Dr Karina C. Hall, Senior Research Scientist

Dr Hall is passionate about the sustainability of marine and aquatic ecosystems and effective fisheries and natural resource management. With a Bachelor of Science Degree with First Class Honours in Marine Biology and Chemistry and a Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Marine Ecology, Dr Hall’s particular expertise is in cephalopod biology. Her PhD research investigated the giant Australian cuttlefish. She is currently employed as a Senior Research Scientist with the NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) and her research focuses on the biology and sustainability of key finfish and cephalopod species targeted by commercial and recreational fisheries.

Greg Elks BSc MLitt. Botanist and Plant Ecologist

Greg has more than 24 years experience as a botanist and ecologist on the North Coast, Northern Tablelands and Western Slopes of NSW including time with numerous NSW Government agencies as a scientific project manager on inter-agency projects in forest ecology, ecological assessment and vegetation mapping. Greg is also a recognised expert witness in the NSW Land & Environment Court in matters relating to the ecology of native vegetation communities.

Greg now works as a Consultant Botanist & Plant Ecologist, trading as Idyll Spaces.

Peter Higgins - Consultant Editor, Writer & Ecologist

Throughout his professional career in biological research and ecology, Peter has had the great fortune to combine his scientific training with his deep interest in communication, most notably as managing editor of the Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds (HANZAB) and currently in his role with NSW NPWS Saving our Species program. in 2016 he was awarded a Special Commendation by the Royal Zoological Society of NSW for outstanding and ongoing contributions to the promotion of Australasian fauna and was awarded the Whitley Medal in 1996, for Volume 3 of HANZAB as the year’s most outstanding natural history publication on Australian animals.

The geology of White Bluff is fascinating and has been a major inspiration for projects artists thanks to the dramatic and fabulous details given by our science collaborators. Read about it here.

Mark Graham

After studying Applied Science at SCU Lismore, Mark went on to research the Ecology of Endangered Rainforest Stream Frogs. Since then, he has spent more than a decade researching and learning from the north coast environment working in biodiversity assessment, environmental planning, threatened species management and on-ground environmental management and restoration. Mark is now a workshop facilitator for the Centre for Ecological Learning in Bellingen, a Hotspots Ecologist for the Nature Conservation Council of NSW and offers unique eco experiences through https://www.bellingennaturetours.com.au/

Dr Lisa Milner, School of Arts and Social Sciences, Southern Cross University.

Dr Milner is an academic and historian. Originally a filmmaker, she teaches mainly into the Media Program. Her research interests are interdisciplinary and wide ranging. Current research projects include radical theatre, labour history, local Coffs history, community organisations and management, union movements and film, and community media and its discontents. Dr Milner is a Senior Lecture and Course Co-ordinator of the Bachelor of Digital Media and Communications at Southern Cross University.

Photo Credit: Coffs Harbour Regional Museum

One of The White Bluff Project’s science collaborators is historian Dr Lisa Milner, from the School of Arts and Social Sciences, Southern Cross University. Dr Milner gave a presentation to White Bluff artists at our first ever workshop, detailing the post-invasion, non-indigenous history of White Bluff and its surrounding areas.

Artists and scientists involved in research and fieldwork for The White Bluff Project have stumbled on a rare find in the water off White Bluff. Read the full story on our news page.