Waiehu GC is in stellar playing condition since the use of pesticides and herbicides were replaced by Regenerative Ag principals. The use of a salt tolerant grass - Paspalum - has characteristics that create a good putting surface. Paspalum grows densely making weed colonization limited and when weeds do get started, an application of salt makes a hostile environment for the weed while the Paspalum thrives.
Now that we have several years of no toxic chemicals killing the microbial life in the soil, we have a carpet of healthy grass with a great root structure. If pesticides and herbicides are used, the microbes die and the soil becomes lifeless requiring the use of more and more chemicals which gets more and more expensive.
The Golf Course is now a healthy place. Sandra Steingraber in her book Living Downstream goes into the effect on women and girls of pesticides and herbicides that are created on an OrganoPhosphate platform which is the basis for most herbicides and pesticides. OrganoPhosphates are an estrogen mimicker and can be used to keep breast cancer cells alive in petri dishes indefinetly. Chemicals sprayed on the ground are volatile and off gas straight up into the golfers face as the sun heats the ground. The danger to the reef area from poisons being sprayed next to the Ocean is constant.
I've been a Golf Professional for over 50 years. Great playing conditions on a Public Course are rare. Maui will loose what it's worked to gain if the grounds are treated with poison. To make matters worse, the cost of chemicals is a budget buster. Waiehu is an example of a Golf Course that is thriving without Chemical Inputs. That's to be celebrated not destroyed.
I've visited the course twice this week. I asked questions of players and found each person thrilled with the condition and thrilled to know that no poisons are being applied. I heard one rumor that manure was being used as fertilizer causing an odor. First of all, no manure is needed as grass clippings fertilize the ground effectively and secondly, if manure is needed for a special reason, the manure should be composted first which removes odor and avoids the heat of fresh manure burning the plants.
Returning to the use of chemistry on the golf course will result in the course turning back into what it was before the addition of Paspalum Grass and Regenerative Ag Practices...it wasn't fit for play with giant colonies of weeds in the fairways and on the greens...
What is a solution? Print cards to give to visitors at the starters booth proudly describing the Regenerative Ag Principals used to make the course beautiful and safe. We need good PR not POISON.
Aloha, reef friendly landscaping including 0 emission low noise electric landscaping equipment Is a critical part of protecting our reefs and protecting our environment from excess Pollution. A healthy Reef and low noise landscaping helps the tourist industry and helps us all. Reef friendly landscaping is being used by Four Seasons hotel and other hotels successfully without disturbing their Patrons or their staff. it needs to be done correctly and MNMRC provides Great classes to allow you to be successful doing this for hotels and condos and homes and the county as well All parks etcetera. Electric landscaping equipment has come a long way and now is as good as if not better than gas lawn mowers and blowers and weeders and more. it is much less noisy and cost less to run and to maintain with no gas and no oil changes and very little maintenance. it emits no pollutants which cause global warming and can cause health problems for the landscapers and the community. There are no gas bills or spills and no oil changes and very little maintenance cost and no gas fires And no loss of hearing or disturbance from the noise. They are a little more expensive to buy but will pay for themselves within a couple of years and so we need to incentivize the purchases of these and stop the continued use and purchase of the very polluting Lawn and garden engines.
Aloha
Chair Johnson and Vice Chair Sinenci and Committee Members,
Please forgive my spellcheck feature that I thought I had corrected
Mahalo,
Barbara Barry
See previous comments submitted.
Waiehu GC is in stellar playing condition since the use of pesticides and herbicides were replaced by Regenerative Ag principals. The use of a salt tolerant grass - Paspalum - has characteristics that create a good putting surface. Paspalum grows densely making weed colonization limited and when weeds do get started, an application of salt makes a hostile environment for the weed while the Paspalum thrives.
Now that we have several years of no toxic chemicals killing the microbial life in the soil, we have a carpet of healthy grass with a great root structure. If pesticides and herbicides are used, the microbes die and the soil becomes lifeless requiring the use of more and more chemicals which gets more and more expensive.
The Golf Course is now a healthy place. Sandra Steingraber in her book Living Downstream goes into the effect on women and girls of pesticides and herbicides that are created on an OrganoPhosphate platform which is the basis for most herbicides and pesticides. OrganoPhosphates are an estrogen mimicker and can be used to keep breast cancer cells alive in petri dishes indefinetly. Chemicals sprayed on the ground are volatile and off gas straight up into the golfers face as the sun heats the ground. The danger to the reef area from poisons being sprayed next to the Ocean is constant.
I've been a Golf Professional for over 50 years. Great playing conditions on a Public Course are rare. Maui will loose what it's worked to gain if the grounds are treated with poison. To make matters worse, the cost of chemicals is a budget buster. Waiehu is an example of a Golf Course that is thriving without Chemical Inputs. That's to be celebrated not destroyed.
I've visited the course twice this week. I asked questions of players and found each person thrilled with the condition and thrilled to know that no poisons are being applied. I heard one rumor that manure was being used as fertilizer causing an odor. First of all, no manure is needed as grass clippings fertilize the ground effectively and secondly, if manure is needed for a special reason, the manure should be composted first which removes odor and avoids the heat of fresh manure burning the plants.
Returning to the use of chemistry on the golf course will result in the course turning back into what it was before the addition of Paspalum Grass and Regenerative Ag Practices...it wasn't fit for play with giant colonies of weeds in the fairways and on the greens...
What is a solution? Print cards to give to visitors at the starters booth proudly describing the Regenerative Ag Principals used to make the course beautiful and safe. We need good PR not POISON.
Aloha, reef friendly landscaping including 0 emission low noise electric landscaping equipment Is a critical part of protecting our reefs and protecting our environment from excess Pollution. A healthy Reef and low noise landscaping helps the tourist industry and helps us all. Reef friendly landscaping is being used by Four Seasons hotel and other hotels successfully without disturbing their Patrons or their staff. it needs to be done correctly and MNMRC provides Great classes to allow you to be successful doing this for hotels and condos and homes and the county as well All parks etcetera. Electric landscaping equipment has come a long way and now is as good as if not better than gas lawn mowers and blowers and weeders and more. it is much less noisy and cost less to run and to maintain with no gas and no oil changes and very little maintenance. it emits no pollutants which cause global warming and can cause health problems for the landscapers and the community. There are no gas bills or spills and no oil changes and very little maintenance cost and no gas fires And no loss of hearing or disturbance from the noise. They are a little more expensive to buy but will pay for themselves within a couple of years and so we need to incentivize the purchases of these and stop the continued use and purchase of the very polluting Lawn and garden engines.
Aloha
Chair Johnson and Vice Chair Sinenci and Committee Members,
Please forgive my spellcheck feature that I thought I had corrected
Mahalo,
Barbara Barry