Connecting Country staff
Lori Arthur (lori@connectingcountry.org.au)
Director
Lori joined Connecting Country in early 2023. She comes to us after working in conservation and land management roles with local governments in Melbourne, collaborating with a range of environmental stakeholders and community groups. She moved to Castlemaine with her family in late 2020 and is very excited to get involved with a grass roots conservation organisation doing great things in the local community. She has a Bachelor of Applied Science (Environmental Horticulture) with University of Melbourne. Her office days are Monday- Thursday. When she’s not working, she’s kept pretty busy with family life, often riding, bushwalking or swimming in and around the local environs with her two young boys and her kelpie, Dusty.
Lori works Monday to Thursday, overseeing Connecting Country’s projects, organisational management and administration.
Bonnie Humphreys (bonnie@connectingcountry.org.au)
Landscape Restoration Specialist
Bonnie Humphreys joined the Connecting Country team in 2011. She grew up in Bendigo and Castlemaine and has completed her Diploma in Conservation and Land Management at Bendigo TAFE. Bonnie has a special interest in native flora and weed ecology, and an extensive knowledge of local plants. Her current work includes on ground site assessments of landscapes within the Mount Alexander Shire. These assessments will help determine the best ways to protect and manage remnant vegetation.
Bonnie works on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Hadley Cole (hadley@connectingcountry.org.au)
Landcare Facilitator
Hadley lives in Guildford with her young family and has been actively involved in local community-based projects in the Guildford area. She is passionate about conservation of local landscapes and enjoys spending time in the garden and in nature. After completing a Bachelor of Conservation Biology and Ecology, she worked in the non-government environment sector and with the former Victorian Department of Primary Industries in Bendigo. Hadley is delighted to be part of the Connecting Country team as Landcare Facilitator for the Mount Alexander region and is excited to be working with and supporting our local Landcare groups. She believes strongly in the power of community, and values the knowledge and passion volunteers bring to local conservation projects.
Hadley works at Connecting Country on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Jess Lawton (jess@connectingcountry.org.au)
Monitoring Coordinator
Jess previously worked with Connecting Country’s nest box program. Jess is now finishing her PhD on the conservation biology and landscape ecology of the Brush-tailed Phascogale. Her detailed research into this threatened species has included setting 354 camera traps for 14,160 trap nights across more than 20 public reserves and 40 private properties across the Mount Alexander region, resulting in over 350,000 camera trap images from 116 study sites! Jess has also worked as an Environmental Project Officer with Nillumbik Shire Council and Nillumbik Landcare Network, working on a forest health monitoring project in the north eastern suburbs of Melbourne.
Jess is based in Melbourne with her adorable dog Bunsen, and splits her time between Melbourne and Castlemaine. She works at Connecting Country on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Ivan Carter (ivan@connectingcountry.org.au)
Engagement Coordinator
Ivan has worked in environmental management and community engagement roles with state government and private enterprises over the past two decades. He brings a strong background in environmental science, community engagement, event management, reporting and project management. Ivan has run a small environmental consulting business and been Communications and Engagement Officer for a small environmental community group. He’s run stakeholder forums, workshops and field days, produced landowner and roadside signs, and prepared reports, media articles and communications products. Ivan manages social media pages for two other community groups, and a website for the Victorian Serrated Tussock Working Party. You may have heard him interviewed on local radio and ABC Country Hour!
Ivan lives in the Daylesford area with his young family, and has a passion for soccer and food gardening. He is based at Connecting Country on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Anna Senior (anna@connectingcountry.org.au)
Project Support
Anna (she/her) is a terrestrial ecologist with experience working in environmental management for state government and private sectors throughout eastern Australia. She has a passion for the conservation of lesser-known species, particularly reptiles. Her PhD explored the conservation biology and ecology of some of Victoria’s rarest lizards; the Guthega skink, mountain skink and swamp skink. Anna lives in Castlemaine with her partner and enjoys tending her garden and looking after her ever-growing menagerie. Anna is based at Connecting Country on Mondays and Tuesdays.