Best Management Practices for Maryland Golf Courses

• Consult with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources' Wildlife and Heritage Service Natural Heritage Program to identify and preserve regional wildlife and migration corridors. • Remove nuisance and exotic/invasive plants and replace them with native species that are adapted to a particular site. • Maintain clearance between the ground and the lowest portion of a fence or wall to allow wildlife to pass, except in areas where animals need to be excluded. • Retain dead tree snags for nesting and feeding sites, provided they pose no danger to people or property. • Construct and place birdhouses, bat houses, and nesting sites in out-of-play areas. • Plant pollinator habitat in out-of-play areas or around the clubhouse. • Retain riparian buffers along waterways to protect water quality and provide food, nesting sites, and cover for wildlife.

Figure 5. Golf courses provide habitat for different species, such as tree swallows (top left) and great blue herons (top right) and turtles. Photo credit: Jon Lobenstine.

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