The 8th Annual Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA) Course in Organic Land Care will be held on January 14, 15, 16, 20, 21, 2009 (snow dates Jan. 22 and 23) at the Doyle Conservation Center in Leominster, Massachusetts, a sustainably-constructed “green” building featuring bamboo and cork floors, composting toilets and an on-site recycling center.
 
Sponsored and organized by the NOFA Organic Land Care Program, this is a five-day, (accreditation optional) intensive course designed to provide professionals with the education needed for an understanding of organic land care from design to maintenance. The curriculum is based on Standards for Organic Land Care: Practices for Design and Maintenance of Ecological Landscapes, written by NOFA’s Organic Land Care Committee. These Standards, first published in 2001, are the first of their kind in the country.
 
Course faculty include respected scientists and experienced organic land care practitioners, who instruct the following classes: Principles and Procedures; Site Analysis, Design, and Maintenance; Rain Gardens/Storm Water Infiltration; Soil Health; the Soil Foodweb; Fertilizer and Soil Amendments; Composting; Lawns; Lawn Alternatives; Planting and Plant Care; Wetlands; Pest Management; Wildlife Management; Disease Control; Weeds; Mulches; Invasive Plants; Client Relations and Running a Business. Four hands-on case studies are also included in the course.
 
At the end of the course, attendees will be able to incorporate methods and materials that respect natural ecology and the long-term health of the environment into the care of their own landscapes or ones that they manage. Those who pass the optional exam offered at the conclusion of the course can become NOFA Accredited Organic Land Care Professionals, able to use the NOFA Organic Land Care Logo, be listed on the www.organiclandcare.net website, be published annually in the NOFA Guide to Organic Land Care and have the opportunity to represent NOFA at organic land care events.
 
Over 700 land care professionals from 17 states have taken NOFA’s course. These professionals include landscapers from large and small firms, landscape architects, garden center employees, municipal groundskeepers and property managers. Small business owners, entrepreneurs, homeowners, land trust and conservation organization staff and many others have also found the course extremely valuable.
 
For more information or to receive registration brochures, contact Kathy Litchfield, NOFA/Mass Organic Land Care Course Coordinator, at (413) 773-3830, kathylitch29@yahoo.com or visit www.organiclandcare.net and register online.
 
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