Lincoln, NE-Attention all turf managers–the Groundwater Guardian Green Site program is open for the 2008 program year! Groundwater Guardian Green Sites are places with a lot of turf, such as golf courses, ball fields, and educational campuses that implement groundwater and surface water-friendly practices as part of their regular site maintenance.
To earn the exclusive Groundwater Guardian Green Site designation, site managers complete a simple application that documents their site’s groundwater-friendly practices related to water, pesticide and fertilizer use, pollution prevention, and environmental stewardship. The application is available for download online at www.groundwater.org/gg/greensites.html.
In 2007, the program’s pilot year, the following sites were recognized as Groundwater Guardian Green Sites:
Arbor Links Golf Course – Nebraska City, Nebraska
Bayside Golf Course – Brule, Nebraska
Eastern Nebraska 4H Center – Gretna, Nebraska
Firethorn Golf Club – Lincoln, Nebraska
Heritage Hills Golf Course – McCook, Nebraska
Hickory Hills Golf Club – Grove City, Ohio
Players Club at Deer Creek – Omaha, Nebraska
Other currently participating sites include:
Chalco Hills Recreation Area – Omaha, Nebraska
Gifford Farm Educational Center – Bellevue, Nebraska
Haymarket Park – Lincoln, Nebraska
Millard Public School District Campuses – Omaha, Nebraska
Elton Nolde of Bayside Golf Course near Brule said, “Water is a precious resource, and we need to let our neighbors know that we do everything we can to manage our water use wisely.” Jen Roeber of Haymarket Park in Lincoln commented that, “The [Groundwater Guardian Green Site] application made me think about all the ways that what we do impacts water. I hadn’t really thought about our operation that way before.”
Potential sites are encouraged to get involved in the Groundwater Guardian Green Site program by downloading the 2008 application at www.groundwater.org/gg/greensites.html, e-mailing guardian@groundwater.org, or calling 1-800-858-4844.
The Green Site program grew out of a project to revitalize and grow The Groundwater Foundation’s Groundwater Guardian program, which recognizes communities of all types implementing groundwater education and protection activities on the local level. In 2007, 140 Communities in 34 states and one Canadian province were recognized as Groundwater Guardians. The Groundwater Guardian Green Site program is supported by the Nebraska Environmental Trust, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 7 Pollution Prevention Program, and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
The Groundwater Foundation is a non-profit organization based in Lincoln, Nebraska with a mission to educate and motivate the public to care about and for groundwater. Since its inception in 1985, the Foundation has offered various educational programming for youth and adults. To learn more, visit www.groundwater.org.