Pollinator Protection and Wildlife Habitat
Golf courses support wildlife habitats, often maintaining critical links between nature and urban environments. Protecting pollinators like bees, butterflies, moths, bats and other vital species is an essential component of modern turf management. Golf courses provide forage, nesting sites, and safe corridors for pollinators. New York superintendents embed pollinator and wildlife-friendly Best Management Practices (BMPs) across their operations to function as interconnected pollinator networks, offsetting urban and agricultural pressures statewide.
Numerous New York golf courses provide bird and bat houses, beehives, and butterfly gardens to encourage pollinators which help sustain New York agriculture, including apples, grapes, cherries, pumpkins, squash, and berries.
All ten New York regions from Long Island’s coastal layouts to the Adirondacks’ inland courses report robust pollinator BMP implementation. In every core BMP category (timing, spot treatments, drift reduction, mowing before sprays), each region registers at least 8–12 adopters, summing to 100+ implementations per practice. Smaller regions like Central NY and Western NY also actively participate, highlighting that pollinator protection is a statewide priority. Timing and precision measures dominate, underscoring superintendents’ grasp of pollinator behavior and pollinator protection.
Pollinator Protection & Wildlife Habitat BMPs at New York Golf Courses:
BMPs are integrated into planning, design, and construction to foster habitats, nesting sites, and wildlife corridors. Pollinator and wildlife BMPs encompass habitat restoration, native plantings, and protected zones for bees and butterflies. New York golf courses often integrate these into rough areas, gardens, and buffer zones around water bodies. Wetlands account for 2.4% of New York golf course acreage, with another 3.0% in ponds and streams - both safeguarded as sensitive aquatic areas. Given site-specific feasibility constraints (e.g., not all facilities can host hives), these figures reflect a remarkably comprehensive commitment.
Nearly 40% of courses develop relationships with the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and local wildlife agencies, and about one in five educate stakeholders on the importance of preserving habitat for wildlife and pollinators through classes, communications, workshops, or tours.
What is Assessed & How it is Measured
Golf facility pollinator and wildlife BMP data comes from the 2024 New York golf facility survey conducted by Radius Sports Group.
