Thursday, March 30, 2017

Pennsylvania chapters collaborate for BMPs

Implementation of Best Management Practices (BMPs)/BMP based plans are the standard route for protecting or improving the environment and water quality. Spend any time on the EPA’s website and you’ll find BMPs for agriculture, protecting pollinators, watershed models and determining nutrient loads. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) relies heavily on BMPs within agriculture as well as many other industries which have their BMPs. They are the actions by which progress is achieved.

The term “best management practice” has many different connotations. Best Management Practices can range from “structural or engineered features” such as a detention pond or vegetated swales to “non-structural” agronomic practices [fertilization, integrated pest management (IPM), and irrigation] that are deemed “best” for the management of a particular venue. Most often, BMPs within the regulatory framework are linked to the passing of the 1973 Clean Water Act (CWA) by the United States Congress. Section 303(d) of the CWA requires states to establish Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) for impaired waters on a prioritized schedule. TMDLs establish the maximum amount of a pollutant that a water body can assimilate without causing a violation of water quality standards. Considering the proactive nature of the golf course industry and our commitment to environmental stewardship, BMP development efforts help us adhere to TMDL standards, but they also do more.

In golf, BMPs represent a framework for a sustainable approach to golf course management. As GCSAA has established a goal of helping all 50 states create BMP models by 2020, Pennsylvania is gearing up for the process.

Like some know, we have a BMP manual that was constructed back in 2009, but with little buy-in from our members across the state. This time around, as we work on “version 2” that can be implemented with GCSAA’s new robust BMP template tool, we will work through the process with member engagement, member updates, and representation from our state regulatory agency, the Department of Environmental Protection. Representation from DEP is important so that they are bought in to our BMPs, and have documentation for how golf is addressing environmental management, TMDLs and the like. Furthermore, we will need representation from our land-grant University, Penn State, to review the science behind the BMPs and validate their credibility.

As we move forward, we will establish a BMP steering committee comprised of representation from all six chapters, myself, a PSU Turf Professor, and a representative from DEP. GCSAA will be distributing grants later this year to help pay for the development and publication of these BMPs, and PA plans on submitting a grant application. Fortunately, the costs associated with BMP development will be greatly minimized with the help of the GCSAA BMP Template, which is already populated with dozens and dozens of BMPs designed for golf course management.

With BMPs providing the framework for sustainability in the future, it gives us one more tool to show our communities, stakeholders, customers, and governments that we are proud land managers with a commitment to sustainability.

Note: Written in part by Mark Johnson, GCSAA Associate Director of Environmental Programs

Saturday, March 4, 2017

VGCSA representatives trek to state capitol

Posting courtesy of David Norman, VGCSA

Recently, VGCSA representatives Mark Cote, Scott Mauldin, Pete Stephens, David Norman and Tyler Eastham visited with state senators and delegates at the General Assembly. They visited each representative's office, offering a gift bag with important information about our association and the industry. A thumb drive with the BMP, our mission statement and a postcard highlighting our stewardship were all included.

After the visit to the General Assembly, the VGCSA representatives headed to the House of Delegates and Senate Chambers. They were introduced to the floor by Senator David Marsden who noted the $2.5 billion economic impact to the state and the 30,000 Virginians that are employed by the industry. The annual trip is important to building and strengthening the relationships with our elected officials.


Scott Mauldin, CGCS, Mark Cote and Pete Stephens at the Rotunda 

VGCSA President Mark Cote visits with Senator David Marsden