SportsTurf provides current, practical and technical content on issues relevant to sports turf managers, including facilities managers. Most readers are athletic field managers from the professional level through parks and recreation, universities.
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/37461
STMA in action 2012 Conference offers pre-Conference workshops THE 2012 STMA CONFERENCE AND EXHIBI- TION in Long Beach, CA will feature eight pre- conference workshops Wednesday, January 11. These workshops are included in your con- ference registration, so be sure to take advan- tage of a valuable educational opportunity! Two separate workshops will take place in the morning from 8:00 am–12:15 pm. The first is a synthetic turf workshop, “Synthetic Turf: Concept, Design, Construction, Comple- tion, Maintenance, and Lifecycle Planning” presented by Mark Nichols. The presentation focuses on an in-depth analysis of synthetic turf. Discussion will center on design ele- ments, specification considerations, vendor selection, project management, care and maintenance requirements, and lifecycle planning. Attendees will learn how to profes- sionally identify, select, and procure a syn- thetic turf system to meet specific facility needs. Attendees will also learn best practices for the professional care and maintenance of a synthetic turf surface to extend the useful life and enhance return on investment. The second workshop taking place from 8:00 am–12:15 pm. features three separate presentations on environmental issues. “Per- ceived and Real Environmental Impacts of Phosphorus” will be presented by Dr. Gwen Stahnke, Dr. Elizabeth Guertal, and Dr. Brian Horgan. This presentation will focus on recent research conducted at Washington State Uni- versity – Puyallup that indicates danger in having excess phosphorus present in soil in late fall. Data on release rates of organic and synthetic forms of fertilizer, as well as total phosphorus and ortho phosphorus present in test plots will be discussed. Attendees will learn proper timing and use of organic fertil- izers and differences between phosphorus amounts in synthetic and organic fertilizers. The second presentation in the morning environmental track is “A New Era in Sports Turf Management” presented by Kevin Mercer and Jim Sluiter. This presentation will demon- strate steps that can be taken to have a sus- tainable grounds maintenance program at sports facilities. Sustainable practices that will be discussed include recycling programs, rain gardens, buffers, reducing your carbon foot- print, maintenance of both turf and non-turf areas, incorporating wildlife habitat, etc. At- tendees will learn basic steps to become Audubon-certified, sustainable techniques that can be applied to various facility levels, and cost and labor savings due to adding sus- tainable practices. The third presentation in the morning en- www.stma.org vironmental track is “Weed Control without Synthetic Herbicides” presented by Dr. Dou- glas Linde. Due to the increase in public pres- sure to further restrict or ban synthetic pesticides on turfgrass, research on alterna- tives to synthetic pesticides has increased. This presentation will investigate the effectiveness of 12 alternatives to synthetic herbicides for weed control in turfgrass. Field managers edu- cated in this area will be better prepared to reduce reliance on synthetic herbicides either voluntarily or if forced by legislation. Atten- dees will learn about the various alternatives to synthetic herbicides for turfgrass, advan- tages and disadvantages, and how to incorpo- rate alternatives into a sports field weed control program. Attendees will have the choice of attending 4 afternoon workshops on Wednesday that take place concurrently from 2:00–4:00 pm. “Turfgrass Physiology for the Sports Turf Man- ager” will be presented by Dr. Tony Koski. This presentation will focus on providing sports turf managers a basic understanding of turf- grass growth and development, as well as the effects of management practices on turfgrass plants. Attendees will understand cool and warm season turf species response to cultural practices, turf performance under stress, and how to analyze and respond to turf problems based off of physiological responses. “Sports Field Drainage – What Are Your Op- tions?” will be presented by Ian Lacy. Sports field drainage is essential for a successful sports field. This presentation will explore in detail the importance of drainage, types of drainage options, advantages, disadvantages, and costs of each drainage option, function of drainage options, installation processes, and effect of maintenance programs on drainage. Attendees will learn about the importance of drainage, how to identify the right drainage option dependent on facility, and how a maintenance program could be affecting sports field drainage. “The Science of Skin Infields” will be pre- sented by Clayton Hubbs, Barney Lopas, and Grant Trenbeath. This presentation will focus on understanding regional, use, and parent material issues that must be considered when constructing, amending, or maintaining a baseball infield. Attendees will learn how to identify a poorly performing infield skin and understand its performance through particle size analysis and parent material of the infield mix. Attendees will also understand how to ef- fectively select a proper infield mix and the daily and long term maintenance practices needed to properly maintain an infield. “Back to Basics: Maintaining Natural Grass on Native Soil” will be presented by Brad Jakubowski. This presentation will address the challenges of managing natural grass on na- tive soil. Emphasis will be placed on water management, compaction, wear, drainage, fundamental agronomy, and differences be- tween sand based and native soil fields. Atten- dees will obtain a better understanding of native soils, the importance of water manage- ment on native soils, and how to provide a safe, playable native soil field. The conference brochure will be available in August with a complete list of the educa- tional program. Check the STMA website and conference brochure for additional informa- tion on times, speakers, and session informa- tion. The STMA website will also have speaker presentations and handouts available as a re- source for all presentations. Don’t miss this opportunity to jump start your conference ex- perience and increase your professional knowledge! ■ Marketplace SportsTurf 47