Audubon International Certifications

As acknowledgement to the effort made to reach high quality environmental levels for the community and the wild life, Audubon International, an organization which certifies golf courses true to their commitment to the environment, gave Valle del Sol Golf Course 3 additional certifications on November 9th. This certification will join the growing list of accomplishments reached by Valle del Sol during the last few years.

On this occasion the categories of the certifications obtained were "Water Quality Management, Wild Life & Habitat Management & Integrated Pest Management", which along with the "Environmental Planning & Water Conservation" certificates already obtained, complete 5 of the 6 stages of the certificate program required to claim Valle del Sol as a "Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary". At the present time the one pending project "Outreach & Education", which we have been informing you about, has been formulated and sent in for analysis.

Mark Dinan our Golf Superintendent, concludes that in a few months we will successfully complete the final certification which will position our golf course in the international market and demonstrate our leadership in the fulfillment of high standards in environment management processes that are carried out by Valle del Sol daily.

For more information on Audubon International visit www.audubonintl.org

 

Education Programs

In our quest to obtain certification in the category of Outreach & Education from the Audubon International, an organization that recognizes and supports golf courses that assure high environmental quality levels, as much for the people as for the wild life, Parque Valle del Sol has risen to the task successfully making several educative programs directed to all the residents and nearby communities of the residential area.
The following information briefly explains some of the activities initiated throughout the year.

For the past 2 years, Parque Valle del Sol has been successfully implementing - thanks to the continuous support of all the residents and civil employees of the residential - a Recycling Program which uses compost (biodegradable waste) collected from residence and the offices, as organic fertilizer for the gardens of the golf course and green areas of the residential. Every year we try to inform the residents of our composting program in an effort to increase participation and waste management awareness.

Last September 30th, the first gardening workshop - "trees are our life" - was held in the golf cafeteria and presented to all the residents, gardeners, professionals and lover of nature. The instructor Jorge Luis Montero explained what a plant is, it's constitution, anatomy and physiology, existing types, their behavior in their natural surroundings, their reactions to different habitats and the reactions they have to the dry and rainy seasons.
He also discussed the importance of water and its how it is contaminated and wasted. Finally, he demonstrated different pruning techniques, as well as various fertilizers and their application. He explained the different types of fertilizers and the chemical and biological handling of the different diseases. Carolina del Barco, representative for ABOPAC and Orlando Rojas of TRISTAN were also present to display their ample product range.

Last October 28th 20 first graders from Blue Valley Elementary School visited the golf course to participate in a Ecosystem Workshop. The workshop was directed by the superintendent of Parque Valle del Sol Golf Course, Mark Danian and was attended by 20 children accompanied by teachers and parents. The day began at 8:30am with a long walk where the children where able to identify different habitats of Parque Valle del Sol, of which they determined their importance and evaluate what we must be done to conserve them. The children where captivated by the duck that swam in the lakes and the several nests of birds and chicks they admired during the route. As acknowledgement of the vision that the Blue Valley School has in emphasizing the importance of the environment and the wildlife in their learning process, Parque Valle del Sol officially adopted this school within its education programs.

On November 11th the "Walk of the Birds" was carried out, it began at 5:30 am with an ample route throughout the Valle del Sol Golf course. Winnie Orcutt and Carlos Cordova, Bird Experts were on site and explained, to the residents present on the walk, the different types of birds and migration habits that can be observed in the region. They also commented on how impressed they were by the amount and variety of birds that were observed during the morning. as well as the migration observed in the area. They also taught the local residents the value of creating in their own gardens areas to attract birds.

In order to learn more about the program and certifications of AUDUBON INTL., we invite you to visit www.auduboint.org and personally contact out Golf Superintendent, Mark Danian at 2282-9222 Ext. 217.

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