Meet the Team
Wetland Revival Trust is a culmination of thirty years’ experience restoring wetlands and other habitats, 10 years of which have been in WRT’s project area of Northern Victoria and the wider southern Murray Darling Basin. Over this period Elaine and Damien have developed a detailed understanding of wetland condition and ecological issues affecting the area, developed relationships with local farmers and Traditional Owners, and implemented restoration projects in a variety of habitats covering over 1000 hectares.
Staff
Damien Cook
Restoration Ecologist/Director
Damien Cook is the Director
and Senior Restoration Ecologist at the Wetland Revival Trust. Damien has been a keen naturalist for 35 years and has developed a sound knowledge of flora and fauna ecology, identification, and habitat requirements. He is a recognised expert in wetland, riparian and terrestrial ecology, particularly in the factors affecting the establishment and management of aquatic and wetland plants, and the revegetation of terrestrial grassland and woodland ecosystems.
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Elaine Bayes
Ecologist
MSc, BSc (Hons), DipVET
Elaine co-founded the
Wetland Revival Trust and was co-Director from 2017 to 2025 before recently stepping down from this position. In addition to building the business, she is an environmental scientist and ecologist with her main focus on wetland ecology and management, frog and reptile surveys, fire effects in the Box Ironbark and Eltham Copper Butterfly surveys and protection.
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Taj Lane
First Nations Field Officer
Taj is Yorta Yorta/Barapa
Barapa man who has been a keen
birdwatcher for 8 years. He has assisted WRT with wetland bird surveys in the Gunbower and Kerang Wetlands Ramsar Sites over the last 2 years on the floodplains of the Murray and Loddon Rivers. Taj is in training as a First Nations field project officer in ecological restoration and monitoring techniques. In previous roles he worked on Natural Resource Management with the indigenous-owned Barapa Land and Water, in farm machinery fabrication and as technician on a poultry farm.
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Chris Cook
General Manager
Chris is an experienced
environmental leader now guiding business operations of WRT. He has worked in senior roles in large Victorian conservation organisations such as Trust for Nature and Parks Victoria. Chris has led teams that have delivered project success in landscape-scale biodiversity management in Barmah National Park and the Mallee. He an extensive background in project and program management going back to his time as an civil engineer installing environmental technology to urban development. He has pioneered services in newly formed environmental markets such as biodiveristy offsets and revolving funds. Chris is a co-owner of the not-for-profit The Good Op Shop in Castlemaine where he has helped build a sustainable model that delivers funds to local conservation initiatives.
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Cassia Read
Ecologist
Cassia Read has a science
doctorate that informs her research spanning landscape ecology, planting design, climate adaptation, urban greening, wildlife gardening and community engagement. Cassia is a co-founder and Principal Ecologist for the Castlemaine Institute and also teaches subjects relating to ecology and environmental science in the Outdoor Environmental Education department at La Trobe University.
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Ada Nano
Ecologist
Ada (Theresa) Nano is an ecologist with 30 years experience working on biodiversity survey and research programs across eastern and central Australia. Her main expertise lies in fauna ecology, with a particular focus on small mammals and birds, but she also possesses well=honed skills in flora inventory and threatened plant research and monitoring. Ada has experience in corss-cultural exological research with Aboriginal experts, ‘two-way’ environmental education in Aboriginal schools and citizen science.
Voluntary Committee of Management
Our voluntary Committee of Management advises the Directors of the Wetland Revival Trust to ensure transparency and management of the
Wetland Revival Public Fund according to the purposes of the Trust, our aims and vision.
Di Bowles
Member
Kulja Coulston
Member
Ian Higgins
Deputy Chairperson
Aunty Marilyne Nicholls
Member
Nick Witherow
Treasurer