Intern Spotlight: Evan Paris

Evan holds a horseshoe crab while helping researchers tag the arthropods as a part of a Cape Cod National Seashore monitoring project

Photo courtesy of Evan Paris

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

What was your pathway to the NPS?

The National Parks of Boston Climate Conservation Corps runs a climate expression activity at the Northeastern Marine Science Symposium

Photo courtesy of Evan Paris

I have a scientific background with an interest in biological and environmental sciences. I was a biochemistry major in during my undergraduate program at Vasser University. I worked in a plant microbiology lab in California for a year after graduation where I researched one protein and one cell. However, spending all my time studying such a niche subject left me feeling unfulfilled. My motivations for researching had always been to help the environment, especially around climate change, so I decided to step out of the lab and get into applied science in the form of conservation. I grew up in Boston, so I wanted to move back and reset, and I came upon this position.

What do you do for the NPS?

I am a crew member for the inaugural year of the National Park Service Climate Conservation Corps. I do project work that helps the park respond to climate change under the pillars of mitigation, which is outlined in the Green Parks Plan and includes understanding, adaptation, and communication. Since you can tackle climate change from all sorts of directions, our work is pretty diverse. We do everything from salt marsh adaptation to building energy efficiency assessments to pop-up tabling.

We also get the opportunity to lead our own independent project. We get to build our projects from the ground up, so we wanted a wide range of projects for climate change. I decided to quantify the carbon storage capacity of the salt marshes on the Boston Harbor Islands. Carbon modeling is complicated, so I am simplifying it to a few pools. I am mainly looking at plant biomass above ground with the use of Geographical Information Systems and below ground sediment corps with cylinders of soil. I analyze these samples in the lab for carbon content. This project will underscore the importance of protecting these critical ecosystems, as well as provide data to decision-makers in the park that will help us reach our goal of achieving net zero emissions by 2050.

Right now, we are preparing for our summer series called Climate Wednesdays where we have interpretation activities on the island and facilitation guides.

Evan and the rest of the National Parks of Boston Climate Conservation Corps take thermal measurements of historic windows as a part of their building energy efficiency assessment

Photo courtesy of Evan Paris

What do you find most rewarding about your job?

I find climate communication to be the most rewarding part of my job. Climate change is such an overwhelming and scientific topic that many people choose not to engage in learning about it or try to learn but come away confused. It is an exciting challenge, and I really enjoy simplifying the crisis into bite-sized stories that are not intimidating for people but still get the point across. It is difficult to convey the information in a way that captures the gravity of the situation without leaving people feeling hopeless, but it is a challenge I take very seriously.

Evan lines up a shot of a salt marsh on Thompson Island at one of the National Parks of Boston Climate Conservation Corps’ photo monitoring points

Photo courtesy of Evan Paris

I have always been a creative person. Lots of people are visual learners, and I believe having a simple figure can share many stories. We have all these different methods we use to simplify a topic to create one coherent story. I combine creative expression and climate change by drawing figures for articles, printable activities on the website, and zines. Communication is an action that often gets left as an afterthought, but I believe it is one of the most powerful tools we have to fight the climate crisis.

What does it mean to you to represent your community?

Throughout my life, I have felt powerless in the face of climate change, but through this position, I have been able to dedicate a lot of my time towards fighting it. This means a lot to me because one of the injustices that has always bothered me the most about climate change is that the people who are impacted the hardest by the crisis are disproportionately those who have contributed the least to its perpetuation. My mom grew up in the Dominican Republic, and we still have a lot of family members who live there. As a developing island nation, the people of the Dominican Republic are particularly vulnerable to coastal storms and sea level rise, and that vulnerability only stands to get worse. To me, fighting climate change means I get to advocate for a livable future for my family and people who do not have the luxury of thinking past the day-to-day.

Evan hikes through the desert in Joshua Tree National Park

Photo courtesy of Evan Paris

In Boston, I have learned how climate change is affecting the area in a real way. There are flooding events in the downtown area all the time that will continue to get worse. As a coastal city, it will face the effects of climate change faster than inland cities. We need to get the word out and address the issue fast. I hope in the future there will be more job opportunities that will be available for active response.

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

Go for it! Do not be afraid to try something new. Learning is a lifelong process and even if you do not have a solid idea of what you want to do with your life, there is lots of space for figuring out your long-term goals in the National Park Service. There is so much room to learn, and so much understanding for young professionals. Whatever life experiences you have had, think about your strengths and how they could apply to jobs here. There is a lot of diversity of knowledge and your skills or background could be helpful. Volunteering is also a good opportunity to gain skills that you can add to your resume. We host Stewardship Saturdays to help remove invasive species from the park, so come join us.

Evan hugs a coast redwood in Muir Woods National Monument

Photo courtesy of Evan Paris

What are your hobbies?

I love getting lost in the woods and climbing anything I can, whether that be trees, playgrounds, rocks, etc. I also love hiking. It is on my bucket list to visit every national park in this country. I love to go on walks in nature around my house because it helps remind me why I am doing all this work. Other hobbies I enjoy include painting, playing guitar, camping, and I am obsessed with the tv show Survivor.

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