They were detected in all 12 sample sites. Diazinon is believed to throw off a salmon's sense of smell, which it uses to detect predators. Oddly, many homeowners don't even know when they're applying pesticides to their lawns. Thirty-five percent said they had done so in the 1994 survey. Doug Fender, executive director of Turfgrass Producers International, a trade group, downplays any movement toward grass-free yards.
People love their grass.
Gwen Stahnke, extension turf specialist at Washington State University-Puyallup, questioned whether it's fair to pit lawns against gardens. I don't care whether that's turf. I don't care whether that's trees and shrubs. Younger families seem to prefer lawns for kids, while older people prefer gardens, said Brian Livingston, project manager for the Gray Barn Landscaping Company in Redmond. There are differences between the ways Seattle residents and their suburban neighbors treat their yards.