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Board recommends encouraging environmental certification for city and private sports fields and golf courses
Summary
The planning board discussed goals to reduce sediment and nutrient runoff from city-owned and private recreational fields and golf courses, recommending encouragement of recognized environmental certification programs and lease-language options for city-owned properties.
Whitefish Planning Board members reviewed a draft goal to limit sediment and nutrient loading from golf courses and recreational fields into city water bodies and discussed how to encourage environmental stewardship among public and private operators.
The draft goal for city-owned facilities proposed that the city seek zero sediment and nutrient loading from maintenance activities at city-owned golf courses and recreational fields into Whitefish Lake, Ken Lake and other water bodies. For fields leased to outside entities the board discussed adding lease language at renewal that would require or encourage environmental best practices and participation in recognized certification programs.
Board members and staff suggested encouraging certification from accredited organizations rather than prescribing a single program. The discussion named Audubon International’s Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program (for golf courses), the Golf Environment Organization (GEO), and sports-field environmental certification programs as examples. Participants recommended two parallel tracks: (1) include objectives for city-owned properties that can be implemented contractually at lease renewal, and (2) add an encouragement objective for privately owned facilities to pursue accredited environmental certification and best management practices.
Next steps: Staff will combine overlapping objectives, add language that explicitly encourages accredited environmental certification programs for public and private facilities, and include suggested implementation points (lease-renewal language for city leases and voluntary incentive/education for private operators).
