California GCSA Board of Directors Meeting: December 2, 2006, Ontario, CA

Chapter Delegates Meeting: California members; The 2006 Chapter Delegates Meeting, will be held at the Kansas City Airport Marriott. on Oct. 13-15. Contact your delegate in advance with questions and opinions. >> Read Meeting Agenda.

GCSAA Committees & Task Group Volunteers: The California GCSA Board of Directors is asking the California Members of GCSAA, to seriously consider volunteering for the 2007 GCSAA committees & task groups. GCSAA is currently recruiting volunteers for 2007 committees and task groups and are very interested in the contributions that YOU will be able to provide. Please apply today with this online volunteer form!

GCSAA 2006 Government Relations Committee meeting was held in Washington D.C.
     The 2006 Government Relations Committee meeting in Washington DC, was held at the Reed Smith LLC office. The committee met with GCSAA Lobbyist David Evans and staff. 
       Topics discussed at the meeting:
            GCSAA Legislative/Regulatory Agenda
                 *The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
                 *Fertilizers
                 *Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) Implementation
                 *Labor and Immigration
                 *Land Use
                 *Pesticide Laws and Regulations
                 *Water Management
            Strategic Discussion -- Immigration
                 *What issues will be most important to GCSAA members in 5, 10, 15 years?
                 *How should GCSAA be focusing its efforts now to prepare for the future?
                 *With whom should the association consider partnering to help achieve future goals?
                 *What is GCSAA doing really well, and where are we "missing the boat?
            Strategic Discussion -- Industry Collaboration
                 *Presentation and open discussion with James Allen, CAE, RISE 
            Strategic Discussion - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
                 *Presentation and open discussion with, Brian Steinwand, U.S. EPA

       Ray Davies, CGCS and Bob Tillema, CGCS are the California members on the committee. As part of the committee agenda, committee members had appointments to meet with their state senators. Ray and Bob meet with California Senator Dianne Feinstein & Senator Barbara Boxer, of course when you have a meeting with a Senator; you normally meet with the senator's counsel. Ray and Bob discussed the topic of immigration with the Senators' counsel. We asked the Senator's their position on immigration and if they think an immigration bill will be passed by the end of the year. The answer was "no they didn't think any immigration bill would be passed before the end of the year".
After our meetings with the committee member's senators, the committee had the pleasure of a hardhat tour of the Capital Building new Visitors Center, which is still under construction with a possible completion of late 2007. The new visitors center is a three story complex below ground in front of the East side of the Capital Building. The center will be a great addition for visitors and very nice, plus it adds to the security protection of our Nation's Capital Building, at a cost of over $600 million. This being my first visit to our Nation's Capital, it is a visit I will never forget. Be sure to make it a must see destination on your next visit to Washington D.C. (Pictures will be posted on the California GCSA Web Site)

Bob Tillema, CGCS
 

"The House of Blues"
1530 S. Disneyland Dr. Anaheim, CA, 
Thursday, February 22, 2007, from 6:30 - 9:30 PM.

2007 California Hospitality Suite Sponsorship / : Online Registration Form

Employer: Saddle Creek Resort
Position: Golf Course Superintendent Years in the Golf Business: 2 years at Saddle; 10 + overall 
Previous Employment: Assistant Superintendent at Del Paso Country Club 4 ½ years Sacramento 
Education: B.S. Turf, Pennsylvania State 
GCSANC Work or Interests: Running for SNGCSA board this winter 
Family: Wife Julie 
Key People: Assistants Les Stanton and Andy Rundstrum 
Interests Outside of Golf: Hiking, Skiing, Reading 
Favorite Vacation: What Vacation?
Favorite Course to Play: Saddle Creek Resort 
Course You'd Like to Visit: St. Andrews 
Strangest Thing You've Witnessed On The Golf Course: One of our vendors running over another superintendent with his golf cart
Worst Comment/Question From a Member: I take the 5th!
What You'd Be Doing If You Weren't Involved With Golf: Flipping Burgers

For more attendee & online registration information: Information & Registration

For Details; visit the GCSAA Web Address: http://www.gcsaa.org/education/webcast/webcast.aspx
Or call Kyle Kreighbaum 800-472-7878 x5167
 

Several recent decisions by the EPA will have significant impact on many turf management programs. Some of the key decisions are listed below: 

PCNB: On August 2, 2006, the EPA announced that all uses of PCNB on turf were ineligible for reregistration <http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/EPA-PEST/2006/August/Day-02/p12485.htm>. Although the product may be retained for a few agricultural uses, PCNB was deemed to present too many environmental risks with too few benefits in turf. There is a 60-day period for public comment, but unless these arguments are extremely compelling to EPA, their plan is to cancel all uses of PCNB on turf following the 60 day period (by October, 2006). 

MSMA and DSMA: The EPA announced last week <http://www.epa.gov/oppsrrd1/reregistration/methanearsonic_acid/> that organic arsenical herbicides (including MSMA and DSMA) present more risks than benefits and are therefore ineligible for reregistration. There is a 60-day period for public comment, but once again, unless these arguments are extremely compelling to EPA, their plan is to cancel all uses of these products following the 60 day period (by October, 2006). 

Thiophanate-methyl: Late in 2004, the EPA determined that thiophanate-methyl (Cleary's 3336) <http://www.epa.gov/oppsrrd1/REDs/tm_red.pdf> could continue to be used on golf course turf, but with several new restrictions that limit the maximum rate used per application, the maximum amount used per year and the minimum number of days (no less than 14 days) between applications. Restrictions are more severe in the state of Florida than elsewhere. Make sure that you are in compliance by carefully reading the label on your product. If the new mitigation label <http://www.clearychemical.com/support/label/4172SL%20Mitigation.pdf> is on the product in your shop, then you must abide by these new restrictions. 

Reprint with permission:
Larry Stowell, Ph.D.
Pace Turfgrass Research Inst.
Pace Web Site:

In California's central valley, golf course superintendents seeking fairways that complement the pristine appearance of their carefully groomed greens must address year-round crabgrass pressure. With crabgrass, prevention is crucial. Over the past few years, superintendent Mike Kroeze at Kings River Golf and Country Club in Kingsburg, Calif., has learned to control crabgrass, despite the weed's resiliency. 

Crabgrass is a warm-season, annual grass that grows most aggressively during mid-summer’s heat and is much more tolerant to drought and low fertility than desirable turf species. During the warm summer months and early fall, crabgrass grows rapidly, spreading across the ground and smothering the turf in its path. 

As a prostrate-growing plant with a strong root system holding it in place, it is almost immune to cultural controls, such as low mowing height and hand weeding. About the only natural occurrence that stops crabgrass is a good fall frost, but by that time it has already produced thousands of seeds which will remain on the soil surface, waiting for spring germination. 

Kroeze had been fighting crabgrass on his Bermudagrass fairways for three years at Kings River Golf and Country Club with a preemergent weed control program that has evolved from a single, springtime liquid application of prodiamine- or dithiopyr-impregnated fertilizer to his current preemergent program that consists of two sequential applications of Pendulum® AquaCap™ herbicide. >>... Read More

Reprint, BASF - The Chemical Company, turffacts.com

Dr. Frank Wong 
University of California 
Plant Pathology Department
202 Fawcett Lab 
Riverside, CA 92521 

PHONE: (951) 827-2936 
FAX: (951) 827-4294 
Service offered: ID of turf diseases 
University of California Website 
email: turfpathology@ucr.edu
 

OPERATION
• EASILY ATTACHES TO KB2 OR KB3 
• CAN BE TOWED BEHIND MOST VEHICLES 
• MANUAL HEIGHT ADJUSTMENT 
• ACCELERATES RECOVERY RATE 
• 1 YEAR CUSTOMER SATISFACTION 

Buffalo Turbine
180 Zoar Valley Road
Springville, NY 14141
phone: 716-592-2700
fax: 716-592-2460
Email: info@buffaloturbine.com