THE CONSERVATION PARTNERS TEAM
CONSERVATION PARTNERS began as ARTEMIS NATURE FUND and was focused on saving Golden-shouldered Parrots on Artemis Station, a family owned cattle farm on Cape York, Queensland.
The Artemis team has now expanded into Conservation Partners so we can do more work, in more places. We are a mix of applied ecologists, practical land managers and specialists in governance. We employ people who have this blend of skills.
Our network includes specialists from diverse fields and agency staff from various levels of government. We use this network to get the best possible outcomes for conservation. Click on the staff photos below for more information.
Steve Murphy
Steve is both an applied ecologist and land manager. He has helped conserve some of Australia's most endangered species including Night Parrots, Gouldian Finches and Palm Cockatoos. Steve has had roles in government agencies, leading non-profits, private consultancies, tertiary education and Indigenous land management. In 2019 Steve co-founded Artemis Nature Fund, and is now the Chief Executive at Conservation Partners.
steve.murphy@conservationpartners.org.au
Pat Webster
Pat's interests lie in the avifauna of Australia's tropical savannas and their conservation. Further, Pat has a keen interest in the ecology and conservation of Australia's lesser know button-quail, in particular the Black-breasted and Buff-breasted Button-quail. Pat has been working with Artemis Nature Fund since 2020. In this time he has facilitated the conservation management of Golden-shouldered Parrot on Artemis. Concurrently, Pat is undertaking a project to locate one of Australia's most elusive species the Buff-breasted Button-quail.
patrick.webster@conservationpartners.org.au
Rachel Murphy
Rachel has worked on a diversity of ecological projects in many spectacular places. This includes invasive species management on Christmas Island, Koala management on Kangaroo Island, threatened species management on the APY Lands, and chasing Night Parrots through Queensland's Channel Country. Rachel now coordinates the Purple-necked Rock Wallaby research at Chidna Station.
Henry Stoetzel
Henry completed studies in Zoology and Ecology and is passionate about conserving biodiversity. He is most interested in managing threatened species and integrating conservation with agriculture and land management. Henry has been conducting applied research on Carpentarian Grasswren since 2019. During this time, he has collaborated with stakeholders of the species' conservation, sharing data and knowledge to assist with Grasswren monitoring and fire management. Henry is leading our Carpentarian Grasswren Project at Chidna Station.
henry.stoetzel@conservationpartners.org.au
Braydon Moloney
Braydon has a passion for bringing the natural world to audiences through film and photography. He’s previously worked for public and private land management organisations on Christmas Island, the Kimberley and New Zealand, and filmed for BBC and National Geographic wildlife documentaries. With postgraduate degrees in tropical ecology and science communication, Braydon’s uniquely placed to bring the stories of Conservation Partners to the world – as well as pick up brush-cutter when needed!
braydon.moloney@conservationpartners.org.au
Mandy Hawkins
Mandy is our dedicated Operations and Administration Coordinator with over 10 years experience in both private and public sectors across environmental consultancy, mining and electrical contracting. Mandy’s work has included quality assurance and document control, payroll, invoicing and bookkeeping, commissioning database management, and human resources. Mandy is passionate about sustainability and the environment.
mandy.hawkins@conservationpartners.org.au
Nick Leseberg
After 13 years as an officer in the Royal Australian Air Force, Nick’s childhood interests in nature, particularly birds, has seen him return to where it all began. In 2022, Nick completed his PhD on Night Parrots, focusing on how best to locate them in the vast landscapes of inland Australia. Nick joins the Conservation Partners team in a part-time role to work on our Night Parrot survey and management program in South-Western QLD.
nick.leseberg@conservationpartners.org.au
Hein Tholen
Hein has studied zoology and ecology and has a broad interest in the natural world and the conservation of its biodiversity. Most of his career he has worked in various roles within the agricultural sector. At Conservation Partners he combines this experience with his interest in zoology and ecology to work on the conservation management of the Golden-shouldered parrot at Artemis station.
hein.tholen@conservationpartners.org.au
Tanya Detto
Tanya has always had a passion for wildlife. After completing a PhD in behavioural ecology that saw her spending her days watching fiddler crabs on the mudflats of Darwin, Mozambique and Panama, she left academia to make a practical difference in conservation. She spent 13 years on Christmas Island managing the invasive species control programs and monitoring threatened species as well as establishing a seabird rehabilitation facility. She has also helped out with threatened species monitoring on Kangaroo Island and managing yellow crazy ants in the Wet Tropics, and is currently working with Conservation Partners to help monitor the Golden-shouldered Parrots.
tanya.detto@conservationpartners.org.au
Tom and Sue Shephard
Susan is a world expert in Golden-shouldered Parrots. Tom and Sue own Artemis Station and have both been involved with Golden-shouldered Parrot conservation for over 30 years. Susan has co-authored previous Recovery Plans for the species and sits on the Golden-shouldered Parrot Recovery Team.
Nikki Kuper
Nikki is passionate about working with people and nature to restore ecosystems for conservation and for profit. While Nikki spends most of her time working in Mine Site Rehabilitation she finds joy in working for Conservation Partners in her spare time because of their demonstrated commitment to hard work, community, research and on-ground impact.
Brussie Spreadborough
Brussie is the land owner at Chidna Station and we work with Brussie to protect the conservation values of his property. This includes working together on fire management and feral animal control.
Georgie Spreadborough
Georgie lives in Armidale and assists with developing and refining Chidna's conservation management plan. Georgie plays an important role in advising on issues associated with the mining sector and mining interests on Chidna.
Trevor Shephard
Trevor lives at Artemis Station and carries out conservation work following the direction given from the Senior Conservation Officers.