Have you noticed the little island of green that now graces the Old Lyme landscape?
The First Congregational Church of Old Lyme’s lawn looks wonderful and the accolades just keep rolling in. Perhaps there are weightier issues on the minds of most residents, but the story of this little patch of grass underlies a larger issue that is sweeping through the town.
At the juncture of McCurdy Rd., Ferry Rd. and Lyme St., the Congregational Church is the town’s most recognizable architectural gem and serves as Old Lyme’s gateway to the historical district. It was little wonder that church stewards approached the decision on lawn care with kid gloves.
The church’s Environmental Committee began to explore the idea of organic treatment for the church property. Because of its prominent geographic location, the committee realized that the church had the opportunity to embrace responsible environmental stewardship and serve as a demonstration plot for integrated organic lawn care.
It was not until the “Church Corner” project was completed that designer and church member Sally McCracken (principle of the firm Sarah Wood McCracken, Landscape Architect) was able to get the ball rolling.
Brand new granite curbs and walks characterized the church corner’s reconstruction, but there was that church lawn … in a condition that could best be described as “spotty.” In consideration of the church’s desire to move to organic care, Sally hired Roger McNelly of East Haddam Horticultural Services LLC. For the past year, Roger has gently guided the lawn’s revitalization.
The organic approach undertaken at the church involved specific tailoring based on soil tests performed on the property. The organic care program has incorporated different limes, fertilizers, gypsum, humates and compost teas. To control grubs, an insect pathogenic nematode was introduced. Typically, successful transition to organic care might take several years, but the results just one year into the project have already yielded exciting results.
As a member of both the church’s environmental committee and the town of Old Lyme’s Conservation Commission, I’ve come to see the church lawn project as a microcosm of an issue we are facing townwide.
In keeping with new state regulations, Lyme-Old Lyme Public Schools Facilities Director John Rhodes has guided Region 18 school fields away from the use of chemical pesticides and herbicides. This has been no small feat considering the incorporation of the new track field and the overuse of our existing fields necessitated by the ongoing high school construction.
At the same time, the town’s Conservation Commission has worked with a town committee chaired by Phil Neaton to address the conversion of all town-owned fields from chemical applications to a sustainable “green” status.
None of these changes come easily and progress seems frustratingly slow at times. Yet, in a small town with no municipal water system, our aquifers intimately connect us all. The chemicals sprayed on our neighbor’s lawns find their way to our streams, our lakes, our Sound and … our water wells.
Congratulations to the First Congregational Church, Region 18, and the Town of Old Lyme for taking the initial steps toward making our town a safer and more sustainable place to raise our children.
PS: Stay tuned for the ultimate test for the church lawn … will it survive the “White Elephant Sale” this Friday and Saturday?
Environmentalist Tom Sherer of Old Lyme (left) is a man with a passion for the environment. A member of Old Lyme’s Conservation Commission, he also serves on the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme’s Environmental Committee.