Kaia Hilgendorf-Roost, Banding Apprentice

Minnesota born and raised, Kaia graduated from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities in 2024 and received her degree in Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology. While at the U, she spent three years banding songbirds at Carpenter Nature Center, and spent three summers nest monitoring shorebirds, common eider, and other tundra nesting birds in the remote Alaskan Arctic. Last fall migration season, Kaia worked on Goshute Mountain with HawkWatch International, counting and banding raptors. This spring, she spent a season songbird banding in North Carolina. She is looking forward to banding owls for the first time and exploring the Duluth area. In her free time, she enjoys cross-country skiing, biking, running, and just getting outdoors in general!