Albury Conservation Company was established in 2006 to help protect and enhance the natural environment of Thurgoona / Wirlinga (the major urban growth area of Albury, NSW) and to raise community awareness and engage locals in protecting biodiversity for future generations.
OUR VISION AND MISSION
The vision of Albury Conservation Company (ACC) is for Albury/Wodonga to be recognised as a leading example of successfully balancing urbanisation with the protection of natural environments to enhance threatened species and their habitats.
ACC’s mission is to as a not-for-profit organisation, undertake ecological monitoring and research to inform on-ground conservation actions. ACC aims to attract and strategically invest funds, engage with community and collaborate with key stakeholders, building capacity in biodiversity management to support viable populations of local threatened species.
OUR STRATEGIC FOCUS
The strategic priorities of Albury Conservation Company between 2022- 2027 are:
- Research & monitoring – We will undertake species monitoring, and ecological and social research, to inform and support the implementation of plans and actions addressing conservation of threatened species in the Albury/Wodonga region.
- Influence, engage & build capacity –We will engage and empower local organisations by influencing and inspiring commitment to using research and monitoring results to inform biodiversity conservation. We will support citizen science, collaborate with stakeholders, and contribute to key organisational documents and strategies to achieve lasting impacts.
- On-ground works – We will use research results to inform and support strategic on-ground works to help maintain viable populations of threatened species in the Albury/Wodonga region.
- Governance & investment – We will maintain appropriate governance practises and the financial sustainability of ACC. We will implement policies and guidelines which support organisational viability.
OUR BOARD
Albury Conservation Company’s Board consists of the following volunteer Directors elected at our 2025 AGM:
James Jenkins (Chairperson and Public Officer)
James Jenkins has been the Public Officer and Director of Albury Conservation Company since March 2007, and became Chair in August 2019.
For over 10 years until retiring in June 2019, James was the Director of the Community and Recreation at Albury City Council with duties including community development and services, children’s services, cultural services, the development of Murray Art Museum Albury, library and museum facilities, as well as parks, natural areas, recreation and leisure facilities.
James has significant local government and governance experience. He has also been a Director of Parks & Leisure Australia for over ten years; four of those as Finance Director. He has been Chairperson of the Wonga Wetlands Conservation Association and has recently joined the Board of the nationally-accredited Flying Fruit Fly Circus based in Albury/Wodonga.
James is passionate about integrating the social and cultural aspects of our lives with the natural and built environment. He also has a desire to see local natural and modified environments that are sustainable.
Melanie Massaro
Melanie has been a Director of Albury Conservation Company since November 2025.
Melanie is an Associate Professor at Charles Sturt University, where she teaches subjects in ornithology, conservation and ecology to university students. For her doctoral research she studied Yellow-eyed and Snares penguins. elanie’s research has ranged from studying penguins in the Antarctic to robins, honeyeaters and parrots in New Zealand and Australia. She regularly travels to Nepal, where she teaches environmental science students about wildlife conservation and management.
Jane Roots (Board Director)
Jane Roots has been a Director of Albury Conservation Company since September 2020. Jane has thirty-four years of policy development and project implementation experience in the public and non-profit sectors of environmental management. She is passionate about promoting and involving local communities and landholders in conservation.
Jane moved to north east Victoria in 2005 after working on Murray-Darling Basin issues in both South Australia and Canberra for ten years. She worked with the North East Catchment Management Authority on riparian protection and was Program Manager of BushTender, before joining Charles Sturt University as a casual lecturer in environmental science and undertaking her PhD.
Jane is currently managing the Victorian government’s biodiversity and natural environment programs in Hume Region. She works closely with government partners and agencies, conservation groups and researchers to protect threatened species, build biodiversity knowledge and provide advice on public land management. Her most recent focus has been on coordinating the biodiversity recovery activities in response to the 2019-20 bushfires in north eastern Victoria. Jane is also involved in several community groups focusing on building capacity around landscape protection, better land management and raising awareness of sustainability issues.
Mary Munro (Board Director)
Mary Munro has been a Director of Albury Conservation Company since September 2020. She has been drawn to her work in human resource management and project management for over 15 years, working for organisations in both the public and private sectors.
She began her professional career straight out of high school and in a business traineeship with Ansett Australia, not knowing at the time what she wanted to do. Mary later commenced her Master of Business (Human Resource Management) which she completed with the highest ranking result for her graduating year, whilst also solidifying her growing passion for innovative organisational change.
Having enjoyed working for companies including Mayne Group, Linfox Australia and Linfox Armaguard, Guest Group, North East Catchment Management Authority, Mars Petcare Australia and TVN On-Country, Mary has also run her own human resource consulting business as a sole trader.
Mary has always been enthralled by the natural beauty of the Australian bush and of the natural landscapes she has traveled through, around the world. She has a close affinity to Indigenous cultural values and traditional land management practices. Mary considers herself lucky to have worked with Indigenous Traditional Owners in her roles running large-scale, multi-regional natural resource management projects.
Mary is looking forward to applying her business knowledge, experience and skills to her Board role with Albury Conservation Company and to working towards their revolutionary vision for Albury/Wodonga to be recognised as a leading example of how to successfully balance urbanisation with the protection of threatened species.
David Costello (Board Director)
David has been a Director of Albury Conservation Company since December 2024, and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
After graduating with Honours from Charles Sturt University in 1998, David spent 15 years working within State Government agencies, working closely with private landholders to improve biodiversity outcomes on their properties. During this time David was responsible for overseeing strategic planning activities and implementing biodiversity projects consistent with the Murray CMA Board Strategic Plan, Catchment Action Plan and Annual Investment Program. This included assessing, negotiating and implementing the delivery of Property Vegetation Plans (PVPs) and managing the delivery of the Native Vegetation Act 2003 and the Native Vegetation Regulation 2005.
In 2013, David moved into local government where he has since been working with AlburyCity Council in a range of management roles delivering important services and projects for the Albury community. In his current role as Service Leader City Landscapes, David is responsible for the strategic planning and maintenance of Councils natural areas, parks and gardens, street trees, sports grounds and playgrounds. David is a highly skilled and experienced strategic local government leader with a strong background encompassing environmental management, sustainability planning, asset management and project delivery. David is passionate about enhancing our local natural environment, and working closely with the community to deliver amazing open spaces and improved environmental outcomes.
Executive Officer
Chris Cook
Chris was appointed Executive Officer of Albury Conservation Company in August 2025.
Chris is an experienced environmental leader who has had project and operational success in a variety of fields. He has a background in engineering and finance working on property and infrastructure projects with strong environmental credentials. Chris has built successful new businesses in emerging environment markets as well as coordinating landscape-scale projects across Victoria with organisations such as Trust for Nature and Parks Victoria.
He is excited about joining a passionate community and helping develop conservation outcomes for the Albury Wodonga Region.
OUR CONTRACTORS
Albury Conservation Company engages the following contractors to help deliver on our strategic plan.
DM Ecological
Since April 2018, ACC has engaged DM Ecological (Owned by Dylan McWhinney) to implement Albury Conservation Company’s Threatened Species Monitoring Program Glider across Albury Wodonga. Dylan is a qualified ecologist (BEnvSci, CEnvP, MEIANZ). He has completed monitoring in Albury (with a focus on Thurgoona/Wirlinga) and Wodonga (major urban growth areas of Leneva and Baranduda). The monitoring program covers 120+ sites across a variety of land tenures and habitat types, with the focus being Squirrel Gliders and other arboreal mammals. Bird surveys and habitat assessments are also undertaken at a subset of the monitoring sites.
PLEASE SUPPORT US
Albury Conservation Company is a registered environmental organisation, and a registered charity under the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC). We receive public donations through our Thurgoona Biodiversity Trust and Public Fund. 100% of the donations we receive are dedicated to helping protect local threatened species. Donations are fully tax deductible. Donations big and small are greatly appreciated.