YardScaping: Minimizing Reliance on Pesticides by Example Using Demonstration, Outreach and IPM Training

Project Coordinator

Gary Fish
Maine Board of Pesticides Control
28 State House Station, Augusta, Maine 04333
207.287.2731
207.287.7548 (fax)
gary.fish@maine.gov

Executive Summary

Maine residents are increasingly treating their lawns and gardens with pesticides as evidenced by the doubling of yard care pesticides distributed in Maine between 1995 and 2001 to 1.8 million pounds. This coincides with a tripling in the number of lawn care companies offering services in Maine. The goal of this project is to establish a beautiful, highly visible, low input landscape demonstration site in Maine’s largest city, Portland, that would serve as an attention-grabbing “advertisement” of how homeowners can minimize reliance on pesticides and still grow attractive gardens and turf. In addition, the project would also partner with the city of Brunswick to establish two public athletic fields as sports turf IPM demonstration sites.

Located along the well-trafficked shoreline walking trail of the Back Cove, the Portland site would promote via beautiful plantings and educational signage: reduced reliance on pesticides, fertilizers and water; appropriate plants (native and non-invasive aliens); reduced lawn area; reduced runoff; buffers; landscape diversity; wildlife habitats; and common sense pest management. The Brunswick site would be dedicated to showcasing IPM of athletic fields.

In addition to both sites serving as inspirational examples for replication at home or the ball field, they would function as training sites for local professional landscapers and municipal employees to increase awareness and adoption of IPM. Also a public relations campaign would be executed to garner public exposure.

The project would be a collaborative, community-based effort carried out by a number committed, resourceful partners, including the YardScaping Coalition (see list of members attached) local and state governments, a local watershed organization, community college students, and university staff and volunteers.

Immediate success of the project will be measured by an exit survey conducted during and following the gala opening of the demonstration sion-site surveys available at a kiosk at the demonstration site, homeowner use surveys, and attendance numbers. Long-term success of the project will be gauged by analysis of pesticide sales data and surface water monitoring results.

Project Description and Objectives

The Maine Board of Pesticides Control (BPC), City of Portland, Friends of Casco Bay, Southern Maine Community College, University of Maine Cooperative Extension and Cumberland County Master Gardeners proposes to establish a low input landscape area along the Back Cove walking trail in Portland, Maine. Also, the BPC will partner with the town of Brunswick to establish an outreach program utilizing two IPM-managed public sports fields to serve as demonstration sites. Both projects would introduce homeowners as well as landscape professionals to practices that create attractive landscapes without reliance on pesticides and how pesticides may be a risk to human health and cause of environmental pollution.

Develop and create demonstrationlandscapes that are low input, attractive and replicable for homeowners and municipalities.
Evaluate the effectiveness of this project through administration and analysis of an exit survey during and after the gala opening of the demonstration site and on-site surveys available at both demonstration site kiosks. Success will also be gauged by homeowner pesticide use surveys, numbers of participants in educational sessions and estimates of visitor numbers to the demonstration areas. Long-term results of this project will be measured through analysis of reports submitted to the Maine Board of Pesticides Control on lawn and landscape wholesale pesticide distribution and commercial pesticide application and by funding of surface water runoff sampling in the Back Cove watershed by The Friends of Casco Bay and the Maine Board of Pesticides Control. Both of these aspects will set baselines for comparison to future analysis of the distribution and application data and future surface water sampling in the Back Cove watershed.
Implement public relations components to maximize visibility and awareness of the educational project through unpaid media coverage.
Provide IPM training for local professional landscapers and surrounding area municipal landscape employees.
Widely disseminate success of model project with municipalities statewide.

Justification

This project is needed to address the increasing use of pesticides and fertilizers on residential and other community properties. There is little public awareness and understanding of pesticide risks, as evidenced by the ever-increasing use of pesticides on home lawns and gardens. The pursuit for the perfect yard has driven many homeowners to increasingly use readily available, heavily advertised pesticides, including “weed and feed” herbicides. The volume of home lawn and garden pesticides distributed in Maine doubled between 1995 and 2001 to 1.8 million pounds, coinciding with a triple explosion in the number of lawn care companies statewide (Maine Board of Pesticides Control, 1995-200 1). The amount of pesticide formulation used on home lawns and gardens now exceeds that of all agricultural uses in Maine (Maine Board of Pesticides Control, 2003).

Fortunately, it is widely recognized that low-risk sensible approaches to pest management, or IPM, is the best way of protecting human health and natural resources while maintaining attractive lawns and landscapes. Although farmers have used IPM for decades to reduce costs, manage risks and protect crops, the general public has little awareness or understanding of IPM practices. Homeowners (the largest, least regulated pesticide user group) and landscape professionals could greatly benefit from an understanding of simple IPM practices that minimize reliance on pesticides and fertilizers.

The IPM demonstration sites will serve as focal points for raising awareness about low input landscape management practices, such as adjusting mowing height, taking soil tests and choosing well-adapted, non-invasive, pest-resistant plants.
Pesticide distribution and surface water sampling data have been the major factors for driving the development of both the BayScaping and YardScaping programs. The two-fold increase in backyard pesticide distribution and the discovery of lawn care pesticides and nutrients in the runoff waters from high maintenance lawn areas has put low input alternative strategies high on the priority lists of all our major participants. Surface water sampling results have exceeded some aquatic life criteria (proposed by the National Academy of Sciences, 1973, Norris and Dost, 1991 and Menconi and Cox, 1994) as cited in U.S.G.S., 1999. Comparison of these baseline data with future sampling will be important to gauge the success of our education and outreach efforts.
Fostering social behavior change is often most effective when it is carried out at the community level, involving the direct influence of peers. Featuring more sustainable behaviors in a community setting, such as this project demonstrates, will aid in awareness of pesticide risks to human health and the environment and help to prompt these behaviors. Also, the coordination of this project involves key members of the residing and working communities: an influential watershed organization, city employees, and gardeners, students and professionals of the community. This social marketing strategy coupled with unpaid media coverage makes for a viable approach in motivating Mainers to start maintaining their yards in a healthy, ecological way.
Our project will build on a successful model developed by the Maine Board of Pesticides Control and the Friends of Casco Bay, called BayScaping, which engages homeowners in understanding how pesticides and fertilizers can run-off from lawns, sidewalks and driveways to pollute sensitive estuarine and fresh-water ecosystems and how they can prevent this from happening. We will expand this educational model by further engaging the lawn industry/service providers in the education process as a means of promoting IPM practices and reducing pesticide risks.
The demonstration sites as models provide another example of the social marketing stratagem. Offering an already established, adaptable model provides peer-to-peer (or town-to-town) social diffusion. In our project’s case, the goal is to promote better environmental and human health habits through reduced reliance on lawn and landscape pesticides.

Literature Review

According to a report on carcinogenic potential of chemicals done by U.S. EPA’s Office of Pesticides Programs, 18 active ingredients commonly used on turf and ornamentals in Maine are classified as possible human carcinogens or likely to be carcinogenic to humans (USEPA, 2004).
A number of epidemiological studies have linked pesticide exposure to reproductive and developmental toxicity in humans. One study showed that organophosphate insecticides and phenoxyacid herbicides were associated with infertility in women involved in pesticide-related activities (Curtis et al., 1999). Phenoxyacid and benzoic acid-derived herbicides are found in 1,500 commonly used products, including ones used at home.
A recent literature review by the Ontario College of Family Physicians demonstrates a number of potential associations between home pesticide use and long term health effects. (Ontario College of Family Physicians, 1999)
A new animal study associates a link between lawn herbicides and possible miscarriages and lost pregnancies in humans (Porter, 2004).
The Friends of Casco Bay storm water sampling studies revealed a wide range of lawn care pesticides and fertilizers in Casco Bay, with three pesticides (2,4-D, MCPP, diazinon) at levels exceeding proposed aquatic life criteria (The Friends of Casco Bay, 200 1-2003 and USGS, 1999).
According to water sampling in the Puget Sound Basin from 1987 to 1995, twenty-three pesticides were found in urban streams, with five insecticides exceeding the maximum concentrations set by the National Academy of Sciences and National Academy of Engineering. Sales data from home and garden stores linked two detected herbicides (2,1-D and MCPP) and one insecticide (diazinon) with residential applications. The presence of these pesticides from all twelve study sites showed their widespread application impacts water quality in urban streams (Bortleson and Davis, 1997).
The Living Lawn demonstration site in Marblehead, Mass., which was built by a volunteer community led coalition in 1998, led to the adoption of an organic pest management policy for the town’s public lands, including athletic fields. It serves as an educational site for homeowners and other towns and a stop on garden tours (Eisener, 2004)
There is a wave of current literature on the new approach of low input landscaping. Watershed Protection Techniques’ article Toward a Low Input Lawn lauds horticultural knowledge over self-interested high input lawns, pointing out eight rudimentary principles to healthy turf growing: reducing lawn area, soil building, proper grass selection, mowing and thatch management, minimal fertilization, weed control and tolerance, IPM and sensible watering (Schueler and Holland, 2000). The Landscape Guide for Canadian Homes, a 1 75-page comprehensive handbook published this year, covers topics from working with nature while meeting your needs to choosing hard surfaces that reduce runoff to capturing and recycling storm water to choosing low maintenance plants (Lefebvre and Fisher, 2004).

Part V. Approach and Methods

Portland

In year one, Southern Maine Community College will incorporate the Back Cove demonstration project into two of their existing class curricula. During the first course Landscape Suroeying and Mapping, students will create a landscape map showing land contours, surface drainage patterns, existing vegetative characteristics and other landscape information. In Landscape Design, a prepared sketch and finished design will be completed, detailing a site evaluation, plant and hardscaping materials, plan graphics, as well as business aspects of landscape design. They will incorporate principles of low input landscaping such as selecting the right plant for the right place for the right use, as well as selecting some plantings that are suggested alternatives to common invasive plant species. Also, an area next to a widely used athletic field will be dedicated to showcasing three alternative grass seed mixes that do not require as much water and chemicals as do the commonly marketed mixes. Maine nurseries and gardeners will be solicited to support the project with plant donations. Plants that cannot be acquired through contributions will be ordered in the first year and planted in the second year due to expected yearlong wait for order fulfillment.

Also in year one, The Friends of Casco Bay will take surface water runoff samples in the spring and late summer/fall from two to three drainage swales exiting areas where identified lawn and landscape pesticides are applied to residential and business properties within the Back Cove watershed. Samples will be taken in the spring and fall following major precipitation events with greater than 1/2 inch of rain. The samples will be analyzed by a laboratory with an EPA approved quality assurance project plan for the most commonly applied lawn and landscape pesticides including: 2,4-D, dicamba, MCPP, diazinon, carbaryl and any others likely to be found. The Friends of Casco Bay have sampled other areas within the Casco Bay watershed for pesticides and fertilizers therefore we are confident that reliable samples can be taken, using established protocols for sampling, sample handling and sample analysis.

During the growing season of 2005, when site preparation and planting will be underway, many volunteer hours of labor and equipment have already been committed for the Back Cove project. City of Portland will donate the use of its equipment (slit seeder, tiller, roller, etc.), as well as labor in establishing and maintaining the landscape. Volunteers from Cooperative Extension and Master Gardeners will provide their expertise in coordinating the horticultural end of the project (plant selection, securing donations, purchasing and transplanting).

The same surface water sampling regimen will be repeated in year two.

Also in year two, a temporary employee will be hired for a 10 week period to prepare the surveys and do data entry and analysis of the pesticide distribution and application data the Maine Board of Pesticides Control receives on an annual basis. Data for products applied by homeowners, lawn care operators and tree care companies will be tallied and analyzed from the reports collected in January of the second project year.

Jeff Tarling, city arborist and parks operation manager for the City of Portland, will be the lead coordinator/contact for the Back Cove project. Phil Stack, department chair of Plant and Soil Technology at Southern Maine Community College, is the instructor for the student courses and has worked on another Back Cove landscape project in the past with his students. University of Maine Cooperative Extension represents another valuable resource both in horticultural expertise and volunteer manpower. Represented from this academic faction are Barbara Murphy and Frank Wertheim, extension educators, Amy Witt, horticultural aide, and Pam Ames, advanced master gardener.

Throughout the planning and design phase of the project, action will be taken to develop a Web site detailing all the particulars of the project: history, purpose, steps for growing and maintaining healthy, low input landscapes, site plant list, Maine plant list (to include larger summary of native and non-invasive plants), other resources, project partners, etc. A dedication ceremony will also be hosted at the completion of the project, serving both as an invitation to the community and as a media event that would garner publicity in addition to the planned advertising. During the dedication ceremony the audience will be surveyed to gauge the success of the demonstration area.

Two primary people will coordinate the Back Cove dedication event and media campaign: Mary Cerullo, associate director for the Friends of Casco Bay, and Kelly Bourdeau, public relations representative, Maine Board of Pesticides Control. Combined, the two have over 40 years experience in public outreach.

Brunswick

Brunswick has developed and begun implementation of an IPM plan for all town parks and recreation facilities. The city parks and recreation department is now in a position to begin using the city’s public parks and sports fields to educate the public about IPM as a means of minimizing pesticide reliance and impacts.

Portland and Brunswick

At both the Back Cove and Brunswick site appropriate signs and kiosks will be constructed and placed to identify the site as well as promote IPM as a practical, environmentally friendly approach to maintaining attractive and functional lawns, gardens and athletic fields that can also be grown by others. These signs will offer IPM tips or direct visitors to a Web site and phone number for more information. In addition to the signs, each site will have kiosks. These kiosk will serve as a vehicle for the on-site surveys and a place to provide educational brochures.

Training sessions for municipal employees and local landscapers will be held at both demonstration sites during the second year summer and early fall to address the issue of rising pesticide use on residential and community properties and to educate how IPM can be used to minimize reliance on pesticide use.

Local and regional turf and ornamental IPM experts will be contracted to provide the training.

Instructors could include Mary Owen, turf IPM specialist U-Mass, Pat Vittum, turf entomologist, U-Mass,Jennifer Grant, community IPM specialist, Cornell University, Cohn Stewart, greenhouse and homeowner IPM specialist, U-Maine, Chuck Ravis, turf IPM consultant, Country Club Lawns and staff from all the major contributors.

In addition, the completed project would serve as a model for other municipalities statewide. Our coalition of partners would advocate for other municipalities to create like demonstration sites in their communities and the group will also serve as a resource in their efforts to establish one. The project would be communicated via an informational mailing.

Impact Assessment

This project meets the PESP goal to build state and local IPM capacities by demonstrating successful IPM and pesticide minimization practices to municipal grounds officials, landscape professionals and home gardeners. Additionally, IPM capacities will be improved through educational sessions and outreach provided by the many partners involved in the Yardscaping coalition. PESP’s risk reduction goals should also be addressed by the data collected in the surface water monitoring and pesticide distribution and application analysis parts of the project. We will collect and analyze pesticide distribution and surface water runoff data to establish a baseline. Future analysis and sampling (dependent on funding) will be the empirical gauge of the program’s overall success. If pesticide application practices are changed by the training and promotion done through the educational programs, signage and web site, then we hope to see a decline in pesticide distribution and application and in the number of pesticide detections.

Development of successful demonstration sites will strengthen the partnership and collaboration between the many and diverse members of the YardScaping coalition. With this success we expect more demonstration sites will be planned and implemented. The duplication of this model by other municipalities or groups will be an important gauge of success.

The immediate success of the demonstration site will be gauged through the surveys administered during and immediately after the dedication ceremony and by analysis of the on-site surveys available in the on-site kiosks. Success of the promotional campaign and educational sessions will be gauged by levels of attendance, participant evaluations and home pesticide user surveys.

Appendix A. Literature Cited

Bortleson, Gilbert, and Davis, Dale, 1987-1995, Pesticides in Selected Small Streams in the Puget Sound Basin
Curtis, K.M., Savitz, D.A., Weinberg, C.R., Arbuckle, T.E., 1999, The Effict of Pesticide Exposure on Time to Pregnancj
Eisener, Laura, 2004, People, Places and Plants, Going Organic for a ‘Greener’ Lawn: Marblehead’s Living Lawn is vibrant proof that towns and homeowners can go chem-free
Lefebvre, Daniel and Fisher, Susan, 2004, Landscape Guide for Canadian Homes
Ontario College of Family Physicians, 2004, Pesticides Literature Review
Porter, Warren,Jaeger,James, and Fernanda Cavieres, Maria, 2002, Developmental Thxiciy of a Commercial Herbicide Mixture in Mice: I. Effects on Embyo Implantation and Litter Site
Schueler, Thomas and Holland, Heather, 2000, The Practice of Watershed Protection, Toward a Low Input Lawn
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2004, Chemicals Evaluated for Carcinogenic Potential, Office of Pesticide Programs
U.S.G.S. Fact Sheet 097-99, 1999, Pesticides Detected in Urban Streams During Rainstorms and Relations to Retail Sales of Pesticides in King County, Washington

Appendix B. Timetable

Pre-Grant period

Sept. 13, 2004—Yardscaping committee meets to define parameters for the Back Cove demonstration area.
Sept. 14, 2004—Demonstration area sub committee meets to develop rough plot plan, plant list and proposed features of Back Cove area.

Fiscal Year One

October 2004

Southern Maine Community College (SMCC) students survey and map site.
Seek plant donations via nurseries and gardener networks. Place orders for remaining plants.
Look for 2-3 water monitoring sites

November/December 2004

SMCC students develop landscape design for Back Cove demonstration area based on parameters set by Yardscaping committee and sub committee.
Determine signage needs for both sites: number, construction, text.
Start planning of Web site development: determine look, content, navigation.

Spring 2005

Prepare site: plant trees, shrubs, perennials, ground covers, etc.
Sample drainage swales in Back Cove watershed for analysis.
Analyze pesticide distribution and commercial application data.
Construct Brunswick’s educational kiosks.
Start preparing for dedication ceremony and media relation materials.

August 2005

Prepare lawn areas for planting.
Sample drainage swales in Back Cove watershed for analysis.

September 2005

Plant low input grass seed in lawn areas.

Fiscal Year Two

Spring 2006

Coordinate training sessions, etc.
Prepare outreach materials for dedication ceremony.
Install Portland signs and On-Site Survey Kiosk.

June 2006

Hire temp to prepare surveys and analyze distribution and application data.
Sample drainage swales in Back Cove watershed for analysis.

June/July 2006

Hold dedication ceremony, conduct exit survey and begin on-site surveys.

July/August 2006

Hold training sessions for landscape professionals and municipal employees.
Sample drainage swales in Back Cove watershed for analysis.
Summarize and analyze exit and on-site survey results.

Late September 2006

Hold second set of training sessions for landscape professionals, etc.
Prepare and distribute outreach materials for dissemination of project to municipalities statewide.

Appendix C. Major Participants

Jeff Tarling, Arborist and Parks Operation Manager, City of Portland
Peter Baecher, Parks and Facilities Manager, City of Brunswick
Mary Cerullo, Associate Director, The Friends of Casco Bay
Phil Stack, Faculty Member Department Chair of Plant and Soil Technology, Southern Maine Community College
Gary Fish, Certification Specialist, Maine Board of Pesticides Control
Kelly Bourdeau, Public Relations Representative, Maine Board of Pesticides Control
Kathy Murray, Entomologist, Maine Department of Agriculture
Frank Wertheim, Educator, University of Maine Cooperative Extension, York County
Barbara Murphy, Educator, University of Maine Cooperative Extension, Oxford
County

Project Period: September 1, 2004 - August 31, 2006