RideForTheTrees.com

January 2009 - July 2010
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About Us 

Our mission is to advocate protection for endangered forests worldwide and to raise funds to protect Paraguay’s San Rafael Reserve via an environmental bicycle tour through the Americas.


Samuel K. Hagler- Director/Cyclist, Ride for the Trees   
Samuel was born in 1983 in Boise, Idaho, but he calls Arizona home.

His bicycle touring experience includes Across the U.S. for M.S. in 2001 and Bike & Build in 2004. 

In 2005 Samuel participated in a NOLS backpacking course in the mountains of Washington state, a 30-day course in the incredible Cascades and Pasayten Wilderness.

Samuel graduated from Northern Arizona University (NAU) in 2006 with a B.S. in Parks and Recreation Management and a minor in Philosophy. During his time at NAU Samuel was certified as a Wilderness First Responder by Desert Mountain Medicine.

From 2006 to 2008 Hagler was a Peace Corps Volunteer in a Paraguayan village 12 kilometers from the San Rafael Reserve. It was there that he grew to love and respect Paraguay's culture and the people who are caught in the midst of such an unfortunate environmental crisis. At San Rafael, Hagler had the pleasure to see not only endangered animals like toucans, parrots and monkeys, but also to meet the Mbya Guarani people who are sadly losing their habitat and culture. In Paraguay, Samuel participated in a variety of conservation projects with Procosara and Guyra Paraguay, the two organizations benefiting from the funds raised by Ride for the Trees.

David J. Gordon- Manager, Ride for the Trees


David was born in Phoenix, Arizona in 1983 and received his undergraduate degree from the University of Arizona in Philosophy with a minor in Creative Writing.
 
Currently, David is an advertising student at the Miami Ad School's San Francisco campus. But that is a little misleading, since he's actually studying in London as part of an externship program with the school until late December.
 
As manager for the Ride For The Trees, David has been helping Sam prepare for this very important trip. He is honored that he is even attached to such a worthy cause.
 
Along with advertising, David likes to travel, read, and write in the third person.

          Samuel and David with a group of volunteer biologists at Procosara, Paraguay