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landscape professionals about the impacts of nitrogen fertilizer on water resources, encouraging <br /> natural landscapes and limited fertilizer use, and sharing successes through community events. <br /> This message can be conveyed through a number of mechanisms. Potential components of an <br /> education and outreach campaign include: <br /> • Branding a`Cape Cod Lawn' to promoting specific lawn care practices that are unique to <br /> Cape Cod due to the fragile ecosystem. As part of the `Cape Cod Lawn' campaign <br /> limited fertilizer use and proper application should be promoted as follows: <br /> o Reduce lawn area by replacing turf with native landscapes that do not require <br /> fertilization; <br /> o If fertilizer is needed, as determined by a professional soil test(University of <br /> Massachusetts soil lab: http://www.umass.edu/plsoils/soiltest/), limit fertilizer <br /> applications to a maximum of one lb N/1,000 sq. ft. of lawn area per year; <br /> o If fertilizer is needed,use an organic, slow-release,water-insoluble fertilizer at the <br /> recommended dose; do not spread the fertilizer if heavy rain is predicted; evenly <br /> distribute the fertilizer using a mechanical spreader at the lowest setting, going <br /> over the area two or three times; and sweep up fertilizer that accidentally lands on <br /> paved surfaces; <br /> o Leave, at minimum, a 50-foot unfertilized buffer to any pond, stream,wetland, or <br /> surface water body(perhaps 100 feet if there is a steep slope down to the water <br /> body); and <br /> o Fertilize only in late April/early May and late August/early September when the <br /> turf can best use the nutrients. <br /> • Developing a venue though which homeowners can be recognized for achieving a `Cape <br /> Cod Lawn.' This could be in the form of a lawn sign, garden tours, or highlighting <br /> homeowners' achievements in the local newspaper; <br /> • Educating second homeowners and homeowner associations about the value of <br /> requesting landscaping services that follow specific fertilizer use and application <br /> practices described in the `Cape Cod Lawns' checklist above; <br /> • Working with garden clubs and other organizations, such as the Orleans Ponds Coalition, <br /> to organize trainings/workshops and garden tours featuring `Cape Cod Lawns' and <br /> naturalized landscapes; <br /> • Distributing `Welcome to the Watershed' outreach materials to new and seasonal <br /> homeowners to encourage the `Cape Cod Lawns' program and minimal or no fertilizer <br /> use; <br /> • Establishing demonstration sites at local schools and municipal properties; <br /> • Promoting `Cape Cod Lawns' in local schools through a logo design competition and <br /> curricula development; <br /> • Publishing a bi-annual newsletter or column in the local newspaper or in annual water <br /> bills to report on the program's progress and maintain public interest; <br /> • Promoting the program at local events, such as farmer's markets, cultural fairs, etc. and in <br /> public venues, such as town halls and libraries; <br /> • Providing educational resources on the Pleasant Bay Alliance website or through local <br /> access channels; and <br /> • Promoting and encouraging the certification of professional landscapers by an <br /> appropriate organization such as the Pleasant Bay Alliance or the Cape Cod Cooperative <br /> Pleasant Bay Fertilizer Management Plan 34 Horsley Witten Group,Inc. <br /> Final Report December 2010 <br />