Wildlife Links
Funded Projects
Pictures contributed by David Scott, Savannah River Ecology
Laboratory
Since 1996, 13 projects committing close to $1 million have been
funded to enhance wildlife conservation on golf courses. These
projects include:
Golf Courses and Bird Conservation:
A Management Manual
Colorado Bird Observatory
Scott Gillihan
Start Date: 1996
Number of Years: 3
Total Funding: $48,760
The Colorado Bird Observatory has created a practical guide for golf
course architects and superintendents to improve golf course habitat for
bird species. Bird Conservation on Golf Courses is available for
purchase through USGA and Sleeping Bear Press. It is the first book that
brings together the latest information on bird and bird habitat
management as it applies to golf courses and similar settings. Order
directly through Sleeping Bear Press' website: www.sleepingbearpress.com
The hands-on manual covers everything from general concepts, to
specific techniques, and vital information on:
1.Design and management for habitat conservation
2.Management techniques for specific bird species
3.Artificial nest structures
4.Plants beneficial to bird populations
5.Birds and golf course maintenance
6.Dealing with problem birds
For more information, contact Scott Gillihan at: cobirdobs@aol.com
Wetlands Management Manual
for Golf Courses
MACED
Don Harker, Gary Libby
Start Date: 1996
Number of Years: 3
Total Funding: $35,000
This illustrated book of key wetlands restoration techniques and case
studies for golf superintendents will be available in 2000 through the
USGA. The book will contain a general narrative overview, drawings, case
studies, key restoration techniques and indicator species to walk
managers through a process of understanding wetlands, which will lead to
the ability to conserve, create/restore, and manage wetlands on golf
courses. A new and easy reference method for the golf course manager to
follow when working to conserve, restore, or construct a wetland was
designed for the booklet.
Data Management System for
Information on Wildlife Habitat on Golf Courses
Audubon International
Ron Dodson
Start Date: 1996
Number of Years: 3
Total Funding: $77,500
Audubon International has computerized its database of information
gathered through its Cooperative Sanctuary System, a voluntary program
for golf courses interested in creating and enhancing wildlife habitats
and conserving and sustaining natural resources. The database will be
open to golf course managers and others in the near future. Accessing
data in this manner will help Audubon International staff to better
direct members of the program in regard to conservation activities. In
addition, it will establish a foundation from which wildlife research
can be generated and give a clear picture of the resources presently
under management by program members.
The creation of the Managed Lands Database System began in late
August 1995. A review of all the Resource Inventory Information
contained in hard copy at Audubon International headquarters was first
completed. All member golf courses of the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary
Program System that completed a resource inventory form since 1991 were
broken down into quantifiable information. This information was then
transferred onto a standard form from which the data could easily be
placed into a database. There are close to 950 bird species, 600
different species of reptiles and amphibians, and 100 species of mammals
contained within the database. A model was designed to help make entries
into the database. This model included a very limited and general
species list for birds, reptiles, amphibians, mammals, trees, and even
insects. It contained a breakdown of all habitat types such as desert,
prairie, or woodland, and if the woodland was deciduous or coniferous.
It also broke down the water features of the site, by number of ponds
and pond acreage, number of lakes and lake acreage, and the amount of
wetland area. The model also incorporated the address, state, and zip
code and contact name fore each site.
A series of reports can now be generated based on the Resource
Inventory Information logged into the Managed Land Database Information.
For example reports dealing with geographic regions, address
information, land and water acreage, and habitats were developed. This
kind of information is very useful and beneficial to the Audubon
Cooperative Sanctuary Program and its members.
For more information, contact Audubon International at (518)
767-9051
Conservation of Native Pollinators on
Golf Courses
Xerces Society
Melody Allen
Start Date: 1997
Number of Years: 3
Total Funding: $136,500
The aim of the project is to foster and increase insect pollinator
populations including native bees, wasps, moths, flies, and butterflies
to offset the effects of habitat fragmentation, and to augment the
species composition of native plants in the out-of-play areas to produce
continuous flowering throughout the growing season.
In the late summer of 1997, consulting scientists and Xerces Society
staff visited several golf courses in eastern Washington and Oregon to
rate their appropriateness for study. The interest of the golf course
superintendent in participating in the plant and pollinator enrichment
program also was determined. Soon after conducting the site visits and
interviews, the project team selected four golf courses for inclusion:
Wildhorse Resort in Mission, OR; Veterans Memorial Golf Course in Walla
Walla, WA; Horn Rapids Golf Course in Richland, WA; and Coeur d'Alene
Resort in Coeur d'Alene, ID.
Insect Surveys. The research scientists then initiated surveys on
Wildhorse, Veterans Memorial, and Horn Rapids to obtain a background
estimate of the number of individuals and species of flower-visiting
Hymenoptera (bees and wasps) present in late summer and fall. The survey
was implemented by a Master of Science student at Washington State
University. Coeur d'Alene Resort was declared a reference site because
of its abundance of insects and native plant communities.
In late spring of 1998 through fall of 1998, the same estimation
process was implemented under Dr. Heidi Dobson at Whitman College in
Walla Walla, Washington. In addition to collecting specimens, nesting
block stations using blocks of wood drilled with varying sized holes to
attract a diversity of hole nesting bee and wasp species were set up.
The blocks were attached to 3-foot posts and placed in the ground at
each golf course and in a reference site approximately one mile away.
The reference sites were chosen for quality of native vegetation.
Entomologists at the USDA Bee Biology and Systematics Laboratory in
Logan UT opened the blocks, extracted, and dissected each nest into its
component cells. After recording data, the cells were placed in gel
capsules and stored for the winter before their spring return to the
golf course where the bees and wasps were allowed to emerge
normally.
The surveying activities are ongoing; however, the project scientists
have identified the specimens from 1997. Thus far, 79 species of bees
(all native except for the introduced honeybee) and 51 species of wasps
from weekly collections in August, September, and October 1997 were
trapped at the three golf courses. Specimens from the 1998 season are
being prepared for identification at the USDA laboratory. The bees
include a wide range of species from genera whose members tend to be
somewhat specialized in their flower-foraging habits
(Anthidium,Dianthidium, Megachile,Andrena, Nomadopsis), to those that
are quite generalized (all genera in the bee family Halictidae). The
wasps also represent a surprising diversity for such a brief sampling
period. All are predaceous on arthropods, many of which are considered
pests. For example, all Eumenidae capture caterpillars, many Larridae
(Liris, Larropsis, Tachytes, and Tachysphex) prey on Orthoperans
(grasshoppers and crickets). Oxybelus and Bembix are valuable because
they hunt and kill flies, and Podalonia is a cutworm predator. Although
it is early in the analysis, a pattern of abundance seems to be present
among the three courses.
Plant surveys in 1997 identified species growing on site and analyzed
the golf course soils. A literature search identified the likely plant
communities that existed before human encroachment. A list of native
plants that are attractive to pollinator insects and which could be used
as the basis for habitat enrichment was compiled and annotated for
easier use by golf course superintendents. Pot-grown native plant
species were planted on two courses in April of 1999.
Several educational documents have been prepared in draft form
including 1) Pollinators on Your Golf Course, a leaflet outlining the
project's objectives and its activities; 2) Nesting Boxes and Native
Plants for Bees, an information sheet on simple things to do to help
bees, and 3) Guidelines for Creating Habitat for Native Pollinator
Insects on Golf Courses, a guide for golf course professionals. In
addition, the Xerces Society will produce a Pocket Guide to Insect
Pollinators. This guide is for the lay audience and will include color
illustrations and basic life history information for the common groups
of North American pollinating bees, wasps and flies. The guide will
allow a lay person to identify the groups of bees, wasps, and flies that
are the ubiquitous pollinators. It also will provide sufficient
information on the appearance, habits, and life histories of most native
bees and wasps. As material for the publication is produced, Xerces will
produce educational sheets for the golf courses. The pocket guide will
be produced under rigorous scientific standards, emphasize the beauty
and fascinating biology of pollinators, and encourage the reader to
appreciate these beneficial insects.
This project is expected to run until May 2000. By that date, surveys
from the 1999 field season will be completed and data compiled, seeds
will be obtained and sown in habitat patches or will be growing in pots
for transplanting in the spring, and educational materials will be
completed.
For more information, contact the Xerces Society (503) 232-6639
Golf Course Maintenance and
Amphibian Conservation
Frostburg State University
Dr. James Howard
Start Date: 1997
Number of Years: 3
Total Funding: $105,036
A series of laboratory and field experiments are being performed to
test the relative toxicity of common golf course pesticides on amphibian
species and to study the success of creating artificial wetlands on golf
courses for use as amphibian breeding habitat. Specific laboratory goals
include: 1) To test the relative toxicity of the most commonly used
pesticides (insecticides, fungicides and herbicides) with three diverse
taxa of amphibians; and 2) To develop a more complete and biologically
realistic testing protocol including: a) multiple species; b) short term
acute and long term chronic tests; c) multiple life history stages; d)
multiple indicators of biological impact; and e) an environment that
provides the opportunity to detoxify or potentiate chemicals with more
biological realism. Specific field goals include: 1) To access the
feasibility of "stocking" wetlands in order to establish breeding
populations of desired amphibian species; and 2) To evaluate the
relative success of small temporary wetlands versus a larger permanent
body of water stocked with the same amphibians.
1999 laboratory experiments of chronic exposure to three fungicides
(Chipco, Daconil, and Fore) were conducted on two species of amphibians
and data indicate that concentrations of Fore had significant effects on
survival, growth, and time to metamorphosis of tadpoles. LC50
determinations indicate dramatic differences in toxicity among the three
compounds evaluated with Chipco being the least toxic to amphibians.
Field studies in 1999 included the translocation of egg masses from two
species of amphibians into experimental ponds at Rocky Gap State Park in
Maryland. Hatching success was monitored in the egg masses and
metamorphosed individuals of both species were captured and marked for
further identification. One of the species (upland chorus frogs) from
the 1998 translocations returned to breed in the experimental wetlands.
Other species, because of longer maturation periods, are not expected to
return until future seasons. Experimental ponds, as well as golf course
ponds, were monitored for natural colonization of amphibian species. Six
species of amphibians were detected using the experimental ponds for
breeding. Evidence for only one species of amphibian using golf course
ponds for breeding was found. That breeding effort was lost because of
the stocking of the pond with fish.
For more information, contact Dr. Jim Howard,
ebihow@fre.fsu.umd.edu
Pesticides and Nutrients in
Surface Waters Associated with Golf Courses and Their Effects on Benthic
Macroinvertebrates
University of Maryland
Dr. William Lamp
Start Date: 1998
Number of Years: 2
Total Funding: $54,896
Objectives of this study are to: 1)measure the concentration of
pesticides residing in the sediments
and sediment porewater of streams associated with golf courses; 2)
assess the impact of golf courses on stream macroinvertebrate
communities; and 3) determine the sublethal impacts of selected
pesticides on benthic macroinvertebrates.
Golf courses provide citizens with a convenient recreational
opportunity while preserving green space and natural settings. Yet,
their intensive management necessitates the use of pesticides and
fertilizers, thus provoking concerns of environmental damage. One of the
overall goals of this project is to determine if surface waters, and
their sediments, associated with golf courses are contaminated by
pesticides and/or fertilizers. Potential contamination can occur
especially in association with high runoff events such as storms.
However, because contamination varies with time, a second overall goal
was to develop the use of stream macroinvertebrates and their
communities as long-term indicators of water quality. This will help
determine if pesticides and/or fertilizers are impacting stream
macroinvertebrate communities.
Water samples for nutrient level measurement have been collected and
analyzed once or twice every month since March 1998. In addition,
researchers have collected water from five run-off events and have
analyzed this water for nutrients. Water and sediment samples for
pesticide analysis have also been collected five times following run-off
events. The water samples have been filtered and processed using solid
phase extraction. The sediment samples are being stored using methods
required to maintain the integrity of any pesticides. Researchers are
now in the process of analyzing the samples using gas chromatography and
mass spectrometry. These samples are being analyzed using protocols
developed at USDA. Community comparisons, using taxonomic diversity and
invertebrate density, are being performed by calculating various
community statistics for each golf course and site.
During 1997 and 1998, invertebrates were collected five times. During
1997, these samples yielded 24,555 individuals representing 46 families
of invertebrates. The most abundant types of invertebrates collected
were members of the families Chironomidae (midge flies), Simuliidae
(black flies), Hydropsychidae (net-spinning caddisflies), Elmidae
(riffle beetles), and Capniidae (winter stoneflies). No significant
differences were seen in either taxonomic richness or invertebrate
density when comparing upstream with downstream sites. Of the physical
and chemical parameters measured, only turbidity showed a trend across
all golf courses; water from sites upstream from the courses were more
turbid than water collected downstream from the courses.
Based on this preliminary analysis, golf course management practices
are not significantly impacting the invertebrate community. However,
when one analyzes the trends seen in the invertebrate density and
taxonomic diversity data, there is an increase in these two population
indices at the downstream sites at three of the four courses, albeit,
they are not significant increases. We will collect additional data and
perform further analyses over the next year.
Area golf courses routinely use five fungicides: Daconil 2787,
Bayleton, Aliette, Banol, and Subdue. Furthermore, the application of
nitrogen and phosphorus is commonplace on area golf courses. Therefore,
laboratory and field studies are being used to determine if pesticides
and/or fertilizers influence consumption and decomposition of coarse
particulate organic matter (CPOM). Specifically, field studies are being
conducted to measure the decomposition and consumption of organic matter
in our streams associated with golf courses. Mesh bags containing
predetermined amounts of leaf material are left in the field for various
amounts of time during which the leaves are allowed to decompose or
subjected to consumption by benthic acroinvertebrates. At the end of the
study period, the bags are removed from the stream and the remaining
leaf matter is weighed. Using this information, researchers can
determine if golf courses are influencing the organic matter processing
via alterations in decomposition of the leaf matter by periphyton or
consumption of the matter by benthic macroinvertebrates.
Laboratory studies are being conducted to measure the decomposition
of maple leaf discs in the presence of the five fungicides listed above.
Researchers will try to determine if the presence of these fungicides
inhibits decomposition of organic matter by fungi and bacteria. In
addition, laboratory studies will look at the effect of the presence of
these fungicides on the consumption of maple leaf discs by stoneflies.
It has been shown that consumers of organic matter are really using the
periphyton growing on the organic matter as an energy source. Therefore,
researchers are trying to determine if the presence of these pesticides
has a sublethal affect on invertebrates through altering their
consumption of organic matter, possibly due to altering periphyton
growth on organic matter.
For more information, contact Dr. William Lamp, wl1@umail.umd.edu
Developing Methods to Enhance
Amphibian Diversity on Golf Courses: Effects of Golf Course Construction
on Amphibian Movements and Population Size
University of Rhode Island
Dr. Peter Paton
Start Date: 1998
Number of Years: 3
Total Funding: $72,000
A series of experiments are being conducted to investigate amphibian
use of travel corridors, including the effects of turf on movement
patterns and habitat selection. Data collected will be used to develop
construction and management criteria for golf course managers which
minimize the impact on amphibian movement patterns.
Amphibian movement chronology and community structure was monitored
in three ponds in the middle of the proposed golf course construction
site starting mid-February 1998. A total of 7,911 amphibian captures
representing 11 species were recorded since project initiation. In
addition, two species of snakes and seven species of mammals were
detected.
Experimental evidence showed that frogs prefer to move through wooded
habitats rather than turf areas or barren areas. This preliminary
finding suggests that dispersal corridors from ponds to upland wintering
areas will be more effective if designed to include woodlands. However,
other research showed that amphibians would readily cross turf.
Experiments with various grass heights (0.25, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.5
inches) found no evidence that grass height affected frog movement
patterns. This suggests that varying grass height is not a management
option to increase frog use of a potential movement corridor. Frogs
readily crossed a 68 m (225 ft.) wide, mowed grass field, but there was
little evidence of amphibian movement across a 175 m (575 ft.) wide
grass field. This preliminary evidence suggests that the vast majority
of fairways do not represent a dispersal barrier for most species of
frogs in New England.
One of the most important scientific findings of this summer's
research was that researchers documented non-random migration of
metamorph frogs (e.g., newly transformed young) away from monitored
ponds. Researchers established two 200-m long drift-fence arrays, 100 m
to the east (habitat = woodlands) and to the west (habitat = woods and
turf fields) of monitored ponds. Several species (Green Frog, Pickerel
Frog, and Spotted Salamander) radiate out at random directions from
breeding ponds. On the other hand, American Toads, Gray Tree Frogs,
Spring Peeper, Wood Frogs, and Red-spotted Newts exhibited habitat
preferences, most species were more likely to move through wooded
habitats. This suggests that among some species of frogs, metamorphs
have an innate genetic predisposition to migrate in specific directions.
This has very important implications for management strategies.
For more information, contact Dr. Peter Paton,
ppaton@uriacc.uri.edu
Avian Community Response to a
Golf Course Landscape Unit Gradient
Clemson University
David H. Gordon
Start Date: 1998
Number of Years: 3
Total Funding: $60,188
This project is assessing the value of golf course landscapes to
avian communities. The results of the assessment will be used to produce
a technical manual with management and design recommendations, as well
as a brochure and color poster targeted at golf course stakeholder
groups.
Corridor Establishment for
an Endangered South Florida Butterfly
University of Florida
Dr. Thomas Emmel
Start Date: 1999
Number of Years: 3
Funding: $55,000
FOR ENDANGERED BUTTERFLY, GOLF COURSES TO PROVIDE ESSENTIAL
HABITAT
University of Florida Press Release
Nov. 30, 1999
Aaron Hoover
GAINESVILLE ---University of Florida researchers have found an
unusual ally in their efforts to re-create rare native habitat for an
endangered butterfly in the Florida Keys: golf courses. The UF zoology
and entomology researchers are working with two large private golf
courses to re-create large areas of tropical hardwood hammock in the
course roughs to provide a corridor between breeding colonies for rare
Schaus Swallowtail butterflies. The work, already showing signs of
success, represents one more chapter in the ongoing comeback of the
butterfly from the brink of extinction less than two decades ago. "We
realized that to really get the butterfly in a self-sufficient state, it
has to be able to move back and forth between colonies as it could 20,
30 or 50 years ago," said Tom Emmel, a UF professor of zoology and
nematology. "Private golf courses own some of the largest tracts of land
in the Keys, so they were the obvious choice."
The project is funded in part through a three-year $55,000 grant from
the U.S. Golf Association as part of a program called "Wildlife Links."
Operated jointly with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, a
nonprofit conservation organization, the program seeks to establish
corridors for a range of wildlife on the nation's golf courses. "We
strongly believe there's a good compromise between having a golf course
and protecting a lot of the wildlife habitat that's out there," said
Michael Kenna, research director for the U.S. Golf Association's Green
Section. "Existing golf courses have a lot of open space, and if
something can be done for the Schaus or other species, why not do
it?"
The habitat improvement will help many other species in the Keys
besides the butterflies, including migrating birds, according to Emmel
and wildlife officials. Songbirds flying south to the tropics for the
winter use the Keys as a "staging area" to store up on nutrients for the
long flight across open water, while birds returning north in the spring
to breed rely on the Keys to recuperate, Emmel said. The butterfly
project will help ensure the birds have the natural habitat they need,
he said.
The Schaus was nearly extinct in 1984, when Emmel counted just 70
adults. His findings prompted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to list
the butterfly as endangered. Emmel spent much of the 1980s tracing the
butterfly's plight to two pesticides, Baytex and Dibron, used to combat
mosquitos, findings that spurred a moratorium on Baytex and tight
regulation of Dibron. The population began recovering, only to undergo a
nearly catastrophic collapse because of Hurricane Andrew in 1992.
Fortunately, a UF captive breeding program launched before Andrew
augmented the 17 post-hurricane male butterflies left in the wild.
Today, following the introduction of 2,000 butterflies, the annual
wild population consists of 1,000 to 1,200 adults located in 13 sites
stretching from southern Dade County to the middle keys in Monroe
County. Urban developments and a lack of habitat, however, separate
these sites, preventing the butterflies from reaching each other to
mate. Because the butterflies stem from a small population of ancestors,
the separation could result in a dangerous lack of genetic diversity,
Emmel said. The isolation of the butterflies also makes them more
vulnerable to hurricanes or other disasters, he said.
Researchers decided the solution was to connect several of the
colonies using re-created hardwood hammock habitat on two major golf
courses as well as adjacent public lands. The golf courses, Sombrero
Country Club on Marathon Key and Cheeca Lodge on Islamorada Key, agreed
to the project, and researchers began transforming the roughs into
native habitat in September. So far, they've planted 300 fire bush
plants and 630 pentas plants to serve as adult nectar sources, and 1,500
wild lime trees currently are being grown for the project, Emmel said.
The wild limes are particularly important because they are the natural
host of the butterfly's caterpillars, he said.
Emmel said the researchers are coupling the habitat improvements on
the golf courses with similar improvements on public lands, including
planting 500 wild lime trees on an old federal military site in Key
Largo during the past two years. Last spring, researchers were overjoyed
to discover dozens of Schaus eggs on the trees, he said.
"The Schaus Swallowtail is a flagship species for the whole idea of
restoring the Keys to something like they once were," Emmel said.
For more information, contact Dr. Tom Emmel, tcemmel@ufl.edu
Enhancing Amphibian and Reptile
Biodiversity on Golf Courses Through the Use of Seasonal Wetlands
University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Laboratory
Dr. J. Whitfield Gibbons
Starting Date: 1999
Number of Years: 3
Current funding: $23,000
Researchers are surveying 25-30 golf courses in Georgia and South
Carolina to quantify the presence, abundance, and distribution of
seasonal wetlands in order to compare amphibian and reptile use of these
wetlands with more permanent aquatic habitats more typically seen on
golf courses. This project will develop recommendations for golf courses
and managers to incorporate seasonal wetlands on courses to enhance
herpetological diversity.
After six months of the project, most surveys of scientific
literature pertaining to the use of seasonal wetlands by amphibians and
reptiles were completed. In addition, researchers have accessed an
unpublished data set for 50 seasonal wetlands that describes the wetland
water levels, size, and pond duration over a 5-year period. These data
will be useful in planning how a variety of wetlands across a landscape
might be used to promote "hydroperiond continuum" that enhances wildlife
diversity. Researchers analyzed previously collected data and formulated
models that describe the relationship between amphibian species richness
and the length of time a wetland contains water. These models for
amphibians and wetlands in the immediate geopgraphical area will be
integral to the development of more general models for other
regions.
A significant portion of this project involves sampling wetlands on
and off golf courses. Field sampling on courses began in December 1999.
Prior to the start of this project, researchers sampled eight control
wetlands, and based on that sample period, sampling protocol were
revised. Two educational products have been produced and researchers
plan to modify these and produce others in the future. These products
stemmed from conversations with golf course superintendents who were
eager to have materials that they could show to course members that
would describe the study and educate golfers about amphibians, reptiles,
and wetlands.
For more information, contact Dr. Whit Gibbons, gibbons@srel.edu
RECENTLY FUNDED PROJECTS
Are Urban Forests, Such as
Golf Courses, Hotspots for Biodiversity in the Desert Southwest?
USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station
Jeff Kelly
Start Date: 2000
Duration: 3 years
Funding: $86,400
This project will investigate the distribution and abundance of birds
and other wildlife on golf courses in the southwestern United State's
Middle Rio Grande Valley. In addition, this project will investigate how
golf course vegetation impacts wildlife habitat value, and will examine
whether golf courses mitigate loss of other southwestern riparian
zones.
For more information, contact Jeff Kelly,
kelly_jeffrey_F/rmrs_albq@fs.fed.us
Native Biodiversity and
Golf Courses in Midwestern Landscapes
Miami University
Dr. Robert Blair
Start Date: 2000
Duration: 3 years
Funding: $62,600
This project will examine the conservation value of golf courses in
Midwestern landscape by focusing on two indicator taxa: birds and
butterflies. Specifically, this project will examine the landscape
features that most benefit native species of birds and butterflies on
golf courses and in adjacent habitats.
For more information, contact Dr. Robert Blair, BlairRB@muohio.edu
Burrowing Owl Conservation on Golf
Courses
Washington State University
Wildlife Links
Dr. Courtney Conway
Start Date: 2000
Duration: 3 years
Funding: $85,300
This project will install 150 nesting burrows for the declining
Burrowing Owl on 5 golf courses in the Northwest. Burrow occupancy and
reproductive success will be monitored to determine the types of
locations on golf courses where Burrowing Owls can reproduce
successfully. Results explaining how to install artificial will be
distributed to golf course superintendents so that golf courses can
contribute significantly to national recovery efforts.
For more information, contact Dr. Courtney Conway, cconway@tricity.wsu.edu
Back
to Program Home
Search
