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Oak Grove Golf Course |
When a 230-acre private hunt club near Harvard, McHenry
County, Illinois, was transformed into a privately owned, daily fee golf
course, Audubon International’s Signature team was there to help property
owners retain and enhance the site’s significant features. Natural
habitats were incorporated into the course design, while an innovative
biofilter system prevents pollution in the property’s lakes, wetlands, and
tributaries to the Nippersink Creek. The wetlands and creeks are part of
a large marsh complex that flows to Alden Sedge Meadow, a 300-acre natural
area located one mile east of Oak Grove. “One of my goals was to make it
look like we didn’t move any dirt,” says golf course architect Steve
Halberg, “like all we did was change the grass type.” Although
construction involved both wetlands mitigation (6.45 acres were created to
replace 3.9 acres of wetland filled) and habitat restoration, the
resulting natural landscape and golf course achieved Halberg’s intent.
The property now includes 68 acres of restored Mesic Prairie and 41 acres
of enhanced wetlands. To see more of Oak Grove, access its website at www.oakgrovegolfcourse.com |
Thunder Hawk Golf Club |
Thunder Hawk Golf Club, located in Beach Park, Illinois, is a 243 acre
public golf course developed by the Lake County Forest Preserve on land
formerly used for agriculture. Rather than lose the site’s valuable
habitat and natural character to inappropriate development, the
ThunderHawk project showcases how the Audubon Signature Program helped to
not only incorporate, but also enhance natural landscaping and restore
wildlife habitat on site. Audubon International worked with the forest
preserve staff and the design team at Robert Trent Jones II to restore
over 60 acres of native Midwestern prairie, preserve 15 acres of wetlands,
and create an additional 17 acres of wetlands. More than 900 oaks and
maples were planted, to bring the number of forested acres on site to 84.
In addition, the small sundrop (Oenothera perennis), a state-threatened
species found on site, was protected during construction. A total of 72%
of the property remains as natural habitat. Learn more about the
endangered species at Thunder Hawk Golf Club by going to: http://www.lcfpd.org/thunderhawk/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.view |
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