Staff

Mike Worrall - Managing Director

Northern NSW based Managing Director of WetlandCare Australia since 2011. Mike is a civil enginer with 40 years experience in the planning, design, construction and maintenance of urban systems and infrastructure.  This included 20 years as a Director of one of Australia's major consultants, responsible for projects in Australia and throughout Asia.

 Cassie Price - Regional Manager

(National Office - Ballina)

Cassie has over ten years experience in natural resource management, particularly in aquatic systems in NSW and Queensland. She has a wide range of expertise in wetland assessment, mapping, prioritisation and management; wetland vegetation identification, legislation, policy and Ramsar; stakeholder liaison, partnership and project development and implementation. Cassie's broad expertise and experience combines to form a strong understanding of our business, making her the perfect National Business Development Manager.

Cassie has a farming background, moving to the north coast to study and work in natural resource management in 1996.

 Kerri Goodger - Corporate Services Manager

(National Office - Ballina)

Kerri has a background in child and adult education & managing welfare services in the not-for-profit sector.  She is currently responsible for HR and financial administration and generally supporting technical staff to achieve their project outcomes. 

 Josh Keating - Regional Manager

(Regional Office - Coffs Harbour)

Operating out of WetlandCare Australia’s regional office at the National Marine Science Centre in Coffs Harbour, Josh undertakes a range of management, coordination and program delivery roles within the organisation. Josh plays a key role in the development and implementation of WetlandCare Australia’s Conservation Plan, Marketing and Communications Plan and the organisation’s five key program areas.

Leading a team of wetland specialists on the NSW mid north coast, Josh develops and delivers a range of projects in collaboration with government, industry, other NGOs and the community. Josh also leads the Australian Wetland Biodiversity Program which was devised to provide a framework for protecting, promoting and restoring the unique aquatic species and ecosystems that occur across the diversity of wetland habitats in Australia.

Areas of expertise:

• Strategic analysis and innovative program development for high quality environmental outcomes.

• Stakeholder engagement, communications and community integration in environmental programs.

• On-ground delivery of national, state and local legislation, policy and priorities.

• Project and contract management including effective negotiation, leadership and task execution.

• Financial management, strategic work planning and human resource coordination.

Adam Gosling - Technologies Manager

(National Office - Ballina)

• Focusing on estuarine assessment, project development and wetland rehabilitation from the Tweed to Clarence catchments, northern NSW 
• Project development and partnership forging with various landowners, including state and local government organisations
• Site assessments and development of management plans at regional, local and property scale
• GIS mapping
• On-ground restoration projects in the Northern Rivers

Areas of expertise: Wetland project management, community and landholder consultation, estuarine ecosystems 

Louise Duff – Regional Manager

(Newcastle Office)

Louise Duff has a Bachelor of Applied Science (Natural Resource Management) and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration. Her career spans 20 years in the commercial, local government and community sectors, with a focus on natural resource management, natural area planning and environmental education. Louise is a versatile project manager adept at reaching agreement with a range of stakeholders to define and deliver projects with quality outcomes. Her project experience includes:

• A two year threat abatement project protecting migratory shorebirds in the Hunter Estuary. This project works across multiple land tenures and includes government, community and corporate stakeholders.
• A revegetation and bush regeneration project for Newcastle City Council  connecting key habitats on the Glenrock-Blackbutt Corridor. This project engaged a range of government and community service providers as well as Landcare groups and schools. 17,000 local natives were planted at 6 priority sites through the corridor.
• Establishment of a Green and Golden Bell Frog habitat for Hunter Wetlands Centre Australia. The project included environmental assessment, landscape design, earthworks, revegetation and introduction of this endangered species following NPWS controls and consents.

Simone Haigh - Senior Project Officer

(National Office - Ballina)

Simone is the Senior Technical Officer for WetlandCare Australia’s Blue Carbon program. The objective of this program is to protect, conserve and restore coastal wetlands in the context of their ability to capture and store atmospheric carbon and mitigate the effects of climate change.

She is also the Senior Project Officer for the Eastern Wetlands and Water program. Simone is an experienced project manager, having successfully delivered and coordinated numerous large projects in the northern NSW region. These have resulted in the restoration, protection and monitoring of ecosystems as diverse as montane wetlands, sub tropical rainforests, marine rocky shoreline areas and coastal wetlands. She is adept at stakeholder engagement and landowner liaison and is focused on the delivery of tangible on-ground results and positive outcomes for both the environment and landholder. She has extensive experience in project delivery and management, and the design and implementation of on-ground works, monitoring and reporting.

Simone is currently responsible for the management of three project sites for the $2.5 million Coastal 20 wetland restoration project, funded by the Australian Government through its Caring for our Country program.

She has specialist skills in:

• Project design, management and planning
• Wetland assessment and restoration
• Landholder and stakeholder liaison and negotiation
• Scientific research and reporting
• Carbon sequestration and land management policy and procedure
• Project monitoring and evaluation

Professional interests: The quantification and assessment of the rates and stability of carbon inputs into wetlands, and the factors affecting the decay of organic material in anaerobic environments. The role of wetlands in the global carbon cycle. The conservation of endangered frog species.  

Laura White - Senior Project Officer

(National Office - Ballina)

Laura completed her Bachelor of Tropical Environmental Science with Honours in Aquatic Ecology at Charles Darwin University in the Northern Territory. She then spent several years working in the research and integrated management of wetland weeds in the NT, before moving to northern NSW and joining WCA in 2008.

Laura has delivered projects including management plans, wetland health assessments, wetland restoration, GIS mapping, the preparation of ecological character descriptions for Ramsar sites and wetlands education and training. She is passionate about protecting wetland biodiversity and other wetland values through conducting and applying sound ecological research. She has a particular fondness for freshwater streams and paperbark swamps.

Areas of interest: Wetland ecology, wetland flora, wetland assessment, ecological research, integrated weed management  

Liz Hajenko - Senior Project Officer

(National Office - Ballina)

Liz coordinates the annual WetlandCare Australia National Art and Photography Competition, held to celebrate World Wetlands Day. The competition is focused on the themes of World Wetlands Day, and aims to encourage people of all ages to engage with, explore and share their local wetlands and waterways. She is also part of the Corporate Services Unit, working in the areas of Marketing and Communications.

Liz completed her Bachelor of Visual Arts in 2007 and Diploma of Natural Resource Management in 2001.

Areas of interest: visual arts, natural resource management, ecological conservation

Cheryl Bolzenius - Senior Project Officer

(Regional Office - South East Queensland)

Cheryl holds a Bachelor of Environmental Management (Natural Systems and Wildlife) from the University of Queensland and for the last five years she has been working in natural resource management in Queensland.  She has a background in developing, implementing and supporting community focused natural resource management projects, working with government, industry, community and schools.  Cheryl has been involved in a number of community based education and awareness activities, including community based monitoring programs.

Cheryl's focus is on the restoration of coastal wetland sites in South East Queensland.

Areas of interest: Wetland ecology; marine turtle research.

Eli Dutton - Project Officer

Merv Pyott, Senior Project Officer 

(Regional Office - Ayr)

Operating out of WetlandCare Australia’s regional office at the Burdekin Bowen Integrated Floodplain Management Advisory Committee in Ayr, Merv is delivering projects that will protect, manage and enhance the high ecological functional values of the Barratta Creek Catchment which forms the main artery of the Bowling Green Bay wetlands, the only Ramsar site in north Queensland.  Merv has over 20 years local experience in natural resource management and has a background in cane and cattle farming.

Office Locations 

Coffs Harbour Office
PO Box 1782
Coffs Harbour NSW 2450
Tel: 02 6652 5589
Email: joshkeating@wetlandcare.com.au