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Audubon Cooperative Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary SystemSanctuary System

• Environmental Priorities:• Watershed protection• Biodiversity and habitat management• Sustainable resource management• Environmental design• Sustainable communities

Who is Audubon International?

Community LevelStrategic Planning and Sustainable Community Initiatives

Site LevelEnvironmentally-sensitive Development and Management

Individual LevelStewardship Action

Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Programs for:

• Golf Courses

• Schools

• Businesses

• Backyards

• Audubon Signature Cooperative Sanctuary Program

• The goal of each program is educating and assisting land managers in practicing good environmental stewardship and sustainable land management.

Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses

• Administered by Audubon International

• Sponsored by the USGA since 1991

• Goals:• Enhance wildlife habitats on existing golf courses

• Encourage active participation in conservation programs

• Recognize golf courses as important open spaces and credit those participating in environmental projects

• Educate the public and golf community about the benefits of golf courses and the role they play relative to the environment and wildlife

Why Golf Courses?

• When carefully constructed and managed, golf courses can be successfully blended with the natural environment to preserve natural habitat and provide a community asset.

Why Golf Courses?

• Potential pollution of groundwater and surface waters

• Use of water resources for irrigation

• Degradation or loss of natural areas

• Potential effect of golf course activities on people and wildlife

Benefits of the Program

• The Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program provides a framework for coordinating and expanding your environmental efforts.

• It will help you document, communicate, and promote what you do.

• It will help you reduce risks and environmental liabilities.

• “I came into the program very cocky. I grew up on a golf course and thought I knew it all. Audubon showed me how much I didn’t know.”

Patrick Blum, Superintendent at Colonial Acres Golf Course

Good for the Environment, Good for the Course

• ACSP Participant Survey results:

• 75% reduced pesticide costs

• 82% reduced pesticide use

• 89% improved cultural control methods to decrease the need for chemical use

• 89% conscientiously choose native plants when landscaping

• 50% increased the amount of shoreline vegetation

• 99% reported that playing quality has remained the same or improved

Good for the Environment, Good for Golfers

• National Golf Foundation survey results: • Among the top five reasons people play golf is:

"it puts the golfer in touch with nature"• 90% of golfers believe in the need to protect the

environment

• ACSP Participant Survey results:• 92% use pesticides with lower toxicity levels• Average increase of 22 acres of wildlife habitat per

course• 66% reported that golfer satisfaction has improved• 34% reported that golfer satisfaction has remained

the same

Good for the Environment, Good for Staff

• ACSP Participant Survey results:

• 80% decreased the amount of managed turfgrass

• 56% increased the width of “no-spray zones” around water features

• 99% reported that job satisfaction has improved or has remained the same

Community Outreach

Skill Enhancement

Make New Friends

Reasons To Join The Program

• Have fun

• Enhance job satisfaction

• Improve job skills

• Improve turf quality

• Improve golfer and community relations

• Not to mention:• Protect and enhance wildlife habitat• Conserve natural resources• Protect water quality

• “It’s the right thing to do!”Michael Sandburg, CGCS

Getting Started

• Register your property in the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses• Fill out a short form • Send with $200 annual fee

• Receive a New Member Packet

• Receive a subscription to Stewardship News

Program Education and Assistance

• New Member Packet includes:• The Guide to Environmental Stewardship on the Golf

Course• Certification Handbook• Native Plant List

• Technical support• Sound information• Audubon Stewards Network

• Promotional opportunities• Press releases• Case studies• Articles• Media highlights

Six Environmental Focus Areas

• Environmental Planning

• Wildlife and Habitat Management

• Chemical Use Reduction and Safety

• Water Conservation

• Water Quality Management

• Outreach and Education

Environmental Planning takes into account:

• In-play Turfgrass

• Maintenance facility

• Irrigation

• Course landscaping

• Water features

• Non-play natural areas

Environmental Planning

• Commit to environmental stewardship

• Plan projects that ensure overall environmental quality

• Evaluate progress towards goals and objectives on an annual basis

Environmental Planning Goals

Crown Isle Resort & Golf Community

• “Enhance the wildlife present on site along with building a better environment for more;

• Show that a golf course can coexist with nature;• Build and enhance a sanctuary where nature and

wildlife can thrive and grow.”

Wildlife and Habitat Management

• Provide habitat for a variety of wildlife species in non-play and landscaped areas

• Protect existing native habitats and species

Wildlife & Habitat Management Successes

Crown Isle Resort & Golf Community

• Establishment of a detailed wildlife and plant inventory database

• Partnering with the City of Courtenay in the building of the BC150 Grove on Malahat Dr.

• Created a Butterfly Garden on the 1st Hole

• Instituted a Nest Box and Mason Bee Block Program

• Converting 4,700sq.ft of Broom on the 2nd Hole to a Garry Oak Meadow

Chemical Use Reduction and Safety

• Maintain vigorous and healthy turfgrass through sound cultural practices and IPM

• Ensure that chemical products are managed and applied in ways that minimize harmful environmental impacts

Chemical Use Reduction Successes

Crown Isle Resort & Golf Community

• Reduction in overall pesticide usage

• Re-prioritization of cultural programs to encourage a healthier turf, more able to withstand disease pressure

• Complete elimination of insecticides as part of our turf maintenance program

• Improved on-site chemical and fertilizer storage safety

Water Conservation

• Maximize efficiency and minimize water waste by proper maintenance of irrigation equipment

• Maintain soil and turf health that maximizes water absorption and minimizes water loss to evaporation and runoff

Water Conservation Successes

Crown Isle Resort & Golf Community

• Reduced overall water usage by 33% since pursuing Audubon certification

• Removing 12 acres of turf from our irrigation system

• Incorporating evapotranspiration rates into daily irrigation decisions

• Upgrading irrigation hardware and control software to more maximize irrigation efficiency

• Completing an irrigation audit to measure uniformity of sprinkler coverage

Water Quality Management

• Monitor the health of water features to detect possible movement of nutrient and chemical inputs into water sources

• Protect water resources by employing Best Management Practices to eliminate the potential for chemical runoff, nutrient loading, and drift

Water Quality Management Example

Crown Isle Resort & Golf Community

Established vegetative buffer and no-spray zones around all on-course water features

Outreach and Education

• Communicate your commitment to environmental stewardship

• Educate patrons, staff, decision makers, and community members about environmental projects

• Provide opportunities for patrons, staff, decision makers, and community members to be involved in environmental projects

Outreach and Education Examples

Participating in the ACSP

• Sets a positive example

• Leads the way for responsible environmental stewardship

• Reduces risks

• Makes a significant contribution to the environment

Join Today!Join Today!

Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary System46 Rarick Road

Selkirk, NY 12158

(518) 767-9051 ext. 12Fax: (518) 767-9076

acss@auduboninternational.orgwww.auduboninternational.org