Monthly Feature Hosted By:
	Bob Farren, CGCS, Director of Grounds and Golf Course Management for Pinehurst Resort and Country Club

Our feature story this month comes from David Williams, CGCS, at the Elks Club of State College in Boalsburg, Pennsylvania. Many people refer to this area as Happy Valley and it is home to the Penn State University’s Nittany Lions, which is the alma mater of GCSAA President Dave S. Downing II, CGCS. Some football enthusiasts consider Penn State as home to a rich football tradition, but the golf industry knows Penn State for the development of the Penn varieties of creeping bentgrass. Joe Paterno, the legendary football coach of the Nittany Lions, has enjoyed great success as a team builder. David Williams, CGCS, at the Elks Club has also experienced a great deal of success in team building. A beneficiary of this winning team is the Spring Creek watershed.

David became concerned about Spring Creek after reading an article published by the ClearWater Conservancy related to the degradation of the watershed. Spring Creek flows through the Elks Club golf course and was generally referred to by the members as a ditch. David had genuine concern for the environment and decided to see what he could do to help with the situation.

David’s environmental efforts have included the coordination and participation with various organizations, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife, Foundation of Californian University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, Penn State’s Department of Landscape Architecture, Centre County Conservation, ClearWater Conservancy and Audubon International. These agencies along with countless volunteers worked together for great success.

This story demonstrates that working with and along side conservation organizations, government agencies, and other “like minded” groups adds a great deal of credibility and resources that might not otherwise be available. I think everyone would agree it is great to be part of a winning team.

November's Guest:
	Katie Ombalski, Conservation Biologist, ClearWater Conservancy

The Elks Club of State College is located in central Pennsylvania just east of State College. This area is known to most as Happy Valley, home of Penn State University’s Nittany Lions. To others it is a fly fisherman’s paradise and home to Spring Creek, a nationally renowned high-quality coldwater fishery that supports an outstanding wild trout population and is important to our local economy.

A portion of Spring Creek’s headwaters flow through the Elks Club. In 2001, the Department of Environmental Protection reported that parts of Spring Creek, including the segment that runs through the Elks Club, were impaired or not supporting aquatic life as they should. Dave Williams, CGCS, at the Elks Club golf course, has taken it upon himself to ensure that the course does not contribute to the degradation of this treasured natural resource.

He started by creating “no mow” or out-of-play areas along the stream. Now, instead of neat and carefully maintained turfgrass, a narrow band of naturalized vegetation grows along the entire length of stream, buffering it from golf course activities. Dave realized, however, that it would take more than “no mow” areas to conserve the stream so he placed a call to ClearWater Conservancy and an outreach and restoration partnership quickly developed.

Because many club members commonly referred to Spring Creek as “the ditch”, we realized our priority was to install stream crossing signs at cart crossings and along Elks Club Road to start building understanding and internal support for future restoration projects. The next step was to prioritize degraded riparian and instream habitats for restoration.

With a plan in hand, our partnership has grown to include U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Partners For Wildlife Program, Foundation of Californian University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, and Penn State’s Department of Landscape Architecture. To date, this diverse partnership and nearly 75 volunteers have restored 3,850 feet of Spring Creek and 1.5 acres of riparian buffer. Three interpretive panels were also created and installed on the course to educate members and visitors about the importance of riparian buffers and stream stewardship for water quality and wildlife habitat. Through Dave Williams’ initiative, the Elks Club is now certified as an Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary.