MINNESOTA GOLF COURSESUPERINTENDENTS ASSOCIATION

News & Articles

  • 12 Feb 2016 8:24 AM | John MacKenzie

    Midland Hills Pruning Workshop

    Midland Hills Golf Course

    2001 Fulham St., St. Paul, MN 55223

    March 11, 2016

    7:00am – 3:00pm

    Clients and homeowners expect healthy, aesthetically-appealing trees. Trees at different ages and of different sizes require different pruning techniques and management options. Many of the young trees in backyards and along streets in Minnesota require a lot of work and have specific pruning practices to ensure they grow to their full potential. Mature trees require different pruning techniques and management to ensure a good quality shade tree that is safe and provides the maximum benefits.

    Join us for a full day, hands-on workshop at a beautiful, local venue. This workshop will focus on developmental pruning techniques and management options of small trees (<8” DBH), medium trees (8” to 20” DBH), and large trees (>20” DBH, established canopy). The workshop will also include species factors in management choices, managing client/homeowner expectations, identifying and managing structural defects, and comparing work techniques to accomplish pruning. You will gain invaluable advice and experience on how to make proper pruning cuts on trees of various sizes. This workshop is designed for professionals with little or no pruning experience to those with advanced pruning skills. There will be low student to teacher ratios with some of the best arborists in the state providing instruction. If you participated in the workshop last year, come back and further develop your skills. Please bring your favorite pruning gear. Pruning shears and hand saws will be supplied for use during the workshop if necessary.

    Fee: $130.00 (includes coffee & pastries (AM) and hot lunch catered by Midland Hills Country Club)

    Presented by:  University of Minnesota – Department of Forest Resources, Minnesota Society of Arboriculture, and Minnesota Turf and Grounds Foundation

    Sponsored by:  Minnesota Society of Arboriculture and Minnesota Turf & Grounds Foundation

    Featuring Arborist Teaching Staff from: City of Saint Paul, Heritage Shade Tree Consultants, Branch & Bough Treecare, Tim’s Tree Service, University of Minnesota Department of Forest Resources and UMN Landcare

    *Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is required for this event*

    *Please bring eye protection, gloves and a hard hat or helmet*

    FORWARDED COURTESY OF MTGF

    952-473-3722
    www.mtgf.org

  • 09 Feb 2016 7:50 PM | John MacKenzie

    A podcast about the "big picture" of water use in the United States.

    Link here for an interesting perspective.

  • 09 Feb 2016 7:31 PM | John MacKenzie

    Your course dog is your best friend and Specticle remains faithful in unsurpassed weed control. We’re celebrating both Loyal Companions with the second year of our photo contest. Golf course superintendents and assistant superintendents are eligible to enter for a chance to win:

    (1) GRAND PRIZE:

    • 1 case of Specticle Total herbicide
    • 1 Tundra 160 Yeti® cooler
    • 1 Ruffwear® dog coat
    • $2,000 given to the winner’s local GCSAA chapter
    • Winner and his/her dog will be featured in promotional materials
    • (1 case of Specticle Total herbicide

    ENTER BELOW

    Contest runs through March 11, 2016.

    For More Information Link Here


  • 02 Feb 2016 2:17 PM | John MacKenzie

    Lawrence, Kan. (Feb. 2, 2016) - For Jonathan Gruber, persistence pays off. Gruber, 39, golf course superintendent at Hampton Cover Golf Course in Owens Cross Roads, Ala., has wanted to attend the annual Golf Industry Show (GIS) since entering the golf course management profession 18 years ago, but financially was unable to make the trip. Next week, he will finally get the chance after being chosen as a winner in the Bayer Superintendent Grant Program.

    Through the Bayer Superintendent Grant Program, the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA), its philanthropic organization, the Environmental Institute for Golf (EIFG), and the Environmental Science, a division of Crop Science, division of Bayer, are sending five golf course superintendents to the 2016 Golf Industry Show in San Diego (Feb. 6-11). The purpose of the grant is to assist superintendents with their professional development through participation in the annual event.

    "I have applied (for the Bayer grant) every year. I have always wanted to go to the show, I just didn’t have the opportunity,” said Gruber, a 14-year member of GCSAA. “When I found out I was chosen, I was ecstatic. It was a huge surprise. I am really looking forward to spending time with my peers and discussing ways I can make our golf course even better. After 18 years of trying to attend, I am fired up."

    “We are pleased to support superintendents in their desire for continued learning. The Bayer Superintendent Grant Program aims to empower superintendents with the latest tools and education techniques available,” Bayer Golf Business Manager David Wells said.

    Five winners are chosen through a random drawing. Each receives airfare, hotel accommodations for five nights, conference full-pack registration, two education seminars and $200 spending money. The four other winners for 2016 are:

    • GCSAA member John Ekstrom, 36, golf course superintendent at Indian Boundary Golf Course in Chicago, Ill.
    • GCSAA member Daryl “Cody” Moldenhauer, 41, golf course superintendent at American Falls Golf Course in American Falls, Idaho.
    • GCSAA member Ethan Shamet, 39, golf course superintendent at Deer Trace Golf Course in LaCygne, Kan.
    • GCSAA member Jerry Webb, 59, certified golf course superintendent at Stillwater Oaks in Stillwater, Minn.

    "Bayer has been a strong supporter of GCSAA and the EIFG by contributing to the betterment of our members and the golf course management profession," GCSAA CEO Rhett Evans said. "Bayer is providing this valuable opportunity, and I am excited for each of the winners to have the chance to expand their knowledge base and join us at the Golf Industry Show.”

    About GCSAA and the EIFG
    The Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) is a leading golf organization in the United States. Its focus is on golf course management, and since 1926 GCSAA has been the top professional association for the men and women who manage golf courses in the U.S. and worldwide. From its headquarters in Lawrence, Kan., the association provides education, information and representation to nearly 18,000 members in more than 78 countries. The association’s mission is to serve its members, advance their profession and enhance the enjoyment, growth and vitality of the game of golf. Visit GCSAA atwww.gcsaa.org or find us on Facebook orTwitter.

    The Environmental Institute for Golf is the philanthropic organization of the GCSAA. Its mission is to foster sustainability through research, awareness, education, programs and scholarships for the benefit of golf course management professionals, golf facilities and the game. Visit EIFG atwww.eifg.org or find us on Facebook orTwitter.

    About The Toro Company
    The Toro Company (NYSE: TTC) is a leading worldwide provider of innovative solutions for the outdoor environment, including turf, snow and ground engaging equipment and irrigation and outdoor lighting solutions. With sales of $2.2 billion in fiscal 2014, Toro’s global presence extends to more than 90 countries. Through constant innovation and caring relationships built on trust and integrity, Toro and its family of brands have built a legacy of excellence by helping customers care for golf courses, landscapes, sports fields, public green spaces, commercial and residential properties and agricultural fields. For more information, visitwww.thetorocompany.com.

  • 01 Feb 2016 6:38 AM | John MacKenzie

    The Play Golf Minnesota specialty license plate is now on sale through the Minnesota department of public safety's select DMV locations. Golfers who pay the $30 plate fee will have the satisfaction of knowing that proceeds will be directed toward for-good-of-the-game programs, such as junior golf and player development, designated by a joint Minnesota MGA/PGA committee.
 “It’s a wonderful opportunity for golfers to show their support of programs designed to sustain our great game,” said Tom Ryan, MGA Executive Director and COO. 

    To order your golf license plate, please visit your local county DMV office. 


  • 19 Jan 2016 5:45 PM | Anonymous

    More than 70 partner organizations and 256,000 citizens take concrete steps to promote bee health.

    RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. (Jan. 11, 2016) – The line at the pollinator all-you-can-eat buffet is a little longer this year thanks to the contributions of consumers and partners joining Bayer’s Feed a Bee initiative to plant more than 65 million flowers in 2015.

    More than 250,000 consumers joined the initiative to feed pollinators as the Feed a Bee website and #FeedABee hashtag went viral. By the end of the year, more than 70 organizations joined the fight pledging thousands of acres of land to the pollinator potluck dinner; all while educating the community about the role bees play in producing the fruits, nuts and vegetables we enjoy every day.

    “When we talk to the public, the most common question we hear is, ‘What can I do to help bees?” said Dr. Becky Langer, manager of the North American Bee Care Program. “Providing pollinators with abundant, diverse food sources is one of the most important things we can all do to promote bee health. We created Feed a Bee to make it easy for people to be involved, and we are delighted with the overwhelming response. We look forward to getting even more people involved this year.”

    Studies have shown when bees have access to adequate, diverse food sources they are better able to withstand the stresses caused by the devastating Varroa mite, as well as other mites and diseases. Through Feed a Bee, Bayer is working to increase forage options for bees and other pollinators at a time when agriculture is relying on them more and more to help produce enough food to feed a growing world population.

    The first year of the Feed a Bee program set the bar high, and Bayer aims to generate even more buzz in 2016 by establishing national partnerships and educating more consumers about what they can do to get involved and help pollinators thrive. Through online activations and events throughout the year, Bayer hopes to reach new audiences to surpass the milestones Feed a Bee achieved in 2015.

    “We’ve seen some great news in pollinator health in the past year from increasing population numbers to heightened involvement from consumers and other stakeholders,” said Jim Blome, president and CEO of Crop Science, a Division of Bayer. “We still have much work to do to ensure the future health of our honey bee colonies, but we hope the foundation we have from Feed a Bee will continue to bring more partners to the table.”

    Partnerships Nationwide
    In addition to enlisting consumers to plant additional forage, Feed a Bee partnered with several national organizations, including the National Wild Turkey FederationAmerican Agri-Women and Project Apis m.Headquartered in North Carolina, Bayer also partnered with local organizations to increase forage in the state, including produce delivery service The Produce Box and the North Carolina Department of Transportation(NCDOT).Throughout the year, the Feed a Bee initiative has also helped create additional forage in major urban areas. In June, Feed a Bee enlisted the help of the residents of Atlanta to plant the first pollinator garden in the city’sPiedmont Park to provide food for the bees in the Park’s apiaries. The University of D.C., an official Feed a Bee partner, also planted flowers for forage in its new rooftop garden, providing bees and other beneficial insects in the nation’s capital with additional habitat and food resources.

    Feed a Bee continues to attract partners from the nonprofit, public and private sectors, most recentlyPheasants Forever, a wildlife conservation group. Other partners that have signed on in 2015 span across individuals, industry sectors and geographies, including:

    “We look forward to building on the successes we have seen this year as we take the Feed a Bee program into 2016,” said Dr. Langer. “None of this would have been possible without the support of everyone from the individuals who planted the wildflower packets they received to our partners who planted acres of additional forage.”

    Feed a Bee is one of several programs sponsored by Bayer’s Bee Care Program, continuing its nearly 30 years of supporting bee health. For more information on Bayer’s bee health initiatives, please visit the Bayer Bee Health website. You can also follow and share with us on Twitter @BayerBeeCare, on Facebook at facebook.com/BayerBeeCareCenter and view photos on Flickr.

    Bayer is committed to bringing new technology and solutions for agriculture and non-agricultural uses. For questions concerning the availability and use of products, contact a local Bayer representative, or visit Crop Science, a division of Bayer, online at www.CropScience.Bayer.us.

    Visit the Bayer Connect – Social Hub for social media, recent news, blog posts, videos and more from Crop Science, a division of Bayer.

    ###

    Bayer: Science For A Better Life
    Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the Life Science fields of health care and agriculture. Its products and services are designed to benefit people and improve their quality of life. At the same time, the Group aims to create value through innovation, growth and high earning power. Bayer is committed to the principles of sustainable development and to its social and ethical responsibilities as a corporate citizen. In fiscal 2014, the Group employed around 119,000 people and had sales of EUR 42.2 billion. Capital expenditures amounted to EUR 2.5 billion, R&D expenses to EUR 3.6 billion. These figures include those for the high-tech polymers business, which was floated on the stock market as an independent company named Covestro on October 6, 2015. For more information, go to www.bayer.com.

    Contact:
    Bayer Media Hotline, 1-862-404-5118, orJeffrey Donald
    Crop Science, a Division of Bayer
    Tel: (919) 549-5395
    Email: jeffrey.donald@bayer.com

    Whitney Jinks
    Porter Novelli
    Tel: (404) 995-7919
    Email: whitney.jinks@porternovelli.com

    Find more information at CropScience.Bayer.us.


  • 08 Jan 2016 6:33 AM | Anonymous

    In a first, federal review finds widely used pesticide can damage pollinator colonies.

    RENÉE JONES SCHNEIDER • reneejones@startribune.com The decline of bees like this one, on a milkweed plant in Minnesota, has generated concern, as honeybees pollinate about a third of the food in the nation’s grocery aisles.

    Bees won a victory Wednesday as federal regulators said for the first time that one of the most widely used and controversial pesticides in agriculture is harmful to pollinators when used on some crops.

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued the finding as part of its first scientific risk assessment of a much-debated class of pesticides called neonicotinoids and how they affect colonies, not just individual honeybees.

    But even as the EPA was releasing its findings, the ongoing war over pesticides and pollinators continued to escalate. Environmental groups and beekeepers, including two in Minnesota and South Dakota, sued the agency, alleging that it failed to properly regulate neonicotinoids used as seed coatings on corn and other crops.

    Honeybees pollinate roughly a third of the food in the nation’s grocery aisles, which has amplified global concern over their decline.

    In its new analysis, the EPA found that one type of pesticide, imidacloprid, showed clear damage to hives and honey production even when used appropriately on citrus and cotton crops. The risk with other crops is not as clear or is still under study, the EPA said.

    The pesticide’s maker, Bayer Crop Science, immediately issued a statement criticizing the analysis.

    “At first glance it appears to overestimate the potential for harmful exposures in certain crops, such as citrus and cotton, while ignoring the important benefits these products provide and management practices to protect bees,” the company said.

    Environmental groups said the EPA is not acting fast enough to outlaw pesticides it knows to be harmful.

    “The EPA over the last year has been gradually admitting that neonicotinoids pose a serious threat to bees,” said Lex Horan, spokesperson for the Pesticide Action Network of North America (PANNA). “It’s high time. But this piecemeal approach is not enough to solve the magnitude of the problem.”

    Neonicotinoids have received wide attention, along with diseases, parasites and an increasingly flowerless landscape, as factors in the decline of honeybees worldwide. While largely harmless to humans and mammals, the compounds are a neurotoxin for insects. They can be used as sprays, as granular applications in soil or as seed coatings, which grow along with the plant and make it poisonous to pests and perhaps other insects, including bees and butterflies.

    The manufacturers and the EPA have said that if used properly, the insecticides are not lethal to honeybees. But many scientists and beekeepers say that even the lower doses found in farm fields can cause neural damage to the insects and interfere with their complex navigational abilities and reproduction.

    The rising concern has prompted the EPA to halt approvals of new pesticides that use neonicotinoids, and to launch a lengthy safety review of products already on the market, now expected to be completed by 2018. The preliminary review of imidacloprid, which is the oldest neonicotinoid and is now used on about 30 million acres nationally, was the first of four.

    Fewer bees, less honey

    The EPA analysis, conducted with the state of California and Canada, found that damage to bees started to emerge when pesticide concentrations in flower nectar reached 25 parts per billion or more.

    “There’s a significant effect,” said Jim Jones, EPA’s assistant administrator for chemical safety and pollution prevention. That included fewer bees, less honey and “a less robust hive,” he said.

    Some crops showed higher concentrations than others. Cotton and citrus fruit, for example, had harmful levels. But corn, which is almost universally planted with neonicotinoid seed coatings, showed no effect, largely because it does not produce nectar.

    Beekeepers and environmental groups said Wednesday that the analysis failed to consider one of the primary ways pollinators are exposed to neonicotinoids — toxic dust that floats in the air after corn seed is planted in the spring. That’s long been a contentious issue for beekeepers and is the crux of the lawsuit filed in California on Wednesday by the Center for Food Safety, PANNA and others.

    Brett Adee, whose family runs the country’s largest honey-producing operation, near Brookings, S.D, joined the lawsuit after more than 6,000 hives were damaged last spring during corn planting. He said a state investigation found his bees were poisoned by a type of neonicotinoid that was used on the seeds being planted by his neighbors at the time.

    “None of my neighbors had done anything wrong,” he said. “But a defective product is being marketed. It’s blowing all over the willows and dandelions and not staying on the seeds.”

    Peter Jenkins, an attorney with the Center for Food Safety, said the EPA exempted pesticides used in seed coatings from standard regulations. Unlike pesticides used as sprays or granular applications, those used as seed coatings carry no restrictions or mandatory safety measures when farmers and others handle them. It’s a critical oversight, Jenkins said, because the vast majority of neonicotinoids are used in that format. The EPA, Bayer and others are developing new ways to reduce dust from planting, but the environmental groups say regulations are necessary.

    “If a beekeeper has a kill from dust off … corn or soybean, there is no enforcement,” Jenkins. “The situation is unacceptable for beekeepers.”

    This story contains material from the Associated Press.

    Josephine Marcotty • 612-673-7394


  • 31 Dec 2015 3:37 PM | Anonymous
    Answers to five important and frequently asked questions about golf’s use of water


    Why Water Matters

    Answers to five important and frequently asked questions about golf’s use of water.

    How Much Water Does a Golf Course Need?

    The actual amount of water a golf course needs to sustain healthy turf growth depends on many variables including the species of turf, and the prevailing climate in a given area. These resources provide further details regarding water consumption by golf courses.

    How Can Golf Courses Can Use Less Water?

    There are several strategies and best management practices that golf courses can employ to use water as efficiently as possible and conserve precious water resources.

    I Don’t Play Golf. Why Should Golf Courses Get Any Water When Water Is Scarce?

    Whether water is plentiful or limited, it is an essential natural resource that must be managed efficiently by everyone, including golf courses.

    Where Can We Get Water For Our Golf Course?

    Golf courses use a variety of water sources for turfgrass irrigation including groundwater, surface water (lakes, rivers and reservoirs), recycled water, and municipal potable water supplies. These resources provide further information on the various sources of water used by golf courses.

    Are There Grasses That Can Be Used On Golf Courses That Use Less Water?

    Learn more about grasses that are sustainability friendly.


  • 31 Dec 2015 3:23 PM | Anonymous
    For years, the number of active golf players has been declining, and golf courses around the country have been shutting down. People aren’t as interested in golf as they once were. Golf courses are expensive to run, and they require inputs such as fertilizer and pesticides to maintain green grass. The sport also asks a lot of time from players in a culture that may be too busy to devote a full afternoon to a hobby.


    Professor Brian Horgan hopes to renovate the Les Bolstad Golf Course to breathe new life into the sport of golf across the country.

    “Golf is in the midst of significant change,” says Dr. Brian Horgan, professor in Horticultural Science. “We have an industry that is in need of change, a golf course that is in need of renovation, and a university that’s ready to make a difference. This all gives us a once in a lifetime opportunity to make a major impact on golf.” The Science of (the) Green® initiative aims to renovate the Les Bolstad Golf Course, just across the street from the St. Paul Campus, to make it a working model for the industry that will pave the way for a new kind of interaction with golf personally, communally, and generationally.

    The vision for Les Bolstad is grand, but with a simple premise at its core: a golf course should be of use to the greater community. Because of its status as a research golf course, Horgan has freedom to test out innovative ideas. For instance, in any urban setting, water runoff is a major issue. Buildings, roads, and sidewalks all take up ground that once would have absorbed rainfall. In many metro areas there is even a tax on water runoff to encourage communities to create landscapes that retain and reuse the water instead of allowing it to wash immediately into the nearby surface water.

    “In comes our 150-acre golf course,” Horgan says, detailing one of the top ideas for Les Bolstad’s renovation. “Think of it as a huge rain garden and rain barrel system. Now this golf course can accept water from the surrounding community, filter it, recycle it, reuse it, and not send it into the Mississippi River.” By preventing water from leaving the community, the golf course reduces storm water management costs. Because the biggest time of the year for water runoff in Minnesota is when the snow melts, Horgan hopes to take it a step further. “Why just build a rain garden? Create a snow garden. Keep the soil in an area from freezing so that when the snow does melt, the course is there ready to accept the water.”


    A layout of the potential demonstration area at Les Bolstad

    In addition to being a standout model amongst golf courses in the nation, Les Bolstad will be redesigned with needs of the golf industry in mind. Much of the research done in the U of M turfgrass science program has focused on developing and caring for grass varieties that require fewer inputs such as water, fertilizers, and mowing. Because of this, Horgan and his colleague Associate Professor Eric Watkins intend to make an area of Les Bolstad a destination for golf course owners across the nation who are considering a renovation to visualize and assess economic decisions that are more sustainable for the future. Horgan compares this area to a home and garden show specifically for more sustainable golf courses. “People come in and they see the options: grass species, irrigation systems, bunker technologies, etc. They can see it right there on a scalable model. When they leave they’ll have a couple of options to bring back to their membership as well as pricing so they know the costs and benefits of implementing those different strategies.”

    Many of Horgan’s ideas are still in the beginning stages; discussions as to which ideas are most viable and how they can best be implemented are ongoing. However, with the amount of plants and wildlife a golf course brings to an area, water conservation is only the beginning of what Science of (the) Green® can accomplish. With Horgan’s framework in mind, Les Bolstad can think beyond what makes a golf course useful for a round of golf, and on to what makes it of value to the rest of the community.

    The majority of the benefits associated with Science of (the) Green® have nothing to do with golf itself — they make the surrounding community a cleaner, more sustainable place. However, Horgan hopes to change the culture around golf as well. “My generation’s time devoted to this sport is not the same as my parents’. So how do we give options to people to engage them in the sport so that when they do have more flexible time and income, they’ll decide to go out and play more golf?”

    The answer Horgan proposes is an alternative routing, which means the course will have an opportunity to engage golfers based on time and not on the number of holes. A traditional 18-hole platform will be available but so will a 3-hole lunchtime loop or two consecutive 6-hole leagues playing concurrently. This solution could give golf an opportunity to operate on a smaller platform, reducing the footprint of the course by 35%. This design allows the game to fit into the player’s schedule, instead of expecting the player to figure out how to fit an afternoon of golf into their busy life.

    The logo for the Les Bolstad redevelopment initiative, Science of the Green.

    It’s not just Horgan that sees the need for change within the industry. In early November, the United States Golf Association (USGA) and the University of Minnesota announced a five-year research partnership to study and develop solutions to golf’s present and future challenges. This doesn’t mean that all of Horgan’s plans can move forward yet, but it’s a big step in the right direction. This partnership will allow both parties to identify projects to make funding plans on an individual basis, and bolsters the research and development capabilities of both organizations.

    It’s a massive undertaking with years of planning having already taken place and several more to go before it’s finished, but it’s a challenge that both the U of M and the USGA are prepared to face head on. “The industry is looking for a leader, and that’s what the University of Minnesota and USGA do best. We don’t follow, and we don’t do anything mediocre. We do things top notch,” says Horgan. When it is complete, Les Bolstad will be a premiere golf course, and a destination for other golf course owners hoping to model the techniques used and researched there. With the U of M and the USGA paving the way, Science of (the) Green® will have the power to change the way the world thinks about golf. To learn more about Science of (the) Green® and stay up-to-date on current developments, visit scienceofthegreen.org.


  • 31 Dec 2015 3:17 PM | Anonymous


    Winter has been slow to arrive this year here in Minnesota, but the snow is starting to fall and temperatures are dropping.

    That means it’s time to get out the shovels, snow plows, and salt to clear the roads and sidewalks. But follow the advice our doctors have been giving for years: stick to a low-salt diet.

    Rock salt, which contains chloride, is the most commonly used de-icer. But, much like table salt, rock salt’s benefits are peppered with danger. The safety benefits of using salt on icy roads come with environmental drawbacks like polluted waters and poisoned aquatic wildlife. In the Twin Cities metro area, 78% percent of the salt applied to roads stays within the region’s watershed. Eventually the chloride from salt finds its way into the groundwater.

    Once in water, it becomes a permanent pollutant and continues to accumulate in the environment over time. In other words, it doesn’t go away. High levels of salt can be harmful to fish and other freshwater life and can affect groundwater and drinking water supplies, infrastructure, vehicles, plants, soil, pets, and wildlife.

    “Too much chloride has serious water quality consequences.” said Brooke Asleson, chloride project manager at the MPCA. “Less is more when it comes to applying deicing salt. It only takes one teaspoon of road salt to pollute five gallons of water.”

    To address these issues, the MPCA partnered with local and state experts in the 7-county Twin Cities metro area to create a plan for effectively managing salt use to protect our water resources. The goal of this plan is to provide strategies to help local partners reduce salt use while providing safe conditions for the public.

    Improving practices for de-icing roads, parking lots and sidewalks will not only benefit water quality, but also lead to long-term cost-savings as a result of purchasing less salt and reduced impacts on vegetation and corrosion of infrastructure and vehicles.

    A key challenge in reducing salt usage is balancing the need for public safety with the growing expectation for clear, dry roads, parking lots, and sidewalks throughout the winter. Notable efforts to improve winter maintenance and reducing salt usage while maintaining public safety have already been made by a number of winter maintenance organizations. The intent of the plan is to build on those efforts and to assist agencies, local governments and other stakeholders to determine salt reduction strategies to restore and protect Minnesota’s water resources.

    How you can help.....

    • Currently, there are no satisfactory alternatives to salt that are environmentally safe, effective, and inexpensive. However, here a few simple steps you can take to protect our lakes and streams.
    • Support smart salting. Support local and state winter maintenance crews in their efforts to reduce salt use.
    • Shovel first. The more snow and ice you remove, the less salt you will have to use and the more effective it can be. After the ice has been broken up, you can decide whether deicer is even necessary to maintain traction.
    • Apply salt before the storm. Salting before can prevent snow and ice from building up on roads, therefore reducing overall salt use.
    • Slow down. Drive for winter conditions, and be courteous to slow-moving plows. The slower they drive, the more salt will stay on the road where it’s needed.
    • More salt does not mean more melting. Use less than four pounds of salt per 1,000 square feet (an average parking space is about 150 square feet). One pound of salt is approximately a heaping 12-ounce coffee mug. And be patient: salt takes time to work. Applying more will lead to unnecessary contamination.
    • 15º is too cold for most salt to work. Most salts stop working at this temperature. In frigid conditions, use sand for traction.
    • Sweep up extra salt. If salt or sand is visible on dry pavement, it is no longer doing any work and will be washed away. The excess can be swept up and reused for the next snow or disposed of in the trash.

    For more on what you can do to reduce chloride in our waters, or to read more about MPCA’s role on this issue, visit the agency’s Twin Cities Metro Area Chloride Project webpage.

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