The Trail Champions
Meet the Team
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Heidi Van Everen, Executive Director of Whitefish Legacy Partners
My background in recreation and conservation started nearly 30 years ago in New England working and volunteering in the Green Mountains of VT and with the Appalachian Mountain Club working on the Professional Trail Crew in the White Mountains of NH. I moved west to complete my master’s degree at the University of Colorado – Boulder/CIRES in the early 90’s and began my professional career in the GIS department of an engineering firm. I was active in my local mountain community of Nederland, Colorado and thoroughly enjoyed exploring Colorado’s high country outside my backdoor. My science and GIS work background led me to the Nature Conservancy Colorado Field Office where I joined the science team working to support conservation and large community-driven projects across the west. In 2007, I moved to Whitefish, Montana with my husband, two children, and two dogs where I immediately gravitated to program work and grant writing for the Whitefish Trail and Whitefish Legacy Partners. Since 2011, I have been working as the Executive Director, growing the organization, and developing strong community connections and solid public-private partnerships to support conservation, recreation, education and community stewardship throughout the Flathead Valley.
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Jennie Bender, Executive Director of Glacier Nordic Club
Jennie is excited to build community around skiing and proper training for endurance sports in the area, while developing Glacier Nordic Club. She recently comes from collegiate coaching at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and previously coached all age groups via clinics, teams, and lessons, along side her professional ski career.
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Rick Mathies, Pas President, North West Montana Back Country Horsemen.
Rick has been a member of Back Country Horsemen for over 15 years, helping to start a new chapter in the Flathead Valley in 2015. He has been involved in clearing trails, trail maintenance and providing pack support with Back Country Horsemen. Also proving pack support for the Bob Marshall Wilderness Association, Forest Service, and SNOTEL for 15 years. Started the 4-H Trail & Packing program in the Flathead Valley in 2016 which designed to train the Next Generation of Packers and Trail stewards.
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Amanda Minatra, Program Coordinator for Gateway to Glacier Trails
I’m lucky enough to be at the helm of Gateway to Glacier Trails, building and maintaining the Cedar Flats Trail system, public access trails within the Bad Rock Canyon Wildlife Management Area, and the Gateway to Glacier Trail. I have over a decade of nonprofit experience, with a background in marketing, communications, creative work and leadership, and a love of all things outdoors. I’m passionate about outdoor recreation and creating opportunities for our communities to get outside, while stewarding the land we call home. In my free time you’ll most likely find me on my mountain bike, hiking, paddling, enjoying black coffee or good whiskey, and wrangling my two little boys.
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John Gangemi
I am a resident of Columbia Falls, and an avid climber, kayaker, hiker, mountain biker and Nordic skier. I am a founding member of North Shore Nordic Club (formerly Bigfork Community Nordic Center) and former board member of Glacier Nordic Club. I am passionate about maintaining and expanding Nordic ski opportunities in the Flathead Valley.
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Ron Brandt, Executive Director of Flathead Area Mountain Bikers
After moving from Minnesota to Montana 23 years ago, I spent ten years in Bozeman, galvanizing my love for mountain biking in Montana’s backcountry. My wife Marti and I spent four years in Bellingham, WA, before choosing to return to Montana and Marti’s hometown of Whitefish.
Within days of moving to our new home, I was already hooked into the local mountain biking community and looking to what the future could hold. I joined the FAMB board in 2015 and spent five years focusing on trails and advocacy within the organization. As FAMB Executive Director, I am genuinely excited about FAMB's future and the fantastic relationships the organization has built with the local land managers and our local partners, many of whom you see here on this page.
I look forward to building on this momentum with our future work and am excited to help create and maintain these great resources we are so fortunate to have here in the Flathead.
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Nathan Russell, Executive Director for Foys To Blacktail Trails (FTBT)
Nathan has lived in the Rocky Mountain West for over 20 years and has been a resident of Lakeside for 17+ years. His love for outdoor adventure, trails, and conservation was fostered as a kid growing up in Boy Scouts in Michigan and was furthered by an Appalachian Trail thru-hike in 2004.
He has worked in the nonprofit space for two decades and specifically in the outdoor adventure education, outdoor risk management, and outdoor leadership sector for 15 years.
Nathan is an avid adventurer who enjoys a variety of outdoor activities alongside his family. From ultramarathon trail running, hiking, backpacking, skiing - downhill, backcountry, and Nordic to climbing/mountaineering, he loves the challenge of endurance pursuits. Nathan is passionate about serving the public and helping to provide access to public lands, as well as educating and assisting people when they get into trouble in the backcountry through his volunteerism with Flathead County Search and Rescue.
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Kristin Van Everen, Trails Coordinator.
I recently graduated from St. Lawerence University in 2022 with a degree in Environmental Science and Biology. Since college I moved back to the west coast and am working remotely for FTA while living in both Spearfish SD and Whitefish. In my spare time you can most likely find me trail running, mountain biking, or hanging out with my dog Ryder! In the winter I am either backcountry skiing or skijoring! I am thrilled to be working for FTA and look forward to working more in the Whitefish community.
Kristin is the Trails Coordinator for FTA, reach out to her with any questions or concerns @ coordinator@flatheadtrails.org
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![An image of Arrowleaf Balsamroot in Herron Park in Kalispell, alongside a trail.]()
Foy's to Blacktail Trails
Our Mission is to plan, build, and maintain a sustainable multi-use trail system throughout Herron Park and forest lands connecting to Blacktail Mountain.
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![A runner on the Whitefish Trail in Montana]()
Whitefish Legacy Partners
Whitefish Legacy Partners is a non-profit organization whose community-minded vision ensures conservation, recreation and education on the lands around Whitefish for future generations.
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![A cross country skier on a clear day with Whitefish Mountain Resort in the background]()
Glacier Nordic Club
We promote and inspire a life-long love of cross-country skiing through encouraging friendship among all cross-country skiers and introducing the sport to newcomers.
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Gateway to Glacier Trails
Developing and maintaining a network of trails within the Greater Glacier Ecosystem to foster stewardship and connect communities to our open spaces.
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![A pack string of horses and riders in the mountains of Montana.]()
NorthWest Montana Back Country Horsemen
To perpetuate enjoyable common sense use of horses in the back country; assist government agencies in maintenance and management of the resource; and educate, encourage and solicit active public participation in wise and sustaining use of horses and use by people commensurate with our heritage and the back-country resource.
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![A trail crew poses with their tools in from of a Forest Service building]()
Montana Conservation Corps
Inspiring young people through hands-on conservation service to be leaders, stewards of the land, and engaged citizens who improve their communities.
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![Three bicyclists ride on a sunny day on a paved rails to trails path.]()
Rails to Trails of Northwest Montana
Rails to Trails of Northwest Montana is a citizen's organization comprised of active, concerned Montanans. We are committed to converting abandoned railroad beds in Northwest Montana to non-motorized, year round recreational trails that offer a safe, enjoyable alternative to using busy highways.
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Montana Access Project
We provide the tools, resources and expertise needed to create places to experience nature everyday.
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![A bird's eye view of a forest with a two track path running through it.]()
Flathead Land Trust
The Flathead Land Trust is dedicated to the conservation of northwest Montana’s land and water legacy through voluntary agreements with private landowners.
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![A small waterfall in a fall mountain setting.]()
Wild Montana
Wild Montana was founded by a group of Montana outfitters, ranchers, doctors, and friends. We envision a Montana where people and wildlife flourish because public lands and waters are wild and connected.
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![Two volunteer trail workers in the Bob Marshall Wilderness.]()
Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation
The Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation (BMWF) provides volunteer stewardship for Montana’s 1.5 million acre Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex. We work to keep trails open, restore native habitat, mitigate user impacts, and engage youth and adults in wilderness experiences that change lives and instill a lasting land ethic.
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![A trail sign in the North Fork.]()
North Fork Trails Association
We maintain and support the trail system along the North Fork of Montana's Flathead River. Our mission is to promote the maintenance and preservation of the historic trail structure in the North Fork Flathead area with the aim of supporting recreation, forest management and research.
Land Management Partners
Flathead Trails Association Advisor, MJ Crandall
District Recreation Lead, Hungry Horse-Glacier View Ranger District, Flathead National Forest
M.J. got his start in trails as a high school volunteer wilderness ranger in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness near Seattle. He then worked for about a dozen seasons on Forest Service trail crews on the west side of the Cascade Mountains. He took a few spurs along the way before committing fully to a career in public service and recreation management -- first briefly exploring a career as a history/German teacher, then spending five years as a youth ski school manager at Stevens Pass. M.J.’s main outdoor pursuits include alpine and backcountry skiing, hiking and backpacking, road biking and bike touring. He enjoys learning through travel, having spent a total of two years in Germany and Austria during three separate student exchanges. M.J., his wife Becca, and two young kids live in Kalispell.
Flathead National Forest
In the Rocky Mountains of Northwest Montana, just south of the Canadian border and Glacier National Park, lies the 2.4-million acre Flathead National Forest. With lakes galore, rugged wilderness, wild rivers, over 2,000 miles of trail, campgrounds, ski areas, and year-round beauty, this forest is a premiere natural landscape of the American West.
Montana Department of Natural Resources
The Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) promotes the stewardship of the state’s natural resources, protects Montana from wildfire, and teaches about conservation. DNRC also supports the State Board of Land Commissioners, which controls the disposition of state trust lands.
Glacier National Park
Glacier National Park is a 1,583 sq mi area in Montana's Rocky Mountains, with glacier-carved peaks and valleys running to the Canadian border. A showcase of melting glaciers, alpine meadows, carved valleys, and spectacular lakes. With over 700 miles of trails, Glacier is a paradise for adventurous visitors seeking wilderness steeped in human history.
Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks
The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks is a government agency in the executive branch state of Montana in the United States with responsibility for protecting sustainable fish, wildlife, and state-owned park resources in Montana for the purpose of providing recreational activities.
United States FIsh and Wildlife Service
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people.
Flathead COunty Parks and recreation
Our top priorities are to provide outdoor recreation in a natural setting with an emphasis on water access; to provide opportunities and facilities for organized team sports; and to provide a non-motorized trail system that provides large scale connectivity and safe routes to schools, parks and recreation facilities.