Volunteer Spotlight, John Vincent
John Vincent
Price's Scrub State Park
John Vincent was born and educated in South England. He lived several miles from the nearest village so he grew up surrounded by the fauna and flora of the English countryside.
At an early age, he developed the urge to travel and at 16 went to New Zealand and Australia.
At 19, he left the green pastures to spend some time in Hong Kong. By age 24 the urge to travel was so strong that he joined an overland camping tour company as a leader and driver and once more headed off across the channel to new places. For the next ten years, he operated trips in Europe, Scandinavia, Russia, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Africa, South America and finally, the U.S.A.
Deciding that he’d finished enough travel for a while, John moved to Jacksonville and worked in sales. Taking an early retirement in 2000, he and his wife purchased a farm just outside Micanopy.
They began a modest horse breeding business just half a mile from Price’s Scrub. Since they regularly enjoyed riding horses on the trails, John volunteered to become the scrub caretaker.
John monitors and helps to maintain the trails, mowing and clearing fallen trees. Although it was a haven for poachers in the past, the Scrub’s 900 acres now have an abundance of wildlife including deer, bobcats and even the occasional bear. There have also been sightings of otters in the lake near the eastern boundary, home to some monster bass.
John appreciates the park’s recent improvements, such as trail widening, a spacious parking area and the addition of a toilet and watering trough. Keep an eye out for John on your visit to Price's Scrub State Park!