Predator Free Cambridge community co-ordinator Karen Barlow explaining various possum traps. Photo / Dean Taylor
Predator Free Te Awamutu's launch this month was a great success, with over 50 people signing up and the sale of 66 rat traps and 11 possum traps.
A number of people also signed up to help the group grow, provide help and more traps to future trappers, and also to initiate public trapping programmes.
Te Awamutu College is committed to coming on board, and other schools have shown interest.
The group welcomes schools to get in touch and talk about their aspirations.
Future events include tunnel-making workshops and public trapping projects.
Predator Free Te Awamutu was formed when a group of motivated individuals were inspired by Predator Free Mystery Creek.
Te Awamutu is not only home to a great community to stand behind this initiative, but it's also in a prime position at the centre of two ecologically significant maunga, Maungatautari and Pirongia, each home to their own successful predator-control projects: Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari, and Pirongia Restoration Society, respectively.
The ecological corridor project, Taiea te Taiao Mā Mangapiko, mai i Maungatautari ki Pirongia ahu ake, is now under way, and aims to link the two spectacular maunga.
In 10 years, iconic native birds from the two mountains will start to spill out into the surrounding landscape and live in habitats along these streams and in the town.
To support these native species to move between the maunga and find a viable habitat within the corridor, predator control is crucial.
Taiea te Taiao (hosted by NZ Landcare Trust) and Predator Free Te Awamutu came together to host the launch party, with funding from Predator Free New Zealand and Waipa District Council and support from Te Awamutu i-SITE.
The idea is to work together as a community and get trapping in our backyards to support existing and future native birds, bats, plant species and insects.
Members, and anyone already trapping, are asked to check out Predator Free Te Awamutu on trap.nz and request to join.
The site is a place where trappers can register their traps and catches and monitor the success and growth of the Predator Free movement.
To find out more, search Predator Free Te Awamutu on Facebook and join.
This summer will be critical to discover if the sharks have started returning.