Longaberger Golf Club earns Audubon certification

Course uses storage tanks to filter runoff water

NASHPORT, Ohio -The Longaberger Golf Club, located here some 45 miles east of Columbus, has become the first course in the state and one of 22 courses nationwide to earn certification as an Audubon International Signature Sanctuary.

"The golf club staff has been focused on meeting the certification standards for more than four years," said Tami Longaberger, president and CEO of the Longaberger Co. that manufactures handcrafted baskets.

The property covers 550 acres of which, including native grass areas, some 175 to 200 acres are maintained, according to superintendent Mark Rawlins.

Dealing with drainage issues at the course was one of the biggest challenges. "Me course is fairly hilly, and part of the certification program is being careful of where you route the drain tiles," said Rawlins. "There were seven locations on the course, five greens and two sets of tees, where we had no option but to run drainage into a stream or pond."

500-GALLON SEPTIC TANKS

After discussing the situation with Dr. Bud Smart, who works with Audubon International, Rawlins discovered that a course in Arkansas used storage tanks to filter runoff water.

The course also has a wash-water system that uses charcoal filters to help recycle water that has been used to rinse off maintenance equipment. "What we ended up doing was installing these 500-gallon septic tanks with a dividing wall in it with a small hole at the bottom of the wall," said Rawlins. "On the one side, we placed gravel and charcoal so that the water would have to filter through it before entering a body of water."

The seven tanks are placed two to three feet below ground level, and grates above the tanks allow access for inspections and to take water samples. "Me water put into our ponds and streams is better than the water coming onto the course," Rawlins said.

The course also uses organic fertilizers like Nature Safe and Roots products to reduce leaching and runoff. "We've also established no spray zones around our ponds, streams and wetlands," said Rawlins. "As far as pesticide and fungicides, we do a lot of scouting and go curative as much a possible.

"Some things like dollar spot you almost have to go preventive," he said. "But we wait until we actually see spots before we spray our fairways. Dollar spot is always a nagging problem for us. Fortunately, we have L-93 on our greens which is pretty resistant."

WILDLIFE

Several deer and an abundance of Redtail hawks share the property. "We have two young hawks that we watched mature and leave their nest," Rawlins said. "They're still hanging around."

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources visited the site and documented wildlife prior to construction. As far as environmental impact, Rawlins believes it has been positive. "We're attracting more wildlife," he said. "We put two ponds on the property which attracts mallard ducks, wood ducks and a variety of waterfowl."

The course currently sports 35 bluebird nesting boxes. "In the last couple of years, we've had close to a 100 bluebirds fledged on the property," said Rawlins. A member of the maintenance staff built about 25 of the bird houses.

LOOK, THINK AND DO CLUB

Longaberger sponsors the Look, Think and Do club that encourages children to visit various properties owned by the company to search for insects, birds and other wildlife.

"The golf course is one area they visit," Rawlins said. "We give them a tour, and one group of kids were out here the day we saw the two baby hawks leave their nest.

"We've also had Cub Scouts out on the course, and this spring they monitored our bluebird houses for us," he added.

Copyright United Publications, Inc. Nov 2001
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