Edward Robert "Bobby" Ginn III, chairman and c.e.o. of Ginn Resorts, has joined The Environmental Institute for Golf's Advisory Council. The Institute is the philanthropic organization of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA).
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Ginn is the 25th member of The Institute's Advisory Council, headed by World Golf Hall of Fame member Greg Norman, which provides guidance to The Institute's board of trustees in the areas of outreach, fundraising and strategic planning. The members were selected to enhance The Institute's ability to cultivate relationships with current and potential donors, as well as communicate the importance of the work conducted by The Institute.
"Bobby is a welcome addition to the Advisory Council and he will bring a refreshing way of thinking to this powerful group," Norman says. "His environmental stewardship at all of his communities is commendable, and The Institute will gain a great deal from his involvement over the next few years."
Working closely with the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission and other environmental agencies and groups, Ginn Resorts has set aside thousands of acres for wildlife sanctuaries, wetlands, uplands and natural-vegetation buffers. Ginn Resorts has been praised by the National Audubon Society for its work in preserving two bald eagle nests at Tesoro, a master-planned community in Port St. Lucie, Fla.
The preservation effort required a major redesign of the community after a horned owl forced a pair of eagles from their nest into another refuge near the proposed clubhouse. Within hours, construction crews stopped work and erected a large, circular fence around the eagles. The surrounding property, originally designated for 30 homesites and a corporate office building, was instead converted to a permanent preservation area.
"At Tesoro, the development team created a 'critter thoroughfare,' a wildlife corridor that crosses the property from east to west, providing a safe haven for alligators, deer, bobcats and other animals," Ginn says. "The development team at Ginn Reunion Resort went to great lengths to preserve the habitat of sand skinks, a rare lizard found only in Central Florida, by setting aside two conservation sites approximately 23 acres wide that offer a sandy haven for the five species of endangered skinks native to the area.
"To minimize the loss of vegetation at Reunion Resort, $2 million was spent during construction to temporarily relocate 266 oak trees to a tree farm on the south end of the property. After land-clearing work was completed, trees were replanted on the golf course. At Bella Collina, 52 acres of wetlands and 27 acres of uplands were placed into a conservation district that never can be rezoned. We also created a 68-acre preservation area for gopher tortoises found on the property and safely relocated them to their new home."