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Extension Services and developing a venue through which certified professional <br /> landscapers can be identified and recognized. <br /> Implementation Process: A meeting was held with the Pleasant Bay Alliance and other outreach <br /> organizations to discuss potential education and outreach opportunities and strategies for <br /> implementation. It was recommended that the Pleasant Bay Alliance, lead the education and <br /> outreach campaign. The Orleans Pond Coalition, Friends of Pleasant Bay,the Harwich Garden <br /> Club, the Brewster Water Quality Advisory Committee were also identified as potential <br /> partnering organizations. There may also be value in partnering with organizations such as the <br /> Massachusetts Master Gardener Association and local garden clubs, which train volunteers to <br /> provide horticultural education and outreach to the community. <br /> Maintenance over Time: Implementing an education and outreach program would require <br /> upfront time and monetary resources. Once materials are developed and the program is <br /> launched, it would require minimal financial resources to maintain the program over time. <br /> Additionally, an education and outreach campaign can help build general consensus and support <br /> for the bylaws recommended above. <br /> Level of Nitrogen Reduetion: It is difficult to calculate nitrogen reduction from changes in <br /> behavior. Based on the conversations with DEP described above, it would be worth considering <br /> a pilot program that could demonstrate the rate of compliance among homeowners and the <br /> amount of load reduction associated with identified changes in behavior. If nitrogen fertilizer <br /> applications to residential areas, particularly by lawn care professionals,were reduced by some <br /> residents from an average of three lbs/1,000 sq. ft.to a maximum of one lb/1,000 sq. ft.this <br /> could provide a quantifiable reduction in overall fertilizer loading. Table 6 quantifies the load <br /> reduction for this strategy when 1/3, 1/2, and 2/3 of lawns currently fertilized reduce fertilizer <br /> practices by approximately 2/3 (i.e., from three to one lb/1,000 sq. ft.). This shows that a 20% <br /> reduction in load may be achievable, but would need to be validated through a pilot. <br /> Table 5. Residential lawn nitrogen load reduction potential <br /> Population reducing Load reduction Load reduction Load reduction <br /> fertilizer use to (lbs) (% of fertilizer (% of <br /> 1 lb/1,000 sq.ft. applied to lawns controllable load <br /> 1/3 (33%) 1,563 22% 1.5% <br /> 1/2 (50%) 2,344 33% 2.3% <br /> 2/3 (67%) 3,126 44% 3.0% <br /> 5.5 TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT TRAINING <br /> A number of municipal and golf course professionals consulted throughout this project stressed <br /> the value of local training in turfgrass management,highlighting opportunities and techniques to <br /> reduce nitrogen fertilizer applications while maintaining turfgrass health. It is recommended that <br /> the Pleasant Bay Alliance work with the Cape Cod Water Protection Collaborative and the Cape <br /> Cod Landscape Association to develop a Cape Cod based training workshop on an annual or bi- <br /> annual basis that would attract local landscape professionals, municipal property managers and <br /> golf course superintendents. Additionally,those that attend a training could advertise their <br /> Pleasant Bay Fertilizer Management Plan 35 Horsley Witten Group, Inc. <br /> Final Report December 2010 <br />