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VOLUME XXVI, PART VI, NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2008
NEWSLETTER OF THE FLORIDA GOLF COURSE SUPERINTENDENTS ASSOCIATION

ijr

2008 FGCSA Golf Champs. The Palm Beach Chapter won both Individual and Team trophies. From left: Front row - Steve Bernar
Henderson. Standing Mike Spiwak, Deron Zendt, Mark Heater and Kevin Downing.

Nov. 1st - GCSAA Regional Seminar
Nov. 3rd - West Coast GCSA Chapter
Meeting, Southern Hills
Nov. 7th - 16th Annual Lake City
Community College Endowment Golf
Tournament, Colony Golf & Bay Club
in Bonita Springs
Nov. 12th - Calusa GCSA Chapter
Meeting, Plantation CC
Nov. 12 - TCGCSA hosts GCSAA
Regional Seminar, Developing Best
Management Practices for Golf Course
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Upcoming Events

Water Conservation: Approaches and
Resources.

Dec. 11th - Calusa Christmas Charity
Tournament, Magnolia Landing

Nov. 13th - Seven Rivers Annual Fishing
Trip, Apollo fishing charter

Dec. 12th -13th - Suncoast GCSA Get
Away Meeting, Gasparilla Inn & Cottages

Nov 16th - Suncoast GCSA Tampa Bay
Bucs Trip

Dec. 17th - Everglades GCSA Christmas
Tournament

Nov. 19 - CFGCSA hosts 2 - 1/2 day
GCSAA Regional Seminars, Managing
Localized Dry Spots and Managing Turf
Root Zones in the South.

Jan. 16 - FGCSA Winter Board Meeting,
Disney's Osprey Ridge GC

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Nov. 20th - Everglades GCSA Event,
Gateway G & CC

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Feb 2-5 - GCSAA Education Conference
& The Golf Industry Show, New Orleans
Feb 5th - FGCSA Reception, New
Orleans Riverview Room.

President's Message

President's Message
By Shane Bass, CGCS
I'm not sure you will get this newsletter
before November 4 but I wanted to
discuss the importance of voting and
taking responsibility for who is in office
and how that affects our industry and how
we do our jobs.
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Did you vote? Republican, Democrat,
Independent or No Party Affiliation,
McCain or Obama? Did you exercise your
right as American citizens and vote for
who you believed will be best to run our
country? It is something we are all
responsible for doing as Americans and we
cannot sit back and pass blame if we didn't
get out and vote.

supposed to do our will. Would we let one
of our employees at one of our golf
courses get a way with behavior like this?
No, because if we did we would not have
jobs ourselves. So as he wrote in the
article it is time for a change. It is our time
to get out and make that change if those
who have been in office for along time do
not make that change we need to change
them and the only way that that is going to
happen is if we get out and vote.

Did you educate yourself and do a little
research find out about the candidates
federal, state and local? It's hard I know
with all the media propaganda and our
natural misgivings about politicians.
Sometimes it is hard to know who to trust.
Hopefully each of us made a responsible
decision on who we want to run this
Sorry to get on a soap box but the other country and then voted. If you did not vote
day I received an email containing an you do not get to complain.
article from Charley Reese, a former
columnist for the Orlando Sentinel, and it I hope you made the time to vote on
just really put things into a perspective that November 4 or you voted early or by
I really hadn't thought about before. The absentee ballot if that was more
article put the blame on the 545 people convenient. I hope you exercised your
who run this country (president, congress duty as a American Citizen and voted in
^nd cabinet) for letting it get as bad as it good faith for those candidates who you
has.
believe will help change our nation and
bring it back from the troubles it is in right
But ultimately the responsibility is on us. now. And just as important is electing
We are the ones who elected the 545 your local candidates who end up passing
people who govern our nation, they are local ordinances which affect our gol
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Shane Bass
courses. Let's be more vigilant going
forward and hold all our elected officials
to higher standards so we don't go down
this road again.
With all that said I hope everyone
exercised one of our greatest freedoms and
the economy turns around soomandjwe all
have a great golfing season here in Florida.

Check out the new
FGCSA website!
Editor:
Joel Jackson, CGCS
(407) 248-1971 (fax/phone)
E -mail: FLGrn@aol.com
News Coordinator:
Jennifer Innes
1296 NE Oceanview Cir.
Jensen Beach, FL 34957
(772)334-7515
(772) 334-6015
e-mail: fgcsa@comcast.net
The Green Sheet is a bimonthly FGCSA
Newsletter printed as follows: Jan/Feb,
March/April, May/June, July/August,
/
Sept ./October, November/December.

Financial Support:
This issue of the Green Sheet
is being sponsored by:
Golf Ventures
5101 Gateway Blvd., Suite 18
Lakeland, FL 33811-2704
800-330-8874
800-481-8911
888-222-7072
All material submitted for printing will
be edited at the discretion of the editor.
Material must be typed or clearly
printed. Photos are encouraged. Items
must be for the good of the association.
Deadline next issue December 15.

We are currently in the process
of making the website more
user-friendly. Please check the
site regularly for information on
association news, upcoming
meetings, education pportunities
and association events. If your
Chapter is hosting an event,
please be sure to let us know so
we can include it on the calendar
along with a link. Look for
Green Sheet links, The Florida
Green and more in the near
future!!
w w w .floridagcsa .com

Executive Director Report

Executive Director Report
By Joel Jackson, GCCS
1. Government Relations Report:
Water Restrictions and Conservation In the last issue I reported that the
SFWMD was going to meet with us on the
Water Allocation method and restrictions.
We did meet at the FTGA Conference in
West Palm. In good faith they did present
some modifications to the ET and Rainfall
factors used in determining how much
water can be allocated per month and
those adjustments did provide for
increases in those drier winter months, but
if shifted the amounts so drastically that it
left a potential shortfall in the later spring
early summer. We asked them to go back
to the drawing board and see if we can't
provide a little more cushion all year long
without making any season too vulnerable.
Dr. Dukes from IFAS was on hand to help
with the technical aspects of modifying the
method without having to go to formal
rule making. We will meet again soon to
view the changes.
A reminder that clubhouse grounds and
landscape, roadways and common areas
will remain under the 2-day per week
watering restrictions even though Phase 2
has been lifted for the golf course proper.
SFWMD will be taking up the year-round
2-day per week lawn/landscape irrigation
proposal at their next board meeting.
I strongly suggest that you try cutting back
run times a minute or two on your normal
irrigation cycles per station and using an
average gallons per minute per head
calculate how much water you saved and
multiply that times the number of times
you do that and keep a running journal so
you can total up at the end of the month.
When you submit your quarterly reports to
your district include a note saying that you
purposely cut back run times to conserve
water and total up the amount. You can
say computer ET called for 15 minutes but
you cut back 1-2 minutes per station and
saved X amount of water. We say we are
efficient water managers. Let's prove it.

You are the best judge of your turf needs,
but rather than just be passive, be proactive and take an extra step that proves
we are serious about water conservation.
Actions speak louder than words and water
conservation and cutback are in our future,
so let's get ahead of the curve now.
Methyl Bromide: Each chapter received
emails containing sample letters to the
EPA Docket and to regulators and
politicians addressing golf's concerns over
the phase out of MeBr and the new soil
fumigant rules for all soil fumigant
products. Comments were to be made by
the October 30 deadline. T he rules are so
restrictive and difficult to implement they
effectively make using soil fumigants
unaffordable and very cumbersome. The
safety track record for using these products
is excellent and these additional measures
seem to have no basis in real identifiable
or historical risk.
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will be enforcing the new fertilizer
ordinance up there and they will visit
golf courses to insure they are
complying with the fertilizer/nutrient
management section, so be sure to
check that section of the checklist in
the BMP manual and make sure you
are documenting your compliance with
the BMPs. It's a good idea for
everyone to go through that checklist
and tick off those items that have been
done, you are doing, or are planning to
do. The BMPs will become
increasingly more important as a buffer
from local regulations only if we show
the willingness to use them since they
are mostly voluntray except the
fertilizer chapter where they are cited
in ordinances as mentioned.

2. Allied Associations: I will be
attending a Green Industry Coalition
meeting at the FNGLA offices here in
Orlando on Decemberr 16 with the
purpose of unifying our messages on
Best Management Practices Manual the issues so we are sending out
(GIBMP) is undergoing its first revision consistent messages to the public and
meeting since its publication in 2002. This media.
BMP manual was intended for the lawn
care industry was the pre-cursor of the Ag Institute: At the Annual meeting in
Golf BMP manual as Florida GCSA Orlando on October 8 , the board
members attended the meetings which determined that it could not afford to
began in 2000. It was obvious from the continue the Ag Awareness PR
round table cooperation of government, Campaign utilizing the Consensus
industry, research and environmental Communications PR firm.
groups that BMP manuals would be It's just a matter of having the funds to
valuable education and outreach tools for do so. The Board will enter into
with
the
Ag
industry and the general public. Five years discussions
Communications
Dept.
of
the
UF
to
have passed and it's time to reassess the
information contained in the BMPs and see how we might use their programs,
update as mandated in the original charter students and contacts to deliver the
to make it a living document. The same messages at a lower cost. There is
will occur for the Golf BMP manual some benefit in considering this
alternative since the students often
around 2012.
have an awareness of the industry and
Be aware: All counties citing the Golf the issues.
BMP manual as the guide for fertilizer
application means that is the law in that Mr. Tim Center of the Florida Century
county. I heard at a recent Orange County Commission made a presentation on
fertilizer meeting that the Code Sustainable Florida which besides the
Enforcement Dept in Jacksonville/Duval obvious environmental protections also
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respects the economic side of Ag/Green
Industries and it's importance to Florida's
long term economic well being.
At this meeting I had the opportunity to
speak with Congressman Adam Putnam
from the Polk County area about the
Methyl Bromide and Soil Fumigant Issue.
I had also sent him one of those comment
letters.
3. Upcoming Events:
November 7 :
Lake City CC
Endowment Tournament, Colony Golf
and Bay Club, Bonita Springs.
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3. GCSAA News: The GCSAA has
announced that it has appointed Ralph
Dain as the new Field Representative to
cover the Florida Region. Ralph is a
former president of the Treasure Coast
GCSA and FGCSA Board Member.
Following his years as a golf course
superintendent he also worked for John
Deere Golf in the SE Florida area. Ralph
began his service and training on October

Darren Davis (right) becomes the FTGA Past President as he passes the gavel to incoming FTGA
President Todd Himmelberger at the Annual Meeting held in Palm Beach Gardens at the PGA National
Resort.

20th.

4. Executive Director's Fall Planner
Attend local chapter meetings by
invitation - TBA
Nov 5 Golf & Environment Presentation
at the Arlington GC, Leesburg
Nov 7 LCCC Endowment Tournament,
Bonita Springs
Nov 10 Florida Golf Central Magazine
article due
Nov 20 Golfdom Article deadline
Nov 24 UF/IFAS Research Meeting,
Plant City
Dec 10 Florida Golf Central Magazine
article due
Dec 15 January/February Green Sheet
issue due
Dec 20 Golfdom Magazine article due
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Golf Course Architect Jan Beljan was presented the FTGA's 2008 Wreath of Grass Award. Jan is a past
president of the FTGA and served on the Golf BMP Manual Task Group among her other contributions
to Florida's golf and turf industry

Minutes of FGCSA Fall Board Meeting

Minutes of FGCSA Fall
Board Meeting

The Fall 2008 Board Meeting of the
FGCSA Board of Directors was called to
order by President Shane Bass
at 1:00 p.m. on Friday October 3 at
Disney's Osprey Ridge Golf Course.
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All officers were present. All Chapters,
with the exception of Ridge and North
Florida, were represented. The Chapter
Representatives were: Calusa, Nancy
Miller; Everglades, Wayne Kappuaff;;
Central Florida, Mike Stem; South Florida,
Marcus Prevatte; Suncoast, Mark Todd;
Treasure Coast, Roy MacDonald; Seven
Rivers, Mark Kann; Palm Beach, Steve
Pearson; West Coast, Kevin Sunderman
Others attending the meeting were: Mike
Goldie, Lobbyist; Jennifer Innes,
Association Manager; Joel Jackson,
FGCSA Executive Director; Joe Ondo,
FGCSA Golf Committee Chair
Minutes of the FGCSA Summer 2008
Board Meeting were approved as written.
Minutes of the FGCSA Annual Minutes
were approved as written.
Government Relations - Mike Goldie
updated the Board on the incoming Senate;
there will be some new Democrats and
Republicans in the Senate but the structure
will remain intact. Although the Fertilizer
Bill did not pass this past session, there
will be some changes in the Legislature
that could enable it to be re-presented in
the next session. Need to continue
working to get local governments to accept
BMP's rather than different local
restrictions. We need to continue to work
with city and county government and
allied groups (DEP) to alleviate nonsource pollution. The state will have a
budget shortfall this year and some of the
DEP authority will be taken away. There
will be additional taxes to balance the
books as well as bond sell-out and state
fees increasing. The FGCSA is planning a
joint meeting with members of the FTGA

in Tallahassee to tour the legislature in the others over Methyl Bromide, we stand to
Spring.
get on a slippery slope of more and more
regulation and removal of product use in
the future. Media/Public Relations - Joel
Morgan Stanley account - Matt Taylor will investigate the possibility that the
presented to the Board the Morgan Stanley GCSAA might pay for (through their grant
financial statements. There were no proposal for Education and Outreach) the
surprises- the August statement (the latest $110 dollar ($440/year) for our ad in the
available statement) did not reflect the Golf is our Game. In addition, the FGCSA
current uncertainty in the market.
website has been updated and Jennifer and
Joel will be working to make the site more
Treasurer's Report - Gary Myers user friendly and investigating ways to
presented to the Board the Publications incorporate the website into a potential
and Operations budget reports for the first revenue source working together with the
quarter. The budget is currently meeting magazine. The timing of the cover course
its expected figures.
selection for the Florida Green will be
moved up so we can avoid hurricane
Executive Director Report - Water season which can wreak havoc on our
restrictions and allocations - South Florida schedules.
WMD's rescinded the order on Phase 2
water restrictions. Clubhouse grounds and Education Committee - Mark Kann
common landscape grounds are still handed out a schedule of all of the
subject to day of the week limitations. upcoming education opportunities. He
The district has let go many of the extra also agreed to e-mail this schedule to the
staff they hired for the drought External VPs to distribute to the local
management period, so for any questions chapters. There are many education
available;
FTGA
permit holders are asked to contact local opportunities
compliance managers. We are working conferences, GCSAA webcast, chapter
hard to get the WMD's to modify their sponsored events, etc. If your chapter
allocation methods to make more water sponsors an event, please let Mark Kann
available during drier winter-golf season. and the FGCSA office know so that it can
They are very leery of giving golf a be included on the calendar.
perceived break due to the public belief
golf is a big water user. But they are Research - Steve Pearson will create a
working behind the scenes with us to packet showing all the current research
develop changes to the Blaney-Criddle proposals the FGCSA has funded and has
model. Methyl-bromide - Joel has created committed to fund. A letter will
a letter and forwarded it to the External accompany these packets requesting
VP's and Chapter presidents. He has also Chapters create a line item in their budgets
posted the letters the EPA Docket link on making a commitment of research dollars
the FGCSA website - please use and to the FGCSA. Matt Taylor presented to
forward to your local senators, the Board an opportunity to co-fund, along
congressmen and EPA Docket, and get with the FTGA, the current Economic
members to send comments. October 30 Impact Study. Wayne Kappauff motioned
is the deadline to make comments. Tim for the board to commit to co-funding the
Hiers, as head of the Methyl Bromide task Economic Impact Study with a maximum
Group for GCSAA, will be asking for commitment of $24,000. The motion was
support to hire a consultant to help put approved. Matt Taylor will seek Industry
pressure on EPA over REDs and CUE partner support to help spread out the cost.
issues. The importance of uniting a
fighting EPA on this is that if we do not Awards - Nancy Miller presented a letter
raise the warning flags to Congress and to the External VPs requesting awards
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.. ..Continuation of Fall Board Minutes

Class A, SM, C, retired and lifetime would
nominations. Award nominees are needed go through the FGCSA office. The
for the President's Award, Distinguished FGCSA would then in turn pay the local
Service Award and the Marie Roberts chapters their portion of the dues. This
Award. Please bring your nominees to the would help to insure a consistent method
Winter Board Meeting.
of gathering member information and
keeping track of membership statistics.
Golf - The FGCSA Championship was a This is merely in the presentation stage.
huge success. 49 Superintendents Jennifer will create some bullet point for
representing 7 chapters competed. the Externals to bring to their Chapters
Individual Gross Flight winner was Deron and gain a feel for the type of support this
Zendt. Individual Net Flight winner was procedural change will generate and how
Dave Tandy. The Palm Beach team, it might help chapters during the busy
consisting of Deron Zendt, Mark renewal season.
Henderson, Mark Heater and Steve
Bernard, came in first. The following Membership Wayne Kappauf
members will be notified that they have presented the current membership data.
qualified to represent the FGCSA at the Our numbers are currently only 9% down
GCSAA Tournament in February: Deron from last year's yearend total and only 3%
Zendt, Steve Bernard, Seth Strickland, and down from this time last year. Class A's
Blair Kirby. Bob Harper will be the team are down 3% and Class SM's are down
alternate.
7%. Overall the numbers are consistent
with the same time last year considering
LRP - The Long Range Planning that club budgets are undergoing recent
Committee met in September during the changes and cuts.
FTGA Conference & Show. One of the
items discussed was to change the way dues Fundraising - Tim Hiers is still finalizing
are collected. Shane Bass presented a his list of volunteer golf courses that will
proposal in which all dues for members participate in the pilot program. Howard

UPCOMING EDUCATIONAL
Chemical Spill Response Training One Day Program
Sponsored by UAP Professional
Products
Contact Chris Pappas at (863) 287-5957
Plant City, FL November 4, 2008
Bradenton, FL November 5, 2008
Ft. Pierce, FL November 6, 20008
Sebring, FL November 12, 200
Ocala, FL November 13, 2008
Sanford, FL November 14, 2008
Jacksonville, FL December 1, 2008
Bartow, FL December 2, 2008
Ft, Myers, FL December 3, 2008
Naples, FL December 4, 2008
Boynton Beach, FL December 5, 2008
0.70 education points
Developing Best Management
Practices for Golf Course Water
Conservation

and Harrell's fertilizer have agreed to
be part of the 6 month trial. After the
pilot period is over, all member
courses and fertilizer companies will
be invited to participate to help
generate consistent funding for turf
research. The idea - everyone gives a
little based on how much fertilizer
they purchase.
FTGA - The FTGA Regional
Conferences will continue again next
year. Keep a look out for a January
09 save the date card.
GCSAA - The GIS Conference and
Show will take place in New Orleans
Feb 2-7 . Hotel room reservations
can currently be made via the
GCSAA website. The FGCSA
Reception will take place on Feb. 5
at the Riverview Room in The Shops
in Jackson Brewery.
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The meeting was adjourned at 3:40
pm. The Winter Board Meeting will
be held in Orlando, January 16th at
Disney's Osprey Ridge Golf Course.

OPPORTUNITIES

Instructors: Dr. Robert Carrow and Dr.
Clint Walt
Register at www.gcsaa.org
Port St. Lucie FL
November 12, 2008
0.70 education points
Localized Dry Spots on the Golf Course
Instructor: Dr. Keith Karnok
Register at www.gcsaa.org
Orlando FL
November 19, 2008 8am-12pm
0.35 education points
Managing Turfgrass Root Systems in
the South
Instructor: Dr. Keith Karnok
Register at www.gcsaa.org
Orlando FL
November 19,2008 lpm-5pm
0.35 education points

GCSAA Education Conference
Register at www.gcsaa.org
New Orleans, LA
February 4-7, 2009
Various education points available
Suncoast Grounds Management
Seminar, Twin Lakes Park,
Sarasota County
Register at www.scgcsa.org
November 6,2008
0.60 education points
Please go to the GCSAA website at
www.gcsaa.org for more
information about on-line courses
and webinars that are available to
help you earn education points.

PALM BEACH WINS THE FGCSA GOLF
TOURNAMENT AT SOUTHERN DUNES
49 superintendents representing 7 chapters teed it up on Saturday,
September 27 at the Southern Dunes GC for the 12th Annual FGCSA
Golf Championship. Southern Dunes has hosted the event since it began
in 1996. Low score this year was a 70 and high score was a 116, proving
that some folks play for fun and camaraderie. Prizes were awarded for
1st, 2nd, & 3rd individual Low Gross and Low Net. The winners were:
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Individual Gross Flight
1st Deron Zendt (70)
2nd Jim Torba (71)
3rd Ralphael Villegas

Individual Net Flight:
1st Dave Tandy
2nd Bob Boyan
(74) 3rd Glen Klauk

Team Gross
1st Palm Beach #1 (308) - Deron Zendt, Mark Henderson, Mark Heater,
and Steve Bernard
Team Net
1 st Central Florida (294) -Bob Boyan, Raphael Villegas, Joe Ondo and
Jerry Yeoman
2008 GCSAA Golf Championships
The following members have qualified for the #1 FGCSA Golf Team at
the 2009 GCSAA National Championship at Kiva Dunes Golf Club,
Gulf Shores, Alabama, February 1-February 3.
Deron Zendt, FGCSA Championship
Steve Bernard, Crowfoot Open Champion
Seth Strickland, Poa Annua Classic Champion
Blair Kirby, FTGA Champion
Bob Harper, Alternate

Congratulations to Blair Kirby one of the host superintendents at
PGA National who won the FTGA Golf Tournament in
September and a spot on the FGCA Team for the GCSAA
Championship

GCSAA Education Conference and
Golf Industry Show
February 2nd - 5th, New Orleans
FGCSA Reception Thursday, February 5th
Riverview Room, Jackson Brewery

Room Reservations are currently available on
line at http://www.gcsaa.org/conference/travel.asp
There are a variety of hotels close to both the
Convention Center and the Riverview Room
located in the historic Jackson Brewery - the
location of the FGCSA Reception on Thursday,
Feb 5th. A map of the area is also available
through the GCSAA website.
If you have any questions, please contact
Jennifer Innes at fgcsa@comcast.net or
(772)334-7515.
August 1st - Housing Opened
October 1st - Conference and Show
Registration Opens to MEMBERS Only
October 1st - Tournament Registration
Opens
October 3 0 t h - Conference and Show
Registration Opens for non-members

Deron Zendt from the Banyan G.C. shot a score of 70 to win the Individual Trophy at the
FGCSA Championships held at the Southern Dunes GC in Haines City on Sept 27th.

February l s t - 3 - National Championship &
Golf Classic, Gulf Shores, AL

Jupiter: 888-222-7072
Lakeland: 800-330-8874
THANKS FOR YOUR BUSINESS
Golf Ventures would like to take this opportunity to thank you f o r your
business in 2008! W e know this has been a challenging year f o r the golf
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ultimate customer service through our Turf and Ornamental, Equipment,
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and competitive pricing f o r all your golf course needs.
Thanks again f o r the opportunity to deliver superior service and solutions to
your course!

Golf
Ventures

HELENA

U/\cobs=M

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ARE AWARE OF THIS SPECIAL EVENT
Golf Ventures, Jacobsen and Kilpatrick are again hosting a 2 day technician's
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For more details, call Debbie Nipper at 863-904-2178.

FGCSA
Jennifer Innes
1296 NE Oceanview Circle
Jensen Beach, Florida 34957

Cookingham, Peter
Turfgrass Information Center
MSU: W-212 Library
East Lansing, Michigan 48824

NTENOe^

¿VSSS^S I DAB

FIRST CLASS
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