McKaylii has a diploma from the Environmental Technology program. She read about Water First’s fish habitat restoration project in the Kebaowek newsletter during her last semester at Canadore college.

With her passion for Environmental Stewardship, she spearheaded a community celebration event where community members met everyone involved in the project, and the interns shared their knowledge and success stories about the restoration work they are proud of.

“Not only did we want to make a difference in the Kipawa Lake fishery, but we also wanted to learn about our land and all the ways we can help preserve the ecosystem, and through this project, we were able to accomplish that and much more.”

Mckaylii believes that Water First’s approach of hiring and training locally is important. She says that the knowledge and experience she gained during the restoration project has helped her understand what it takes to run a project like this, and has made her better at her job in the Land Management office. She hopes to help with future restoration work and to keep other restoration projects going in the community.