The Environmental Stewardship Toolkit

A comprehensive, one-stop guide to environmental stewardship for golf courses and grounds This highly practical guide covers the full complement of tools green industry professionals need to create a successful environmental program on golf courses and grounds. Written by a leading golf course superintendent and grounds manager, The Environmental Stewardship Toolkit offers a comprehensive analysis of all relevant issues, including environmental management, resource management, community engagement, and document management. The emphasis throughout is on the development of programs that are both sustainable and practical, combining the protection and renewal of environmental systems with a workable business plan. Regulatory issues as well as concerns of owners, customers, and the community at large are also addressed. Clear, pragmatic, up-to-the-minute coverage includes: Numerous illustrations, photos, and customizable templates and checklists that readers can use in their own projects A system for sorting projects into green, greener, and greenest in order to tailor implementation for different budgets and project complexity An in-depth look at site assessment, water quality and conservation, integrated pest management, and wildlife habitat management Guidance for developing green public relations and communications skills to promote the project in the community Field-tested procedures for building a state-of-the art documentation system for capturing, organizing, and disseminating information A must-read for golf course superintendents, irrigation specialists, turfgrass specialists, and grounds managers, The Environmental Stewardship Toolkit is also useful for landscape architects and designers, grounds owners, developers, builders, contractors, and anyone wishing to be on the cutting edge of sustainability in the green industry.

Foreword xi Acknowledgments xiii SECTION 1 Environmental Management 1 Chapter 1: Building a Green Team 3 How to Establish an Environmental Committee 3 Where Do You Look to Begin Filling Positions in Your Committee? 4 How Many People Should Be on Your Environmental Committee? 9 Summary 10 Chapter 2: The Environmental Plan: Site Assessment 11 The Site Assessment 12 Site Assessment Features for Golf Courses 16 Summary 17 Chapter 3: The Environmental Plan: Agronomic Programs 19 Soil Structure and Edaphology 19 Essential Elements to “All” Plant Growth 21 Soil Samples and Soil Testing 23 Tissue Samples 25 Cultural Practices for Turf 26 What Is a Carbon Footprint and Why Is It Mentioned Here? 33 Summary 35 Chapter 4: The Environmental Plan: Water Quality and Conservation 37 Water Basics 37 Water Quality Programs and Strategies 38 Summary 53 Chapter 5: The Environmental Plan: Wildlife and Habitat Management 55 Developing a Wildlife Inventory 55 Guidelines for Enhancing and Maintaining Wildlife Habitat 64 Summary 66 Chapter 6: The Environmental Plan: Integrated Pest Management 67 Protecting Agronomic Assets through IPM 67 Summary 82 Section One: Environmental Management Conclusions 82 Action Steps: Green, Greener, Greenest 83 SECTION 2 Resource Management 85 Chapter 7: Accounting and Financial Processes 87 The Accounting Equation 88 Specifi c Financial Documents 89 Using Comparative Reports 94 Summary 98 Chapter 8: Budget Reduction and Contingency Strategies 99 Environmental Programs That Cut Expenses and Protect Assets 99 Partnerships Increase The Effectiveness of Recycling Programs 104 Summary 114 Chapter 9: Human Resources Management 115 Employee Recruitment and Hiring Practices 116 Achieving More with Less 121 Safety Programs and Resource Management 122 Summary 129 Section Two: Resource Management Conclusions 132 Action Steps: Green, Greener, Greenest 132 SECTION 3 Environomic Community Engagement and Green Public Relations 135 Chapter 10: Environomic Community Engagement 137 The Role of the Green Industry Professional in an Environomic Community Engagement Program 138 Simple Steps for Starting an Environomic Community Engagement Program 139 Summary 144 Chapter 11: Public Relations and the Green Industry Professional 145 Communicating to and with Target Audiences 145 Public Relations and the Green Industry Professional 148 Creating a “Beyond the Property” Program 150 Crafting Your Story 152 Ten Steps to Creating and Sustaining a Successful Beyond the Property Public Relations Program 155 Summary 156 Chapter 12: Photography’s Role in Green Public Relations 157 Digital Camera Facts for the Green Industry Professional 160 Learning Another Language (or Two) 171 The Future of Community Engagement 173 Summary 174 Section Three: Environomic Community Engagement And Green Public Relations Conclusions 174 Action Steps: Green, Greener, Greenest 174 SECTION 4 Documentation Management 177 Chapter 13: Essential Green Industry Documentation 179 How Do I Begin to Create a Personal Documentation List? 180 Transforming Your Personal Documentation List into a Personal Documentation Program 182 Documentation: Tools of the Trade 184 The Daily Work Log 185 Weather Reports 188 Agronomic Reports and Documentation 191 Water Quality Tests 193 Disease and Nematode Sampling 195 Chemical Application Records 195 The Right to Know Center and Safety Training Documents 198 Licenses and Miscellaneous Documents 202 Summary 202 Chapter 14: Case Study Documentation and Uses 203 What Exactly Does a Case Study Look Like? 204 Environmentally Focused Documentation: the Building Blocks of Case Studies 216 Water Use and Irrigation Documents 219 Summary 221 Section Four: Documentation Management Conclusions 221 Action Steps: Green, Greener, Greenest 222 SECTION 5 Putting It All Together: Synergy and the Green Industry Professional 223 Chapter 15: Career Focus and Professional Image 225 Time Horizons, Career Focus and the Green Industry Professional 231 Stretch Goals and Link Goals 238 Summary 244 Chapter 16: Professional Associations and Networking 245 American Nursery and Landscape Association 246 American Society of Golf Course Architects 246 American Society of Landscape Architects 247 Golf Course Builders Association of America 247 Golf Course Superintendents Association of America 248 Irrigation Association 248 International Society of Arboriculture 249 Professional Grounds Management Society 249 Professional Landcare Network (PLANET) 250 Sports Turf Managers Association 251 The Green Industry Ambassador 251 Summary 255 Chapter 17: Roadmaps for Success—Personal Success Stories from the Green Industry 257 Delany, Tom 258 Dinelli, F. Dan 260 Farren, Bob 265 Finney, Shelia 267 Hiers, Tim 269 Higgins, Monica 272 Jackson, Joseph B. 275 Maples, Palmer Jr. 277 Mangum, Ken 279 Mongeon, Roger 281 Newell, Ellen 282 O’Donnell, Kevin 284 Phipps, David 285 Pinson, Bob 288 Scott, Bob 289 Toma, George P. 291 Van Etten, John 292 Van Haasteren, George 294 Williams, Bruce R. 296 Summary 298 Section Five: Synergy and the Green Industry Professional Conclusions 298 Action Steps: Green, Greener, Greenest 299 Index 301