Kevin Trotta passed away on December 30, 2016, after a 4-year battle with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). Kevin was a sports field specialist, an internationally recognized environmental advocate, president of Environmental Turf Craft, LLC, and an innovator in his field. He held a Bachelors degree in Landscape Horticulture and a Masters degree with honors in Environmental Studies from the City College of New York. Kevin worked as a golf course greenskeeper, lawn care operator, school grounds manager, and turfgrass IPM consultant. He was the Ecological Lawn Care instructor at the New York Botanical Garden for 15 years and taught Landscape Management for 7 years in the science department at Rockland Community College. A sought-after speaker, Kevin presented for the STMA, NYSTA, NYSTLA, NRPA, Audubon, National Park Service, and many other audiences from coast to coast. He developed a pioneering, acclaimed school IPM program at North Rockland High School that reduced and eliminated chemical pesticide use while producing award-winning sports fields. Kevin served as chairman of the first Environmental Committee of the Sports Turf Managers’ Association where he spearheaded the development of STMA’s official Environmental Policy. He was a long-time Board member of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Rockland County, a member of the Cornwall Conservation Advisory Council, and the New York Team Captain of the international environmental group the Global Sports Alliance; he also served for many years on the NYS Community IPM Council. Named the National 2006 Environmental Communicator of the Year by the Turf and Ornamentals Communicators Association, Kevin was a recipient of numerous other awards including the United States EPA Environmental Quality Award, the New York State Excellence in IPM Award, STMA’s President’s Award, NYSTA’s Friend of the Green Industry, and the International G10 Sports and Environment Prize, awarded in Tokyo in 2009. Kevin firmly believed that civilization could enjoy prosperity without trashing the natural world. We offer our deepest condolences to his wife, Terry and their family.
