Divot Mix

"You can't be perfect. There's just too much out there. I've always liked to say that a good superintendent is a jack of all trades and a master of none. You have to know a lot. You can't know everything." - Fred Klauk, retiring GCSAA Class A superintendent at TPC Sawgrass

Contaminants decline in coastal waters, concerns remain

Scientists from the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration today released a 20-year study showing that environmental laws enacted in the 1970s are having a positive effect on reducing overall contaminant levels in coastal waters of the U.S. However, the report points to continuing concerns with elevated levels of metals and organic contaminants found near urban and industrial areas of the coasts.

"It's interesting to note that pesticides, such as DDT, and industrial chemicals, such as PCBs, show significant decreasing trends around the nation, but similar trends were not found for trace metals," said Gunnar Lauenstein, manager of the NOAA Mussel Watch

program. "What is of concern is that there are contaminants that continue to be problematic, including oil-related compounds from motor vehicles and shipping activities."

The report, "NOAA National Status and Trends Mussel Watch Program: An Assessment of Two Decades of Contaminant Monitoring in the Nation's Coastal Zone from 1986-2005," is the first that presents national, regional, and local findings in a quick reference format, suitable for use by policymakers, scientists, resource managers and the public. The findings are the result of monitoring efforts that analyze 140 different chemicals in U.S. coastal and estuarine areas, including the Great Lakes.

Significant findings from this report include:

• Decreasing trends nationally of the pesticide DDT are documented with a majority of the sites monitored along the Southern California coast.
• Decreasing trends also were found for the industrial chemicals PCBs. The Hudson-Raritan Estuary, one area of the country where some of the highest concentrations of these chemicals were found, now shows 80 percent of monitored sites with significantly decreasing trends for this pollutant.
• Tributyl-tin, a biocide used as a compound to reduce or restrict the growth of marine organisms on boat hulls, was found to have greater than anticipated consequences as it affected not only the targeted organisms, but also other marine and fresh water life as well. First regulated in the 1980s, this compound is now decreasing nationally.

The NOAA Mussel Watch Program also quantifies contaminants that are still entering the nation's waters and two major groups raise concern:

• Oil related compounds (PAHs) from motor vehicles and shipping activities continue to flow into coastal waters daily. Because NOAA has been monitoring these areas for extended periods, baseline data already exist to help define the extent of environmental degradation. For example, PAH levels following the 2007 Cosco Busan oil spill in San Francisco Bay showed concentrations at the monitoring site near the spill were the highest ever recorded.
• Flame retardants known as PBDEs are a new class of contaminants currently being evaluated by NOAA to determine whether they are increasing in coastal waters and what effects they may have on both marine and human health. NOAA plans to issue a report on flame retardants in coastal waters later this year.

The report is available online at http://NSandT.noaa.gov.

The PGA of America adopts anti-doping policy for events

The PGA of America has announced that this year's PGA Championship and Ryder Cup will require players to abide by the Performance Enhancement Substance Policy and the Prohibited Substance List developed last year with other members of the World Golf Foundation.

The PGA also announced its support of the PGA Tour's Anti Doping program, which it will implement for the PGA Championship and Ryder Cups held in the United States. The PGA has adopted the Tour's Substance and Methods List, calling it the Prohibited Substance List, which will be adopted as a condition of competition for the PGA Championship and will be incorporated into the Captain's Agreement for the Ryder Cup.

In support of the random testing protocol on the PGA Tour, the PGA of America will provide facilities for testing at each PGA Championship beginning with this year's event at Oakland Hills Country Club and each Ryder Cup conducted in the United States , beginning with the matches at Valhalla Golf Club.

OPEI offers lawn and turf work safety tips

In observance of June's National Safety Month, the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute has offered a list of safety measures every user should make before starting a mower or edger or trimmer to avoid unintentional injury.

"As spring calls people out into their yards, we urge consumers to make certain preparations even before the lawn and garden products come out of the garage," said Kris Kiser, vice president of public affairs. "Making good decisions about using mowers, edgers, leaf blowers and other maintenance tools are a key to yard safety." According to an April Consumer Reports poll, 79 percent of respondents don't wear hearing protection with their mowers, 44 percent listen to music while mowing and 12 percent stated that they drink beer while mowing.

Added Kiser, "There are some simple steps everyone can take before tending to the lawn and garden to ensure an enjoyable, productive and safe backyard experience."

According to the OPEI, before even turning on equipment, consumers should:

•   Know how to operate the equipment. Read the operator's manual before using any power equipment. Know where the controls are and what they do. Follow safety instructions.
• Handle gas carefully. Fill up before you start and when the engine is cold.
• Dress properly for yard work , wearing substantial shoes, long pants and close-fitting clothes.
• Clear up the area before you mow . Always remove stones, sticks and other objects from the area so that objects won't fly up and hit anyone. The most common injuries are from debris flying up.
• Wear eye protection to prevent injury from projectiles.
• Wear hearing protection to prevent potentially damaging sounds from reaching your ears without eliminating the sounds you'll NEED to hear.
• Don't let music distract you from hearing potentially important calls or seeing important hazards.
• Clear the area of people and pets . Keep children preferably indoors under adult supervision.
• Always start up the mower outdoors.
• Do not use alcohol, other controlled substances or medicines that impair judgment when using outdoor power equipment.

For a wide range of consumer safety tips for outdoor power equipment, visit http://www.opei.org/consumer/index.asp.

Robot mower takes a step forward

KA Home Robotics says its soon-to-be-released LawnBott LB3500 has raised the bar in home robotics for lawn care. Said to be the world's first Bluetooth compatible home robotic device, it allows the owner can program and directly control it with any Bluetooth compatible cell phone or PDA type device.

Through Bluetooth, the homeowner can program which days of the week and what hours of the day the mower needs to come out of its charging base and cut the grass. At the end of its work cycle, it will go back to its charging station and take a nap while it recharges, ready to come out again for the next cycle.

The mower's safety and security are enhanced thanks to a higher-sensitivity, free-floating, 360-degree bumper shell, blade stop proximity sensor, and an on-board alarm system if an unauthorized user picks up the Lawnbott.

The mower uses two lithium-ion batteries to propel more powerful motors and can handle slopes up to 30 degrees. It can also maintain a larger yard area, up to 38,000 square feet.