Outdoor Wilderness &
Leadership School

About OWLS

The  Outdoor Wilderness and Leadership School is a 501(c)(3)  non-profit organization founded in 2010 by wilderness expert, Dawn Bello.  While an outdoor skills instructor for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Dawn recognized a need for programming that extended well beyond the reach of the agency.  Despite extensive work with partner organizations and outdoor experts, there was still a shortage of programming.  Dawn developed OWLS to meet this need and by working through key partners, created a highly sought-after wilderness education program.  Dawn also partnered with PEAK Adventures, founded by Nyssa Correa, and brought in a team of SERE trained retired military staff, which led to the wilderness program growing in size, breadth and depth of offerings.  OWLS was able to also partner with native and edible foods experts including such notable figures as Mark Merriweather Vorderbruggen and David Renninger, Park Superintendent at Big Bend Ranch.  

In 2022 OWLS and PEAK merged and added an east coast location to provide learning in marine science and cultural resource interpretation. OWLS also broadened the workshop program aimed at training wilderness guides and enthusiasts.  In addition, the teacher training component is being expanded to include self-paced online courses.  The academy offers classes for aspiring outdoor recreation, interpretation, and resource management students within its four schools of academic study.  Material is based on real-world issues and situations for attaining both college and continuing education credits.  The school provides unique lesson plans for classroom and informal educators, including home schooling parents.  The traditional suite of adventure excursions continues within OWLS' wilderness education offerings with the addition of cultural resource interpretation, SCUBA and marine science. 

For more information about our team, click the link below.