Organic Land Steward

The Organic Land Stewardship Collective was created to increase organic land practices within our county.  To address the “dead zones” discovered in the oceans largely due to petroleum-based chemical fertilizer run-off, as well as to protect the local pollinators and children, we aim to reduce and eliminate the use of chemical fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides on public lands.  Currently, the city of Durango has established Brookside Park, at 24th Street and Main Avenue,as a chemical-free park.  Instead of using chemical fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides, Turtle Lake Refuge, in collaboration with the Parks and Recreation Department, uses alternative methods such as organic compost tea, wild weed harvesting parties and bat boxes.  We have been working with Fort Lewis College students in creating and applying the compost tea as a viable alternative to chemical fertilizers in our community.  The initial projects have lead into an organic lawn care business called Grassroots.  Through Grassroots, we teach tolerance and value of the local weeds as well as nourish the root systems of businesses’ and homeowners’ lawns through applying compost tea.  The compost tea not only provides food for the lawn, but it also creates a healthy ecosystem in the soil, promoting life, aeration, and efficient distribution of minerals and vitamins for the plants and microorganisms underground.