Friends of Newport Lakes (FoNL) has paired up with two local primary schools for a cat poster competition and exhibition, currently on display.
FoNL president Neil Zimmerman said part of the remit of FoNL is to protect native wildlife in the reserve.
One of the greatest threats to the local fauna are cats that are allowed to roam free at night.
As part of an education focused project FoNL engaged with local students from Newport Lakes Primary School and Newport Gardens Primary School to design posters highlighting the danger, both to cats and that cats pose, if they are not kept inside at night.
Mr Zimmerman said the exhibition celebrates the efforts of our local students and pays tribute to their engagement with local environmental concerns.
“One of the greatest threats to these animals are cats, not just feral ones but peoples pets who can roam at night,” he said.
“The original idea was to advise residents to bring their cats inside at night to protect wildlife in the reserve.
“Then we got a grant from Hobsons Bay council to enable our story tellers Jackie and Rob to meet with year 2’s and 3’s.”
In the meeting Mr Zimmerman said they talked about the problem at hand and helped the students design the posters.
“A lot of the process was interrupted by COVID so it’s great for it to finally be on display,” he said.
“They were all very creative and it has proven to be the best messaging for younger kids to get them involved.”
The exhibition will be on display until Saturday, August 26, at the Newport Community Hub.
Jennifer Pittorino
