Who We Are
Vill Van Der Merwe
President
president@trails4tomorrow.com
Vill’s love and sense of adventure started at a young age growing up in the Kalahari desert of South Africa. Much of his childhood was spent running around barefoot looking for rocks and critters, fishing off the west coast and learning to drive in old Land Cruisers. After moving to Canada in 1998, his first off-road adventures were on snowmobiles in Newfoundland and ATV’s in the Crowsnest pass area of Alberta. As an Adult Vill grew to love spending time in the backcountry and doing ski mountaineering, backpacking and scrambling. After high school he obtained a private pilot’s license but his love for the outdoors lead him to obtain a degree in Geology from the University of Calgary. Vill spent 10 years working in the oil and gas industry as a petroleum geologist. His love for photography and growing interests in off-roading/ overlanding however made him want to do something different. Today Vill is an owner and Sales and Marketing Director at KRAVE Automotive in Calgary. In his free time Vill enjoys off-roading and camping with his family.
Vill has been managing the social media networks for T4T for the past 3 years. He is passionate about ensuring we have sustainable trails for future generations and is often seen as a leader in the off-road community. He believes strongly that this is possible through education and meaningful consultation with all stakeholders. For 2024 he has taken on the role of President and is excited to lead the organization while undergoing some major changes.
“Whatever you do, do it with purpose and don’t forget to enjoy the process”
Jason Brown
Vice President
vice.president@trails4tomorrow.ca
Jason was born and raised in Central BC on a Texas Longhorn Ranch. His childhood consisted of playing in the mud, lakes and rivers surrounded by the copious amounts of raw nature. Jason’s love for the outdoors and appreciation of its beauty is boundless and his relationship with anything on wheels is built into his DNA. Moving his young family to Alberta over 20 years ago added to his appreciation of Alberta’s landscape. Education about trail maintenance and keeping trails open for all Albertans propelled Jason’s desire to become acquainted with Trails 4 Tomorrow, and he has been a supporter of the message ever since. Family connection to the outdoor lifestyle also motivated Jason to co-create the Alberta Outdoor Adventure Expo (AOAE). He was recently voted in to become Vice President and is very excited to be part of this team!
Jason Comin
Treasurer
treasurer@trails4tomorrow.ca
Jason was born in the Crowsnest Pass and has spent many hours exploring trails in the York Creek, Castle and Adanac areas with his Dad in a 3rd generation Ford Bronco and his Uncle in a jacked-up 2nd generation Chevrolet Blazer. Now over 30 years later, he's working a desk job in the Alberta prairies with the mountains in the distance calling him to return. Jason appreciates exploring the trails from his youth and others along the Rockies with his wife, children and anyone else who will hop in his Jeep. He is currently serving on the Board as Treasurer in hopes that he will be able to assist in preserving access to the trails he grew up on and many others for future generations.
Trevor Cawston
Secretary
secretary@trails4tomorrow.ca
Trevor is returning for his second year the role of Secretary for Trails 4 Tomorrow. He’s passionate about keeping trails open and is excited to be working towards this goal. He has been a lifelong 4X4 user, starting at a young age driving his dad's old hunting truck through the fields away from the duck blinds. He always had ATV's growing up, and spent his weekends exploring public and private land east of Calgary. As an outdoor enthusiast, Trevor spends most weekends camping with his family either out of an RV or out of their 4runner. Living in Calgary he is usually running trails out in McClean Creek or Ghost.
Lloyd Kortbeek
Project Manager
project.manager@trails4tomorrow.ca
Lloyd was born and raised in Alberta and is a believer in adventure. Whether that comes from the seat of a car, a boat, a bike, the back of a horse or just his two feet, he has taken on a raft of adventures throughout this great country and around the world. A great believer in the Tread Lightly concepts to ensure the beautiful vistas and country too few of us go out to enjoy, are maintained in a safe and sustainable manner so that others can experience and enjoy it as well. Lloyd has been wheeling since he bought his first FJ40 back in 1986 and was drawn to T4T through his love of vintage Toyota Land Cruisers combined with those great adventures. He is hoping to contribute his planning and professional skills to ensure everyone gets to experience the same adventures, learn about this great land and help maintain it for future generations.
Barry Tunzelmann
External Relations
external.relations@trails4tomorrow.ca
Barry was born in New Zealand and migrated to Canada in 1975. Soon after arriving, he bought his first 4×4 and was hooked from then on! Barry was a founding member of the Lionsgaters 4×4 Society in North Vancouver, which went on to become a well respected organisation by the government of BC, with the trails and offroad caring culture right from that time back in 1976. Barry has always enjoyed the wilderness and beauty in Canada, being only one of a few countries that offers public access into the backcountry. Serving on the board for with mTrails4Tomorrow allows him to pass on knowledge, stewardship, and caring of these areas for generations that will come after him. Barry's position of External Relations aligns with his past career duties, and makes him well qualified to create bonds between all users of the environment around us.
Tyler Annesley
Fundraising
Meet Tyler Annesley, a nature-loving enthusiast committed to keeping Alberta’s trails alive for future adventurers. Originally from Terrace and Vernon, BC, he developed a deep appreciation for the outdoors while spending summers in Likely, BC, helping out at his grandparents’ goldmine and learning the ropes of logging.
Growing up with family who’s lives revolved around camping, hiking, fishing, and skiing, Tyler brought those passions to Calgary when he moved there in 2012 for university and football with the Dino’s team. During his time at school, he got involved with the University of Calgary Ski and Snowboard Club, making lifelong friends and falling even more in love with Southern Alberta.
Although new to off-roading, Tyler is eager to do his part in preserving Alberta’s backcountry, ensuring everyone can enjoy hiking, camping, fishing, and snowboarding for years to come. Join Tyler and the Trails 4 Tomorrow crew in keeping our trails—and our adventures—going strong.
Jennifer Samaco
Volunteer Coordinator & Grant Applications
Jen was born in Saskatchewan and has lived in Alberta since the mid-70s. Her dad and Grandma were all about instilling in her the love of the outdoors, including the respect it deserves. Jen’s grandma showed her the love of chasing waterfalls, camping and hiking. Her dad gave her a taste of overlanding with his 1980s Bronco and a love of hiking and exploring.
Jen began overlanding with her 2021 Bronco Sport Badlands in 2022, and is slowly learning the ropes and skills required to respectfully navigate many of the beautiful trails in Alberta. Her outdoor experience includes hiking, snowshoeing, lake kayaking, backcountry exploring and camping. Her passion lies in her curiosity to learn and pass on her knowledge of the area, leave no trace principles, safety and preparation.
She is an ambassador for GTFOutside promoting the love of the outdoors and its correlation with mental health well being and leave no trace principles. She is also a proud ambassador with Flat4Offroad promoting overland builds and safe trail practices.
Her experience in the legal industry since 1999 provides a unique opportunity to assist Trails for Tomorrow in her roles.
She is very excited and motivated to do what she can to share her passion, excitement and curiosity with others to ensure the trails and surrounding environments remain safe, protected and accessible.
Janis Hodder
Membership Coordinator
Meet Janice! She has four kids, and four dogs, and when she required a vehicle that could fit her Newfoundland dog, she purchased a Jeep! Her daughter convinced her to go on an off road adventure tour where she met some incredible Jeep owners and likeminded folk. She quickly became enamoured with off roading and off grid camping. Janice joined T4T so she can help work with other groups to maintain our beautiful trails and enjoy northern Alberta. In her spare time, you can find her playing piano for Athabasca’s Brass Dinner Theatre.
Brian Shainline
Trail Rep
Athabasca Alberta is where I call home, my wife and I have a small horse ranch in a quiet part of the county. We have spent over 30 years working and living in Fort McMurray/Anzac raising our family there for around 20 of those years.
My wife and I are avid outdoors people and have explored the trails of Alberta on every way possible from foot, to horseback, to ATV and now in Jeep and overlanding. We are also avid hunters, shooters and fishing enthusiasts. Through that we understand and appreciate the access to the back country for all user groups respecting the systems and all who use them. I currently lead a facebook group specifically geared to low impact off roading and overlanding where we explore, improve and enjoy regular runs and trails. Our focus is to be a part of a team to help enhance the trails for everyone in this spectacular province.
Yannick Erkelens
Calgary Area Trail Rep
Originally from the Netherlands, Yannick moved to Alberta in 2019. He resided in multiple spots in both AB and BC, until finally settling in Calgary 🇨🇦
My dad was an avid climber and mountaineer, so ever since I was a little boy, he took us to the Swiss Alps regularly for adventures ranging from simple hikes to serious alpine climbing adventures. Safe to say this is where my love and passion for the mountains and outdoors was born.
Since I have always had a big love for technology and everything on wheels, I decided to build my future around it. After obtaining my degree in Automotive Engineering I started working for a dredging company, for which I still work with Calgary as my homebase. You will often find me in the coastal regions of Northern America for work purposes.
Going out for a couple days of climbing, offroading or camping is one of my favourite things to do, and in joining T4T I hope to be able to add my 2 cents to maintain that possibility for the future generations. Together we need to respect our beautiful backyard, and we all do that in our own way. Let’s work together and keep it that way for the years to come!
Alex Csiky
Trail Rep, South
Alex was born in Edmonton, Alberta, and has been recreating outdoors his entire life. He has lived in Alberta, Ontario, the Yukon, Manitoba, and has had the opportunity to visit many other places within Canada. This has allowed him to participate in a variety of outdoor activities and acquire a long list of outdoor hobbies.
Alex has a degree in Conservation Enforcement from Lethbridge College, which has offered him employment in natural resource enforcement, wildfire management, wildlife disease field work, and outdoor recreation. The remote nature of these jobs required constant off-road driving, helping form the foundation of Alex’s passion for 4x4 vehicles. Through these employment opportunities, Alex has gained valuable experiences in sustainability and conservation, which he has applied to all of his outdoor hobbies.
Alex currently lives in the Crownest Pass, Alberta, and has spent the last 7 years recreating in the area. In 2021, Alex was finally able to purchase his own 4x4 vehicle and shortly after, became obsessed with the hobby. With Alex’s experiences and understanding of conservation and sustainability, Alex hopes to spread Trail4 Tomorrow’s positive message of responsible trail management.
Adam Tunselmann
Trail Rep
Raised in the Shuswap region of British Columbia, Adam developed a love during his youth for enjoying what the outdoors has to offer while exploring the abundant trails and logging roads in the region on his dirtbike. Since moving to Calgary, Adam discovered wheeling when he bought his first Jeep in 2016. Whether exploring Western Canada on dirt, gravel, or in the case of his motorcycle, pavement, Adam realizes the necessary balance between recreation and conservation to help pass on what we have today to those who wish to responsibly enjoy it tomorrow.
Adam was introduced to Trails 4 Tomorrow through his offroading club and is excited to work with everyone involved for another year!
Lauren Johnson
Social Media
Born and raised in Calgary, Lauren has been privileged enough to have the foothills and Rocky Mountains as her backyard, and growing up so close has spent a ton of weekends in the Ghost or Maclean areas.
Hiking on two feet turned into dirt biking on two wheels, then quadding on four wheels, and naturally evolved into 4x4. Buying and building Toyotas has led her to likeminded people, avid offroad trail users, and Trails 4 Tomorrow.
Now as a mom of two daughters, teaching them about sustainability and the impact we all have on the environment are motivating factors to join T4T. Lauren is excited for the opportunity to help maintain trails and keep access open for her daughters to continue to enjoy in the future.
“If you’re not muddy, you’re not having fun”