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Presented in partnership with BASF
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Good deeds flow downstream
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Quail Brook GC last December became New Jersey’s first “river-friendly” course in the Raritan River Basin. Photo courtesy of Darrell Marcinek |
Editor’s note: Inside Your Environment periodically presents information being featured or archived on The Environmental Institute for Golf Web site. For more about this month’s topic, visit www.eifg.org.
Wherever you’re playing the “Greatest Game Ever,” you’re in a watershed. A golf course could be considered a significant property within any watershed, and according to “GCSAA’s Property Profile and Environmental Stewardship of Golf Courses” report, an average 18-hole golf course comprises 150 acres, of which approximately 100 acres are turfgrass, 24 acres are nonturfgrass landscapes and 11 acres are water bodies. Using those numbers, more than 75 percent of an average 18-hole golf course has potential “green value.”
So it’s really important to understand that we must be careful of our “upstream” activities in order to protect the environment “downstream.” The dead zone, or hypoxia, within the Gulf of Mexico is a prime example of understanding how man’s activities can have an impact on the downstream environment. The dead zone is created by the waters from the Mississippi River basin that carry excess nutrients, sediments and pollutants into the gulf. This principle to protect environmental health holds true for any watershed or river basin.
The Somerset (N.J.) Park Commission and the staff at Quail Brook Golf Course in Somerset certainly understand that principle. In fact, last December Quail Brook became the New Jersey Water Supply Authority’s first “river-friendly” golf course for the Raritan River Basin.
Within his case study, “Quail Brook Golf Course: River-Friendly Golf Course,” Darrell Marcinek, CGCS, the director of golf maintenance for the Somerset Park Commission, calls the certification “a tremendous accomplishment for the park commission and its staff” and “another positive achievement for the golf industry.”
“The certification process began in 2005 when Tara Petti, assistant watershed protection specialist from the New Jersey Water Supply Authority (NJWSA), contacted Thomas Grigal, golf course superintendent,” he continues. “The group’s goal was to develop a set of river-friendly actions specific to Quail Brook Golf Course.”
This part of New Jersey is like many areas that have undergone development; there has been an increase in impervious areas, loss of wetlands, loss of riparian areas and increased pollution. Watershed organizations, state government agencies and the federal government are working to protect those watersheds, and for more than a decade the EPA has recommended a watershed approach.
Using an EPA grant for targeted watersheds, the NJWSA developed the river-friendly certification program, which includes four major
categories:
• Water quality management
• Water conservation techniques
• Wildlife and habitat enhancement
• Education and outreach
Marcinek reports that, “Each category has, but is not limited to, one main goal set forth by NJWSA and is specific to each golf course.”
Marcinek, a 16-year member of GCSAA, and Grigal, a one-year member of the association, began working with Petti to implement the necessary changes, best management practices and education opportunities for watershed protection. Increasing nonturfgrass areas, implementing additional Integrated Pest Management practices and educating the public are just a few key elements the group incorporated into its operations.
The Environmental Committee of the American Society of Golf Course Architects recently released the third edition of “An Environmental Approach to Golf Course Development.” The first edition, released in 1992, served as a reference for those considering developing or remodeling a golf course. The book includes 18 new case studies throughout the U.S. that highlight success stories in the industry and demonstrate how ASGCA architects have created courses on sensitive sites that protect, enhance and preserve the environment, the group says. All three editions have been written and edited by ASGCA environmental committee chairman Bill Love, ASGCA. The books are available from ASGCA for $10. Contact ASGCA, 262-786-5960 (www.asgca.org). Verandah, Florida’s first certified Green Land Development and a recipient of the Environmental Award for demonstrating care in preserving Florida’s environment, has won another environmental award — the national “Because Green Matters” award from Project EverGreen. The developer of the Fort Myers golf facility, Bonita Bay Group, preserved and re-established wildlife habitat, restored historic flowways and developed a plan to protect the site’s ecosystems and set aside more than 70 percent of its 1,456 acres for open space. |
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