From Audubon International

CHOCOWINITY — Cypress Landing Golf Club has retained its designation as a “Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary” through the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses, an Audubon International program. Stanley Elliott, golf course superintendent, and Stanley Cohen, Audubon advisory committee chairman, led the effort to maintain sanctuary status on this course. Cypress Landing Golf Club was designated as a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary in 2011 and is one of 898 courses in the world to currently be designated as such.

The Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses, endorsed by the United States Golf Association, provides information and guidance to help golf courses preserve and enhance wildlife habitat and protect natural resources. Golf courses from the United States, Africa, Australia, Canada, Central America, Europe, Mexico and Southeast Asia have achieved certification in the program.

“Cypress Landing Golf Club has shown a strong commitment to its environmental program. They are to be commended for preserving the natural heritage of the area by protecting the local watershed and providing a sanctuary for wildlife on the golf course property,” said Tara Donadio, director of Cooperative Sanctuary Programs at Audubon International.

“To reach certification, a course must demonstrate that they are maintaining a high degree of environmental quality in a number of areas,” Donadio said. These categories include: environmental planning, wildlife and habitat management, outreach and education, chemical use reduction and safety, water conservation and water quality management. Courses go through a recertification process every three years.