Traver Creek Testing with the AALC

Last Wednesday, members of Tracey Marchyok's 4th and 5th grade class from the Ann Arbor Learning Community along with Stefan Szumko from the Leslie Science and Learning Center, came to the golf course to test Traver Creek for various factors, such as pH, nitrogen, phosphorous and temperature. (Edit: A link to an Ann Arbor.com article is here)

I spent some time talking to the class about the things we are doing at Leslie Park to enhance our wildlife habitat and become certified in the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses.

We then went out and tested the water. Stefan was nice enough to don the waders and pull the water out for the kids and then spent a half an hour searching around for macro-invertebrates in the mud.

The class then walked through Black Pond Woods back to the science center.

February Weather Summary (2011)

February had a high temperature of 56.0 degrees (Feb18th) and a low of -3.8 degrees (Feb 11th). The average temperature was 26.3. Highest wind speed recorded was 34 mph (Feb 14th).  Fifteen days the high temperature was above freezing while on 26 of the days, the low was below 32 degrees. 1.07 inches of rain fell in the month with three days recording over a tenth of an inch (22nd, 27th and 28th).

Snow

As soon as I say something, we get 10 inches of snow.

We are all plowed out and are waiting for the sun to come out and warm things up. We don't know right now what this will do to opening, but we still hope to open in late March.

Warming Trend

Thanks to the last couple of days, with temperatures near 50 degrees, most of the snow we had in the last couple of weeks is gone. Greens 5, 8, 9 and 11 still have a fair amount of snow but the rest of them are pretty clear. With that, Leslie Park is hoping to open up the around the 25th of March. Huron Hills could be open as soon as March 4th.

Traver Creek Survey

As part of the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program certification process, we are required to do water quality sampling and testing.  We have our samples tested by AnaLync.  They test for such things as calcium, sodium, nitrate, phosphate, chloride as well as other nutrients.  We do this for a number of reasons.  One of the biggest is that the stream that runs through the golf golf course, Traver Creek, is part of the Huron River watershed and as such, anything that gets into the water at the golf course will, eventually make it's way into the Huron and from there, into the Great Lakes.

Our water tests are taken from the pond on #17, where Traver Creek enters the property and from the pond on #12, where the creek leaves the golf course. These tests, which we have done since 2009, show that the golf course does not add to the nutrients in the creek. In fact, most of the tests show a decrease of the elements that are sampled. This is a very good sign that the fertilizer and chemicals that we use on the golf course are used in a responsible way.  We avoid applying fertilizers near water and have buffer strips near the creek that will filter runoff that may occur.

In 2007 the Huron River Watershed Council recommended that phosphorous fertilizers not be used within the watershed. This was in order to cut down on the amount of phosphorous, a major factor in algae blooms, in the Huron River. The City of Ann Arbor adopted this as a city regulation and as such, Leslie Park has not used any phosphorous fertilizers since.  In December 2010, Michigan lawmakers passed legislation (HB-5368) that extend this regulation state-wide. The new regulations and limitations will go into effect on January 1, 2012.

We also have the good fortune of working with Dr. Hannah-Maria Jacques and the Peter G. Meier Water Quality Survey. This is a self-funded study that documents the benthic diversity of Traver Creek and has sampled for macroinvertabrates since 2003. According to Dr. Jacques, the amount of insects and other aquatic animals is greater than previously reported by the Huron River Watershed Council.

Great Lakes Trade Exposition

I just returned from two days in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where I attended the Great Lakes Trade Exposition (GLTE). Despite the very non-descriptive name (really, that name could refer to anything) the conference was very educational. The GLTE is colaboration between the Michigan Turf Foundation and the Michigan Nursery and Landscape Association and involves three days of educational seminars and a trade show at Devos Place.  While there, I listened to speakers from the USGA, Michigan State University, the Michigan Turfgrass Environmental Stewardship Program, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and various golf courses and businesses from around the midwest. I also talked with many suppliers, vendors and former classmates of mine from MSU.

Golf's Economic Impact

Interesting numbers from We Are Golf.org (an organization founded by The Golf Course Superintendent's Association of America, The PGA and The National Golf Course Owners Association)

Michigan has 265 golf courses, with a direct economic output (defined as the size of the golf industry within the state economy in terms of revenues) of $2.2 billion. Total number of employees of Michigan golf courses is 56,977. Compare that to North Carolina, which has 558 courses with an output of $2.6 billion or Massachusetts with 375 courses and $1.6 billion in output.