HARBOUR RIDGE YACHT & COUNTRY CLUB COUNTS 607 UNIQUE SPECIES AS PART OF AUDUBON INTERNATIONAL CONTEST
As featured in GCNMOnline, written by Andrew Hartsock.
Harbour Ridge Yacht & Country Club won Audubon International's 2023 BioBlitz Biodiversity Award.
When Harbour Ridge Yacht & Country Club in Palm City, Fla., first started participating in Audubon International's BioBlitz program, course maintenance employees did most of the work.
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An eastern amberwing dragonfly at Harbour Ridge Yacht & Country Club in Palm City, Fla. Photo courtesy of Harbour Ridge Yacht & Country Club |
And they did so on an accelerated timeline. Back in 2019, the last time there was a BioBlitz, facilities had a week to hold their counts, and Harbour Ridge counted 475 unique species of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, insects, spiders, invertebrates, fish, trees, palm trees, plants, aquatic plants, grasses, wildflowers, fungi and lichens. This year, the counters had a 24-hour window to make their tallies. The biggest gains (132 in all) were in amphibians, crustaceans, fish, fungi, invertebrates, lichens, trees and warblers.
Mary Hutchinson, co-coordinator of the Harbour Ridge BioBlitz, credits the increase to more observers — 35 this year — and more "knowledgeable" observers. Hutchinson reached out early to Harbour Ridge residents and specifically targeted environmental groups, like the 380-plus-member Harbour Ridge Birding Society.
"Some dedicated participants even went out in the early morning, then again late on the afternoon/early evening to observe different species at different times of the day," she says. "One member alone identified 202 different species.
"Since we only had 24-hours for the BioBlitz versus one-week with previous counts, this meant we had to be even more organized and efficient." Harbour Ridge Yacht & Country Club covers 865 acres, approximately one-third of which serves as the setting for its two 18-hole golf courses. Another third is natural vegetation, while a third is developed.
"Audubon International's BioBlitz has helped our members at Harbour Ridge clearly see that the golf courses, wet prairies and ponds, and naturally vegetated areas are wonderful places to golf, fish and enjoy," Hutchinson says, "but provide a rich diversity of plants and wildlife, particularly important as surrounding areas become more developed."