The Steering Committee
Looking for birds in the gardenPhoto: R Major © Australian Museum
The Birds in Backyards Steering Committee, appointed by the Birds Australia Southern NSW and ACT Regional Group (BASNA), has been responsible for design, management and implementation of all aspects of the Birds in Backyards Program.
Who's on the committee?
Kate Ravich
Kate is Chair of the Steering Committee of Birds in Backyards. Kate's love and passion for birds and the natural world led her to become actively involved with conservation at an early age. While serving on the Birds Australia Southern NSW and ACT Group (BASNA) committee, Kate and colleagues conceived the Birds in Backyards program. She became Chair of the Steering Committee in 1998 and served in both that capacity and as the Chair of BASNA during 2000-2001. As a result of these involvements, Kate realized the importance of effective environmental education, particularly in the community setting. She completed a degree in Adult Education (Community) in 2006, within which she made a special study of Transformative Environmental Education and the development of personal focus communication skills.
Dr Richard Major
Dr Richard Major is a research scientist at the Australian Museum who works on biodiversity in the Museum's Terrestrial Ecology section. He has two main research interests, the breeding ecology of birds, and the effect of habitat modification on animal populations and communities. Outside of work, Richard enjoys the outdoors, both in his garden and in the natural environment. He is strongly involved with the Coalcliff Community Association and has been involved in a number of environmental causes associated with protection of the Illawarra escarpment.
Judy Christie
Judy Christie joined the Birds in Backyards Steering Committee in 2000 to help support the education role of the program and to have fun sharing her passion for birds. Judy has been a teacher, horticulturalist, bush regenerator and environmental educator. She worked with Greening Australia managing projects with non-English speaking community groups and planted lots of trees in western Sydney while always keeping her binoculars handy. She is currently with the Sydney Metropolitan Catchment Management Authority working closely with local government and the community on a range of environmental projects. Judy has a Master of Environmental Education from Macquarie University, Sydney.
Judy Harrington
Judy works in the Visitor Programs and Services section at Sydney Olympic Park as an Environmental Ranger. Her main role is to coordinate bird surveys, to encourage members of the community to discover the parklands and to lead children to learn about the world around them through the Nature-based Holiday Programs. She and her family have always been fond of beach and bush, trees and birds - the wonderful world around us. Judy joined the BASNA committee in 2004 and became a member of the Birds in Backyards Steering Committee in 2005.
Wojciech Dabrowka
Wojciech is a co-founder of Bird Explorers, an initiative dedicated to bird photography and promotion of wildlife conservation. He is a trainer by profession and did his graduate studies at School for International Training in Vermont. Travelling after birds and visiting rarely explored remote areas has taken him to different corners of the world. He has travelled extensively throughout the Middle East, North America, Australia, the South Pacific, South America and Africa. He has visited all the national parks in Eastern Poland, where his parents live.
Dr Kris French
Associate Professor French works in terrestrial ecology in the Institute of Conservation Biology at the University of Wollongong. Her main research focus is on investigating the impacts of disturbances on flora and fauna, especially in relation to weed ecology and urban ecology. She also has research projects on threatened species and forest ecology. She is director of the Janet Cosh Herbarium. Kris has been on the Birds in Backyards Steering Committee since 2000 and has supervised several students in research projects supported by the Birds in Backyards programme.
Dr Charlotte Taylor
Charlotte is a senior lecturer in Biological Sciences and Associate Dean for Learning and Teaching in the Faculty of Science, University of Sydney. She is particularly interested in urban biodiversity and animal-plant interactions such as pollination and seed dispersal. She is also involved in projects on science literacy and communication, and on science in the primary school curriculum. She has been a member of the Birds in Backyards Steering Committee since its inception in 1998, and has supervised some of the research undertaken by the program.