Kaia Bjorklund grew up in the forests and fens of Prince George where the land served as both her school and her playground.
A member of the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation, she is a passionate, aspiring biologist with a strong connection to her heritage and the environment. Her love for nature led her to study biology at the University of Northern British Columbia.
Kaia fondly recalls spending childhood summers at her grandparents’ cabin, where she and her brothers would spend hours searching for snakes, bugs, minnows, and frogs. “When we weren’t doing that, we were reading books about pond life.”
Her fascination with the natural world was undeniable, and it didn’t take long for her to realize that biology was the field she wanted to pursue. “I knew immediately that I wanted to major in biology.”
Last summer, Kaia worked as a technician for the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation on a collaboration with the B.C. Wildlife Federation to calibrate the Wetlands Ecosystem Services Protocol (WESP) and complete the Canadian National Wetland Inventory (CNWI).
As an assessment tool for wetlands, WESP offers a practical way to view critical habitats and identify high-value wetlands for restoration and enhancement.
WESP aims to address knowledge gaps for land managers and decision-makers who currently lack consistent measures to evaluate these ecosystems. Quantifying some of the goods and services that wetlands offer helps prioritize the conservation of high-value wetlands and provides a practical tool for evaluating the success of restoration work.
A typical day in the field involves flying a drone to capture aerial imagery, walking as much of the wetland as possible, identifying inlets and outlets, conducting vegetation plots and soil profiles to determine plant communities for CNWI, and finally completing the 60-question WESP survey.
“This is my first summer of field work and I am having a lot of fun learning about the wetlands in my area,” Kaia said.
For more than five years, the BCWF has worked with First Nations communities to develop the WESP tool for use in northern BC. The aim is to better assess and protect northern wetlands, which serve as vital carbon sinks, water purifiers, and biodiversity hotspots, while also building WESP as a supportive, stand-alone tool that can complement traditional knowledge.
“It was a great learning experience, and it was nice to feel like I was contributing to something that I think is really important as wetlands are often pushed to the side and not given the credit they deserve,” she said.
Her knowledge of the local landscape was invaluable. She was able to guide her team and offer historical insights into the areas they were working in.
“I can tell that the BCWF crewmembers enjoy the work they do and are passionate about protecting the environment,” she added. “I think WESP will be a very helpful tool for all of B.C.”
Kaia intends to become a Registered Professional Biologist (R.P. Bio) and hopes that she can make a positive impact for the environment and her community.
This story, by Nadia Pagliaro (Junior Wetland Practitioner), first appeared in the JUL/AUG 2025 issue of BC Outdoors Magazine in our member exclusive insert. Become a BCWF member today to get our news delivered directly to your mail box at bcwf.bc.ca/membership.
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