Tekwitha Kim Spencer
Tekwitha Kim Spencer, one of Conservation Nation’s 2026 Conservationist Grant recipients, is an educator and youth mentor from the Rupununi, Guyana. Since 2016, she has worked with young people on education, conservation, and cultural preservation through community-based initiatives with organizations including the South Rupununi Conservation Society, Conservation International, and Cultural Survival.
Kim is a cadet ranger with the South Rupununi Conservation Society, bringing her experience and love of the natural environment to conservation in the Rupununi. Growing up on a ranch among the savannahs, she developed practical conservation skills, including handling birds using mist nets, using GPS, and collecting and analyzing wildlife camera footage.
Alongside her conservation work, Kim teaches and coordinates the wildlife club at Sand Creek Secondary School, where she inspires young people to become future stewards of nature.
Project Overview
The mountains and surrounding savannahs near Sand Creek Village, Guyana, provide habitat for the red siskin and many other wildlife species closely connected to the culture, livelihoods, and traditional knowledge of Indigenous communities. Increasing environmental pressures, including habitat disturbance and climate change, highlight the need for biodiversity monitoring.
Through her Conservation Nation project, Kim will gather baseline information on the distribution, habitat use, and occurrence of the red siskin in the mountain habitats surrounding Sand Creek. Field research will include bird surveys, GPS mapping, habitat assessments, photographic documentation, and interviews with community members. The project will identify potential threats and compare current observations with local knowledge to better understand changes in the landscape.
As an Indigenous conservationist from Sand Creek, Kim will lead this work alongside community members, local leaders, and the Sand Creek Secondary School Wildlife Club. Selected students will receive training in bird monitoring, species identification, GPS use, ethical field practices, and biodiversity data collection. Findings will be shared through community presentations, educational materials, and discussions to encourage long-term stewardship and support future conservation planning.
