I love nature’: How the Junior Program Inspired a Member to Become a Guardian – Kwikwetlem First Nation

March 19, 2026

Elly Hooper was surrounded by family when she made her first big discovery.

It was a calm, sunny day at setɬamékmən (Coquitlam I.R. 2) last September. Elly, a Kwikwetlem First Nation member, had just joined the Kwikwetlem Guardian program—a Nation-led initiative that allows members (and certified professionals) to protect and monitor Kwikwetlem territory, which centres around the Coquitlam Watershed.

Elly stood at a standing sifter, a tool used to sort through dirt and debris for artifacts, when something caught her eye. It was sharp and shaped like a triangle. After shaking the shifter a few more times, a clearer picture formed: it was an arrowhead. Within a minute, she found another two other arrowheads.

Read More: https://kwikwetlem.com/blog/I-love-nature-How-a-Kwikwetlem-Guardian-Got-Her-Start.htm