Maria Parazo Rose

Maria Parazo Rose is a journalist, researcher, and cartographer who reports on Indigenous sovereignty, land use and rights, and the impacts of climate change on tribal communities. Maria holds a master’s degree from MIT’s Science Writing program and is currently a Nova Media Fellow, reporting on how land dispossession threatens the health of tribal communities, especially in the context of climate change. She previously worked as a reporter and spatial data analyst on the Indigenous Affairs desk at Grist, where she made maps about land use, conservation, and resource extraction. While there, Maria led the data reporting on an award-winning investigation on a historic land policy that perpetuates universities profiting off of Indigenous lands. She also contributed first-of-its-kind reporting that shows how states own and profit off of lands on tribal reservations across the American West. Maria’s work is deeply informed by her scientific training, data and mapping skills, and nonprofit work in migration and displacement. As an investigative reporter, her approach centers Indigenous data sovereignty practices and a desire to ensure maps and data are used to reflect the nuance of a story and help people better relate to the world and its communities. Her work can be found in Grist, High Country News, Popular Science, and NPR.