers.
Alexis (Lexi) Byington is from Hailey, Idaho, and most recently, they came to the WRTC from Boise. This season they are excited to be outdoors and work to make the Wood River Valley more enjoyable for everyone.
Board of Directors
ALISON KINSLER
Board of Directors, Chair
Alison is an east coaster, originally from Buffalo, NY (go Bills!), but moved to Virginia and lived there from high school through medical school. She grew up playing soccer and played in college then turned to bike riding and racing to fill that void. After having the Army pay for medical school, Alison moved to Hawaii to do her residency and then spent the first four years of her orthopedic surgery practice in El Paso paying off her Army debt and riding gnarly desert trails. Alison then fulfilled her dream of moving to a ski town where she spends all her free time exploring our awesome mountain playground on skis, snowmobile and bikes.
SUSAN GIANNETTINO
Board of Directors, Vice Chair
Susan Giannettino has lived, worked and hiked throughout the West as a manager with the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management. She and her husband Jim Keller came to the Wood River Valley in 1998, part time, then full time once retired. Having lived in the Valley longer than anywhere else, they still love the community, the easy year round access to public lands and places to explore. Currently chairperson for the Blaine County Planning and Zoning commission, Susan has served on boards for the Boise State Public Radio, and the Idaho Chapter of the Nature Conservancy and she volunteers with a variety of organizations. She can ride a bike and a horse but is more stable on just her two feet, hiking on and off trail here and in other parts of the world.
JUSTIN MALLOY
Board of Directors, Treasurer
As a child, Justin spent his days mountain biking his home trails of Southern California wearing jeans and skate shoes. Now, older and wiser, Justin prefers shredding the trails in the Wood River Valley with padded chamois and proper bike shoes. After spending a summer as a WRTC Trail Boss, Justin felt a strong urge to be more involved with the local community and to give back to the trails that provide him consistent joy. Justin is excited to commit his enthusiasm and finance management skills to the local organization. A transplant since 2018, Justin resides in Hailey with his wife and dog, both of whom also thoroughly enjoy the local single tracks.
JULIAN TYO
Board of Directors, Secretary
Julian started riding singletrack at the age of nine in Oregon and has since put in almost as many hours behind a shovel as behind handlebars. Instigating the development of the Ketchum Bike Park in 2009, Julian went on to manage the development of 15 miles of gravity trails on Bald Mountain over nearly 10 years with Sun Valley Resort’s Mountain Operations team. With two young daughters at home, he’s passionate about continuing the development of progressive terrain in the Wood River Valley and maintaining the existing trail network for the next generation of riders.
NICOLE LISK
Board of Directors
Nicole has called the Wood River Valley home since 2004. She grew up coming to Idaho from Reno for family trips and after a stint of city living she knew she needed to be back in the mountains. Nicole worked in the outdoor industry for 15 years before settling into a job in real estate. As an avid outdoor enthusiast and a mom of 2 young boys you can usually find her (when time allows) on a bike or skis in the woods with her husband Erik.
MIKE SHAUGHNESSY
Board of Directors
Mike moved to Idaho as a member of the USAF, left for a while, and was drawn back to the outstanding opportunities to pursue his passion of being outdoors with family and friends. When not working as an exec with an ecommerce company, he can be found somewhere in the WRV recreating, winter, spring, summer or fall with his wife and daughter who also love using the trails and exploring everything Idaho has to offer. He also spends time on the trails as a coach for the Wood River High School mountain bike team.
KERRY SHARP
Board of Directors
Kerry has been a resident of the Wood River valley for over 10 years. He has
Midwestern (Minnesota) roots but moved west (Idaho and Oregon) over 40 years ago.
He graduated from Michigan State with a degree in civil engineering and put that to use
building stuff around the world for the US Air Force for a few years. Upon leaving the
service he headed east for grad school and an MBA from Harvard. That led to an offer
in corporate finance with Boise Cascade with a relocation to Boise. And thus, his first
visits to the valley.
Kerry began riding and hiking the valley in earnest, fifteen years ago. And as he did so,
he began to realize that it takes dedicated people, resources, and plans to ensure that
the trails are ready for all of us. And upon looking into that a bit, he learned he could
help with that, through the WRTC. He continues to be amazed by all the trails and the
beautiful places they can take us to!
SAM CHRISTIAN
Board of Directors
Bio coming soon.
How You Can Help
