In 2008, the Hunt Club was recognized as a fully certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary – the certification by Audubon International bears testament to the Club’s environmental stewardship. The Club has developed an environmental stewardship plan to help enhance the natural areas and wildlife habitats of its property while minimizing any potentially harmful impacts from golf course operations. The plan encompasses Environmental Planning, Wildlife and Habitat Management, Outreach and Education, Chemical Use Reduction, Water Quality Management, and Water Conservation.
Environmental practices include:
- leaving as much of the property as possible in its natural state;
- maintaining 12 on-site tree nurseries;
- selecting plants native to the Ottawa area where possible to restore and enhance the natural landscape;
- incorporating enhanced food sources, nesting sites or den development for wildlife;
- sponsoring an annual field day for local students that incorporates the Club’s environmental stewardship plan and bird-house building from lumber harvested from golf course trees;
- maintaining over 70 nesting boxes and 3 purple martin houses;
- installing a weather station to determine water requirements for the golf course in support of water conservation;
- recycling over 350 metres of compost, generated by the Club annually, in the tree planting program and other landscape projects;
- using cultural practices to improve turf quality and minimize chemical use;
- significant testing of the watershed to ensure water run-off quality is maintained.
Golf courses may also be great habitat for turtles - and they don't tear up the green (like some mammals).
ReplyDelete"Vegetation at sites in the turtle’s immediate habitat around the pond was different from those at their nesting sites. The turtles had a greater preference for landscaped sites - mulch cover and mowed rough grass – and mowed grass instead of the golf green and bare ground such as sidewalks, pavement, and sandpits. Surprisingly, there was little evidence suggesting turtles built nests in wetlands or natural vegetation such as unmowed grass or weedy or leafy cover. Furthermore, the turtles were not likely to nest in places with canopy cover."
http://environment.yale.edu/yer/article/finding-wildlife-habitat-in-urban-areas#gsc.tab=0