Turtle Island Staff
Eustace Conway
In 1987, Eustace founded a lifelong dream--Turtle Island Preserve, an environmental education center and 1000 acre wildlife preserve near Boone, North Carolina, where he directs a unique visionary approach of getting people in touch with nature. Eustace ideally works towards peace on earth through a bottom-line program of understanding and respecting the people and environment that governs the quality of our lives. As an educator, he loves to uphold Emerson's quote, "What you do speaks so loud, that I cannot hear what you say."
He loves his mountain heritage, the ideals of self-sufficiency and thoughts such as, "Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without." Collecting information for a book on the Appalachian Mountain culture, Eustace is as one would imagine, living it! He has built a complete historically accurate farmstead with 9 hand crafted log buildings using only materials harvested right there on site. He trained his own mules, horses, and bulls to pull logs, sleds, wagons and to plow the gardens. He set the world record for coast to coast horse travel from the Atlantic Ocean to Pacific Ocean in 103 days! He went 800 miles across the Carolinas in 21 days. He loves using horse power saying, "horses can have babies, cars can't."
Spencer “Two Dogs”
Family camp, Young boys camp & Father-Son Director
Spencer 2 Dogs Bolejack operates Land of the Sky Wilderness School in Western North Carolina where he lives with his wife and three kids. An apprentice of mountain man Eustace Conway in the 1990s, Bolejack holds dan rank in multiple styles of martial arts including Tang Soo Do, Kenpo, IMA, and a 5th degree black belt in ninjutsu. After a rough start at Appalachian State, he gave everything away and moved into the woods for a total of three years, surviving on little and accumulating many of the skills discussed in camp. Eventually graduating from UNC-A, he has taught public school, won state level awards from the Veterans of Foreign Wars, has been published in Best Practices for Middle School Teachers and has taught internationally. The 11th generation Carolinian also co-hosted 59 episodes of Discovery’s Hillbilly Blood.
Spencer likes to use one of his best resources; his teachers and friends! Whenever possible we bring in guests from a variety of backgrounds who are experts in their fields of study. These have included beekeepers, blacksmiths, craftsmen, bushfolk, trackers, and fellow martial artists.
Taylor Moorefield
Father-Son Camp Director
Taylor Moorefield is a Park Ranger with Tennessee State Parks and has studied personally with Eustace Conway for several years. Additionally, he is an Eagle Scout and earned the yonah nugali (bear claw) from Spencer “Two Dogs” Bolejack of Land of the Sky Wilderness School. Taylor has a passion for teaching, nature and the potential of the human spirit. Taylor lives in East Tennessee with his wife and two children.
Ryan Timmermans
Head Counselor Young Boys Camp
I grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina, and at the age of eleven, found myself attending the week long inaugural wilderness camp hosted by Eustace Conway at Turtle Island Preserve. Growing up, I was always fascinated by the stories of the frontiersmen of years long ago like Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone, but it was during my time at Turtle Island that I grew deeply connected to the Earth and to the wild under the guidance and living example of the frontiersmen of our times: Eustace, Preston and Frank.
I joined the military at age 32 and became an Intel Analyst and a Psychological Operations Specialist, and ultimately spent 3 years deployed in Afghanistan. In my journey to heal the wounds of war in my life, I remembered some of the experiences and lessons that I gleaned from my experience at Turtle Island Preserve so many years ago. These experiences with Eustace and the natural world helped me form the idea for my own non-profit that aims to help veterans heal and connect to nature. “Veterans Offgrid” is located in the high desert of Taos, NM and helps veterans build sustainable homes and live more in harmony with the Earth.
I am looking forward to returning to my roots at Turtle Island Preserve and giving back to the next generation of young folks just like Eustace, Preston and Frank invested in me.
Carolyn
Carolyn has come full circle in her role at Turtle Island. Fortunate enough to be involved with Turtle Island when it’s existence was merely a vision of Eustace’s, through it’s conception, and witness to it’s many triumphs and difficult times as well, she brings a valued and unique perception and understanding to her role…which is many and varied. Currently, she is in charge of all operations, programming, media, and information at Turtle Island Preserve. She serves as Director of “everything Turtle Island” and serves as President of the Board of Directors. If you want to know anything about Turtle Island, she’s the one to talk to! She is the first person you will talk to when inquiring about our many events and workshops, and is there ready to greet you with her smile and offer a warm welcome when you arrive at Turtle Island…and if you are really lucky, you may find her in the outdoor kitchen preparing amazing meals for you to enjoy!!
When not involved in all things Turtle Island she enjoys spending time with and homeschooling her grandkids, gardening, and keeping tract of her chickens, goats, feral barn cats, and her constant sidekick “Ruby” her 4 legged bestie.
Director of Operations
Becca Nenow
Girls Camp Director
Becca grew up in Boone, exploring the mountains and learning to backpack in middle school. She studied psychology at UNC Chapel Hill and worked in wilderness therapy for three years, where she experienced and witnessed the deep healing and self-exploration that nature provides.
After training as a Forest Therapy Guide through the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy, Becca founded Woodsong, a nature guide company that teaches backpacking, earth skills, and nature connection through forest bathing.
In the woods she enjoys bowdrilling, cooking over fire, and learning the names and lives of the beings who share their home with us. She believes earth skills are a modality through which to deepen our relationship with nature and our practice of reciprocity.
Becca serves on local boards including Transition Blue Ridge, Watauga Women in Leadership, and the Town of Boone Sustainability Committee. Through these roles, she advocates for local ecological sustainability and empowering others to take action in their passions.
Becca is also an artist, exploring her relationship to nature through paint and natural pigments.
She is certified as a Wilderness First Responder through NOLS and a Leave No Trace Level 1 Instructor.