Invitation

I am delighted to invite you to participate in the inaugural Queensland Coastal Conference, to be held in Bundaberg from the 17 to 19 September 2007. We hope that the conference will become an annual fixture in the Queensland conference calendar. It is timed to take advantage of a critical opportunity to focus debate across the full range of coastal and marine issues being considered at State, regional and local levels; and to identify ways that we can improve our collaboration towards meaningful outcomes in the coastal zone.

The Conference will be held in Bundaberg, situated on the banks of the Burnett River as it flows from idyllic countryside to pristine beaches and up to the southern Great Barrier Reef . The city of Bundaberg is a bustling regional centre, boasting beautiful heritage buildings and modern architecture, and famous local icons like the Bundaberg Rum Distillery and Mon Repos Turtle Rookery.

The 2007 Conference Program will feature a number of outstanding speakers, several concurrent sessions, open space, workshops and poster presentations. The Conference will attract over 200 delegates from Queensland and beyond and provides a wonderful opportunity to meet and extend contacts. Delegates will include Commonwealth, State and Local Governments, Natural Resource M anagement regional bodies, leading research and education organisations, coastal and marine industries, coastal and marine consultants, m anagers, planners and engineers, NGOs, user groups, indigenous groups and many other community organisations.

Above all else, we invite you to enjoy the warm hospitality that Bundaberg and its people have to offer, and that you too will share in the feeling of excitement that Shifting Sands, the Queensland Coastal Conference 2007, will generate.

Sue Sargent
Burnett Mary Regional Group
Conference Chair                                                                                                            

Organising Committee
Alan Butler , CSIRO
Toni Edmondson, EPA
Sean Galvin, SEQ Catchments
John Gunn, HESROC
Kerrie Jocumsen, Australian Government Natural Resource Management Team – Vice Chair
Cheryl List , Burnett Mary Regional Group
Dave Lowe , GBRMPA
Erin Russell, QWaLC
Steve McDermott, FNQNRM
Sue Sargent , Burnett Mary Regional Group – Chair
Greg Stuart, Gold Coast City Council
Vickie Webb, QWaLC
Shane Westley, Fitzroy Basin Association

Marketing Sub Committee
Toni Edmondson, EPA – Chair
Cheryl List , Burnett Mary Regional Group
Erin Russell, QWaLC

Program Sub Committee
Greg Stuart, Gold Coast City Council – Chair
Sean Galvin, SEQ Catchments
John Gunn, HESROC

Sponsorship & Exhibition Sub Committee
Dave Lowe, GBRMPA – Chair
Alan Butler, CSIRO- Marine Research
Toni Edmondson, EPA
Kerrie Jocumsen, Australian Government Natural Resource Management Team

Field Trip Sub Committee
Cheryl List, Burnett Mary Regional Group
Sue Sargent, Burnett Mary Regional Group

Conference Host

Burnett Mary Regional Group (BMRG)
The Burnett Mary Regional Group for Natural Resource Management Inc (BMRG) is the peak coordinating body for natural resource management in the Burnett Mary region.

BMRG is tasked with oversight of such natural resource and environmental management issues as water quality, salinity, and sustainability - sustainable development of the Burnett Mary region's land, vegetation, weeds and pest management, coastal and marine management and water resources.

BMRG is one of 14 Regional Bodies in Queensland and was formed under the National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality and the Natural Heritage Trust programs.

The BMRG represents the combined interests of the community, industry and government. The group, in partnership with the community, industry and Local Government, has developed and is implementing a natural resource management plan for the Burnett Mary region - Country to Coast - a healthy sustainable future.

The region's coastal and marine resources cover an area of 40,000 square kilometres from Tannum Sands in the north to Double Island Point in the South and also include the southern section of the Great Barrier Reef and Fraser Island World Heritage Areas in addition to the Great Sandy Strait Ramsar site.

For further information visit www.bmrg.org.au