James “Jim” Watson MacFarland was a lifelong conservationist, devoted family man, and cherished friend. He passed away peacefully at his home in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, on December 23, 2025. Jim was born on May 14, 1945, in Yonkers, New York to Harvey Wade MacFarland and Adele Watson MacFarland.

Jim was a wonderful husband and father, married for 43 years to Karen Kelley MacFarland, who stood by his side through life’s many adventures. He was a proud and loving father to his son, Ryan, who sadly predeceased him on May 1, 2024. Jim and Ryan shared countless adventures over the years - Jim coached Ryan’s youth soccer teams, they traveled through Europe and snowboarded in Colorado on spring break trips, Jim encouraged Ryan’s passion for photography, and they enjoyed playing tennis side by side. Jim also shared Karen’s love of dogs; together raising five golden retrievers and later welcoming two rescue dogs, Cooper and Lily, into their family.

Jim served is the US Army from 1966 to 1968 and earned a master’s degree in economics from Long Beach State University in 1974. His professional career in conservation began with The Nature Conservancy in Dayton, Ohio. After two years of cold winters, Jim moved to Virginia’s Eastern Shore, where he continued his work with The Nature Conservancy on conservation-based mapping of barrier islands; efforts that helped lead to the creation of the Virginia Coast Reserve.

Jim later joined the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Washington, D.C., where he assisted states across the country in acquiring and protecting coastal lands and waters as part of the National Estuarine Research System. 

In 1982, Jim’s commitment to conservation brought him to Florida, where he served for five years as the Director of State Lands in the Department of Natural Resources. In this role, he focused on acquiring lands through the Save Our Coasts Program and the Conservation and Recreation Lands program. In 1988, Jim founded the Conservation Real Estate Group, representing private landowners in the sale of properties to the State of Florida and federal conservation agencies for preservation.

Over the course of his career in Florida, Jim was involved in protection of more than 200,000 acres of coastal and conservation lands including Wakulla Springs, Silver Springs, The Grove in Tallahassee, Grayton Beach State Park, Guana River State Park, Apalachicola Bay, and many others.

 Jim also gave generously of his time in service to conservation causes. He was a founding member of the Apalachee Land Conservancy, served on the City of Tallahassee Parks and Recreation Advisory Board and was a Board Member of the National Parks and Conservation Association.

An avid outdoorsman, Jim found joy in hiking, fly fishing, planting trees and playing tennis with friends. He and Karen also shared a deep love of travel, visiting more than 60 countries together. Their final adventure took them to India where they witnessed Bengal tigers in their natural habitat.

In honor of Jim and his lifelong passion for conservation, a Celebration of Life will be held in Tallahassee, Florida, in May 2026. A second gathering will follow in Blowing Rock, North Carolina, in July 2026. In lieu of flowers, donations are encouraged to a conservation organization of your choice.