Introduction to Paul and Daniel

Written by Kelsea De Filippis

For over 30 years, Northwest Trail Alliance (NWTA) has been working diligently to serve the trails we love so much. With a 60 mile radius, extending from the Oregon Coast, into parts of Southern Washington’s Gifford Pinchot National Forest and Mount St Helens National Monument, and to the Western foothills of Mount Hood National Forest, Northwest Trail Alliance advocates for access to trails, building trails, and maintaining trails. With a vision for a culture of land stewardship and community engagement to be central to mountain biking, NWTA involves a large and engaged membership, solid partnerships with land management agencies, relationships with sponsors, a strong leadership and communications team, and close ties with the mountain bike industry.

Welcoming a new leadership shift, NWTA gained a new Vice President, Paul Hobson, and Secretary Daniel Stuart.

Paul Hobson

Paul first was involved with NWTA at a Sandy Ridge Dig Day and volunteered his time on the trails. “The volunteers finished off Flow Motion after Jason Wells (then IMBA Trail Solutions, now Sasquatch Trails) had shaped it with the machine. I think I spent 2 hours building a drain that would take me 15 minutes now,” Says Paul. Taking his involvement a step further, Paul joined the Board of Directors in 2018 as Secretary with pursuits to give back to the trails and expand access to nature for the community Portland metro area.

Some goals that Paul has in his new role are to “continue to find innovative ways to keep up with trail maintenance and building while keeping our volunteers safe from COVID-19. We’re sensitive to the precautions and requests of our land managers. So this presents a unique opportunity to build their trust and show them what we can accomplish through the strength of our community,” says Paul. This also includes teaching new trail builders, supporting the stewards at Rocky Point, and bringing riding opportunities closer to the community by solidifying a strong relationship with Portland Parks.

Paul Acquired his first mountain bike from River City Bicycles in 2012 and has been riding ever since

Daniel Stuart

Daniel was first involved in NWTA in the Summer of 2018 and joined the board soon after in the winter of 2020 to have a more impactful role in organizing and drive the build-out at Rocky Point. Since joining the board, Daniel worked on building the new website that became live in the late Spring of 2020.

“Moving from a board member to the position of Secretary will help me continue to push for the ambitious and exponential growth the organization has been making since last fall when we took on the Rocky Point lease,” Daniel explains. With growth and expansion as a goal, gaining better trust and partnership with regional land managers will also improve opportunities for expanding trail access. An excellent example of this would be Gateway Green with Portland Parks and Recreation.

Daniel has been mountain biking for 20 years now, with his first bike being a mid 90’s purple and white Trek 820.