Contact: Anne Curtis
(703)435-6800 X2010
anne.curtis@herndon-va.gov
May 8, 2009
Herndon Centennial Golf Course has achieved designation as a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary, the 23rd golf course in Virginia and one of fewer than 700 courses worldwide to receive the honor.
The Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program is an education and certification program developed by Audubon International to foster environmental protection and natural heritage preservation among golf courses worldwide. To receive certification, a course must implement and maintain environmental standards in the areas of environmental planning, chemical use reduction and safety, wildlife and habitat management, water quality management, outreach and education, and water conservation.
According to Gene Fleming, director of golf for the town of Herndon, which operates Herndon Centennial Golf Course, the certification process has resulted in increased vegetative buffer plantings throughout the course and along pond and stream bank shorelines; an increase in designated naturalized areas, resulting in less overall use of pesticides, fertilizers and water; increased presence of wildlife; and capital improvement projects that incorporate environmentally friendly features, among other enhancements.
Jim Sluiter, staff ecologist for the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program, said that Herndon Centennial Golf Course “has shown a strong commitment to its environmental program. They are to be commended for their efforts to provide a sanctuary for wildlife on the golf course property.”
Said Herndon Mayor Steve DeBenedittis, “The efforts of Gene, course superintendent Mike Mueller and the entire Herndon Centennial staff to meet the criteria established by Aububon International provide immeasurable environmental and beautification benefits to our town. We are proud of Herndon Centennial Golf Course and its status as a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary.”
Consistently ranked as one of Golf Digest’s “Places to Play,” Herndon Centennial Golf Course features 18 holes, a driving range, practice greens and golf instruction by PGA professionals. The par 71 championship course was designed by Ault, Clark & Associates and has played host to several USGA Public Links Sectional qualifiers, Virginia State Golf Association tournaments and MAPGA Titleist Junior Tour events. The course is operated as an enterprise fund by the Town of Herndon. For more information or to make reservations, visit www.herndongolf.com.
The town of Herndon was incorporated by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia on January 14, 1879. Located in western Fairfax County, Herndon is the 3rd largest town in the Commonwealth and is home to more than 23,000 citizens. Businesses located within the town of Herndon, that range from high tech enterprises to entrepreneurially owned establishments, employ approximately 25,000 people. Business Week Magazine has named Herndon one of the nation’s “Best Affordable Suburbs.”
For more information, visit the town’s website at www.herndon-va.gov.
