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Transcript: Environmental Technician
Trading Skills: Environmental Technician
Descriptive Transcript
[Bright music plays]
A child says, WHEE!
[Logo] “t.v.o kids original.” The animated multicoloured logo bounces onto a white background. The word "kids" has an eye in the orange letter "d" and a smile in the lime green letter "s".
[Child giggling]
[Upbeat music plays]
DESCRIPTION: Gears turn on a blueprint.
[Opening credits] T.V.O. kids presents.
DESCRIPTION: Akeylah, a girl with long black hair in tight braids, is wearing a pink plaid button-down shirt. Akeylah stands beside Brody, a boy with short, curly brown hair wearing a brown long-sleeved shirt.
AKEYLAH AND BRODY: Welcome to Trading Skills!
DESCRIPTION: Akeylah and Brody cross their arms and stand back to back.
AKEYLAH: The show where we take turns…
BRODY: …trying a skilled trade.
AKEYLAH: I'm Akeylah.
BRODY: I’m Brody.
AKEYLAH: A skilled trade is a job that requires a special skill.
DESCRIPTION: Videos show Akeylah and Brody trying different skilled trades. Brody examines a dog and controls an underwater remotely operated vehicle. Akeylah works in a recording studio and a salon and examines a car engine.
BRODY AND AKEYLAH: There are lots of skill trades.
BRODY: And you might find the perfect trade for you!
AKEYLAH: Maybe there's a trade that could change your life.
BRODY: So come with us into the trades.
BRODY AND AKEYLAH: On Trading Skills!
[Title] Trading Skills.
[Gentle, funky music]
DESCRIPTION: In the Skill Space, Brody and Akeylah stand next to a whiteboard. They look deep in thought. Brody wears a green t-shirt over a dark green long-sleeved shirt. Akeylah wears a white sweater.
AKEYLAH: I think I saw antlers.
BRODY: And it had rabbit's feet.
AKEYLAH: And it had a high-pitched call, like high heat?
BRODY: Let's do a very detailed drawing.
DESCRIPTION: Brody and Akelah draw an animal with antlers, a bushy tail and mismatched feet on the whiteboard.
[Marker squeaking]
DESCRIPTION: Brody and Akeylah turn to the Skill Space work table.
AKEYLAH: We think we spotted a cool creature out in Trade's forest. It made us want to know more about our environment.
BRODY: So far, the way we're keeping track of plants and animals isn't doing the trick. If only there was a skilled trade based on gathering information about an environment.
AKEYLAH: When in doubt, consult the Trades-A-Log.
DESCRIPTION: A book, the Trades-A-Log, slides across the work table. Akeylah flips through the pages.
AKYLAH: Let's see. Environment, environment, oh! An environmental technician uses different technologies to gather information about an ecosystem for scientists and biologists.
BRODY: It says here that there's an environmental technician named Magnus in Thunder Bay.
DESCRIPTION: In a forest, Environmental Technician Magnus Kitchemonia turns away from a trail cam strapped to a tree and smiles. He has a black goatee and wears a baseball hat, a high-visibility vest, and a green plaid button-down sweater over a brown hooded pullover sweater.
AKEYLAH: I’ll go check out that ecosystem.
DESCRIPTION: Brody nods, and Akeylah walks away. Brody looks back at the animal drawing on the whiteboard.
BRODY: Did it have a beak?
[Upbeat music]
[Title] Trading Skills.
[Gentle, upbeat music plays]
DESCRIPTION: Akeylah walks down a city sidewalk wearing a grey toque and a mustard-coloured zipper sweater.
AKEYLAH NARRATING: I journeyed north to Thunder Bay to meet Magnus at NorthWinds Environmental Services.
DESCRIPTION: In a building downtown, Magnus works on a computer in an office. Akeylah walks over to the open door and waves.
AKEYLAH: Hi, Magnus.
MAGNUS: Hey, Akeylah. Welcome to Thunder Bay.
DESCRIPTION: Magnus gets up from his desk and high-fives Akelah.
AKEYLAH: Thanks. I can’t wait to win the skills of an environmental technician. What do they do in the environment, technically?
MAGNUS: We gather information about an ecosystem that is then used by scientists to help us understand the surrounding animal and plant life.
AKEYLAH: That’s exactly what Brody and I need to do. How do we begin?
MAGNUS: Let’s get geared up.
AKEYLAH: Let’s do it!
[Upbeat music plays]
DESCRIPTION: Akeylah joins Magnus in the office. Magnus hands her a high-visibility vest.
MAGNUS: Safety first.
AKEYLAH: Thank you.
DESCRIPTION: Magnus and Akeylah put on their high-visibility vests.
AKEYLAH: Looking good.
MAGNUS: All right. Let's get out there.
[Upbeat music]
[Title] Trading Skills.
[Gentle upbeat music plays]
DESCRIPTION: In a forest, a river separates the trees. Akeylah and Magnus walk through the lush landscape.
AKEYLAH NARRATING: I wanted to sample the trade of an environmental technician, and our first task was to gather a soil sample.
DESCRIPTION: Magnus carries a tool over to a tree.
AKEYLAH: Why do environmental technicians need to take soil samples?
MAGNUS: Soils are the foundation of the forest. Knowing what soil is present tells us what plants could grow. That could tell us what wildlife is around. We call the samples "soil horizons."
AKEYLAH: Let's take a look at those horizons.
MAGNUS: All right. I'll start digging, and maybe you could take over.
AKEYLAH: Perfect.
DESCRIPTION: Magnus twists the tool into the ground.
AKEYLAH: So what is this tool you're using called?
MAGNUS: This is called an auger.
DESCRIPTION: Magnus pulls a soil sample out of the ground with the auger.
AKEYLAH: Is the ground tough?
MAGNUS: It's pretty nice right now. It's very sandy, so it's kind of easy to actually dig down.
DESCRIPTION: Magnus collects another soil sample with the auger. He pushes the soil out of the auger onto the ground.
AKEYLAH: So you just lay out the soil?
MAGNUS: Yeah. You lay out the soil, and you'll get your soil horizons. Here, why don't you give it a try?
AKEYLAH: Sure!
DESCRIPTION: Magnus hands Akeylah the auger.
AKEYLAH: This one here?
MAGNUS: Yeah.
DESCRIPTION: Akeylah pushes the auger tip into the ground.
MAGNUS: Give her three big twists.
AKEYLAH: Okay. One... Two... Three.
DESCRIPTION: Akeylah twists the auger into the ground.
MAGNUS: All right. That should be good. Now pull out the soil.
DESCRIPTION: Akeylah pulls the tip of the auger out of the ground, and with it, a soil sample.
AKEYLAH: Should be good.
MAGNUS: So there.
DESCRIPTION: Magnus pushes the soil out of the auger.
MAGNUS: Perfect. You're an environmental tech already.
AKEYLAH: Thanks. I'm expanding my horizons.
[Magnus laughing]
DESCRIPTION: Akeylah hands the auger back to Magnus.
MAGNUS: All right. Let's see what we got here.
DESCRIPTION: Magnus and Akeylah kneel next to the soil samples.
AKEYLAH: What do the horizons tell us?
MAGNUS: Well, the horizons tell us that this is a mineral soil. So the dark soil here is the organic soil. And then as we go down, we get our different horizons. This would be our A horizon.
DESCRIPTION: Akeylah points to a pile of darker soil.
AKEYLAH: Here?
MAGNUS: And as the gradient shifts, this would be our B horizon. And then we have our C horizon.
DESCRIPTION: Magnus marks the darker B horizon soil and the lighter C horizon soil with sticks.
AKEYLAH: That is very cool.
MAGNUS: Yeah. We can also texture the soil and see what kind of soil it is.
DESCRIPTION: Magnus grabs a handful of B-horizon soil. He squeezes the soil, and it crumbles in his hand.
MAGNUS: Just by grabbing it, tossing it up, it's very sandy, which indicates that this is a well-drained dry site. That indicates what plant life could grow here.
AKEYLAH: What kind of plants can grow in a soil like that?
MAGNUS: For example, Jack Pine likes high, dry, well-drained sites. So this is a perfect site for Jack Pine to grow.
[Upbeat music]
[Title] Trading Skills.
[Gentle music plays]
DESCRIPTION: Elsewhere in the forest, Akeylah and Magnus walk between tall, narrow birch trees. They pause next to one of the trees.
MAGNUS: Now that we're done with the soil, let's do tree measurements.
AKEYLAH: Why do we have to measure the trees?
[Akeylah gasping]
AKEYLAH: Is it their birthday?
[Magnus laughing]
MAGNUS: No, it's not their birthday. Forest measurements help us track and report the status of the forest. Basically, we keep our eyes on the trees to make sure they're happy and healthy.
AKEYLAH: Let's see how they measure up.
MAGNUS: We would measure the tree at D.B.H., which is Diameter at Breast Height. So I'd take the measurement there, wrap this around, and then I get my D.B.H., which this is 8.5 centimetres in diameter.
DESCRIPTION: Magnus unwraps a tape measure from the tree.
AKEYLAH: What does the D.B.H. tell you?
MAGNUS: The D.B.H. tells me how much this tree has grown in diameter since the last time it was measured. So we can measure its growth. Why don't you give it a try?
AKEYLAH: Sure.
DESCRIPTION: Magnus hands Akeylah his tape measure.
MAGNUS: We'll do this one here.
DESCRIPTION: Magnus and Akeylah move to another tree. Akeylah looks at the tape measure.
AKEYLAH: So, how does this tape work?
MAGNUS: Alright, this shows you the diameter here, and then this is the centimetres. When you wrap it around, it'll tell you the diameter of the tree.
AKEYLAH: Okay.
DESCRIPTION: Akeylah holds up the tape measure.
AKEYLAH: So about this high?
MAGNUS: Yeah, that's good.
DESCRIPTION: Akeylah wraps the tape measure around the tree.
AKEYLAH: All the way around. It says 6.7.
MAGNUS: Great. Now we know it's D.B.H., and when we re-measure it, if it grew, we could see how fast it grew.
AKEYLAH: I'll see you next year, tree.
DESCRIPTION: Akeylah grips the tree.
[Upbeat music plays]
[Title] Trading Skills.
[Gentle upbeat music plays]
DESCRIPTION: Akeylah and Magnus sit at a picnic table in the forest.
AKEYLAH NARRATING: It was time to collect a different type of data.
DESCRIPTION: Magnus nods.
AKEYLAH: Magnus, how did you find your way into this trade?
MAGNUS: Back in 2020, I took a wildlife monitoring and training program, after which I got hired on by NorthWinds. And working for NorthWinds, they had many different projects. So I got a lot of hands-on experience in the field, like water sampling, vegetation identification, wildlife monitoring, just to name a few. Once I got on the bush, I loved it. I never looked back. I'm also currently enrolled at Lakehead University for forest management. But every summer, I go back in the field.
AKEYALH: What do you love about being an environmental technician?
MAGNUS: My favourite part is being in the bush. It's so calming, so beautiful. It's better than an urban setting, at least for me. Every day's an adventure. You never know what you might come across, be it different vegetation, wildlife, or a beautiful stream, for example.
AKEYLAH: What advice would you give to someone like me who's interested in becoming an environmental technician?
MAGNUS: I'd say getting involved with as many outdoor activities as you can, like canoeing, camping, to see if you actually like being outdoors, because this work is not for everyone. Volunteer for local conservation projects. Basically, anything that will let you learn in outdoor environments. There's also multiple Ontario colleges where you can learn how to be an environmental technician. Like at Confederation College, right here in Thunder Bay.
[Birds chirping]
AKEYLAH: I hear some birds. Can we go check it out?
MAGNUS: All right, let's do it.
DESCRIPTION: Akeylah and Magnus leave the picnic table.
[Upbeat music]
[Title] Trading Skills.
[Gentle upbeat music plays]
DESCRIPTION: Akeylah and Magnus walk through the forest.
AKEYLAH NARRATING: I was curious how Brody and I could identify different bird sounds. And Magnus had the know-how to show how.
DESCRIPTION: Magnus points toward a tree, and Akeylah nods.
AKEYLAH: How do we record different bird sounds?
DESCRIPTION: Magnus holds up a small, rectangular device.
MAGNUS: This is an acoustic recording unit, and this is a microphone. This is how we pick up the different bird sounds.
DESCRIPTION: Magnus points to a microphone on the end of the unit.
AKEYLAH: How do we tell the different bird sounds apart?
MAGNUS: Every bird call has a different frequency, either higher or lower, and it helps us tell the difference between the calls.
AKEYLAH: Where do we put them up?
MAGNUS: I'll show you. All right, why don't you take this, hold the ray here, and I'll screw it in.
DESCRIPTION: Akeylah holds the acoustic recording unit against the tree.
AKEYLAH: Like this?
MAGNUS: Perfect.
DESCRIPTION: Magnus screws the unit to the tree with a screwdriver.
MAGNUS: And done.
AKEYLAH: Wow, it looks perfect. What would happen next?
MAGNUS: Well we'd leave, give it some time, come back, and see what sounds are collected.
AKEYLAH: What's the type of bird that this device might record?
MAGNUS: It might pick up something like a pine grosbeak.
AKEYLAH: Ok, mic check first.
DESCRIPTION: Akeylah speaks into the microphone.
AKEYLAH: Chirp, chirp.
MAGNUS: Chic-A-Dee-Dee-Dee.
[Akeylah and Magnus laughing]
[Upbeat music plays]
[Title] Trading Skills.
[Gentle upbeat music plays]
DESCRIPTION: Akeylah and Mangus walk through the forest.
AKEYLAH NARRATING: Finally, we got onto the trail of larger animals by setting up a trail camera.
DESCRIPTION: Akeylah and Magnus pause beside a tree.
AKEYLAH: Why are trail cameras important?
MAGNUS: They're eyes and ears in a project area. They help us keep tabs on different species, checking on whether they're having any problems in the surrounding environment.
AKEYLAH: How long do your cameras usually stay out in the field?
MAGNUS: It could be as long as six months.
AKEYLAH: Wow.
MAGNUS: So it's important to set them up properly. Want to see how it's done?
AKEYLAH: Of course. Maybe now Brody can stop thinking he saw mythical creatures instead of real animals.
[Magnus chuckling]
DESCRIPTION: Magnus holds up a trail camera, a camera in a hard shell case.
MAGNUS: Here it is. So we want to make sure we have a good angle.
DESCRIPTION: Akeylah nods. Magnus holds the trail camera against the tree and looks out at the forest.
MAGNUS: So here. How's that?
DESCRIPTION: Akeylah follows Magnus’s gaze and looks out at the forest. She squints and frames with her hands.
AKEYLAH: Mmm. Looks good to me.
MAGNUS: All right. Can you hold it here for me?
AKEYLAH: I sure can.
MAGNUS: All right.
DESCRIPTION: Akelah holds the trail camera against the tree. Magnus wraps the attached strap around the tree, then tightens the strap.
AKEYLAH: It's like a little fashion accessory for the tree.
DESCRIPTION: Magnus checks the trail camera.
MAGNUS: There we go. Nice and sturdy. It's not going anywhere.
DESCRIPTION: Akeylah waves her hand in front of the camera.
MAGNUS: All right, now we'll turn it on. So open it up.
DESCRIPTION: Magnus opens the hard shell case, revealing a dozen double-A batteries and the camera controls. Magnus presses a button, then closes the case.
MAGNUS: She's good to go. All right, it's all set up. Let's test it out. Strike a pose.
DESCRIPTION: Akeylah stands in front of the camera and gives two thumbs up.
[Camera shutter clicking]
DESCRIPTION: Magnus poses beside Akeylah with his arms crossed.
[Camera shutter clicking]
[Upbeat music]
[Title] Trading Skills.
[Gentle music plays]
[Birds chirping]
DESCRIPTION: Akeylah walks up to the gently flowing river and takes a deep breath.
[Akeylah sharply exhaling]
AKEYLAH: Magnus was right. It sure is peaceful out here. Well, I enjoyed this moment. Why don't you enjoy the history of environmental technology?
DESCRIPTION: In black and white, Brody wears a wig, glasses, and a lab coat. In a forest, he holds up a bonsai tree.
AKEYLAH NARRATING: Studying the environment dates back all the way to the 1800s, when scientists started to research living organisms and how their environment affects them.
DESCRIPTION: A photo shows a forest canopy.
AKEYLAH NARRATING: In Canada, environmental science took shape thanks to conservationists in the early 1900s who were interested in preserving different wildlife species that were becoming endangered.
DESCRIPTION: Brody wears a hat and a vest. He carries a large dog plushie, then a wolf plushie.
AKEYLAH NARRATING: In 1911, Canada established the Dominion Parks Branch, the first-ever national park service in the world to keep track of plant and animal life.
DESCRIPTION: Brody appears before a lake with a notepad and pen, wearing a wide-brimmed hat. He looks around and takes notes.
AKEYLAH NARRATING: It was in the 1960s and 70s when the environmental movement really took off, thanks to breakthroughs in understanding environmental science, which set the stage for the introduction of Ontario's environmental technicians.
DESCRIPTION: In a lab, Brody wears a lab coat and glasses. He pulls out a magnifying glass and examines a graduated cylinder.
[Gentle, upbeat music plays]
AKEYLAH: Back at the H.Q., I couldn't wait to check in on our work.
DESCRIPTION: At the NorthWinds office, Akeylah sits at a table opposite Magnus
AKEYLAH: Anything go live on the trail cam yet?
MAGNUS: Let's see if we have some good snaps.
DESCRIPTION: Magnus plugs his laptop into a monitor, and a picture of a black bear appears on the screen.
AKEYLAH: Look! A bear! A bear is there! We can finally solve the mysteries of Trades Forest.
DESCRIPTION: Akeylah and Magnus high-five.
MAGNUS: Well, look at him. He's a big one too.
AKEYLAH: Aw, he's so cute. I'm gonna name him...
DESCRIPTION: Akeylah looks at the picture.
AKEYLAH: Frank.
MAGNUS: Frank?
[Akeylah laughing]
MAGNUS: I like Frank.
[Magnus chuckling]
[Upbeat music]
[Title] Trading Skills.
[Gentle upbeat music plays]
DESCRIPTION: Back at the Skills Space, Akeylah stands behind the table next to Brody with a computer, a tape measure and a high visibility vest. Brody looks up from his notes and puts the cap back on his marker.
AKEYLAH: Thanks to Magnus and the skilled trade of environmental technician, we've got eyes and ears all over Trades Forest.
BRODY: We think the call we heard was the call of a sparrow.
AKEYLAH: And we saw a deer on the trail cam.
BRODY: We're learning a ton about our ecosystem, and we feel even more connected to it. Maybe becoming an environmental technician will be the right environment for you.
AKEYLAH: Even if it isn't, there are still a ton of other trades that could take you on the trail to the top.
BRODY AND AKEYLAH: Bye!
BRODY: I guess that creature wasn't real after all.
[Akeylah sighing]
AKEYLAH: Guess not.
DESCRIPTION: Akeylah returns to her work on the computer. Brody looks back at his notes. A horned creature steps forward.
CREATURE: Hey, dudes. I'm real.
[Brody and Akeylah cheering]
[Cheerful music plays]
[End credits] Hosts: Akeylah James, Brody Agmon. Tradesperson: Magnus Kitchemonia. Written and directed by Johnny Mitchell. Produced by Francis Mitchell, Johnny Mitchell, David Mitchell. Executive Producer Thomas Kritsch. Casting director Carly Granovsky. Education consultant Sara Fewson. Produced in association with t.v.o. kids. Logo: Riverbank Pictures. Copyright 2026 Riverbank Pictures.
Descriptive Transcript
[Bright music plays]
A child says, WHEE!
[Logo] “t.v.o kids original.” The animated multicoloured logo bounces onto a white background. The word "kids" has an eye in the orange letter "d" and a smile in the lime green letter "s".
[Child giggling]
[Upbeat music plays]
DESCRIPTION: Gears turn on a blueprint.
[Opening credits] T.V.O. kids presents.
DESCRIPTION: Akeylah, a girl with long black hair in tight braids, is wearing a pink plaid button-down shirt. Akeylah stands beside Brody, a boy with short, curly brown hair wearing a brown long-sleeved shirt.
AKEYLAH AND BRODY: Welcome to Trading Skills!
DESCRIPTION: Akeylah and Brody cross their arms and stand back to back.
AKEYLAH: The show where we take turns…
BRODY: …trying a skilled trade.
AKEYLAH: I'm Akeylah.
BRODY: I’m Brody.
AKEYLAH: A skilled trade is a job that requires a special skill.
DESCRIPTION: Videos show Akeylah and Brody trying different skilled trades. Brody examines a dog and controls an underwater remotely operated vehicle. Akeylah works in a recording studio and a salon and examines a car engine.
BRODY AND AKEYLAH: There are lots of skill trades.
BRODY: And you might find the perfect trade for you!
AKEYLAH: Maybe there's a trade that could change your life.
BRODY: So come with us into the trades.
BRODY AND AKEYLAH: On Trading Skills!
[Title] Trading Skills.
[Gentle, funky music]
DESCRIPTION: In the Skill Space, Brody and Akeylah stand next to a whiteboard. They look deep in thought. Brody wears a green t-shirt over a dark green long-sleeved shirt. Akeylah wears a white sweater.
AKEYLAH: I think I saw antlers.
BRODY: And it had rabbit's feet.
AKEYLAH: And it had a high-pitched call, like high heat?
BRODY: Let's do a very detailed drawing.
DESCRIPTION: Brody and Akelah draw an animal with antlers, a bushy tail and mismatched feet on the whiteboard.
[Marker squeaking]
DESCRIPTION: Brody and Akeylah turn to the Skill Space work table.
AKEYLAH: We think we spotted a cool creature out in Trade's forest. It made us want to know more about our environment.
BRODY: So far, the way we're keeping track of plants and animals isn't doing the trick. If only there was a skilled trade based on gathering information about an environment.
AKEYLAH: When in doubt, consult the Trades-A-Log.
DESCRIPTION: A book, the Trades-A-Log, slides across the work table. Akeylah flips through the pages.
AKYLAH: Let's see. Environment, environment, oh! An environmental technician uses different technologies to gather information about an ecosystem for scientists and biologists.
BRODY: It says here that there's an environmental technician named Magnus in Thunder Bay.
DESCRIPTION: In a forest, Environmental Technician Magnus Kitchemonia turns away from a trail cam strapped to a tree and smiles. He has a black goatee and wears a baseball hat, a high-visibility vest, and a green plaid button-down sweater over a brown hooded pullover sweater.
AKEYLAH: I’ll go check out that ecosystem.
DESCRIPTION: Brody nods, and Akeylah walks away. Brody looks back at the animal drawing on the whiteboard.
BRODY: Did it have a beak?
[Upbeat music]
[Title] Trading Skills.
[Gentle, upbeat music plays]
DESCRIPTION: Akeylah walks down a city sidewalk wearing a grey toque and a mustard-coloured zipper sweater.
AKEYLAH NARRATING: I journeyed north to Thunder Bay to meet Magnus at NorthWinds Environmental Services.
DESCRIPTION: In a building downtown, Magnus works on a computer in an office. Akeylah walks over to the open door and waves.
AKEYLAH: Hi, Magnus.
MAGNUS: Hey, Akeylah. Welcome to Thunder Bay.
DESCRIPTION: Magnus gets up from his desk and high-fives Akelah.
AKEYLAH: Thanks. I can’t wait to win the skills of an environmental technician. What do they do in the environment, technically?
MAGNUS: We gather information about an ecosystem that is then used by scientists to help us understand the surrounding animal and plant life.
AKEYLAH: That’s exactly what Brody and I need to do. How do we begin?
MAGNUS: Let’s get geared up.
AKEYLAH: Let’s do it!
[Upbeat music plays]
DESCRIPTION: Akeylah joins Magnus in the office. Magnus hands her a high-visibility vest.
MAGNUS: Safety first.
AKEYLAH: Thank you.
DESCRIPTION: Magnus and Akeylah put on their high-visibility vests.
AKEYLAH: Looking good.
MAGNUS: All right. Let's get out there.
[Upbeat music]
[Title] Trading Skills.
[Gentle upbeat music plays]
DESCRIPTION: In a forest, a river separates the trees. Akeylah and Magnus walk through the lush landscape.
AKEYLAH NARRATING: I wanted to sample the trade of an environmental technician, and our first task was to gather a soil sample.
DESCRIPTION: Magnus carries a tool over to a tree.
AKEYLAH: Why do environmental technicians need to take soil samples?
MAGNUS: Soils are the foundation of the forest. Knowing what soil is present tells us what plants could grow. That could tell us what wildlife is around. We call the samples "soil horizons."
AKEYLAH: Let's take a look at those horizons.
MAGNUS: All right. I'll start digging, and maybe you could take over.
AKEYLAH: Perfect.
DESCRIPTION: Magnus twists the tool into the ground.
AKEYLAH: So what is this tool you're using called?
MAGNUS: This is called an auger.
DESCRIPTION: Magnus pulls a soil sample out of the ground with the auger.
AKEYLAH: Is the ground tough?
MAGNUS: It's pretty nice right now. It's very sandy, so it's kind of easy to actually dig down.
DESCRIPTION: Magnus collects another soil sample with the auger. He pushes the soil out of the auger onto the ground.
AKEYLAH: So you just lay out the soil?
MAGNUS: Yeah. You lay out the soil, and you'll get your soil horizons. Here, why don't you give it a try?
AKEYLAH: Sure!
DESCRIPTION: Magnus hands Akeylah the auger.
AKEYLAH: This one here?
MAGNUS: Yeah.
DESCRIPTION: Akeylah pushes the auger tip into the ground.
MAGNUS: Give her three big twists.
AKEYLAH: Okay. One... Two... Three.
DESCRIPTION: Akeylah twists the auger into the ground.
MAGNUS: All right. That should be good. Now pull out the soil.
DESCRIPTION: Akeylah pulls the tip of the auger out of the ground, and with it, a soil sample.
AKEYLAH: Should be good.
MAGNUS: So there.
DESCRIPTION: Magnus pushes the soil out of the auger.
MAGNUS: Perfect. You're an environmental tech already.
AKEYLAH: Thanks. I'm expanding my horizons.
[Magnus laughing]
DESCRIPTION: Akeylah hands the auger back to Magnus.
MAGNUS: All right. Let's see what we got here.
DESCRIPTION: Magnus and Akeylah kneel next to the soil samples.
AKEYLAH: What do the horizons tell us?
MAGNUS: Well, the horizons tell us that this is a mineral soil. So the dark soil here is the organic soil. And then as we go down, we get our different horizons. This would be our A horizon.
DESCRIPTION: Akeylah points to a pile of darker soil.
AKEYLAH: Here?
MAGNUS: And as the gradient shifts, this would be our B horizon. And then we have our C horizon.
DESCRIPTION: Magnus marks the darker B horizon soil and the lighter C horizon soil with sticks.
AKEYLAH: That is very cool.
MAGNUS: Yeah. We can also texture the soil and see what kind of soil it is.
DESCRIPTION: Magnus grabs a handful of B-horizon soil. He squeezes the soil, and it crumbles in his hand.
MAGNUS: Just by grabbing it, tossing it up, it's very sandy, which indicates that this is a well-drained dry site. That indicates what plant life could grow here.
AKEYLAH: What kind of plants can grow in a soil like that?
MAGNUS: For example, Jack Pine likes high, dry, well-drained sites. So this is a perfect site for Jack Pine to grow.
[Upbeat music]
[Title] Trading Skills.
[Gentle music plays]
DESCRIPTION: Elsewhere in the forest, Akeylah and Magnus walk between tall, narrow birch trees. They pause next to one of the trees.
MAGNUS: Now that we're done with the soil, let's do tree measurements.
AKEYLAH: Why do we have to measure the trees?
[Akeylah gasping]
AKEYLAH: Is it their birthday?
[Magnus laughing]
MAGNUS: No, it's not their birthday. Forest measurements help us track and report the status of the forest. Basically, we keep our eyes on the trees to make sure they're happy and healthy.
AKEYLAH: Let's see how they measure up.
MAGNUS: We would measure the tree at D.B.H., which is Diameter at Breast Height. So I'd take the measurement there, wrap this around, and then I get my D.B.H., which this is 8.5 centimetres in diameter.
DESCRIPTION: Magnus unwraps a tape measure from the tree.
AKEYLAH: What does the D.B.H. tell you?
MAGNUS: The D.B.H. tells me how much this tree has grown in diameter since the last time it was measured. So we can measure its growth. Why don't you give it a try?
AKEYLAH: Sure.
DESCRIPTION: Magnus hands Akeylah his tape measure.
MAGNUS: We'll do this one here.
DESCRIPTION: Magnus and Akeylah move to another tree. Akeylah looks at the tape measure.
AKEYLAH: So, how does this tape work?
MAGNUS: Alright, this shows you the diameter here, and then this is the centimetres. When you wrap it around, it'll tell you the diameter of the tree.
AKEYLAH: Okay.
DESCRIPTION: Akeylah holds up the tape measure.
AKEYLAH: So about this high?
MAGNUS: Yeah, that's good.
DESCRIPTION: Akeylah wraps the tape measure around the tree.
AKEYLAH: All the way around. It says 6.7.
MAGNUS: Great. Now we know it's D.B.H., and when we re-measure it, if it grew, we could see how fast it grew.
AKEYLAH: I'll see you next year, tree.
DESCRIPTION: Akeylah grips the tree.
[Upbeat music plays]
[Title] Trading Skills.
[Gentle upbeat music plays]
DESCRIPTION: Akeylah and Magnus sit at a picnic table in the forest.
AKEYLAH NARRATING: It was time to collect a different type of data.
DESCRIPTION: Magnus nods.
AKEYLAH: Magnus, how did you find your way into this trade?
MAGNUS: Back in 2020, I took a wildlife monitoring and training program, after which I got hired on by NorthWinds. And working for NorthWinds, they had many different projects. So I got a lot of hands-on experience in the field, like water sampling, vegetation identification, wildlife monitoring, just to name a few. Once I got on the bush, I loved it. I never looked back. I'm also currently enrolled at Lakehead University for forest management. But every summer, I go back in the field.
AKEYALH: What do you love about being an environmental technician?
MAGNUS: My favourite part is being in the bush. It's so calming, so beautiful. It's better than an urban setting, at least for me. Every day's an adventure. You never know what you might come across, be it different vegetation, wildlife, or a beautiful stream, for example.
AKEYLAH: What advice would you give to someone like me who's interested in becoming an environmental technician?
MAGNUS: I'd say getting involved with as many outdoor activities as you can, like canoeing, camping, to see if you actually like being outdoors, because this work is not for everyone. Volunteer for local conservation projects. Basically, anything that will let you learn in outdoor environments. There's also multiple Ontario colleges where you can learn how to be an environmental technician. Like at Confederation College, right here in Thunder Bay.
[Birds chirping]
AKEYLAH: I hear some birds. Can we go check it out?
MAGNUS: All right, let's do it.
DESCRIPTION: Akeylah and Magnus leave the picnic table.
[Upbeat music]
[Title] Trading Skills.
[Gentle upbeat music plays]
DESCRIPTION: Akeylah and Magnus walk through the forest.
AKEYLAH NARRATING: I was curious how Brody and I could identify different bird sounds. And Magnus had the know-how to show how.
DESCRIPTION: Magnus points toward a tree, and Akeylah nods.
AKEYLAH: How do we record different bird sounds?
DESCRIPTION: Magnus holds up a small, rectangular device.
MAGNUS: This is an acoustic recording unit, and this is a microphone. This is how we pick up the different bird sounds.
DESCRIPTION: Magnus points to a microphone on the end of the unit.
AKEYLAH: How do we tell the different bird sounds apart?
MAGNUS: Every bird call has a different frequency, either higher or lower, and it helps us tell the difference between the calls.
AKEYLAH: Where do we put them up?
MAGNUS: I'll show you. All right, why don't you take this, hold the ray here, and I'll screw it in.
DESCRIPTION: Akeylah holds the acoustic recording unit against the tree.
AKEYLAH: Like this?
MAGNUS: Perfect.
DESCRIPTION: Magnus screws the unit to the tree with a screwdriver.
MAGNUS: And done.
AKEYLAH: Wow, it looks perfect. What would happen next?
MAGNUS: Well we'd leave, give it some time, come back, and see what sounds are collected.
AKEYLAH: What's the type of bird that this device might record?
MAGNUS: It might pick up something like a pine grosbeak.
AKEYLAH: Ok, mic check first.
DESCRIPTION: Akeylah speaks into the microphone.
AKEYLAH: Chirp, chirp.
MAGNUS: Chic-A-Dee-Dee-Dee.
[Akeylah and Magnus laughing]
[Upbeat music plays]
[Title] Trading Skills.
[Gentle upbeat music plays]
DESCRIPTION: Akeylah and Mangus walk through the forest.
AKEYLAH NARRATING: Finally, we got onto the trail of larger animals by setting up a trail camera.
DESCRIPTION: Akeylah and Magnus pause beside a tree.
AKEYLAH: Why are trail cameras important?
MAGNUS: They're eyes and ears in a project area. They help us keep tabs on different species, checking on whether they're having any problems in the surrounding environment.
AKEYLAH: How long do your cameras usually stay out in the field?
MAGNUS: It could be as long as six months.
AKEYLAH: Wow.
MAGNUS: So it's important to set them up properly. Want to see how it's done?
AKEYLAH: Of course. Maybe now Brody can stop thinking he saw mythical creatures instead of real animals.
[Magnus chuckling]
DESCRIPTION: Magnus holds up a trail camera, a camera in a hard shell case.
MAGNUS: Here it is. So we want to make sure we have a good angle.
DESCRIPTION: Akeylah nods. Magnus holds the trail camera against the tree and looks out at the forest.
MAGNUS: So here. How's that?
DESCRIPTION: Akeylah follows Magnus’s gaze and looks out at the forest. She squints and frames with her hands.
AKEYLAH: Mmm. Looks good to me.
MAGNUS: All right. Can you hold it here for me?
AKEYLAH: I sure can.
MAGNUS: All right.
DESCRIPTION: Akelah holds the trail camera against the tree. Magnus wraps the attached strap around the tree, then tightens the strap.
AKEYLAH: It's like a little fashion accessory for the tree.
DESCRIPTION: Magnus checks the trail camera.
MAGNUS: There we go. Nice and sturdy. It's not going anywhere.
DESCRIPTION: Akeylah waves her hand in front of the camera.
MAGNUS: All right, now we'll turn it on. So open it up.
DESCRIPTION: Magnus opens the hard shell case, revealing a dozen double-A batteries and the camera controls. Magnus presses a button, then closes the case.
MAGNUS: She's good to go. All right, it's all set up. Let's test it out. Strike a pose.
DESCRIPTION: Akeylah stands in front of the camera and gives two thumbs up.
[Camera shutter clicking]
DESCRIPTION: Magnus poses beside Akeylah with his arms crossed.
[Camera shutter clicking]
[Upbeat music]
[Title] Trading Skills.
[Gentle music plays]
[Birds chirping]
DESCRIPTION: Akeylah walks up to the gently flowing river and takes a deep breath.
[Akeylah sharply exhaling]
AKEYLAH: Magnus was right. It sure is peaceful out here. Well, I enjoyed this moment. Why don't you enjoy the history of environmental technology?
DESCRIPTION: In black and white, Brody wears a wig, glasses, and a lab coat. In a forest, he holds up a bonsai tree.
AKEYLAH NARRATING: Studying the environment dates back all the way to the 1800s, when scientists started to research living organisms and how their environment affects them.
DESCRIPTION: A photo shows a forest canopy.
AKEYLAH NARRATING: In Canada, environmental science took shape thanks to conservationists in the early 1900s who were interested in preserving different wildlife species that were becoming endangered.
DESCRIPTION: Brody wears a hat and a vest. He carries a large dog plushie, then a wolf plushie.
AKEYLAH NARRATING: In 1911, Canada established the Dominion Parks Branch, the first-ever national park service in the world to keep track of plant and animal life.
DESCRIPTION: Brody appears before a lake with a notepad and pen, wearing a wide-brimmed hat. He looks around and takes notes.
AKEYLAH NARRATING: It was in the 1960s and 70s when the environmental movement really took off, thanks to breakthroughs in understanding environmental science, which set the stage for the introduction of Ontario's environmental technicians.
DESCRIPTION: In a lab, Brody wears a lab coat and glasses. He pulls out a magnifying glass and examines a graduated cylinder.
[Gentle, upbeat music plays]
AKEYLAH: Back at the H.Q., I couldn't wait to check in on our work.
DESCRIPTION: At the NorthWinds office, Akeylah sits at a table opposite Magnus
AKEYLAH: Anything go live on the trail cam yet?
MAGNUS: Let's see if we have some good snaps.
DESCRIPTION: Magnus plugs his laptop into a monitor, and a picture of a black bear appears on the screen.
AKEYLAH: Look! A bear! A bear is there! We can finally solve the mysteries of Trades Forest.
DESCRIPTION: Akeylah and Magnus high-five.
MAGNUS: Well, look at him. He's a big one too.
AKEYLAH: Aw, he's so cute. I'm gonna name him...
DESCRIPTION: Akeylah looks at the picture.
AKEYLAH: Frank.
MAGNUS: Frank?
[Akeylah laughing]
MAGNUS: I like Frank.
[Magnus chuckling]
[Upbeat music]
[Title] Trading Skills.
[Gentle upbeat music plays]
DESCRIPTION: Back at the Skills Space, Akeylah stands behind the table next to Brody with a computer, a tape measure and a high visibility vest. Brody looks up from his notes and puts the cap back on his marker.
AKEYLAH: Thanks to Magnus and the skilled trade of environmental technician, we've got eyes and ears all over Trades Forest.
BRODY: We think the call we heard was the call of a sparrow.
AKEYLAH: And we saw a deer on the trail cam.
BRODY: We're learning a ton about our ecosystem, and we feel even more connected to it. Maybe becoming an environmental technician will be the right environment for you.
AKEYLAH: Even if it isn't, there are still a ton of other trades that could take you on the trail to the top.
BRODY AND AKEYLAH: Bye!
BRODY: I guess that creature wasn't real after all.
[Akeylah sighing]
AKEYLAH: Guess not.
DESCRIPTION: Akeylah returns to her work on the computer. Brody looks back at his notes. A horned creature steps forward.
CREATURE: Hey, dudes. I'm real.
[Brody and Akeylah cheering]
[Cheerful music plays]
[End credits] Hosts: Akeylah James, Brody Agmon. Tradesperson: Magnus Kitchemonia. Written and directed by Johnny Mitchell. Produced by Francis Mitchell, Johnny Mitchell, David Mitchell. Executive Producer Thomas Kritsch. Casting director Carly Granovsky. Education consultant Sara Fewson. Produced in association with t.v.o. kids. Logo: Riverbank Pictures. Copyright 2026 Riverbank Pictures.
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