Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

Contacts: Carrie Slater Duffy, EAGLE Coordinator of Volunteers, (218) 726-1828 MPCA Contact: Anne Perry Moore, (218) 723-2356 Duluth, Minn. -- To help curb toxic pesticides and garden chemicals from running off lawns, down storm sewers and into Lake Superior, the Environmental Association for Great Lakes Education (EAGLE) and the Duluth Community Garden Program (DCGP) recently created the Safe Lawn and Garden Campaign to help northeastern Minnesota residents protect local water resources. Funded by a Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Prevention and Assistance grant, the Safe Lawn and Garden Campaign staff will spend the next year developing a variety of materials featuring easy-to-implement steps people can take to nurture their yards. EAGLE and DCGP staff will be on hand this Saturday, Sept. 9, 2006, at Bayfront Park to answer questions and offer signs to promote pesticide-free lawns to Harvest Fest attendees willing to make the alternative lawn care commitment. During the next year, EAGLE and DCGP staff will hold educational workshops and implement safe lawn practices at a demonstration site adjacent to Lake Superior. Their goal is to encourage local shoreland home and business owners to emulate the demonstration site's successes rather than use toxic landscape chemicals to be weed- and pest-free. Free Safe Lawn and Garden Campaign information, including the pledge form, is also available at local physician and veterinary offices, the EAGLE office (394 South Lake Avenue Room 222, Duluth) and via the newsletter link on both organizations' Web sites: http://www.greatlakesdirectory.com and http://www.duluthcommunitygarden.org. For more information, contact Carrie Slater Duffy, EAGLE Coordinator of Volunteers, at (218) 726-1828.