Begin small, begin now: Sous chef to the lovable and well-known | Way of life

Kiantae Laguå’ña doesn’t simply clock in for a job. She indicators up for a mission.

As a wildlife technician who began together with your Department of Agriculture’s Division of Aquatic and Wildlife Resources, DAWR, in July 2025, Laguå’ña performs a vital function within the survival of two of Guam’s most iconic and native birds: the ko’ko’ or Guam rail and the Guam sihek of kingfisher.

These endemic avian species stay inside DAWR’s lab and captive breeding facility also referred to as the railyard.

Culinary arts of conservation

Laguå’ña’s day-to-day duties learn much less like a normal discipline technician and resembled a culinary skilled and private attendant.

Her work is a meticulous mix of lab and railyard duties, the place she appears like a private chef getting ready contemporary meals for every ko’ko’ and sihek. The six sihek favor lizards so Laguå’ña hand captures delicious squamata for them.

Beyond the fastidiously ready meals, vital time is devoted to railyard upkeep, which is essential to defending these birds.

Vegetation upkeep in and across the perimeter of the breeding facility is crucial within the prevention of the return of the invasive little hearth ant, which poses a danger to the birds’ well being and habitat.

Year-round vegetation have to be maintained to supply a firebreak, and to have the ability to monitor feral pigs and feral canines that will pose a risk.

‘Aha moment’

When requested about her favourite a part of the job, Laguå’ña highlights the satisfaction of serving to her crew with a typical purpose in thoughts, corresponding to getting ready snacks for the birds and offering contemporary ingesting water for all ko’ko’ and sihek.

In order to supply mealworms, it begins with workers getting ready the suitable house and meals for beetles to thrive.

Female beetles then lay their eggs that change into larva, the stage at which it’s meals for the birds.

Some larvae go right into a pupa stage and into the beginnings of a beetle, and the cycle begins over once more.

This collaborative effort is pushed by a deep realization she calls her “aha moment:” understanding how treasured our pure assets are on Guam and that all of us have to be inventive in our cost to avoid wasting our island species for future generations.

Hope

One of Laguå’ña’s most rewarding experiences is having the chance to share firsthand accounts of being round ko’ko’ and sihek each day and offering useful data to members of the neighborhood about these fantastic birds.

She says oftentimes, folks mistake a number of the birds just like the kakkak to be the ko’ko’, and that’s fairly frequent.

DAWR’s wildlife crew will graciously discipline inquiries in regards to the kakkak or yellow bittern, typically child birds fall out of timber, so we stroll by way of steps for folks to take in the event that they determine to look after these birds or any birds for that matter.

The greatest recommendation for the neighborhood is to depart the infant birds the place they’re in order that their mother and father might discover them after they return to the nest.

Laguå’ña’s dedication to the pure world extends past her work hours. Currently pursuing a biology diploma on the University of Guam, she is actively trying ahead to acquiring certifications in wildlife conservation, together with incubation, tagging, and surveying.

Laguå’ña and two different technicians are conservation champions that remind us that reasonably than seeing conservation as preserving what little is left, we must always see this as a passionate conservation dedication to changing into good stewards to our native species.

It is thru the hands-on dedication of individuals like Laguå’ña, John Quenga, and Peter Salas that the ko’ko’ and sihek have an opportunity to at some point fill Guahan’s forests with magnificence and hen calls as soon as extra.

If you’ve questions on our wildlife crew’s subsequent outreach occasion and shows, name (671) 735-3981.

Yolonda Toves Topasna is a program coordinator within the Wildlife Office of the Division of Aquatics and Wildlife Resources beneath the Guam Department of Agriculture.