Showcasing Innovation – LGAT Awards for Excellence

At the recent Local Government Association of Tasmania (LGAT) annual awards we received some wonderful news! We were announced as the winner of the Showcasing Innovation Award for our collaboration with Ten Lives and TassieCat on the Midway Point Cat Management Project which focused on working with the local community to promote and improve ways to keep cats safe, healthy and happy, while protecting wildlife in the ecologically sensitive Pitt Water Orielton Lagoon (PWOL) Ramsar site. Mayor Janet Gatehouse accepted the award for Council. Congratulations to Dibas Panta, our NRM Officer, for his vision and hard work on this project, and also to TenLives and TassieCat for helping to make it happen. Thank you LGAT for this wonderful recognition and most of all, thank you so much to our Midway Point community for embracing and supporting this unique and collaborative community project.

You can read more about the LGAT Awards here – Awards for Excellence | LGA Tasmania

The Midway Point Cat Management Trial is a collaboration between Council, TassieCat and Ten Lives. The multi-staged project is focused on working with the local community to share thoughts and ideas on how to promote and improve ways to keep cats safe, healthy and happy, while protecting our wildlife. The holistic approach to this challenge initially encompassed significant community consultation including surveys, leaflet drops and simply walking the streets and talking to locals to understand their views and concerns on cat management. Recent population growth in Midway Point is occurring within the corridor of the ecologically sensitive PWOL. PWOL is a critical habitat in Southern Tasmania for migratory birds and other threatened species. It is a wetland of international significance, recognised as both a Tasmanian Nature Reserve and an international Ramsar site. The Lagoon is a prominent area for migratory birds, with 27 of the bird species found in the area listed under Australia’s international migratory bird conservation agreements. Birds from as far away as Siberia visit the area over the summer months, with some flying as far as 10,000 kilometres non-stop to reach us. This sensitive site is particularly vulnerable as tired migratory birds can become easy targets for cats. The consultation and survey results revealed a pleasingly high rate of cat desexing, but also highlighted a critical gap in access to desexing services due to financial hardships. The multifaceted concerns expressed by 65% of the respondents, ranging from wildlife safety to disease transmission, highlight the need for a comprehensive cat management strategy in the area. The project has entered an exciting new phase, with us partnering with TassieCat to fund a critical desexing initiative. The program is now open for registrations on the TenLives website and interest is already strong, with 47 applications received to date. The aim is to assist financially burdened families be responsible cat owners and mitigate the social and environmental impacts of uncontrolled cat populations.

Apply online here – Free Cat Desexing Program – Ten Lives