Elliot Drake-Maurer

The natural world has always occupied a place close to the core of Elliot’s heart, and as a child, he found peace and identity immersed in nature. Raised in northern California by a family with long-standing ties to their home, Elliot learned that he too belonged in the woods and mountains. After discovering Headwaters as an apprentice in 2009, he found that he had a gift for teaching, and began to assist with classes. After high school, Elliot moved to northern Wisconsin where he received a Bachelors degree in Outdoor Education from Northland College. There on the shores of Lake Superior, Elliot again fell in love with a place, and the northwoods forever imprinted themselves in his being.

Now returned to the West, Elliot seeks to share his skills and knowledge to facilitate a sense of homecoming for the students he works with. Through developing a deeper awareness of the natural and cultural history of the places we occupy, Elliot believes we can realize our place in the world and truly arrive somewhere, and only then call it home.

A sense of place and belonging is critical to developing an ethos of caretaking, something critical to the survival of our world. Elliot believes that diversity of being and identity are some of our most powerful tools in the quest for learning and understanding ourselves and the world we live in.Beyond teaching nature education, Elliot engages himself in numerous activities and passions, including paddling, fly fishing, martial arts, music, and more. He is a certified Wilderness First Responder (WFR), and likes to make pie.