After completing high school I went into the Army as a Signalman where I received a scholarship to attend the University of Queensland, Gatton Campus, and completed a Degree in Applied Science in Environmental Management.

 

After completing University in 1997 I worked with Greening Australia Qld for 5 years in a contract with Hervey Bay City Council.  This gave me involvement in developing a community environment volunteers and awareness raising program with over 300 volunteer members.

 

In 2004 I was employed as the Strategic Regional NRM Facilitator for the Burnett Mary Regional Group (BMRG).  As a regional facilitator I am a member of the Australian Government National NRM Facilitators Network and represent BMRG at all State and National networking opportunities.  Other responsibilities include representing Envirofund and Community Water Grants in the region, facilitating regional reporting to the State and Federal Governments, the investigation of possible funding sources, community liaison, project coordination, such as the 2007 Burnett Mary Science Symposium, and an increasing role in the climate change arena.  I’m currently also undertaking a Graduate Diploma in Climate Change Adaptation through the University of the Sunshine Coast.

 

 

 

Dr Sandra Grinter, commenced in December 2005 as Water Qualtiy Improvement Plan Project Manager for the Burnett/Baffle (also includes the Kolan and Elliott catchments) and is based in the Bundaberg Office.  The planning process is prioritising actions to improve water quality by looking at ways to prevent high loads of nutrients and sediment entering waterways and will help prioritise activities in the region’s NRM Plan.

The first step has been to identify draft environmental values for the catchments, estuaries and marine waters. Environmental values are the qualities of a waterway that make it suitable for supporting aquatic ecosystems and human water uses (eg irrigation of crops, cultural and spiritual values, recreation, stock watering). Each environmental value requires a particular standard of water quality, which needs to be protected from pollutants (including sediment and nutrients) from a range of land uses and activities in the rural and urban areas of the catchments. The project is funded by the Natural Heritage Trust’s Coastal Catchments Initiative.

 

Sandra has been employed in environmental science positions for state government agencies and has worked on natural resource management projects for community groups, primarily concerned with water quality and the sustainable use of water.

These roles have included:

• monitoring and reporting on the condition of river health (including water quality and macroinvertebrates) for Queensland waterways

• promoting sustainable irrigation practices for horticulture (citrus and grapes) in the Lower Murray/Darling area of NSW

• identifying environmental values and development of water quality objectives in the Condamine Balonne catchment. After two years in Brisbane, Sandra joined BMRG to be involved in regionally based natural resource management activities.

 

 

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