March 13, 2015
CapitalPress.com
9
Turfgrass specialist
makes lawns and
sports fields greener
By DENISE RUTTAN
For the Capital Press
On any given day Alec
Kowalewski juggles quite a
few plates.
The mild-mannered turf-
grass specialist for the Or-
egon State University Ex-
tension Service might teach
undergraduate
students
about the principles of turf
maintenance one day. An-
other day, he might find him-
self on an athletic field at a
high school in Ontario train-
ing groundskeepers how to
better manage pests. On yet
another day, he might work
with master gardener train-
ees on lawn care techniques.
Kowalewski’s
duties,
however, have taken on a
broader scope in addition to
his extension work within
the past year.
“In the past, my extension
work was focused on golf
course turf management,”
Kowalewski said. “But I felt
I really needed to expand
the program to get more
students interested in under-
graduate degrees in turfgrass
management. I’ve expanded
to include municipal, sports
and residential turf.”
This evolution brings
Kowalewski full circle to his
roots, so to speak. His Ph.D.
thesis at Michigan State
University focused on sports
turf and extension.
“I feel personally that turf
management has three fac-
ets to it,” Kowalewski said.
“Turfgrass has to be pleasing
to the eye. It has to function-
al in things such as prevent-
ing surface runoff. Thirdly,
if we can’t figure out ways
to develop turfgrass to make
it playable for young people,
then I feel we aren’t doing
our job. There should be
more game spaces for people
to enjoy.”
As part of that effort, he
is working with OSU’s In-
tegrated Plant Protection
Center to reach out to public
schools across the state on
integrated pest management.
From Ontario to Portland
to Reedsport, in 11 training
events a year, Kowalewski
and the IPPC’s Tim Stock
work with groundskeepers
and school IPM coordina-
tors. Stock teaches them
about structural pests. Kow-
alewski takes people out-
side.
Kowalewski first tells
a group of about 20-30 of
these adult students about
practices like mowing, fertil-
izing, and irrigating that will
reduce the number of pesky
bugs using fewer pesticides.
Then the students take him
out to their tracks and sports
fields to tell him their par-
ticular challenges with pests
and turf management.
“The
biggest
prob-
lems I’ve seen are limited
budgets, limited staff and
grounds that have high use
requirements,” Kowalewski
said.
Turn to TURF, Page 55
Courtesy of OSU
Alec Kowalewski, Oregon State University’s turf specialist, reaches for a pot of creeping bentgrass at a
greenhouse on the Corvallis campus.
Bag needs?
Bag solutions!
SMITH PACKAGING
YOUR MAIN SUPPLIER FOR:
• Polyethylene Bags
• Polypropylene Bags
• Paper Bags
• Bulk Bags
• Stretch Films
• Hay Sleeves
• Mesh Produce Bags
• Plastic Pallet Covers
• Bag Closure Products
• General Warehouse
Supplies
Competitive pricing!
Great quality products!
Service you expect and trust!
Row Mulch Spreaders For All Growers
Whatcom Manufacturing’s Mulch
Spreaders are specifically engineered
for fast, easy and precise mulch
application. Whether it’s for moisture
evaporation, weed control,
amendments for enhancing soil tilth,
the Whatcom Manufacturing Mulch
Spreader saves time and money.
Created with your needs in mind, they
are available in multiple sizes with
numerous options and features. They
are built to accommodate all
applications using mulch, sawdust
shaving, manure, solids, gyspum,
organic compost, wood chips, etc.
NOW ALSO SERVING YOU IN
EASTERN WASHINGTON!
Call Ed Kropf:
509-936-2652
ed@smith-packaging.com
Whatcom Manufacturing Inc.
Lynden, WA
360-354-3094
www.whatcommfg.com
whatcommfg@nas.com
Halsey, Oregon
541-369-2850
www.smithpackagingservices.com
S15--5/#24
S15-2/#5