Fairways For Birds

Sun., April 28, 1996

Chicago Tribune

Nature

Birdwatchers are trying to put a little more green in the game of golf.

The National Audubon Society is seeking partnerships with golfers to make environmentally friendly bird sanctuaries out of golf courses, which, in some cases, are saturated with chemicals.

As a result, prairies, marshes and forests are blossoming at seven Chicago-area golf courses that have been certified as part of the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary System.

For a $100 fee, the Audubon Society offers golf course managers advice on conservation, habitat protection, water recycling and safe use of chemicals. The program assists groundskeepers with conservation advice and then honors courses that meets Audubon’s standards.

“In an urban area, golf courses are some of the last remaining open space,” said Ruth Hecht, Audubon ecologist.

“We have to learn to work with development, and how we (do that) and still be good stewards of the land is a challenge,” she said.

There are 65 Audubon-certified courses nationwide, including The Links at Spanish Bay, in Pebble Beach, Calif.; and the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Manassas, Va. (one of President Clinton’s haunts).

Use of drought-hardy native plants benefits wildlife and helps save chemical and irrigation costs. Nest boxes for bluebirds, swallows and bats provide insect control to benefit humans.

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