Domestic, stray or feral cats are a huge problem for Tasmanian wildlife

Now as an individual you are allowed to trap these cats but then the next problem arises. Trying to figure out what to do with a trapped cat, I looked on the council website: no luck there, Break O'day Council doesn't want to know about cats, despite acknowledging they're a problem. So I turned to a local (volunteer run) shelter: full of cats already and not taking any. The advice: ring the Department of Invasive Species. So I did, but they didn't really want to know about it, and referred me to the RSPCA. So, I rang the RSPCA. In their generic answering machine message, they already say they don't take stray/feral cats and advise to ring, you guessed it, the Department of Invasive Species.

So everyone handballs the problem off to, well, nowhere. So in typical Government fashion, the problem got acknowledged, the rules/laws put in place because that's easy, the enforcement not funded, and the only solution given to residents is to leave you with a cat you can't take anywhere. No surprise there's ever more feral cats around and still no real solution.

Maarten Mulder, Weldborough

AS A local resident in a water catchment 20 kms from St Helens, I am extremely concerned about the Federal and State Government's approval of toxic chemicals via aerial spraying in water catchments all over Tasmania, including St Helens water supply.

Amongst hundreds of others is a current proposal to aerial spray the pine plantation in Gould's Country - on the edge of the Ransom River for "pest management". What pests would be in a 75 year old plantation is not stated.

Aerial spraying of poisons drift onto farmland, private residential property, and into the rainwater tanks of residents, contaminating household drinking and bathing water.

There is plenty of evidence on what this long term exposure to these chemicals is doing to us, our children, pets and livestock.

It's time for a rethink on other ways of management, or stop planting pines if they need chemicals to assist and sustain their growth.

Beris Hansberry, Gould's Country

HEALTHY relationship courses should be taught in schools but must not be added to the already overloaded workload of classroom teachers.

Train those from other professions related to the content of the courses or hire former teachers.

J. Breen, Newnham

THE idea of putting cycle lanes next to vehicle lanes needs to be rethought.

Filters fitted to vehicle exhaust systems to remove particulate matter pollution have limited impact on ultrafine particles, new research shows.

The filters are able to remove the majority of larger, solid particles, but the new study, published in Environment International, shows they are less effective at removing smaller liquid particles.

The WHO is dragging its feet on new ultra fine standards, but it does outline concerns over ultrafine particles and their ability to be transported around the body. These are the very fine toxins that cross over from the lungs into the bloodstream and can lodge in every organ.

We have known this for years with wood smoke nanoparticles.

It is terrible to think that people who are being encouraged, or choose to cycle for health or fitness reasons, are exposing themselves to worse toxins at peak hour than riding in a closed-up vehicle.

Clive Stott, Grindelwald

I AM writing to find out if someone can tell me who is responsible for what was the Cosgrove Park Chapel. It is my understanding that this Chapel was built with donations of public money, mainly raised by the Apex Club of Launceston, and has not been used since the nineteen nineties. The Chapel has fallen into disrepair. It is a lovely building and I'm sure it can be brought back to its original state and can serve a use in our community.

Susan Harman, Norwood