Park Ranger James Valentine was born and raised in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where at an early age he was taught the importance of protecting and respecting coastal habitats. He worked 16 years in the bicycle industry while living in the Midwest. Jim and his wife enjoyed their many visits to Florida and in 2014 made the move to the Florida Keys.
After many different career paths, Jim decided that he wanted to spend his time working outdoors, learning the natural landscape of Florida. His love of nature and animals led him to learn about and eventually represent Florida and its natural lands as a Florida State Park ranger.
Jim loves the beach parks and worked at Bahia Honda State Park for three years early in his career. Later, when the opportunity to return to a beach park presented itself, he knew what he had to do! North Peninsula State Park is grateful to have his experience and his knowledge of Florida's diverse ecosystems.
Patrolling the trails and doing maintenance at North Peninsula State Park is always a treat for Ranger Valentine. Jim appreciates that the landscape has been virtually undisturbed for centuries, a rarity in Florida, especially on the East Coast.
"The variety of ecotones in a relatively small area is truly a sight to see, and it’s all within reach from our coastal strand trail," says Jim.
Jim appreciates that every day brings new challenges and opportunities to learn. He looks forward to continuing his services as a park ranger. In the future, Jim hopes to become more actively involved in park programming.
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