Of the more than 400 acres that make up the Cateechee Golf
Club in Hartwell, Ga., only 60 are planted in turf.
"The rest are a habitat for the Carolina wrens,
mockingbirds,
bluebirds and other wildlife that call this place home,"
said Ronald G. Dodson, president and chairman of the board of
Audubon International, Audubon Society of New York State,
Inc.
The Cateechee Golf Club is the 14th golf course in the world
to earn the Audubon Cooperative Santuary Program’s
"Signature
Status" stamp of environmental approval.
As a part of the ongoing program to get the community involved
with the Audubon project, Cateechee has set up several volunteer
opportunities.
"Northeast Georgia Master Gardeners have worked with the
golf course on the bluebird project," said Charles Rice,
Hart County Extension Service agent. "The Master Gardeners
built the bird boxes, sited them and are keeping them
monitored."
A dozen Master Gardener volunteers built and placed 43 bird
boxes. "And 34 of them have birds in them already,"
Rice said. "They keep an eye on the types of birds and
numbers
for the Audubon report."
The Master Gardener team also plans to work with a local
middle
school to develop a nature trail and learning area for
students.
"We really want to promote this as a multi-use facility
for the community," Dodson said.
Because the owners planned this course to be more like a walk
in the woods than playing golf in someone’s backyard, no housing
is planned on the Cateechee course.
"The only housing here is bird housing," Dodson
quipped.
He added that "90 percent of the Signature Program is
attitude.
The developers volunteered to create a quality program, and they
are dedicated to maintaining a plan that includes the beauty and
sounds of nature."
