The OWLS Team

OWLS was originally established in 1991 as Hollowtop Outdoor Primitive School (HOPS) by Thomas J. Elpel (above right). The school was rebranded as OWLS in 2013 in partnership with Nicholas Kern (above center). Kris Reed (above, left) has been essential in keeping classes rolling every year.

Thomas J. Elpel, Director

Thomas J. Elpel is an author, builder, conservationist and a pioneer in experiential education. He has authored six books and produced five videos on topics ranging from wilderness survival and botany to stone masonry, sustainable construction, and green economics.

As a child, Tom was mentored by his grandmother, Josie Jewett. Together they explored the hills and meadows near Virginia City, Montana, collecting herbs, looking for arrowheads and watching wildlife. Grandma Josie helped Tom to learn about native plants and their uses, igniting a passion for nature that has inspired him ever since. She also sparked his interest in survival skills.

Tom's first serious exposure to wilderness survival skills began at the age of 16, when he went on a 26-day, 250-mile walkabout in the desert canyons of southern Utah with Boulder Outdoor Survival School. The following year he and Grandma Josie went together to Tom Brown's Tracker School in New Jersey.

From there Tom spent thousands of hours practicing, developing, and teaching survival skills in his "backyard" in the Rocky Mountains. These experiences led to writing his book Participating in Nature: Wilderness Survival and Primitive Living Skills, which is currently in its sixth edition. Tom has also produced four DVDs in his Art of Nothing Wilderness Survival Video Series.

Tom started Hollowtop Outdoor Primitive School (HOPS) in 1991, working first with adults, and later with kids and schools. Tom is also the founder of Green University, which is dedicated to the education and assistance of adults in the world of green business as well as nature skills. Tom has an amazing ability to work with people, teach them skills and open their minds to the possibilities of our world.