Fraserview, Langara and McCleery Golf Courses Receive Environmental Certification

March 9, 2004 (No. 10) - The Vancouver Park Board's three major golf courses: Fraserview ( 7800 Vivian Drive); Langara (6706 Alberta Street); and McCleery (7188 MacDonald Street) have been awarded certification by the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary System (ACSSC) of Canada for achievement in a number of environmental management areas. Certification demonstrates a course's commitment to high standards of environmental leadership. Only 29 golf courses of the 2000 in Canada are currently certified by Audubon. Fraserview, Langara and McCleery are the only municipal golf courses in western Canada to have received this prestigious designation. The Park Board has been working to meet ACSSC's certification criteria for designation in six areas:

• creating an inventory of the property and developing an environmental plan
• managing wildlife habitat, such as providing food and shelter for birds and reforestation with native trees
• implementing an integrated pest management program, including proper diagnoses of problems, utilizing non-chemical treatments and, when chemical treatments required, choosing those with least impact to the environment
• practicing water conservation, including capturing and re-using water
• using sound water quality practices to protect ponds and streams
• developing outreach and education programs to increase public support

A resource advisory group, made up of course personnel, golfers, and local naturalists helped to plan and implement various projects to ensure the long term success of the program. Partners included school groups who built and mounted bird boxes, ParkPartners who planted native trees and volunteers from the Natural History Society who compiled a detailed bird list for Fraserview and McCleery. (More than 84 species identified so far). See the March 8th Board report on the web site for more details.

The Park Board's strategic plan identifies environmental stewardship as a key area, with the goal of protecting and preserving natural areas in the City and operating in an environmentally responsible manner. This also includes developing public awareness of conservation and ecological values and taking a leadership role, by example, in the area of environmental conservation. ACSSC, affiliated with Audubon International, is a national, non-profit, environmental organization dedicated to enhancing and protecting wildlife and their habitats, and promoting environmental quality through education, research and stewardship action.

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Contact: Howard Normann, Supervisor of Golf Course Operations, 604-718-6533

The Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation maintains 200 parks and 40 major facilities throughout the City of Vancouver. The Park Board's mission is to provide, preserve and advocate for parks and recreation services to benefit people, communities and the environment.

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