Landcare Tasmania Staff

Landcare Tasmania's purpose is to represent, support, strengthen and grow community Landcare in Tasmania. We do this by supporting our members, and in turn need to be informed, aware and guided by the interests and needs of the membership. 

Peter Stronach 
Landcare Tasmania CEO

Peter starting working in the environmental field while in Primary School, addressing pollution in his local creek and engaging with Council to rectify the situation. With a deep understanding of the Tasmanian environment and an uncanny knack of being able to talk to anyone, on the land or in town, about the life around us in a way that is inspirational, informed and inclusive. His work as Community Landcare Manager for the last 10 years and now CEO for Landcare Tasmania spans the breadth and depth of this amazing island. He has an unabated passion and enthusiasm for the environment, community, owls and a good yarn.  His favourite hot beverage is Earl Grey tea. 

Priscilla Richards 
Program Manager

Priscilla began working with Landcare Tas in 2018 and is now the Program Manager. With a background in biology and ecology, she has been providing technical support to various faces of the environmental sector for over 20 years, from environmental testing labs to university research and teaching support in the US, Canada and the UK. She is now overseeing Landcare Tasmania's Landscape Restoration, Community Outreach and Education programs. Always having been a 'plant person', she's an active volunteer with Threatened Plants Tasmania Inc. She holds a Masters in wetland ecology from the University of Calgary. Her favourite hot beverage is a good strong coffee. 

Rachel Larner
Business Manager

Rachel joined Landcare Tasmania in 2020. Having previously worked in the financial planning industry, she was drawn to doing work that makes a difference for people and the environment. Rachel has an interest in governance of community organisations, and in using technology to build efficient processes and systems. Rachel holds a Bachelor of Business and is currently completing the CPA Program. When she isn't crunching numbers, you'll find her hanging upside down on aerial silks. Her favourite hot beverage depends on the time of day, but she almost never says no to a strong Earl Grey tea.

 

Dawn Green
Communications and Marketing Manager

Dawn has loved storytelling and nature since she was a child climbing trees and combing shorelines in search of adventure. She feels grateful to have combined these passions into a communications career, and loves sharing inspiring stories with the community.
Dawn is an avid volunteer and thinks there's nothing better than getting out in her local patch in the Southern Beaches, helping to weed or plant trees. When not at her desk, Dawn loves reading, yoga and heading off into the Tassie wilderness with her partner and daughter. Her favourite hot beverage is a steaming brewed chai to kick off the morning.

Claire Byrne
Executive Assistant 

Claire grew up in the foothills of the Sleeping Beauty mountain range in Tasmania’s South. A childhood spent roaming wild creeks, mountain tracks and bushlands has given her a deep love of natural places. Claire is very excited to have the opportunity to be part of the Landcare Tasmania Team as the new executive assistant, having worked in administrative support for many years.  Claire lives in the Huon Valley with her family, spending any free time attempting to grow food and tame weeds. Her favourite hot beverage is a thick chocolatey mocha.

Lily Fraser
Project Support Officer (Remote)

Lily began an internship with Landcare Tasmania in 2022 and has worked in various positions across the organisation since then. Currently, she works remotely as a Project Support Officer from Northern NSW. 

Lily holds a Masters in Environmental Management and strongly believes in the power of the grassroots movement. She is interested in understanding how community and cultural knowledge can be integrated into decision-making processes to help conserve the natural environment. In her spare time, Lily enjoys bushwalking, volunteering with a local group and swimming at the beach or in a river. Her favourite beverage is an iced matcha or roasted rice tea.

 

Anna Minchin
Project Manager

Anna Minchin has many years experience in the environmental management field from waste management, to nutrient recycling in freshwater systems, sustainability education, revegetation, plant propagation and environmental planning. She holds a Bachelor of Science majoring in zoology and biochemistry, Honours in freshwater nutrient recycling and a Masters in Environmental Management. She now brings this experience to the Landcare Tasmania team as Project Manager. Anna is a passionate Landcare volunteer and founding member of nipaluna Nursery, a volunteer Landcare nursery, that is primarily growing plants for revegetation projects in the Midlands.

 

Jess Fitzgibbon
Partnerships Coordinator and Community Outreach

Jess grew up in lutruwita/Tasmania. Her love for the natural environment led her to study a Bachelor of Human Health Science in Herbal Medicine and Nutrition at UNE and then much later, when Covid caused a reason to pause and reassess; a Diploma of Sustainability through UTAS.

Most recently, Jess has worked with Nayri Niara - Aboriginal-owned social enterprise, in various roles including the development and delivery of the Nayri Niara Good Spirit Festival and curation of the Home HEARTh Markets, Okines Community House, curating and running events and then the Co-creation and delivery of Pangaea Festival.

In her spare time, Jess loves putting permaculture principles into practice at home and spending as much time in the ocean as possible.

Jess’s favourite drink is the first cup of tea in the morning, without it, the day can not begin!

 

Bennie Mildren
Education Officer

Bennie got into landcare through the UTAS Landcare Society, which helps connect students with local communities across the state. As a part of the group, they helped bring forward initiatives that saw students contributing to ecological restoration with old-fashioned dirty work and using their unique skills to be a part of the solution-building process in landcare.

Nowadays, Bennie is working on a PhD in modelling and predicting extreme weather in Tasmania. When they're not working on becoming a doctor, they are off in the bush or fiddling on a guitar.

Bennie's favourite beverage alternates between an Earl Grey in the morning, a hot choccy in the arvo, and a peppermint tea in the evening.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bianca Burford
Education Coordinator

lutruwita/Tasmania has been Bianca’s chosen home since 2004.

Bianca has a love of camping, wildlife and the bush because of her early interactions observing wildlife and wild places as a child on family holidays around Australia. These led her to study a Bachelor of Technology in Ecotourism at Flinders University, and later a Cert IV in Training and Assessment at TAS TAFE merging her two interests – Animals and Education.

Bianca has a passion for developing strong and lifelong interest for the natural world in children and students. Particularly fostering a love of environment and protecting wildlife. She has worked in Animal Education at Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary for the past 15 years developing and teaching the nationally accredited Cert II and III Animal Care courses. Bianca has a hands on approach to learning and education and now brings this experience to the Landcare Tasmania team as Education Officer.

Bianca is excited to work with our Landcare members, teachers, students and families.

Bianca loves spending time at the beach with her family, multiday bushwalks in lutruwita/Tasmania’s beautiful wilderness and reading with her dog curled up by her side at home. Her favourite hot beverage is a Dandy Chai.

Luke Cooper
Project Officer

Luke is a long term committee member of the UTAS Landcare Society and the founder of Strahan-based group Friends of the Henty. Luke is an avid amateur botanist and bird-lover and is passionate about conserving and improving biodiversity in Tasmania. He holds a Bachelor of Science with a Mathematics major and now plans to bring his analytical skills to conservation work.

 


 

 

 

Jen Milne
Outreach Coordinator

Jen developed a passion for Tasmania’s natural places, having spent her childhood camping, skiing and bushwalking around the State.

After studying, Jen went on to lead volunteers and young people on conservation projects across Southern Tas. She has many years’ experience working in Natural Resource Management within Local Government and has been lucky enough to deliver projects in partnership with community groups and Landcarers in areas such as Tasman, King Island and the Midlands. Jen holds a Graduate Diploma in Environmental Planning, a Bachelor of Natural Environment and Wilderness Studies, and a Certificate II in Conservation and Land Management.

She enjoys English breakfast tea, especially when served from a pot with a funky tea cosy.

Declan Reeves
Administration officer

Declan first became involved in Landcare in 2020 as a volunteer, and has since worked in several different industries. He is excited to have the opportunity to return to Landcare Tasmania to work with others who are passionate about the Tasmanian environment. 

Having completed an Honours degree in Botany, Declan is interested in how scientific methods and techniques can be used to aid conservation and land management.