Disturbed Land Restoration
A 280-acre tract of land in Arizona was severely degraded by sand and gravel mining as well as storm water retention activities. We provided guidance on land and water restoration through development of The Sanctuary at WestWorld in Scottsdale, AZ, an 18-hole championship golf course and equestrian center. The course has since been named McDowell Mountain Golf Course. This project is a model for implementing native ecological restoration programs for degraded land.
The property has won numerous awards for being environmentally friendly and has several key elements that were implemented: a) to provide for ground water recharge; b) to remove through filtration, salts that accumulate in pumps when ground water is pumped to the drinking water plant, c) to protect one of Phoenix’s drinking water supplies, and d) to provide flood control. All of these objectives were met.
A multi-use trail links the equestrian center and the golf course to the adjacent McDowell Mountain Preserve to the east, the 7-mile Desert Greenbelt Basin to the north, a major hiking and riding trail to the south, two major community parks and a library. The trail accommodates hiking, biking, and horseback riding.
The golf course design provides a ‘target golf’ concept; a design that reduces disturbance of the restored native desert landscape and minimized the amount of maintained turfgrass to 60 acres. Vegetation is all native and provides habitat for native wildlife. We developed an Ecological Land Plan that protected and enhanced water quality and quantity, and wildlife habitat and connections within the property and to surrounding lands.
A detailed management plan was developed and implemented for the golf course that incorporated environmental protection for every aspect of course management. We prepared and implemented a Natural Resource Management Plan that provides detailed protocols and processes for managing the course. Ecological risk assessments were conducted to evaluate the pesticides proposed for use on the property. We selected materials that were safe for wildlife, safe for aquatic environments, and were as short lived as possible. Extensive Best Management Practices (BMP) were specified and implemented to protect soil, water, and vegetation.
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies have been incorporated into every aspect of the plan and maintenance of the golf course. IPM strategies reduce the need for large scale applications of fertilizers, pesticides and other chemicals, ensure that materials used to maintain the landscape are safe for the environment, and that materials are applied properly by trained and licensed contractors.