The program prepares citizens in Minnesota and Wisconsin to provide volunteer support to local Watershed Districts. Minnesota Golf Course Superintendents Association administrator Jack MacKenzie has created “Watershed Coolers” to distribute to homeowners with information about lakeshore landscaping, lawn care, and other topics.
When Jack MacKenzie was a golf course superintendent, he never had time to take care of his own lawn at home. After a job change, he dove into new projects in his local community, joining the Forest Lake Parks, Trails and Lakes Commission and the Comfort Lake – Forest Lake Watershed District’s Citizen Advisory Committee, the Cottage Grove, Minn., South Washington County Bulletin reported.
As MacKenzie learned more about local water management, he soon realized that he could put his expertise in turf management to good use, helping other people learn how to take care of their lawns without polluting local lakes or groundwater resources, the Bulletin reported.
Back in 2011, several golf courses in Minnesota lost their water appropriation permits due to concerns about over-taxing aquifers during drought conditions. In response, MacKenzie and others in the golf industry created a best practices package that courses across the state could adopt to conserve water and reduce their fertilizer and pesticide use, the Bulletin reported.
After taking a new job as administrator for the Minnesota Golf Course Superintendents Association, MacKenzie also started teaching turfgrass management classes in partnership with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Fortin Consulting, and the University of Minnesota – Extension. The training program helps public works departments and private lawn care companies modify their practices to use less chemicals, create less runoff pollution, and reduce costs, the Bulletin reported.
Two years ago, MacKenzie learned about Master Water Stewards, a program that trains citizens in water science, policy, and management so that they can provide volunteer support to local Watershed Districts. MacKenzie signed up for a St. Croix version of the program, and was soon taking classes with a cohort of enthusiastic stewards from Minnesota and Wisconsin, the Bulletin reported.
For his capstone project, MacKenzie created “Watershed Coolers” to distribute to homeowners in Forest Lake, Scandia and southern Chisago County with information about lakeshore landscaping, lawn care, and other topics of interest. People would have to attend a presentation about lake-friendly lawn care to get their free cooler, the Bulletin reported.
“Comfort Lake – Forest Lake is really focused on installing large projects to capture phosphorus and in helping lakeshore landowners to establish native shoreline buffers,” MacKenzie said.
His message is targeted at lake residents who already have a buffer but need help taking care of their lawn, as well as those who aren’t interested or able to complete a shoreline planting at this time, the Bulletin reported.
“If you’re going to choose turf, be responsible in how you take care of it,” MacKenzie said. “Research shows that a poorly maintained lawn with bare patches can be almost as bad for lakes as an over-fertilized lawn.”
MacKenzie’s cooler project is off to a good start. During the presentations, he teaches homeowners how to create healthy lawns that are more resistant to weeds and drought and create less runoff for local lakes. Thinking long term, he’d like to take his class on the road, presenting to people around Washington County, the Bulletin reported.
Talking to Jack MacKenzie, it’s hard to believe that he was once even more busy than he is today. In spite of his projects and committees, however, he claims that he’s finally found time to take care of his own yard, the Bulletin reported.
“I’ve got a great place on Sylvan Lake,” he said, “and I’m fixing it up to be a demonstration project where people can see what low-input lawn care practices look like in real life. I even planted native plants along the shoreline.”
Watershed Organizations in Washington County will be recruiting 10 stewards to begin training in October 2017 and have special grant funds available to pay for the capstone projects next spring. To learn more about the Master Water Stewards program, go to www.masterwaterstewards.org.
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