OUR PEOPLE

Nick Grenier
Director, Founder, and a Lead Facilitator 

From 2011 to June 2016, I worked full time as a lead instructor of youth programs for Ancestral Knowledge, a DC–area non-profit that offers nature, survival and primitive skills programs for all ages.  

I then transitioned to working independently and serving new clients - directly with homeschool groups and with local institutions like Compass Homeschool Enrichment in Oakton, VA, and the Metaphor Academic Center for Russian Language and Culture in Falls Church, VA.

The kids we work with range from those who have never stepped off a trail before, to those who are very comfortable in the woods.  Regardless, they have a blast, and learn about the plants, birds, trees, animals and ecology of their area, and how they can take care of themselves in nature for fun or survival. 

Gone is the time when most kids spent most days running free, building forts and tree houses, splashing in the creek and getting dirty outside.   Our programs help fill that void.  Students follow their innate desire to experience nature, while learning valuable skills and natural-history from an expert mentor.

I've been exploring nature and field guides for about as long as I can remember - at least since Kindergarten.  Until the 3rd grade, I attended the Rudolf Steiner School in New York City.  In middle and high school I volunteered at the National Zoo, and was also mentored through the Wilderness Awareness School (WAS) Kamana Naturalist Training program (correspondence course).

After high school, I spent two years teaching white-water canoeing and kayaking, rock-climbing, rappelling, spelunking and other outdoor programs for the Montgomery County government in Maryland. At that time I also studied survival, tracking and primitive skills at Tom Brown Jr.’s Tracker School and was trained in teaching this knowledge at the Wilderness Awareness School's Art of Mentoring classes.

During my college years, I taught wilderness living skills at a summer camp and in a semester-long class at a middle school. My adventures in those years also included months of living in a primitive cabin on a Potomac river island, exploring Siberian wilderness, and hunting bones in Yellowstone National Park as part of someone's PhD dissertation.

While living in Nevada after college, I collected plant and animal data as an environmental biologist in the mountains and deserts.

I received my BS in Biology from Georgetown University in 2007, and an MS in Environmental Science from University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 2008.  I live in Alexandria, VA with my wife May Joy and two daughters, Mira-Nicole and Sofia.  
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Sofia, Nick, Mira and May Joy

Trevor Cox
Lead Facilitator


Over the last few years I have been teaching courses at Boulder Outdoor Survival School (BOSS), a primitive skills centered survival school based out of southern Utah, and am currently in the midst of transitioning from Apprentice to Instructor. BOSS is unique in that we offer very immersive survival courses that allow students to go into the bush for up to 28-days with little more than a knife and water bottle. 

I have previous experience teaching several lessons including but not limited to:
Bow Drill, Primitive and Modern Shelter Construction (debris shelters to poncho/tarp shelters), Priorities Of Survival (Rule of 3's), Campsite Selection (5 W's), Positive Impact (very similar to Leave No Trace but more proactive), Personal Hygiene, Hooting/Group Communication, Blanket Backpacks, Thermoregulation Principles and the Human Body, Knife Safety, Use, and Maintenance, Plant-specific Lessons, Hand Fishing, Navigation, Knots & Rope Care, Weather Safety, Large Game Processing, and more.

While much of my primitive skills experience has been cultivated and developed in the Southwest, I am excited to develop my skills and find a community of fellow primitive skills enthusiasts in conjunction with the land I am native to.. the mid-Atlantic.

Additionally, I have been fortunate enough to have gained extensive dirt time when my fiance and I hiked the entire Appalachian Trail in 2016. Throughout my hike, I used my experience in video production to shoot a documentary that I am now editing into a feature film.  My hope with the film is to encourage people to pursue "alternative" lifestyles that help them rekindle their innate bond with the natural world, and therefore promote sustainable living practices.

I am certified in Wilderness First Aid through WMI/NOLS, and am scheduled to receive my Wilderness First Responder certification by Spring of 2019.

Having worked at BOSS for a few years now, I truly recognize the immense pleasure I derive from teaching people how to feel at home in the outdoors, and love that I am able to cultivate this passion back home on the East Coast.
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​Although my work at BOSS has been mostly with adults, I have always loved working with kids and have experience doing so as a substitute teacher (elementary to high school), swim instructor, and childcare provider. I think instilling the ideas of nature awareness and appreciation at a young age is vital to the health and well-being of both humans and the planet.

Rhys Fontaine
Lead Facilitator​

All my life I have been a wilderness survival enthusiast, and I am largely self-taught through books and educational videos. As I grew up, I spent all my time outside in the woods learning from what the wilderness could teach.

By the time I was ten years old I was an avid hunter and was skinning and processing my own animals.  When I was a teenager I was consistently going on wilderness walkabouts on my own for up to a week with little more than my knife.

In 2016 I took a 14-day field course at Boulder Outdoor Survival School (BOSS), in Boulder, Utah and was invited to apply for an apprenticeship. I applied and was selected and as of the summer of 2018 I have taken that privilege on and have grown leaps and bounds in my skills and teaching ability.

Some notable skills include hand and bow drill fire making, primitive and modern shelter building, advanced wilderness navigation, small and large game processing, atlatl weapon making and use, blanket packs, thermo regulation, wilderness hygiene, primative traping, carving, and a wide range of wilderness tips and tricks.

Some interesting additional facts about me is that I have also apprenticed as a wood worker and continue to pursue that passion when I am back in my hometown of Kingsport, Tennessee. I am also a S.H.O.U.T! Leadership graduate which is a program I had to apply and be selected for. During this time, I worked with successful small business owners and I learned the art of good leadership.

Finally I'm a Wilderness First Responder certified graduate and I am equipped to deal with many back country injuries and concerns.

I am extremely grateful to be working with Natural Leaders. I am passionate about spreading love, knowledge, and appreciation of the wilderness to the next generation.

​I hope that through these programs kids will learn more about themselves and nature as well as find out more of what is meaningful to them in this life.