About the Contributors
Sue Brunskill
Sue’s background as a bush regenerator has seen her practicing and teaching Bush Regeneration at councils and in TAFEs, co-ordinating an urban bushcare group and running workshops for industry and other groups about managing remnant vegetation. Sue’s interest lies primarily in bushland restoration and enhancement through raising awareness, education and ‘hands on’ practice. She has co-ordinated the production of two vegetation guides Along the Bush Tracks Albury Wodonga and Bush Invaders- identification and control of an environmental weeds of Albury Wodonga and surrounds.
Louise Bull
Louise has been collecting and propagating plants from the Riverina for 10 years both for Greening Australia and personal use.
Louise hopes that the pleasure of these past times can be enjoyed by everyone.
Martin Driver
Martin has been involved in vegetation management in the Riverina for 25 years in research, extension and project implementation. He has been employed by Greening Australia for 12 years in the Riverina and has helped drive the development of extension and technical materials, landholder directed vegetation incentive support programs, native seed supply networks and direct seeding programs. Martin is a partner in a dryland grazing property that attempts to integrate productive and sustainable grazing with sound vegetation management and regeneration strategies.
Gill Earl
Gill is the principal botanist at Murrayana Botanical Services, a consultancy based at Albury, NSW. She has many years experience in botanical surveys, and ecosystem and threatened species management. Recent projects have included revegetation and restoration of native vegetation in agricultural landscapes.
Dr David Eldridge
David is a Senior Research Scientist with the Department of Land and Water Conservation. He has more than 20 years of experience in the ecology and management of rangeland soils and vegetation both in Australia and overseas.
During the past 10 years his work has focussed on the ecology of the soil surface, and in particular, the impact of biological soil crusts on stability and functioning of soils in dry areas. David’s other research interests include rangeland monitoring and assessment, soil conservation in developing countries, and the role of animals in soil processes.
Paul Hutchings
Paul is currently employed by the Department of Land and Water Conservation in Wagga Wagga and has worked in the Western Riverina based in Deniliquin and Hay for the past six years.
Paul's work involved the delivery of Departmental advisory services relating to land and vegetation management to rural landholders. Paul's area of expertise is primarily rangeland management and land rehabilitation.
Kylie Kent
Kylie is the Herbarium Officer with the Charles Sturt University Herbarium in Albury. The focus of her work is compiling a regional reference collection of flora for researchers, land managers, students and community groups.
Dr Ian Lunt
Ian is a Senior Lecturer in vegetation management and Herbarium Manager at Charles Sturt University in Albury. His research interests focus on the management of native grasslands and grassy woodlands for biodiversity conservation, and historical changes in Australian ecosystems. He is currently involved in projects investigating the effects of stock grazing regimes on Riverina grasslands and Red Gum forests.
Bruce Mullin
Bruce works for Charles Sturt University, managing Johnstone Centre – Environmental Consulting. He is an ecologist with a plant ecology background and has worked in the Murray-Darling Basin for over five years undertaking a range of consultancy and research projects.
John Naimo
John is a Natural Resource Project Officer with Department of Land and Water Conservation based at Deniliquin. He has been involved in assisting landholders in native vegetation management through planning and incentives delivery.
Dr Deborah Nias
Deborah is the Senior Project Officer for the NSW Murray Wetlands Working Group Inc. and holds a PhD in floodplain wetland ecology. The NSW MWWG is a community group dedicated to restoring and managing wetlands within the Murray region.
David Parker
David is the Wildlife Extension Officer with Greening Australia at Deniliquin, a joint project with NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service. The program is aimed at increasing the awareness and understanding of wildlife management issues. His work with Greening Australia includes working with landholders regarding nature conservation and also studying species such as the Plainswanderer and Superb Parrot.
Mark Rowe
Mark graduated from Wagga Agricultural College in 1977 with a Diploma of Applied Science (Agriculture). Since then he has lived and worked on properties in the Riverina. This has included nine years managing a group of cropping and grazing properties in the Hay district. For the last three years Mark has been employed by the Department of Land and Water Conservation to assist the Western Riverina Regional Vegetation Committee in compiling the Western Riverina Regional Vegetation Management Plan.
Mike Thompson
Mike is Regional Manager, Riverina Region with State Forests of NSW. He worked for some 15 years in coastal and escarpment eucalypt forests in eastern NSW before working for a similar period in Red Gum floodplain forests along the Murray and Murrumbidgee Rivers in western NSW. He has conducted a number of private native forestry demonstration field days for Red Gum. He is a member of the present Murray Catchment Board and a member of the Institute of Foresters of Australia.
Rick Webster
Rick has lived in the Riverina for 17 years.
During this time he has undertaken numerous surveys on the flora and fauna of the Riverina. Rick runs Ecosurveys, a consulting company specialising in threatened species research and sur veys.