FE ATURE ◗ TOM NEWTON
Audubon Certification:
Achievable by All
◗ It’s the third week of March in Ontario, more specifically the Niagara Region, and we are just starting to see the signs of turf exposure. While we’re driving around the golf course to scout the property for new bird box installation sites, a dozen deer bolt across the #6 Battlefield fairway of the 45-hole Legends on the Niagara Golf Course and head towards the War of 1812 Commemorative Battlefield site. The moist scent of spring is in the air today and the familiar, annual singing of birds is abundant. After receiving our certification as an Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary from Audubon International this February, an Earth Day project is in the works to install more bird boxes throughout the property. By the time this article is published, we’ll be smack dab in the middle of another busy golf season, concerned with the numerous tasks and challenges required to maintain our golf facilities. One such challenge that the Legends team pursued diligently over the last three years was to obtain our Audubon Certification through Audubon International’s Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses. The intention of this article is to outline the steps required to obtain certification as well as discuss the benefits of the program to golf courses. The vast majority of golf courses already do a number of practices necessary for successful certification, as you will see from the discussion. It is important to remember that every property will have its own unique management opportunities from an environmental perspective that will need to be considered. The first stage of the process is to create an Environmental Plan, which will serve as a blueprint for maximizing environmental assets and minimizing environmental
problems on the golf course. A step-by-step plan is created at this point to evaluate the property’s strengths/weaknesses, define goals, choose projects, assign tasks, develop a timeframe and evaluate successes. This important stage of the process provides written documentation of your environmental accomplishments/goals and a means by which you can evaluate your progress. A key component of the Environmental Planning stage is the formation of a Resource Advisory Group (RAG). This is a group of people, organizations, school groups, federal/provincial agencies, etc. who can help you implement projects and provide technical support along the way. The number of partnerships that become available when you look for possibilities is incredible. As golf course superintendents, we have a tremendous amount of industryspecific knowledge. The members of the RAG have expertise that the typical superintendent may not have and will assist in the type of projects you wish to pursue that are environmentally significant to your property. There are five categories that golf courses must achieve certification in when becoming an Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary. They include Wildlife and Habitat Management, Chemical Use Reduction and Safety, Water Conservation, Water Quality Management, and Outreach and Education. The initial step of creating your Environmental Plan provides the framework for satisfying the criteria for each of these five certification categories.
Wildlife and Habitat Management
The purpose of this certification effort is to enhance natural areas and landscaping
on the golf course to protect and improve native habitats and the wildlife that depend on them for survival. Again, we as superintendents are trained in agronomics when it comes to maintaining the golf course. What about obtaining knowledge about the natural habitats that often make up the other half of the property? The knowledge my staff and I have obtained on this topic is never-ending and can be used in so many other facets of our lives. It is critical to realize that the non-play, natural areas, as well as water features, gardens and landscaped features, usually provide the primary food, cover and water sources that sustain wildlife. This category tends to have the most impact when it comes to golfer perceptions of the playability of the golf course due to naturalization efforts. Slow play, conflicting aesthetics and golfer expectations are the most common concerns when naturalizing areas on the golf course. For naturalization efforts to be successful on the golf course, communication with stakeholders is the number one priority. When determining which locations to naturalize or designate as no mow areas, it is imperative to involve key stakeholders such as members, boards, professional golfing staff, etc. before initiating any of these plans. One of our key findings was that the naturalization of deemed ‘out of play’ areas doesn’t mean a decrease in playing conditions. The labour required for the routine maintenance of these areas resulted in more time being reallocated to maintaining the key playing surfaces. Again, communicating this and being prepared to respond to questions with regards to project costs and the effects on the game of golf are essential. Implementing ‘no mow areas’ on the golf
There are five categories that golf courses must achieve certification in when becoming an Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary. They include Wildlife and Habitat Management, Chemical Use Reduction and Safety, Water Conservation, Water Quality Management, and Outreach and Education. 24 GreenMaster | www.golfsupers.com