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Spring Forum - Co-sponsored by Crystal  Lake Conservancy,
Green Decade/Newton and the Newton Conservators
Thursday, May 9, 7-9pm
Newton Main Library – Druker Auditorium
Mary Owen

Extension Turf Educator and Specialist, University  of  Massachusetts Amherst

Better Lawn, Better Lake:  How to have a Green Lawn without having a Green  Crystal Lake
Here in New England you don’t have to walk far before you come to a brook or a stream  or a pond or a lake. We are blessed with a network of interconnected
waterways  that make their way through our yards, our parks and our communities and that  flow into rivers and lakes and bays. It is imperative that we protect
these  resources. 

This session will help you to understand how, using some basic techniques and with a goal of reducing inputs, you can have a functional, fine lawn while protecting and enhancing the environment especially Crystal Lake. We will consider:  

 -       Preventing movement  of nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) from the landscape into water
 -       Soil tests, what  they tell you and how to use them 
 -       What to look for  when purchasing grass seed
 -       How to transition  your lawn to lower input grasses
 -       Matching your  maintenance to your landscape
 -       Making the best of  ‘rainfall only’ watering
 -        Fertilizing: What?  When?

 Mary Owen is the  Extension Turf Team Leader and Specialist for the University of Massachusetts.  Mary is a veteran educator who directs the development of
outreach turf  publications and programs and provides instruction for professional turf  management programs such as the UMass Winter School for Turf
Managers. Serving  as a resource for turf managers as well as community groups, she is an active  participant in several industry organizations including the
New England Sports Turf Managers Association, the New England Regional Turfgrass Foundation, and  the Massachusetts Association of Lawn Care
Professionals. Mary has served on  both the Conservation Commission and the Parks and Recreation Commission in her  own community.