Researchers with a University of Missouri study on the environmental impact of golf courses expected to discover how harmful the layouts were to the world around them.
(Photo by Bill Peterman)
“What we found was quite the opposite—golf courses can actually provide a wonderful habitat for salamanders and other organisms where they can survive and thrive,” said Ray Semlitsch, Curators Professor of Biological Sciences in the College of Arts and Science at MU in a Science Codex article about the work
Scientists came to a conclusion most in the turf industry already know.
“It implies that the turf science industry is doing a great job at utilizing fairway design techniques, plants that reduce chemicals found in the soil, and other methods to ensure that biodiversity succeeds on the course,” Semlitsch said.
The study focused on salamander populations and was conducted on 10 courses in the southern Appalachian region of western North Carolina, according to the article, which can be read in is entirety by clicking here.
