My name is Evan Lanese and I originally moved to the Keweenaw for the Peace Corps Masters International Program in Mitigation of Geological Natural Hazards from Michigan Tech which I completed in 2020 after serving in Ghana. Currently, I work part time at Chicken Tramper Ultralight Gear as a seamstress and part time at the Western UP Planning and Development Region as a GIS technician. I am active in the community as a volunteer for the Portage Lake Seed Library, Growing from the Heart, and aspire to start a community composting project for the area. My interest in the board stems from wanting to use the skills and community connections that I have to protect, restore, and provide more places for people to connect with the land, water, and numerous beings that inhabit this region.