Now this is what you call grassroots activism.
Tom Kaplun, superintendent at North Hempstead Country Club in Port Washington, New York, recently penned a letter in opposition to proposed legislation that would, if it becomes law, ban the use of neonicotinoids statewide.
Senate Bill 699-A, for now titled The Birds and Bees Protection Act, was co-sponsored by state senators Brad Hoylman, Alessandra Biaggi, Leroy Comrie, Andrew Gounardes and Pete Harckham.
Currently in committee, according to the New York State Senate, SB 699-A would ban the use of any products containing the active ingredients clothianidin, imidacloprid, thiamethoxam, dinotefuran or acetamiprid by July 2023. Clothianidin, dinotefuran and imidacloprid are common insecticides used on golf courses to control pests including white grubs and mole crickets.
The proposed legislation seeks to protect pollinating insects and birds by prohibiting the sale of seeds coated with these chemistries as well as the sale and application of such products on turf, sod or ornamentals. In his letter, Kaplun informed Hoylman that these products are critical tools in the superintendent’s arsenal to control destructive pests, and that greenkeepers have worked hard to develop BMPs in an effort to be responsible pesticide applicators.
Wrote Kaplun: "These BMPs and the (Department of Environmental Conservation) should govern our usage in turf. One well timed application of imidacloprid in conjunction with BMPs has proven to have no adverse effects on pollinator populations. Why have legislators not acknowledged the work done in the scientific community related to BMPs and integrated pest management? I find it so incredibly deflating that despite the countless efforts golf courses make to demonstrate their environmental stewardship and best management practice efforts legislators continue to fail to acknowledge the vital role they play in New York's communities and economy."
Kaplun, the government affairs chair for the Long Island GCSA, concludes by suggesting that legislators work with turf managers in their shared quest for environmental sustainability. "As turf managers, we continue to invest and evolve in how we can maintain some of the greatest golf courses in the world while being at the forefront of environmental stewardship. As we balance this task and acknowledge that we must evolve we ask lawmakers to work with us on this task and leave chemical bans in the hands of the Department of Environmental Conservation upon complete, known scientific research."
