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Letter to Thurston County Commissioners; Washington Friends of Farms & Forests is concerned about your advertising campaign against fertilizer.
April 30, 2007
by Heather Hansen
Thurston County Commissioners
2000 Lakeridge Drive SW
Olympia, WA 98502
Dear Thurston County Commissioners:
On behalf of the members of Washington Friends of Farms & Forests, I am writing to express our continuing concern about your advertising campaign against fertilizer. While the ads have improved considerably over last year, they still spread misinformation and have limited educational value.
The picture used in the ad appears to imply that people who use fertilizer are not very bright. This is disrespectful to homeowners who strive to maintain the quality of their investment and to beautify their neighborhood. It is even more disrespectful to our members who are highly trained lawn care professionals. (Note that landscaping can significantly increase the value of property, thus increasing the taxes a homeowner pays to the county.)
The first bullet in the ad states that quick-release fertilizers easily wash into ground water and streams. Research from multiple universities shows that, when used according to label directions, quick release fertilizers do not wash off or contribute to water pollution. In fact, turf is extremely efficient at holding nutrients.
The second bullet states that natural and organic fertilizers stay in the soil. In fact, these products can be high in soluble nitrogen that, if applied in excess, can leach into water. The terms, natural and organic have no correlation to solubility.
The material on the website listed in the ad includes even more egregiously erroneous information.
Studies in other subject areas clearly show that people respond better to education than to scare tactics. As public officials acting as the County Board of Health, you have a responsibility to provide accurate information to the public. To misinform rather than educate is a disservice to those who rely on your leadership.
If homeowners are given complete and accurate information about how to care for their lawn properly by reading and following label directions, including not using excess fertilizer and keeping fertilizer off of sidewalks and streets, we believe they will make better choices.
A “read the label first” campaign to educate homeowners would be beneficial. Here is an example of materials, focused on pesticides use, developed by the EPA: http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/labeling/pubs/rtlf/garden.pdf
The following brochure describes best management practices for fertilizer use for homeowners: http://www.pestfacts.org/use/lawn_bmp.pdf
The City of Olympia is currently working with Washington State University to develop educational materials for homeowners about fertilizer use. Those materials are expected to be ready in the fall of 2007. It would be nice to see the city and the county send a consistent message.
We look forward to hearing from you about future campaigns and to improved communication with the public.
Sincerely,
Heather H. Hansen
Executive Director