FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla. — Ranger Michelle Tabor knew from childhood that conservation and the outdoors were her calling and that was one of the reasons she picked Fort Clinch State Park as her full-time job. 

“I actually visited Fort Clinch State Park before I ever even worked here. Didn't think I would ever be working here but turned out to be just a few years later," said Tabor as she walked the beach of Fort Clinch State Park. “We had come down for the day just to visit and then three years later, I get to work here."

Fort Clinch State Park is home to the iconic fort that was built in 1847, just after the Second Seminole War, now it is open to visitors to explore. 

But according to Tabor, that is not what this state park is most well known for. 

“This right here is a fossil vertebrate … couldn't tell you what from though," she said as she holds it up. 

You can find fossils all along this stretch of beach and you might even be able to find their most popular hidden treasure sharks teeth.  

“If you can break it, you know it's not a shark’s tooth or a fossil. A lot of times people bring up oysters," Tabor said. 

But even if you do not find a treasure, that does not bother Tabor. She loves to see all the odd finds that people bring back and it is all part of why she loves the job, protecting the land and teaching all it has to offer. 

“There is a balance that we try to keep between recreation and preservation and this is just a beautiful example of that," Tabor said. 

Fort Clinch State Park is open from sunrise to sunset. Right now due to COVID, you can not go inside the historical buildings inside the fort.