Jim Stratton

Jim was born in Oregon and some of his earliest memories are of exploring the Cascade Mountains with his Dad, so it was no surprise that when he finished at the University of Oregon, he headed off for bigger and wilder mountains in Alaska. His degree is in recreation & parks management with an emphasis on environmental interpretation, a skill that he used while working as an interpretive naturalist with Oregon State Parks and the U.S. Forest.  However, it was a practical education in public lands policy learned at Oregon that guided Jim into his Alaska career.

Jim is the Alaska regional director for the National Parks Conservation Association, a position he has held since December 2002, and one that gives him a unique insight into Glacier Bay. Prior to joining NPCA, Jim spent almost eight years as the Alaska State Parks director, a position that helped him visit all of Alaska’s over 125 state parks on official “field visits.” His knowledge of the Alaska environmental community was greatly enhanced by his 11 years as the program and finance director for the Alaska Conservation Foundation. And his knowledge of Southeast Alaska comes from living in Juneau where he was the executive director of the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council. His favorite way to explore the waters of Southeast Alaska is in his Klepper, a folding two-person kayak.