Letter From Audubon International
Dear
Mark,
Thank
you for your continuing efforts to enhance wildlife habitat and protect
environmental quality through the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program! Your commitment and positive attitude places you at
the forefront of golf management. Your experience is a valuable asset to
others, and we hope you will share it as your schedule allows.
Matt
Taylor, Director of Golf Course Operations at Royal Poinciana Golf Club and
Audubon Steward, was impressed with your golf course and facilities during his
site visit this past June. He thought the course was an excellent example of
how a golf course can provide wildlife habitat, and was especially impressed by
native areas on the course. As a result of his helpful comments and
observations during his site visit, we are pleased to recertify Stonebridge
Country Club as a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary.
Mr.
Taylor was impressed with your continuing efforts to create naturalized areas
on the golf course, which provide valuable water, food and habitat for local and
migratory wildlife in the area. In particular, he noted that you supply plenty
of native plant material in habitat areas and around water features. We were
also pleased to hear that you plan to resurrect your nest box program with help
from a local expert. You will find tips for nest box placement and construction
in A Guide to Environmental Stewardship on the Golf Course, 2nd edition,
which can access by logging on to your profile at www.auduboninternational.org.
Let us know if you need additional assistance with this project.
Adding
colorful wildflowers to natural areas is a great way to make these areas more
aesthetically pleasing while also adding wildlife value to the course. We
recommend visiting the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center (http://www.wildflower.org/explore.php) and searching the
Native Plant Database by “Florida” and then by the particular habits (i.e.,
shrub, tree, vine, etc.): http://www.wildflower.org/collections/collection.php?all=true. From there, you
can learn about each native plant’s bloom information, growing conditions, and
wildlife benefit. You can also find local seed or plant nurseries using this
site.
You
have done a good job of providing wide (25’) no-spray zones around water
features. Creating vegetative buffers around water features is a critical
habitat component, especially for aquatic wildlife which use these areas for
food, nesting, and cover from predation. Vegetative buffers are also valuable
from a water quality perspective as they reduce erosion and filter runoff,
minimizing impacts from golf course management practices. Where shorelines are
directly in play, research has shown that 25’ bands of dense turf mowed to at
least three inches high will help slow runoff, trap particles, and utilize
excess fertilizer before it reaches the water. These filter strips should be
maintained as no-spray zones, meaning no pesticides are sprayed and fertilizers
are spoon-fed. Obviously, if a green lies within 25’ of a water feature, these
guidelines will not be able to be followed. Every property is unique and we
want to work with you to enhance your environmental program given your
constraints.
Your
pest management methods are good, and we applaud your use of scouting and
setting thresholds for turf diseases and pests. This is a critical component of
integrated pest management and contributes heavily to enhanced water quality
and the beauty of the course. Mr. Taylor noted that you use cultural practices
as part of your regular golf course maintenance, including reducing compaction
and turf stress and adjusting mowing heights as needed. The reviewer also noted
that you are working toward installing a new recycled wash water system, which
we were very pleased to hear! Mr. Taylor reported that you have also budgeted
for additional aerators for your water features, which create oxygen and reduce
algae growth. Keep up the great work!
Mr.
Taylor noted that your efforts to use water more efficiently are enhanced by
your careful attention to weather patterns, targeted irrigation heads, and
routine irrigation system maintenance. Water consumption may be further reduced
or eliminated through the use of moisture meters that indicate the specific
areas where additional irrigation is needed.
We
applaud your efforts to engage club members, employees, and the community
through your ACSP display and signs in the clubhouse and on the property. Mr.
Taylor reported that you have a number of projects planned, including creating
a new display after the clubhouse’s renovations are finished and providing
wildlife walks in conjunction with members. We were also thrilled to hear that
employees are trained on Best Management Practices for golf courses. You may be interested in purchasing one of our
brand-new official Audubon International Certified Property signs, available
for a low introductory price at our online store: https://www.auduboninternational.org/promotions-products.
Other
ideas for increasing your outreach and education efforts include installing
educational signage around natural areas. These signs can simply say that the
area is an environmentally sensitive zone, or it can detail a particular native
species found in the naturalized area. Other members have had success with
providing displays about ACSP activities, brochures of their involvement with
the program, and newsletter articles to membership that describe projects. We
have also seen members provide binders of ACSP recommended golf course
management practices, such as the benefits of tall grass naturalization, the
importance of protecting water quality, and more. These recommendations can all
be found in fact sheets in our online resource library at: www.auduboninternational.org/factsheets. You can find
additional ideas on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/AudubonInternational.
You can also draw inspiration from our quarterly online publication of Stewardship
News, and from our Success Stories section on our website: https://www.auduboninternational.org/success-stories.
Information
on a variety of topics, including how to implement environmental projects and
species information is provided in the Resources section of the member-only
website and in A Guide to Environmental Stewardship on the Golf Course, 2nd
edition, which was sent to you previously. Log in to the member-only website
from our website at www.auduboninternational.org using your email
address. You can also upload digital documents and photos, saving both paper
and postage.
There
are now over 2,200 golf courses enrolled in the program and 906 are currently
designated as a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary. Thanks for
setting such a fine example for others to follow! We look forward to another
successful year and are glad to know that Stonebridge Country Club will
continue to be part of that success.
Sincerely,
Laura
Laura
Audubon International
http://www.auduboninternational.org