I'm a freelance writer working on an assigned magazine article. I'm looking to interview homeowners near the Mississippi River and/or its tributaries who take care of their lawns and gardens organically. The story I'm working on discusses ways to lessen or prevent runoff of lawn and garden chemicals to the Mississippi watershed. Of course, not using these chemicals is a great first step. I would love to talk to someone who may have switched to organic techniques in the past few years or who manages their property in other ways to lessen runoff--such as maintaining a buffer strip between their property and a waterway, reducing the size of their lawn, or using native plants that require no supplemental watering and fertilizers. E-mail me directly at snipped-for-privacy@nmu.edu.