Peter Harnik

As both political organizer and historian, Peter Harnik is the nation’s leading interpreter and presenter of the rails-to-trails movement. Harnik co-founded both the national Rails-to-Trails Conservancy and the Washington-area Coalition for the Capital Crescent Trail, and he has written two books on the topic. He is also co-founder of the Center for City Park Excellence at the Trust for Public Land and the author of two books on urban parks. Over 35 years, Harnik has personally visited, experienced and studied the creation of more than 200 rail-trails in 45 states. He has spoken widely on the topic and maintains contact with numerous rail-trail creators and managers across the U.S. Harnik is also a long-time board member of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association and has written extensively on bicycling politics. In 1978, he was named one of the “Global 500” environmental achievers by the United Nations Environment Programme.