NOFA/Mass received a $10,000 grant from the Toxics Use Reduction Institute at University of Massachusetts Lowell in October, to complete two municipal organic lawn demonstration projects in the Towns of Ayer and Stoneham.
The grant is a collaboration between NOFA Accredited Organic Land Care Professionals and the municipal employees responsible for the properties selected for the demonstration sites. The grant is being coordinated by Kathy Litchfield, NOFA Organic Land Care Program Coordinator for NOFA/Mass.
The goals are to publicly demonstrate the benefits of organic land care, by creating a series of beautiful, cost-effective, replicable, highly visible demonstration lawns that are managed by municipalities without the use of synthetic pesticides or fertilizers; to provide much-needed support to municipalities wanting to transition to organic; and to raise public awareness of the benefits and beauty of organic lawns.
The grant also builds upon two previous $1,000 TURI grants received in 2007 and 2008, which provided full scholarships for 11 municipal employees to attend the NOFA Organic Lawn & Turf Course. Jeff Thomas, Parks Supervisor in Ayer, and Rick Arzillo, groundskeeper in Stoneham, both attended that course on TURI scholarships and have been integrating organic methods into their town-owned property maintenance.
The 2010 TURI grant partners Thomas, of Ayer, with NOFA Accredited Organic Land Care Professional (AOLCP) Donald Bishop of Gardens Are. Inc. in Marlborough, MA to perform work at Sandy Pond Beach, a recreational town park and swimming area.
Arzillo, of Stoneham, is working with NOFA AOLCP Michael Murray, of Organic Soil Solutions Inc. in Woburn, to transition the center circle of the Town Common to organic management.
Two environmental groups, the Nashua River Watershed Association and the Greenscapes Program of the Massachusetts Bays Estuary Association, are also partnering on the grant to help with publicity and further their mission of protecting waterways from lawn chemical runoff and pollution.
Work began at both sites in October, with the application of compost topdressings, overseeding and the addition of humates/kelp on the two properties. Next Spring, a public kick-off ceremony at each site will highlight the work done and promote organic land care at the municipal and homeowner levels. As part of the grant, a customized homeowner’s brochure will be created describing the benefits of organic lawns, listing websites for resources and listing the local AOLCPs. A “tool kit” will also be created, detailing the overall project, to be used by other municipalities wishing to do organic lawn demonstration projects.
The TURI Community Program strives to help organizations raise awareness of the hazards of toxic chemical use and introduce safer alternatives within their neighborhoods. It supports the work of many community organizations by providing grants, training, education and outreach on toxic use reduction methods, alternatives and resources. For more information on TURI, visit www.turi.org or contact Joy Onasch at (978) 934-4343 or joy@turi.org.
For more information about the Organic Lawn Demonstration Projects and the NOFA Organic Land Care Program, visit www.organiclandcare.net or contact Kathy Litchfield at (413) 773-3830 or Kathy@nofamass.org.