An innovative Nature Tee Sign Program complements Countryside's Audubon projects by educating golfers about the environmental benefits of golf courses. All-weather aluminum signs depict course information and provide descriptions and artwork of the wildlife that inhabit the natural areas of the course. In particular, they focus on the kinds of habitat wildlife need to survive and explain how wise stewardship allows all of nature to flourish. Several supplemental materials, including the forest preserves' biannual Golf Stream newsletter, help Countryside reinforce its environmental message. Photograph by Kim Kelly.
Wildlife abounds at the course.
More than 60 mammals, reptiles, amphibians, birds and native plants and thousands of insects make their home on the course. Bluebirds and wood ducks, whose populations were once threatened, now have the opportunity to thrive. The state- threatened egret also resides near Countryside's unspoiled wetlands. The golfer wins because he can enjoy the game of golf in a beautiful setting and learn about nature at the same time. The golf course wins because we're treating the environment in a kinder, more cost-efficient way.