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Audubon International announced that there is room for up to 20 more courses to get started immediately in its Monarchs in the Rough program, thanks to a milkweed seed grant from The FairWays Foundation.
So far, Audubon International has worked with more 800 golf courses across the United States and Canada to create more than 1,200 out-of-play acres of milkweed habitat where the butterfly species lay their eggs and, in caterpillar form, dine on the vital plant.
“Golf courses continue their positive contribution to the habitat needed,” Audubon International CEO Christine Kane said. “Monarchs in the Rough is a simple, effective and powerful way for courses of all kinds to take part in increasing new habitat for these vital and beautiful creatures. Current grant support ends soon so this is the perfect time to join.”
Thanks to The FairWays Foundation support, every participating course receives a shipment of milkweed seed appropriate for its region and a sign highlighting their participation. Audubon International now handles all elements of the program, working with distributors nationwide to assure healthy milkweed installations. They also provide signage, posters, and technical guidance to assure proper installation and maintenance, and that golf course members are made aware of the efforts their course is making to save the Monarch.
Harold Ammons, superintendent at Flat Creek Country Club in Peachtree City, Georgia, attests to the program’s effectiveness. “If you have the plantings out there, they will try to come — they will sometimes make your course part of their path. We’re not on their main migration trail, but we do get some out here. I’ve posted videos of the caterpillars while they’re eating the milkweed and enjoying life until they turn into a butterfly. We set the table every year, and each year we get a little bit more. We are helping build a population.”
By joining Monarchs in the Rough, golf courses can do their part to prevent further monarch butterfly losses by creating the very specific habitat needed during their annual migration across North America, all while gaining recognition as an environmental leader and connecting with their communities in new ways. “We hear from many superintendents that their maintenance crews really appreciate having the opportunity to contribute like this,” Kane said. “They like contributing to something that is part of their own personal core values.”
