Desert Springs Golf Club, located in Palm Desert, Calif., is the 11th property in the Marriott Golf collection to achieve certification through the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for golf courses. The company recently insituted an international mandate program whereby all its managed golf properties in North America and the Caribbean become Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuaries in 2008.
Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuaries, which enable golf facilities to protect the environment by enhancing precious natural areas and wildlife habitats, are part of a systemwide commitment by Marriott International to promote environmental stewardship.
Featuring 36 holes of championship golf with views of the Santa Rosa Mountains, Desert Springs JW Marriott Resort & Spa becomes the 11th Marriott Golf-operated facility to achieve Audubon Certification. In order to achieve Audubon Certification, a golf facility is required to demonstrate that it is maintaining the highest degree of environmental quality in several areas including Environmental Planning, Wildlife & Habitat Management, Outreach and Education, Chemical Use Reduction and Safety, Water Conservation, and Water Quality Management.
“The Audubon certification process has been an extremely rewarding experience for our golf staff, and we are thrilled to join an elite collection of Marriott properties that have achieved certification,” said Albert Perez, director of grounds at Desert Springs Golf Club. “Environmental preservation is extremely important to the golf industry and achieving this certification reinforces our commitment to promoting environmental stewardship.”
