Florida Magnificent Wilderness: State Lands, Parks, and Natural Areas
James Valentineis an environmental filmmaker,  consultant, writer, poet, speaker, and scuba diver. Valentine is president  of the Quest Foundation, which works toward nature preservation and  environmental education through the arts and sciences. He coordinates his  photographic work with leading environmental groups and cultural  organizations throughout the world. Florida Magnificent Wilderness,  recipient of a Governor’s Environmental Education Award, is his ninth  major book depicting Southern areas. He is collaborating with Bruce Means  on a documentary film and book to help preserve one of the world’s last  pristine wildernesses, the Guiana Shield of South America.Born in California and raised in Alaska,Bruce Meansfell in love  with Florida after coming in 1960 to attend college at Florida State  University. He completed his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees studying the  ecology of the Florida panhandle. He has been an adjunct professor in the  FSU Biological Science Department since 1976, and has taught courses on the  ecology of Florida since 1980, culminating inPriceless Florida: Natural  Ecosystems and Native Species,a book he coauthored with Ellie Whitney  and Anne Rudloe. He and colleagues founded the Coastal Plains Institute and  Land Conservancy in 1984, where he is presently president and executive  director.