. Course conditions | Fall 2015 Michigan Golf Course Superintendents Association | WWW.MiGCSA.ORG
FROM NATIONAL
GCSAA Regional Roundup BY SHANE CONROY
SHANE CONROY
As the season winds down, I hope all of you had a great year. It seems like every season Mother Nature throws a lot at us and always keeps us on our toes, this year was no different. From a cold winter, to a wet spring, I hope you all enjoyed the September and early October weather as it hopefully allowed many of you to complete your on-course projects and get through aerification with little issue.
GCSAA had a busy season with one of the main talking points all year being the Clean Water Act, also known as WOTUS (Waters of the United States). As I write this, the Clean Water Rule has been put on hold nationwide. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit has stayed the employment of the EPA and Army Corps’ Clean Water Rule. GCSAA is still supporting Senate Bill S. 1140 and H.R. Bill 1732. Both of these bills aim to have the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers revise definitions of the WOTUS rule and preserve the existing rights of the original WOTUS rule. While the legal proceeding are determined there are some action steps you can accomplish in the meantime. Get a better understanding of the watershed your course is situated in and find out if you are located in a floodplain. Find out if any of the wetlands on your course have inlet or outlet connections. If you are unsure of anything, you may consider seeking assistance from a local environmental consultant, this is a good option before contacting the EPA or Army Corps directly. Depending on the scope of work you will be competing in 2016 you may need to apply for a Fill and Dredge 404 permit or an NPDES Pesticide Application 402 permit. You can find more information on WOTUS and the permitting process on our WOTUS webpage updated frequently by our Government Affairs team, you can access the WOTUS webpage through the GCSAA website. GIS 2016 is taking place February 6-11 in sunny San Diego, the show is three weeks earlier than the 2015 show so please make sure you have your housing and travel plans in order. As many of you know, the show features great education events, as well as provides networking opportunities on the national level. If you haven’t done so, please consider playing in the GCSAA Golf Championships. This is a great way to meet superintendents from around the country and allows you the opportunity to play some of the best San Diego area courses. Registration for both the GIS and Golf Championships if available online so please check that out if you haven’t done so already. GCSAA is always seeking new participants for the Grassroots Ambassador Program. I have reached out to a handful of you thus far regarding the program, and thank you to those who have signed up. GCSAA will be hosting two Ambassador bootcamps at the San Diego GIS, so please register for one of those if you are participating the Grassroots Ambassador Program. As always, you can get more information on the Grassroots Ambassador Program through the GCSAA Government Affairs webpage. Additionally, I would like to invite everyone to participate in the ‘Member-Get-a-Member’ promotion currently running through GCSAA. This is a great way to get an industry partner involved in our association, and provides you an opportunity to attend the Golf Industry Show on the house. The ‘Member-Get-a-Member’ form can be found on the GCSAA website, and please contact me for any questions. Finally I would like to remind everyone to please contribute to the EIFG if you haven’t done so in the past. The EIFG helps the industry by funding education, research, scholarships and advocacy. A big thank you goes out to all of those who have donated in the past. I hope everyone has a great holiday season and I look forward to seeing you at an upcoming MiGCSA function and at the GIS in San Diego. Respectfully, Shane Conroy
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