Intern Spotlight: Ellie Bychok

Ellie on Great Brewster Island, in the Boston Harbor, taking a photo to monitor a potential salt marsh location

Photo Courtesy of NPS/ M. Albert

Meet Ellie Bychok, a corps member with the National Parks of Boston Climate Conservation Corps through Conservation Legacy!

What was your pathway to the NPS?

This is my first opportunity working with the National Park Service! Before joining the National Parks of Boston Climate Conservation Corps, I had an internship in college working at a local mountain. After graduating, I spent a year traveling and working in restaurants, which was fun for a while, but I was eager to move back to an area where I had a community of friends and family. I wanted to start building a fulfilling career. I lived in Chicago for a while after I went to the University of New Hampshire and graduated in 2022.

What do you do for the NPS?

Ellie and another NPB Climate Conservation Corps member presenting a climate haiku writing activity at a marine science fair

Photo courtesy of NPS/ Olivia Albert

I work in collaboration with the National Park Service and Conservation Legacy. I am one of three crew members in the inaugural National Park Service Climate Conservation Corps program, based at the National Parks of Boston. Our project work follows the work outlined in the National Park Service Climate Change Response Strategy and includes a focus on adaptation, mitigation, communication, and understanding. This past year, we have developed seven group climate change related projectsranging from existing monitoring to potential salt marshes. We want to pave the way for a future cohort in the Boston Harbor so that they can develop a climate resilient plant palette for the Charlestown Navy Yard.

Most recently, I began my independent project, which focuses on the trees in the Charlestown Navy Yard and at the Bunker Hill Monument in Boston. I am mapping all the trees with Geographical Information Systems and taking the Diameter at Breast Height (DBH), and then with that information I'm going to figure out how much carbon the trees are sequestering, and how much wet storm water they're mitigating. The goal of this project is to communicate the value trees add to the park and to use the data collected to make management recommendations and suggestions for future plantings. This project will be completed when I have created an online, interactive tree map that coincides with an article on the National Parks of Boston Civilian Conservation Corps webpage.

What do you find most rewarding about your job?

I pursued my degree in Environmental Conservation and Sustainability because I recognize that climate change is a pressing and current issue that primarily needs to be addressed at the governmental level, and also at the community and local levels as well. I wanted to gain a deeper understanding of the topics that fall under the broad, daunting term that is climate change, to help foster positive change. Joining this cohort has allowed me to make an impact within the Boston community and help a local national park address climate change. In this pilot year, we are creating long term resiliency projects and collaborating with many departments throughout the National Parks of Boston. We are addressing climate change in unique ways, which fulfills my desire to take climate action in my community.

Ellie presenting the climate resilient tree that the National Parks of Boston Climate Conservation Corps planted to park staff

Photo courtesy of NPS/ Rachel Muller

What does it mean to you to represent your community?

We have had many opportunities to present at community events, where we set up interactive and educational climate change related activities. It is so fun to interact with all age groups and see people walk away with a new understanding or perspective on a climate change related topic. Representing and reaching out to my community in this way means a lot to me because it is easy to feel hopeless when thinking about the climate crisis. However, showing the public that there are people within their community working to make a difference. We need to communicate this difficult topic in creative ways that can help to alleviate people’s stresses. This is challenging yet important work.

What advice do you have for youth and young adults thinking about a career at NPS?

Ellie and another National Parks of Boston Climate Conservation Corp member establishing a photo monitoring point on Grape Island

Photo courtesy of NPS/ Rachel Muller

The National Park Service is a great place to gain new experiences and expand your network. There are opportunities here for everyone! If you get a position at a park, my advice is to try to meet everyone who works there, whether their position is directly related to yours or not. Everyone has insightful and inspiring stories to share about their career journeys and life in general. There are so many jobs that people do not even know exist.

What are your hobbies?

I love to go to the beach, try new restaurants, explore the city with friends, and go running. When I am not out and about, I am most likely watching a really corny, yet entertaining reality show.

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