Sassafras Gully well overdue to this attention being the source of feral cats both in the bush and adjacent township.

These two locations seem a good starting point. No problemo.

I would support much bigger areas, and more of them. This is long overdue and doesn't really need an extended trial process.

The Council's heart is in the right place but I really can't see this trial working very well for a number of reasons:- 1. Non-enforcement. 2. Difficult-to-access terrain off the walking tracks for enforcement if this was to be compemplated. 3. Boundaries of the Protection Areas shown on the map cannot be physically distinguished on the terrain, particularly the perimeter of the Sassafras Gully Protection Area. 4. The Sassafras Gully Protection Area should extend to the rear of the property boundaries in Bee Farm Road and Yondell Avenue in the same way the Boonie Doon Protection Area extends to the property boundaries of private land. 5. Self-enforcement won't work for cats. Cat owners have no control over where their cats roam when outdoors. Won't keep feral cats out of area. 6. The walking track in the Sassafras Reserve is not fully contained within the Category 2 area, resulting in dogs on leashes entering the Category 1 area. Skip the trial and apply a blanket Protection Area in all bushland reserve areas with a trapping programme for feral cats and dogs.

I am all for protecting wildlife in almost any area so trials make sense. The length of the trial seems long, but makes sense if any changes are to be seen. I hope the trial is being proposed for the right reasons and not simply because a group of people do not like domestic dogs being walked in the non national park sections of the proposed areas. I need to state I do not know if such a situation exists or has anything to do with this trial. Being a responsible dog owner I do come across some people who make it very obvious they do not like dogs being anywhere. I would be very surprised if some of this "concern" did not get back to council. I too wonder how these trials reduce the numbers of feral cats and dogs in these areas. It's not like people "lose" their domestic animals in these areas and leave them there forever. I would think the feral animals find their way here from elsewhere so the issue would be how the animals become feral in the first place (which covers various areas including desexing, etc). With all that said, I do recognise just how large a problem feral animals are. I can but assume there is some evidence that these areas have at least a chance of making a difference. I too worry about enforcement, but in the end if this trial simply reduces the number of feral animals (surely elimination is a pipe dream), then it will have made a difference for the good. That's why I still supoprt the trials even though I have concerns.

Bonnie Doon WPA could benefit Frank Walford Park as a migration route for wildlife, as swamp wallabies are found in FW Park - one was killed by dogs running off leash and recently a female wallaby was found with her baby missing. Did a cat or dog or fox eat it? Sassafras Gully boundaries could be extended onto the back of the housing. According to research cats do not like rainforest and mostly move around in dry more open woodlands bordering open areas, so in the BMtns this means cats will be present on ridges and backing onto urban areas.