Audubon International
Legends Club Committed to Providing Wildlife Sanctuary
Environmental Stewardship has Lead to Coveted Audubon International Certification.
Legends Club has been given the prestigious designation as a “Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary” by Audubon International. Minnesota has only 12 golf courses that have achieved this status. Legends Club has a strong commitment to our environment and our environment program at Legends works to provide a sanctuary for wildlife on the course property. Certification is a multi-step program.
To reach certification Legends Club has demonstrated a high degree of environmental quality in a number of areas including environmental planning, wildlife & habitat management, outreach & education, integrated pest management, water conservation, and water quality management. Our entire staff is committed to maintaining our golf course to the highest standard while preserving and enhancing the surrounding wildlife environment.
2013 Community Impact Award – Sustainability by Minnesota Business Magazine
When it comes to golf courses, Legends Golf Club is breaking the mold with its sustainability efforts. With a focus on water, soil, and wildlife, Legends has made huge environmental strides. By doing things like increasing the amount of shoreline, reducing irrigation usage, creating a pesticide-free sanctuary, planting trees, and converting 3.2 acres of managed turf to no-mow naturalized areas, Legends is finding new ways to take care of the environment.
Scott County Conservation Leadership Award
Conservation Leader / Business
One of only a handful of Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuaries in Minnesota, the goal of Legends Club of Prior Lake is to be one of the most environmentally friendly golf clubs in the state. Scott Thayer, superintendent of the course, is striving to reduce “managed turf” areas, thereby cutting irrigation, fertilizer, and fuel costs. In fact, Legends maintenance staff reduced irrigation by three million gallons per year; fertilizer use by 435 pounds of nitrogen per acre per year, and fuel use by more than 900 gallons per year. With 400-plus feet of naturalized shoreline, Scott and his team found natural methods of controlling algae.
Taking a glance at the course, one can readily see many natural corridors bordering the greens, three gardens for birds and pollinators, and even a 1.5 acre pesticide-free sanctuary of native grasses, wildflowers and tree saplings. The course maintains wildlife and bird inventories, bringing wildlife education to local Scouting troops who helped build bluebird and duck nesting houses. The golf course also offered workshops on the importance of bluebirds through the Minnesota Bluebird Recovery Program.
Staff planted 500 saplings, converted 3.2 acres of turf to no-mow areas, and developed a “spot-spray only” weed control program. “We hope to prove that golfers truly can be effective environmental stewards by supporting golf courses that are committed to sustaining and actually improving natural resources.”