school grounds

School & Municipal Grounds Workshop on September 13th

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Now Available – Register Today!UConn Extension School and Municipal Turf/Grounds Workshop 2023September 13, 20238 am-2:30 pmOld Orchard Hill School350 Foster Street, South Windsor, CTInformation and Registration at s.uconn.edu/schoolipmworkshop

Join us for an exciting day of presentations featuring current science-based research and information on supporting landscape management in Connecticut schools.

This program is designed for municipal grounds managers, facilities managers, sports turf managers and landscape professionals who contract with school districts. Learn skills and strategies to support turf and landscape health throughout the year!

Session topics:

  • Alternative Management Strategies for Safe Playing Fields Wetting Agents, Ben Polimer, Field & Grounds Coordinator at Town of Weston, MA
  • Fertilizer, Cultivation, and Overseeding Considerations for Fall and Early Spring, Jason Henderson, Associate Professor of Soil Science, University of Connecticut
  • Invasive Plant ID & Management Tactics, Dave Laiuppa, Environmental Planner, Manchester, CT and Todd Mervosh, TM Agricultural and Ecological Services, LLC
  • Time with Diane – Current Topics of Interest, Diane Jorsey, Supervising Environmental Analyst, CT DEEP, Pesticide Management Division
  • Panel: Review of the Day and Ask the Experts, Jason Henderson, Diane Jorsey, Ben Polimer, Dave Laiuppa, Todd Mervosh, Vickie Wallace; John Caldwell and Dave Turkington (South Windsor Parks)
  • and more details to come!

Registration Information  

Registration: $50.00 by noon on Friday, September 8

Last minute registration (after Sept. 8) and day of/walk in registration: $65

Registration fee includes:

– Information packet, including printed copies of UConn Best Management Practice Guides– Light Breakfast, Refreshments and Lunch– Parking– Pesticide recertification credits (pending state approval)– Opportunity to network with UConn turf faculty and fellow grounds managers

Pesticide recertification credits – pending

Please note that registration is nonrefundable.

If you require an accommodation to participate fully in this event (e.g., a sign language interpreter, handicap accessible seating, etc.), please email alyssa.siegel-miles@uconn.edu. Requests must be received at least 5 business days in advance.

Questions about registration? Need a PO #?

Contact: Alyssa Siegel-Miles, Alyssa.Siegel-Miles@uconn.edu

Pesticide Law Primer Developed for Schools

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school athletic fieldPesticide Law Primer Developed by UConn Extension for Connecticut School Grounds Managers, Superintendents, Teachers, and Members of the School Community

UConn Extension, with the CT Department of Energy and Environment (CT DEEP), has developed a series that explains and clarifies Connecticut’s pesticide restrictions on school grounds.

In 2010, Connecticut state legislation banned the application of all pesticides registered with EPA, and labeled for use on lawn, garden, and ornamental sites, on the grounds of public or private daycares and schools with grades K-8. The law was amended in 2015 to allow the use of horticultural oils and microbial and biochemical pesticides.

Since enactment of this legislation, weed control on school ground properties has been a significant challenge for school grounds managers. Although the law is nearly 10 years old, widespread understanding and awareness of the law remains elusive. UConn Extension’s primers aim to break down the most essential details of the law for grounds managers, administrators, parents, guardians, teachers, and other members of the school community.

Vickie Wallace and Alyssa Siegel-Miles, of UConn Extension, with the assistance of Diane Jorsey, of CT DEEP, created three versions of the primer: a brochure for the school community; a more detailed primer for school administrators, and longer primer that includes management information for school grounds managers.

The primers answer the most frequently asked questions, such as:

  • Which school locations are affected by this law?
  • Which pesticides are banned?
  • Who can apply minimum risk pesticides on school properties?
  • Are exemptions to the law permitted for emergencies?
  • Are there pesticide products that are permitted for use on K-8 school properties?
  • How must a school notify the school community, including parents, of pesticide applications, whether minimum risk or emergency?
  • Can playing fields, grounds, and lawns be managed without the use of pesticides?

 

Read and download the primers:

A Superintendents’ Primer on Connecticut’s School Grounds Pesticide Regulations:

http://ipm.uconn.edu/documents/view.php?id=1451

A School Grounds Manager’s Primer on Connecticut’s School Grounds Pesticide Regulations: http://ipm.uconn.edu/documents/view.php?id=1450

School Grounds Pesticide Regulations for the School Community (brochure):

http://ipm.uconn.edu/documents/view.php?id=1452