Wesley Thornberry is a visionary leader and a driving force behind the inception and ongoing success of the Rally for Rangers project of the Mongol Ecology Center. As an ardent motorcyclist and conservation enthusiast, Wesley co-founded the Rally for Rangers and has been instrumental in elevating its profile on the global stage. Since 2014, he has actively participated in all 13 rallies, using his passion for adventure to draw international attention to the preservation of Mongolia's National Parks.

In addition to his conservation efforts, Wesley is the founder and CEO of Trend Digital LLC, a renowned company specializing in post-production imaging services tailored to the e-commerce clothing and fashion industry.

Wesley is a seasoned photographer, adventurer, and world traveler, having explored over 80 countries. His lens has captured the indigenous tribes of Ethiopia's Omo Valley to the mesmerizing depths of underwater national parks worldwide. He currently lives in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

Tom Medema developed a passion for national parks at a young age on family vacations throughout the American west. This passion turned into a career as a park ranger spanning nearly 30 years. Tom is equally passionate about national parks and public lands around the world and has worked with parks and monuments in South America and Europe as a subject matter expert in the field of interpretation and education. The opportunity to support the protection of natural and cultural heritage of parks and protected areas around the world is an opportunity he is excited and humbled to be a part of.
Tom is a sports and outdoor enthusiast, spending much of his free time enjoying two-wheeled travel by mountain bike, road bike, and motorbike. Over the past 20 years he has owned Harley-Davidson and BMW bikes and is currently riding an F800GS on the back roads and trails of Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia in preparation for the next epic and compelling adventure protecting the worlds special places one motorcycle at a time.

Batsaikhan is a Board Member of Mongol Ecology Center and was one of the riders of Ride for Rangers 2014 Rally. He is a native of Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia. He is the founder and General Director of Platinum Gate Architecture and Interior Design Corporation. In partnership with the Mongol Ecology Center and experts from the US National Park Service, Batsaikhan is spearheading the signage system and architectural theme project of Lake Hovsgol National Park.
He has been an avid motorcycle rider for the last 17 years and is the Vice President of the Harley Davidson Owners Club in Mongolia. Batsaikhan is riding for Ride for Rangers 2015 Rally again.

Hans Kwiotek is a German born photographer who has settled in San Francisco after having lived and worked in London, Berlin and Toronto.
In his commercial and personal work he is photographing fashion, beauty and people – having worked as a fashion photographer for the GAP for the last 5 years. Being engaged in many outdoor sports it is important to him to preserve nature in its pristine condition. This motorcycle rally is an important contribution to the preservation efforts which will ensure that untouched nature will be protected and available for future generations to enjoy.

I was born into a nomadic family and I was a herder. One time, I found an Argali sheep hidden amongst my herd of sheep. It was a very cold winter. I cared for the Argali until spring and let it go into the wild. Ever since, I was inspired to become a ranger and work to protect wildlife. I’ve been working as a ranger for 12 years now and I patrol 38,000 hectares [94 thousand acres] of Horidol Saridag Strictly Protected Area.

I was a local businessman. I used to buy endangered Taimen fish from my fellow community members by truckloads and resell them. It was not long before I realized I was hurting the nature. When the Tengis Shishgid National Park was established, I applied to become a ranger. Now, as a ranger, I strive to work with our local community members promoting community based conservation and sustainable tourism development. I patrol 124 thousand hectares (306 thousand acres) of Tengis-Shishged National Park.

Prior to joining the Tengis Shishged National Park, I spent 20 years herding livestock. I had a pleasure of seeing some of the most beautiful sceneries of nature and some of the rare species of flora and fauna of my birthplace. I’ve been working to raise awareness among local people by introducing alternatives to make a living without harming natural wonders. Although, it is very difficult to access our Tengis Shishged National Park, it is a beautiful place with high mountains and wide rivers and it’s home to 6 world-endangered species of animals. I am a proud ranger to patrol this beautiful place on a horseback, on foot and as well as on a back of a reindeer.

When I was 10 years old, I won a competition on “Mother Nature”. This opportunity definitely motivated me to work in conservation. Now as a local ranger, I work with school children to increase their participation in environmental protection. I strongly believe in community-based conservation and work with local cooperatives. I patrol 63,000 hectares [over 155 thousand acres] of the protected area.

I started my career as a Cinema Mechanic. I traveled around showing and promoting international and national films, history, culture, religions, traditions and legends of people. It helped me to develop a deep passion for nature and connection to people. When Mongolia transitioned to market economy in 1990s, people started exploiting the nature and environment. I witnessed illegal logging, depletion of rivers and lakes, poaching and greediness of artisanal miners in our Taiga region. As the condition worsened, I wanted to strengthen my devotion to nature by becoming a ranger and promised to make a difference.

I was concerned when the artisanal miners in Ulaan-Uul soum discovered gold and the deterioration of nature became so vivid. When the Ulaan Taiga Protected Areas Administration was established in 2012, the opportunity presented to me to become a ranger. There was no turning back. Now, as a ranger of my homeland, I patrol 61,000 hectares [~150,000 acres). Last year, I took part in chasing out the artisanal miners and started the reclamation process.