James G. Duquesnel
Program Coordinator, Exotic Plant Control Crew (Miami-Dade County)
duquesnel@regionalconservation.org

Originally from the New York – New Jersey area, Jim began his career with marine interests. He earned a B.S. in Marine Science at Richard Stockton College before moving to the Florida Keys where he pursued a variety of marine projects. By the mid-1980’s, his environmental interests broadened and he began dabbling with native plant landscaping in urban settings, which instigated his first encounter’s with IRC’s founder, George Gann. Jim’s native plant interests led him to join the Florida Park Service where he actively pursued habitat restoration projects involving removal of invasive exotic plants and native plantings using local genetic strains from a native nursery he instigated. One of his emphases was standardizing training for invasive exotic plant removal to ensure successful habitat restoration projects in natural areas. Jim’s workshops trained more than 1,000 rangers, resource managers and volunteers, he chaired the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council’s (FLEPPC) Training Committee for more than a decade, and he helped develop what became Florida’s Natural Areas Weed Management License and Training Manual. Most recently, Jim spent the last 2.5 years administering the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center in Boca Raton. In a return to his field science roots, Jim joined IRC in December 2009 as Program Coordinator for the Miami-Dade County Exotic Plant Control Crew.