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A heartwarming story from the other side of the pond highlighting
the effect natural turf had on a dysfunctional community. Thomas A. Nikolai from Michigan State University reports
n May of 2011, the Federal Bureau of Investigation released a list of the ten most dangerous cities in the United States. Flint, Michigan topped this list, as the number of violent crimes had increased between 2009 and 2010.
I
During this same time period, a team of Michigan State University (MSU) researchers initiated an experiment in Flint, to gather data on the social, economic and environmental impact of turfgrass on an urban society.
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In the spring of 2010, MSU began maintaining areas around abandoned homes, vacant lots and parks by mowing weekly on sites that had rarely or never been mown. Additionally, fertiliser
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134 PC DECEMBER/JANUARY 2012
applications were made several times a year, along with an annual herbicide application. So, what is the purpose behind the research? Well, more often than not, turfgrass is viewed as either an ornamental or recreational plant. The Flint Turfgrass Project was designed to consider the functional impacts turfgrass can have on a community.
Everris is funding the project ($150,000 over three years) whilst donating fertiliser and seed, with John Deere donating nine walk behind lawn mowers and a Z-Trak commercial mower. MSU Sociologist, Stephen Gasteyer Ph.D., was asked to track the social changes in the neighbourhood as a result of the turfgrass project. He began by conducting an assessment of community assets and issues at a monthly neighbourhood association meeting.
According to the residents, Ramona Park was one of the
neighbourhood’s greatest assets as a potential community green space. A neighbourhood master plan envisioned the park as a centrepiece to a safer and revitalised area. However, residents knew that, with the current state of the park and the amount of crime in the area, they were far from reaching their community goals. The fact was, in the autumn of 2009, Ramona Park was essentially abandoned, and most residents would not even consider stepping a foot into it. I was introduced to Ramona
Park in the autumn of 2009 and, whilst the park had recently been mowed, clippings remained to rot atop laid-over vegetation, making the park difficult to walk through and impossible to play in.
The first time I showed up to mow the park, in the early spring of 2010, a pitbull dog carcass was in my path, the apparent discarded loser of an illegal dogfight. I admit I was a bit intimidated and a little frightened in my new work environment. Prior to initiating the study, the area had to be cleaned up, which took community involvement. In other words, I had no intention of clearing abandoned mattresses and years of discarded waste that dotted the site.
Enter David Caswell, a retired principle, who has lived in the area for the past forty-three years. He successfully encouraged residents to get involved in the project. “It was the most ragged piece of land you ever saw in your life,” Mr. Caswell recently told a State News reporter and continued; “People thought nothing would
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