Public Issues Water Resource Protection
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Sustainable Turf ManagementProject Leader: Mary Owen General InformationIn the highly populated northeastern United States, turf-covered surfaces collectively comprise an integral part of our communities: home, business and industrial lawns; parks and cemeteries; public and private sports fields; municipal, private and public school grounds; golf courses; utility and roadside turf; sod farms; and various other open spaces. Property values, safety of youth and adult sports participants, protection of environmental resources especially water resources, economic viability of businesses and communities, and potential human and non-target exposure to turf management materials may all be impacted by turf management practices. Massachusetts is a diverse and rapidly developing state, rich in natural resources. Massachusetts forests provide ecosystem benefits including climate regulation, freshwater supply, stormwater mitigation, nutrient regulation, biodiversity, soil retention and aesthetics valued at $2.9 billion according to Mass Audubon (2003). According to the MA Department of Agricultural Services, Massachusetts has 6,100 farms with a total of 518,570 acres. Other natural resource based businesses contribute to the economic vitality and the quality and aesthetic character of life in Massachusetts. For example, 4,250 ornamental horticultural businesses encompass about 79,000 acres. Yet everyday, Massachusetts loses over 40 acres of open space (MA Audubon, 2003). Massachusetts is home to land use laws which can encourage suburban sprawl and negatively impact farms, forests, surface water, and many natural resource based businesses. Farmland in Massachusetts, for example, has decreased 10% from 1997 through 2002. Turf -covered surfaces are critical for maintaining quantity and quality of open space and can positively impact the ecosystem integrity in the face of urban expansion. It is critical that best management practices for maintaining and enhancing these landscapes are developed, communicated, taught, and adopted to effectively protect and enhance water and other natural resources. Nationally, turf covers 128,000 square kilometers which makes it the largest irrigated crop in the country. For perspective, this is approximately three times the area of that covered by corn. The professional workforce involved in the management of turf is diverse. It includes: municipal grounds managers; public and private school grounds managers ; public and private facility grounds managers; lawn care operators; landscapers; athletic field managers; golf course superintendents; construction workers; educators; environmental organizations; regulatory agencies; and affiliated businesses. Much of the workforce, particularly below the management level, enters the industry with little to no horticultural training. Furthermore, a significant percentage has inadequate training in chemical handling and application and therefore little knowledge of positive and potential negative effects on the environment and society. The Turf IndustryGolf is a major segment of the turf management industry. There are approximately 400 golf courses in Massachusetts alone. These include private as well as public and municipal courses. Using United States Golf Association (USGA) figures, these courses cover about 49,750 acres. About 10%, or 4975 acres, is intensively managed; the remainder is lightly managed, or comprised of woodlands, wetlands, surface waters, and other associated open space. These courses are estimated to generate $2.9 billion in net sales to MA businesses; provide 33,400 full and part time jobs in MA; and result in $812 million in wages to MA residents. In addition to proper golf courses, there are over 80 non-course golf practice facilities (driving ranges, chip and putt, etc.) accounting for an additional 1200 acres of managed landscape. Consistent, novel, and cutting edge professional development for golf turf managers is essential to maintain environmental stewardship and for the continued viability of the golf industry in Massachusetts. Public and private school athletic fields and grounds, and municipally owned and operated athletic fields and parks benefit the education and development of young people, help promote overall human health, and can be a source of community pride. Virtually all of the 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts have ownership and/or management responsibility of a few to dozens of athletic fields and/or complexes. It can be conservatively estimated that just the municipal and public school fields in Massachusetts approach 10,000 acres. In addition to municipal fields, communities are also responsible for the sustainable management of school properties, and other miscellaneous municipal open space (parks, public gardens). Field and turf maintenance is a budget item in almost every town budget, as are funds for hiring private contractors to care for these properties. Tens of thousands of youth and adults use public fields and parks each year. Judicious, responsible management of natural turf playing surfaces is necessary to provide aesthetically pleasing turf areas and functional, safe playing surfaces for these members of the community. Professional turf managers in all segments of the turf industry are challenged to meet shifting customer demand for organic, partially organic, and reduced input types of turf programs while meeting safety and quality expectations and protecting the environment. The development, communication and adoption of best management practices are critical. Consumers, environmental advocacy groups, municipal regulators, community volunteers and others receive conflicting, confusing information from the media and other information channels regarding proper turf care and its impact on the environment. There is a need for clear, easy to understand, and research proven information for consumers and others to use to make personal and community wide decisions regarding management of public land, private property. WaterWater is a primordial resource that must be protected to provide clean drinking water, support viable terrestrial, wetland and aquatic ecosystems, serve as an essential resource for businesses and land stewards, and provide recreational opportunities. Historically in our region, water supply has been adequate, and point source pollution is now mostly under control. Changes in human population pressures as well as in lifestyles, however, are creating new problems around water quantity and quality. Water withdrawals result in dry river beds and water consumption advisories, and polluted storm water has become a major concern for surface water bodies and wetlands. It is ultimately the state's responsibility to ensure safe and adequate water supply. In turn, the state relies on University-based research to investigate new threats, new treatment technologies, restoration principles, best management practices and effective policy steps to guide decision-makers. Municipal and regional governments need direction and practical examples to solve local water resource problems. In turn, natural resource based businesses need to adopt best management practices that result in environmentally sustainable, economically feasible management systems that protect water and other natural resources, and enhance the economic and environmental health of communities in MA. Finally, other entities (agencies, non-profit organizations) need information to help educate the public on what steps they can take to protect the water resources they use. UMass Extension can bridge the gap between academic research and practices to apply that research. The UMass Extension Turf Program strives to help turf managers and other interested individuals, organizations and communities meet these challenges by providing research based information on: locally evaluated turfgrass cultivars; balancing fertility with quality desired with a resultant decrease in applications of nitrogen materials; proper pest identification and management,; use of Integrated Pest Management (IPM); development and use of Best Management Practices (BMPs); protection, conservation and restoration of water resources; minimizing environmental impact of turf management practices and materials; and understanding toxicological concerns for applicators, clients and the environment. Natural Resource Based Economic DevelopmentNatural Resource Based Economic Development provides an opportunity to preserve community character, while providing economic development and other critical public benefits to current and future generations. The University of Massachusetts serves a primary role in delivering education to target audiences, informing policy decisions, and generating applied research critical to the health of natural resource based businesses in Massachusetts and their associated public benefits. The University of Massachusetts Amherst is the principle source of research, teaching and extension for turf management in New England. We have a strong national presence in the golf and sports turf industries. We have a full complement of faculty and staff expertise (agronomy, entomology, weed science, pathology, nematology, etc) and an active Extension Program. We are the oldest turf education program in the country and the largest in NE and NY. The UMass Turf Program has the largest undergrad enrollment of any major in the College of NRE and in the Dept of PSIS. We also have an active undergraduate sports management program at UMass Amherst that targets the golf industry. The Sustainable Turf Management Project has the following priorities:Water
Public and private land managers and businesses dependent on natural resources (such as agriculture, the horticultural green industry, forestry and others) have a direct impact on water resources. They must use practices that prevent and reduce water pollution, and protect and restore water resources. Natural Resource Based Economic Development
The loss of open space is a high priority threat to natural resource based businesses and the public benefits that they provide. It is critical that prime land and water resources in Massachusetts are preserved to sustain diverse types of economically viable Natural Resource Based Businesses now and in the future. Without an appropriate amount and type of land and water resources, the future of these businesses is highly uncertain. Natural resource-based Businesses are also diverse producers of public benefit, i.e products, open space, clean water and scenic backdrop. Natural Resource-Based Businesses are economically viable. They will need to develop and maintain operations resilient to changing economic, ecologic and social conditions of Massachusetts. Natural Resource-Based Businesses are ecologically sustainable. Massachusetts is the third most densely populated state in the nation. The citizens of the Commonwealth depend on the full range of public benefits that our natural resources provide, including clean water and clean air. Reducing environmental impacts will also help ensure that future generations will have healthy, productive land and water to work. People who manage natural systems with the primary goal of protecting or restoring the health of ecosystems need up-to-date information on ecosystems and ecological processes, as well as tools and approaches for land protection and management to achieve their goals. Other audiences engaged in the management of natural systems for multiple objectives, including the protection of environmental quality, need information on sustainable resource management and best management practices. Land managers that are managing highly managed landscapes (e.g. golf courses) and other public (e.g. school properties) and private lands need information on practices that limit the unintended consequences of management practices on nearby natural systems. Activities
Inputs: Time and Effort
Outcomes:This Project will document progress towards the following:
Extension program related to this project: Agriculture & Landscape
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