Going Greens
By Larry Gierer, Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, Ga.
Jan. 30–Ivey Dyal is standing near a bluebird house of which there are several on the Green Island Country Club golf course. He’s talking about building more and adding some houses for ducks as well.
“There is a public perception that golf courses aren’t good stewards of the environment. We are here,” Dyal said.
Such good stewards that the club in Columbus received certification in environmental planning from the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses, an international program administered by Audubon International that is designed to help landowners preserve and enhance the environmental quality of the property.
Getting that certification is just the first step by Green Island to reaching full status as a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary. There are five other categories — wildlife and habitat management, chemical use reduction, water conservation, water quality management and outreach education — in which the club must still meet requirements.
Of all the golf courses in the world, only 618, at last count, are involved in the program, only 13 in Georgia. Only a couple of those Georgia courses have reached full accreditation.
“These are all golf courses run by people who want to do the right thing,” said Joellen Zeh, Audubon International Program Manager. Audubon International is an environmental organization headquartered in New York that is dedicated to educating, assisting and inspiring millions of people to protect and sustain natural resources.
Jim Sluiter is staff ecologist for Audubon International. In a letter to Dyal, he welcomed Green Island to the program, saying, “the open space of a golf course is utilized not only by golfers, but is habitat for a variety of wildlife species.”
He added that the program benefits both people and wildlife.
Dyal is the golf course superintendent for the private club located on Standing Boy Road.
Dyal had to come up with a detailed plan for what changes the staff will make at the club. They are changes that have been received by the club’s board in a “very positive” fashion, he said.
A few items on his list are documenting habitat areas with photos and maps, connecting natural areas with wildlife corridors, increasing plant diversity in natural areas, leaving dead trees standing when they don’t pose a safety hazard and maintaining a water source for wildlife with aquatic plants and shrubbery or native landscaping along the shoreline.
He’s planning to conduct a basic chemical analysis of water bodies on the course, form a resource advisory group and develop opportunities for others to become involved in environmental stewardship projects.
He already has club members volunteering to keep the bluebird houses clean.
“We’re going to work hard to get everything implemented as soon as we can,” he said.
The clubs been at work for a year already and it could take at least another year for completion.
Dyal plans to greatly reduce the amount of pesticide used as well as using safer brands. On a course that stretches 6,380 yards, he notes that a lot of diseases attack course greens and need fungicide.
He wants to add plants native to the area which need less water such as wax myrtles, maples and oaks. He will plant perennials instead of annuals which will reduce labor and the need for watering. These will be in what are grassy areas.
“With this drought anything we can do to reduce the amount of water we use, we need to do,”Dyal said.
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Copyright (c) 2008, Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, Ga.
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