What started in 1996 with two friends and a bucket of owl pellets has grown into an international education network—serving classrooms, families, and wildlife enthusiasts worldwide, from the U.S. to the U.K., from Australia to Taiwan.
In 1996, friends Marc Trueb and Chris Anderson founded Owl Brand Kits with a vision that reached far beyond selling owl pellets. From the beginning, the mission was to build something rare in education: a trusted authority in barn owl pellet science—connecting anatomy, predator-prey relationships, food webs, and the ecosystems that sustain life.
But the work was never only about science.
From day one, Marc and Chris believed the natural world tells an ancient and deeper story. Every bone, feather, and food web speaks not of accident, but of order, purpose, and design. For us, creation invites not only study, but awe—and ultimately points to an intelligent Creator.
As the years unfolded, Marc stepped into a role outside the day-to-day work of what became Owl Brand Discovery Kits, but his connection to the mission never faded. He remains a valued friend of the company and an active force in barn owl conservation throughout Oregon’s Willamette Valley, where his habitat stewardship and responsible pellet sourcing continue to support both owls and education.
And in that truth, we discovered a calling far greater than building a business: the opportunity to serve, to teach, and to be a light in the lives of educators, students, and classrooms around the world.
That conviction shaped what became Biology & Anatomy Foundations for younger learners, growing naturally into Ecology Foundations for older students.
As life led the founders in different directions, Marc chose to pursue opportunities outside the business, while Chris continued advancing the educational mission they began together. What started between two friends never lost its original DNA—it simply evolved.
Walk with students from first curiosity to lifelong understanding.
Over the three decades that followed, that foundation grew into the Owl Brand Education Network—expanding into hands-on science, digital learning, conservation, citizen research, and classroom tools designed to strengthen science education across America and beyond.
That evolution led to Passport to Wildlife Academy—built from nearly three decades of classroom, field, and wildlife education experience. Today, it gives educators structured digital lessons, classroom tools, student progress tracking, and meaningful rewards designed to help schools do more with less—while helping students discover more than science alone.
