World class birding in Bella Vista

[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent="no" hundred_percent_height="no" hundred_percent_height_scroll="no" hundred_percent_height_center_content="yes" equal_height_columns="no" menu_anchor="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" status="published" publish_date="" class="" id="" link_color="" link_hover_color="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" margin_top="" margin_bottom="" padding_top="" padding_right="" padding_bottom="" padding_left="" gradient_start_color="" gradient_end_color="" gradient_start_position="0" gradient_end_position="100" gradient_type="linear" radial_direction="center center" linear_angle="180" background_color="" background_image="" background_position="center center" background_repeat="no-repeat" fade="no" background_parallax="none" enable_mobile="no" parallax_speed="0.3" background_blend_mode="none" video_mp4="" video_webm="" video_ogv="" video_url="" video_aspect_ratio="16:9" video_loop="yes" video_mute="yes" video_preview_image="" filter_hue="0" filter_saturation="100" filter_brightness="100" filter_contrast="100" filter_invert="0" filter_sepia="0" filter_opacity="100" filter_blur="0" filter_hue_hover="0" filter_saturation_hover="100" filter_brightness_hover="100" filter_contrast_hover="100" filter_invert_hover="0" filter_sepia_hover="0" filter_opacity_hover="100" filter_blur_hover="0"][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" layout="1_1" spacing="" center_content="no" link="" target="_self" min_height="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" hover_type="none" border_size="0" border_color="" border_style="solid" border_position="all" border_radius="" box_shadow="no" dimension_box_shadow="" box_shadow_blur="0" box_shadow_spread="0" box_shadow_color="" box_shadow_style="" padding_top="" padding_right="" padding_bottom="" padding_left="" margin_top="" margin_bottom="" background_type="single" gradient_start_color="" gradient_end_color="" gradient_start_position="0" gradient_end_position="100" gradient_type="linear" radial_direction="center center" linear_angle="180" background_color="" background_image="" background_image_id="" background_position="left top" background_repeat="no-repeat" background_blend_mode="none" animation_type="" animation_direction="left" animation_speed="0.3" animation_offset="" filter_type="regular" filter_hue="0" filter_saturation="100" filter_brightness="100" filter_contrast="100" filter_invert="0" filter_sepia="0" filter_opacity="100" filter_blur="0" filter_hue_hover="0" filter_saturation_hover="100" filter_brightness_hover="100" filter_contrast_hover="100" filter_invert_hover="0" filter_sepia_hover="0" filter_opacity_hover="100" filter_blur_hover="0" last="true" first="true"][fusion_title title_type="text" rotation_effect="bounceIn" display_time="1200" highlight_effect="circle" loop_animation="off" highlight_width="9" highlight_top_margin="0" before_text="" rotation_text="" highlight_text="" after_text="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" content_align="center" size="1" font_size="" animated_font_size="" fusion_font_family_title_font="" fusion_font_subset_title_font="" fusion_font_variant_title_font="" line_height="" letter_spacing="" margin_top="" margin_bottom="" margin_top_mobile="" margin_bottom_mobile="" text_color="" animated_text_color="" highlight_color="" style_type="default" sep_color="" animation_type="" animation_direction="left" animation_speed="0.3" animation_offset=""]

A happy place for both birds and the humans who count them.

[/fusion_title][fusion_text columns="" column_min_width="" column_spacing="" rule_style="default" rule_size="" rule_color="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_direction="left" animation_speed="0.3" animation_offset=""]Bella Vista is a community sitting in a nearly 50 square mile region of broadleaf forest and meadow at 1,150 ft. elevation on the Springfield Plateau of the Ozark Mountain range. The terrain is sandstone and shale upland forests, lowland valleys, and creeks. Seven man-made lakes, significant undeveloped acreage of oak and hickory forest, and more backyard feeders per capita than anywhere else in Northwest Arkansas make it a happy place for both birds and the humans that count them.Eastern bluebirds have received a lot of attention because of the success of a local and national bluebird box campaign. Public participation in the effort to restore the bluebird population has informed conservation and environmental restoration conversation. Unfortunately, although bluebird numbers are rising, the total bird population has dropped 30% since the 1970s, so Bella Vista birders are watching more than just bluebirds.Butch Tetzlaff, who co-owns The Bluebird Shed in Bella Vista along with his wife Sarah Coffer, is one of NW Arkansas’s resident ornithologists. Although Tetzlaff has a degree in biology and did graduate work in ornithology at Illinois State University, he still calls his interest in the birds an ‘overgrown hobby.’ When Tetzlaff moved to the region, he immediately began scientifically documenting the birds that visited his backyard.[/fusion_text][fusion_imageframe image_id="1708|full" max_width="" style_type="" blur="" stylecolor="" hover_type="none" bordersize="" bordercolor="" borderradius="" align="center" lightbox="no" gallery_id="" lightbox_image="" lightbox_image_id="" alt="" link="" linktarget="_self" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_direction="left" animation_speed="0.3" animation_offset="" filter_hue="0" filter_saturation="100" filter_brightness="100" filter_contrast="100" filter_invert="0" filter_sepia="0" filter_opacity="100" filter_blur="0" filter_hue_hover="0" filter_saturation_hover="100" filter_brightness_hover="100" filter_contrast_hover="100" filter_invert_hover="0" filter_sepia_hover="0" filter_opacity_hover="100" filter_blur_hover="0"]https://www.discoverbellavistaar.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/two-eagles-in-flight_jlcraig.jpg[/fusion_imageframe][fusion_testimonials design="classic" navigation="no" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility"][fusion_testimonial name="Butch Tetzlaff" avatar="none" image="" image_id="" image_border_radius="" company="" link="" target="_self"]“The edges of fly zones going in all four directions pass over the Ozarks so the local bird population, both in species and numbers, has the potential to change as the wind blows."[/fusion_testimonial][/fusion_testimonials][fusion_separator style_type="default" sep_color="" border_size="" icon="" icon_size="" icon_circle="" icon_circle_color="" alignment="center" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" top_margin="40" /][fusion_text columns="" column_min_width="" column_spacing="" rule_style="default" rule_size="" rule_color="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_direction="left" animation_speed="0.3" animation_offset=""]Four billion birds take to the sky over the United States in annual migrations. Flocks pursuing their historical flight path— north to summer to breed in the Great Lake region, and south again to the coast— are likely to stop for a while in Bella Vista. Tetzlaff estimates that one could theoretically see about 300 different species in the region over time.[/fusion_text][fusion_title title_type="text" rotation_effect="bounceIn" display_time="1200" highlight_effect="circle" loop_animation="off" highlight_width="9" highlight_top_margin="0" before_text="" rotation_text="" highlight_text="" after_text="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" content_align="center" size="1" font_size="" animated_font_size="" fusion_font_family_title_font="" fusion_font_subset_title_font="" fusion_font_variant_title_font="" line_height="" letter_spacing="" margin_top="" margin_bottom="" margin_top_mobile="" margin_bottom_mobile="" text_color="" animated_text_color="" highlight_color="" style_type="default" sep_color="" animation_type="" animation_direction="left" animation_speed="0.3" animation_offset=""]Many Bella Vista residents are citizen scientists.[/fusion_title][fusion_imageframe image_id="1705|full" max_width="" style_type="" blur="" stylecolor="" hover_type="none" bordersize="" bordercolor="" borderradius="" align="center" lightbox="no" gallery_id="" lightbox_image="" lightbox_image_id="" alt="" link="" linktarget="_self" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_direction="left" animation_speed="0.3" animation_offset="" filter_hue="0" filter_saturation="100" filter_brightness="100" filter_contrast="100" filter_invert="0" filter_sepia="0" filter_opacity="100" filter_blur="0" filter_hue_hover="0" filter_saturation_hover="100" filter_brightness_hover="100" filter_contrast_hover="100" filter_invert_hover="0" filter_sepia_hover="0" filter_opacity_hover="100" filter_blur_hover="0"]https://www.discoverbellavistaar.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/female-swimming-w-9-ducklings.jpg[/fusion_imageframe][fusion_text columns="" column_min_width="" column_spacing="" rule_style="default" rule_size="" rule_color="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_direction="left" animation_speed="0.3" animation_offset=""]Individual birders have long pursued their fascination with birds, documenting that passion on personal life-lists. For the past century, professional ornithologists and citizen scientists have worked together in Audubon’s highly organized on-going project of education, observation, and sharing of data—the Christmas Bird Count. Until relatively recently, Bella Vista birds both resident species and migratory visitors, went uncounted.The Audubon Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is a massive effort across the Western Hemisphere to collect and analyze data about bird populations. As Tetzlaff points out, “effectively counting birds takes a lot of people covering a large area, which is prohibitively costly for scientific organizations without the help of citizens.” This past December was the 120th year of the Audubon Christmas Bird Count and the second year that the Bella Vista birding community requested and was assigned an official area to count. The Western Hemisphere is divided up into circles 15 miles in diameter and the count within each circle is coordinated by a count compiler. Tetzlaff is the organizer and count compiler for the circle that includes Bella Vista.The center point of the circle is right on the southernmost tip of Bella Vista and entirely encompasses the City of Bella Vista, 1/3 of Bentonville, and most of Centerton. The birds in each circle are counted on the same day in the last two weeks of December and the first week in January. Count volunteers follow specified routes, reporting every bird they see or hear all day. It’s not just a species tally—every individual bird is counted if seen or heard. If your home is within the boundaries of a CBC circle, then you can stay home and report the birds that visit your feeder on count day as long as you have made prior arrangement with the count compiler. Local citizen scientists stood up for the count on Saturday, December 14 and reported sighting 81 species and a total of nearly 8,000 birds within their designated circle.When she retired to Bella Vista two years ago, avid birder Gail Storm wasted no time in forming the Bella Vista Birders group. Storm was active in her local Audubon Society chapter in California. Eager to learn about the birds of NWA and missing the community of fellow birders, she organized Bella Vista Birders and encouraged them to participate in the project to help put Bella Vista on the birding map.[/fusion_text][fusion_imageframe image_id="1707|full" max_width="" style_type="" blur="" stylecolor="" hover_type="none" bordersize="" bordercolor="" borderradius="" align="center" lightbox="no" gallery_id="" lightbox_image="" lightbox_image_id="" alt="" link="" linktarget="_self" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_direction="left" animation_speed="0.3" animation_offset="" filter_hue="0" filter_saturation="100" filter_brightness="100" filter_contrast="100" filter_invert="0" filter_sepia="0" filter_opacity="100" filter_blur="0" filter_hue_hover="0" filter_saturation_hover="100" filter_brightness_hover="100" filter_contrast_hover="100" filter_invert_hover="0" filter_sepia_hover="0" filter_opacity_hover="100" filter_blur_hover="0"]https://www.discoverbellavistaar.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Screen-Shot-2020-02-18-at-1.35.26-PM-1.png[/fusion_imageframe][fusion_text columns="" column_min_width="" column_spacing="" rule_style="default" rule_size="" rule_color="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_direction="left" animation_speed="0.3" animation_offset=""]Storm is enthusiastic about the response to her desire to bring birders together. “Lots of people enjoy watching birds,” she says. “We are helping folks become better at identifying species and giving them the ready, regular, and coordinated way to report what they see. Paying detailed attention and participating in organized environmental events also helps people become more aware of the need to protect the habitat.”In addition to participating in services such as the CBC, plans for the club include local birding outings and walks beyond the backyard. Storm suggests travel to places like the Swepco Lake to see bald eagles or stay in Bella Vista on the Back 40 and Little Sugar local trails, now over 50 miles of trail and rapidly expanding. Bella Vista will have over 100 miles of trail for bikers and hikers.Both Tetzlaff and Storm agree that historical data in the area about the bird population is important. Service projects will include recurring events like the Christmas Bird Count, but a more scientific approach to collecting data throughout the year will inform understanding of the health of bird populations in NWA and in Bella Vista specifically. Tetzlaff and Dr. Jennifer Mortensen of the University of Arkansas have set up a scientific data collection protocol to study how bird populations ebb and flow every month of the year. As more and more residents count and report bird activity in their own backyards as it unfolds each month, a valuable picture of how bird populations are being affected by changes in weather and habitat will come into focus.In the last decade, Northwest Arkansas was ranked as the 13th fastest-growing region in the nation. Bella Vista’s property development was—and is—designed by its history. Land-ownership in Bella Vista has been managed since early in the 20th Century by a series of visionaries. Today, much of Bella Vista is still under the control of the Property Owners Association. From the man-made lakes, open green-space golf courses, and undeveloped land bordering residential lots to the Back 40 Trail system, this chain of changing hands has been good for bird habitat.[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container][fusion_builder_container hundred_percent="no" hundred_percent_height="no" hundred_percent_height_scroll="no" hundred_percent_height_center_content="yes" equal_height_columns="no" menu_anchor="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" status="published" publish_date="" class="" id="" link_color="" link_hover_color="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" margin_top="" margin_bottom="" padding_top="" padding_right="" padding_bottom="" padding_left="" gradient_start_color="" gradient_end_color="" gradient_start_position="0" gradient_end_position="100" gradient_type="linear" radial_direction="center center" linear_angle="180" background_color="" background_image="" background_position="center center" background_repeat="no-repeat" fade="no" background_parallax="none" enable_mobile="no" parallax_speed="0.3" background_blend_mode="none" video_mp4="" video_webm="" video_ogv="" video_url="" video_aspect_ratio="16:9" video_loop="yes" video_mute="yes" video_preview_image="" filter_hue="0" filter_saturation="100" filter_brightness="100" filter_contrast="100" filter_invert="0" filter_sepia="0" filter_opacity="100" filter_blur="0" filter_hue_hover="0" filter_saturation_hover="100" filter_brightness_hover="100" filter_contrast_hover="100" filter_invert_hover="0" filter_sepia_hover="0" filter_opacity_hover="100" filter_blur_hover="0"][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_3" layout="1_3" spacing="" center_content="no" link="" target="_self" min_height="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" hover_type="none" border_size="0" border_color="" border_style="solid" border_position="all" border_radius="" box_shadow="no" dimension_box_shadow="" box_shadow_blur="0" box_shadow_spread="0" box_shadow_color="" box_shadow_style="" padding_top="" padding_right="" padding_bottom="" padding_left="" margin_top="" margin_bottom="" background_type="single" gradient_start_color="" gradient_end_color="" gradient_start_position="0" gradient_end_position="100" gradient_type="linear" radial_direction="center center" linear_angle="180" background_color="" background_image="" background_image_id="" background_position="left top" background_repeat="no-repeat" background_blend_mode="none" animation_type="" animation_direction="left" animation_speed="0.3" animation_offset="" filter_type="regular" filter_hue="0" filter_saturation="100" filter_brightness="100" filter_contrast="100" filter_invert="0" filter_sepia="0" filter_opacity="100" filter_blur="0" filter_hue_hover="0" filter_saturation_hover="100" filter_brightness_hover="100" filter_contrast_hover="100" filter_invert_hover="0" filter_sepia_hover="0" filter_opacity_hover="100" filter_blur_hover="0" last="false" first="true"][fusion_imageframe image_id="1704|fusion-600" max_width="" style_type="" blur="" stylecolor="" hover_type="none" bordersize="" bordercolor="" borderradius="" align="center" lightbox="no" gallery_id="" lightbox_image="" lightbox_image_id="" alt="" link="" linktarget="_self" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_direction="left" animation_speed="0.3" animation_offset="" filter_hue="0" filter_saturation="100" filter_brightness="100" filter_contrast="100" filter_invert="0" filter_sepia="0" filter_opacity="100" filter_blur="0" filter_hue_hover="0" filter_saturation_hover="100" filter_brightness_hover="100" filter_contrast_hover="100" filter_invert_hover="0" filter_sepia_hover="0" filter_opacity_hover="100" filter_blur_hover="0"]https://www.discoverbellavistaar.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Bioblitz-Bee-Snappy-768x584-1-600x456.jpg[/fusion_imageframe][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type="1_3" layout="1_3" spacing="" center_content="no" link="" target="_self" min_height="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" hover_type="none" border_size="0" border_color="" border_style="solid" border_position="all" border_radius="" box_shadow="no" dimension_box_shadow="" box_shadow_blur="0" box_shadow_spread="0" box_shadow_color="" box_shadow_style="" padding_top="" padding_right="" padding_bottom="" padding_left="" margin_top="" margin_bottom="" background_type="single" gradient_start_color="" gradient_end_color="" gradient_start_position="0" gradient_end_position="100" gradient_type="linear" radial_direction="center center" linear_angle="180" background_color="" background_image="" background_image_id="" background_position="left top" background_repeat="no-repeat" background_blend_mode="none" animation_type="" animation_direction="left" animation_speed="0.3" animation_offset="" filter_type="regular" filter_hue="0" filter_saturation="100" filter_brightness="100" filter_contrast="100" filter_invert="0" filter_sepia="0" filter_opacity="100" filter_blur="0" filter_hue_hover="0" filter_saturation_hover="100" filter_brightness_hover="100" filter_contrast_hover="100" filter_invert_hover="0" filter_sepia_hover="0" filter_opacity_hover="100" filter_blur_hover="0" last="false" first="false"][fusion_imageframe image_id="1706|fusion-400" max_width="" style_type="" blur="" stylecolor="" hover_type="none" bordersize="" bordercolor="" borderradius="" align="center" lightbox="no" gallery_id="" lightbox_image="" lightbox_image_id="" alt="" link="" linktarget="_self" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_direction="left" animation_speed="0.3" animation_offset="" filter_hue="0" filter_saturation="100" filter_brightness="100" filter_contrast="100" filter_invert="0" filter_sepia="0" filter_opacity="100" filter_blur="0" filter_hue_hover="0" filter_saturation_hover="100" filter_brightness_hover="100" filter_contrast_hover="100" filter_invert_hover="0" filter_sepia_hover="0" filter_opacity_hover="100" filter_blur_hover="0"]https://www.discoverbellavistaar.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Golfer-on-Berksdale-400x330.jpg[/fusion_imageframe][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type="1_3" layout="1_3" spacing="" center_content="no" link="" target="_self" min_height="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" hover_type="none" border_size="0" border_color="" border_style="solid" border_position="all" border_radius="" box_shadow="no" dimension_box_shadow="" box_shadow_blur="0" box_shadow_spread="0" box_shadow_color="" box_shadow_style="" padding_top="" padding_right="" padding_bottom="" padding_left="" margin_top="" margin_bottom="" background_type="single" gradient_start_color="" gradient_end_color="" gradient_start_position="0" gradient_end_position="100" gradient_type="linear" radial_direction="center center" linear_angle="180" background_color="" background_image="" background_image_id="" background_position="left top" background_repeat="no-repeat" background_blend_mode="none" animation_type="" animation_direction="left" animation_speed="0.3" animation_offset="" filter_type="regular" filter_hue="0" filter_saturation="100" filter_brightness="100" filter_contrast="100" filter_invert="0" filter_sepia="0" filter_opacity="100" filter_blur="0" filter_hue_hover="0" filter_saturation_hover="100" filter_brightness_hover="100" filter_contrast_hover="100" filter_invert_hover="0" filter_sepia_hover="0" filter_opacity_hover="100" filter_blur_hover="0" last="true" first="false"][fusion_imageframe image_id="1707|fusion-600" max_width="" style_type="" blur="" stylecolor="" hover_type="none" bordersize="" bordercolor="" borderradius="" align="center" lightbox="no" gallery_id="" lightbox_image="" lightbox_image_id="" alt="" link="" linktarget="_self" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_direction="left" animation_speed="0.3" animation_offset="" filter_hue="0" filter_saturation="100" filter_brightness="100" filter_contrast="100" filter_invert="0" filter_sepia="0" filter_opacity="100" filter_blur="0" filter_hue_hover="0" filter_saturation_hover="100" filter_brightness_hover="100" filter_contrast_hover="100" filter_invert_hover="0" filter_sepia_hover="0" filter_opacity_hover="100" filter_blur_hover="0"]https://www.discoverbellavistaar.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Screen-Shot-2020-02-18-at-1.35.26-PM-1-600x483.png[/fusion_imageframe][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container][fusion_builder_container hundred_percent="no" hundred_percent_height="no" hundred_percent_height_scroll="no" hundred_percent_height_center_content="yes" equal_height_columns="no" menu_anchor="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" status="published" publish_date="" class="" id="" link_color="" link_hover_color="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" margin_top="" margin_bottom="" padding_top="" padding_right="" padding_bottom="" padding_left="" gradient_start_color="" gradient_end_color="" gradient_start_position="0" gradient_end_position="100" gradient_type="linear" radial_direction="center center" linear_angle="180" background_color="" background_image="" background_position="center center" background_repeat="no-repeat" fade="no" background_parallax="none" enable_mobile="no" parallax_speed="0.3" background_blend_mode="none" video_mp4="" video_webm="" video_ogv="" video_url="" video_aspect_ratio="16:9" video_loop="yes" video_mute="yes" video_preview_image="" filter_hue="0" filter_saturation="100" filter_brightness="100" filter_contrast="100" filter_invert="0" filter_sepia="0" filter_opacity="100" filter_blur="0" filter_hue_hover="0" filter_saturation_hover="100" filter_brightness_hover="100" filter_contrast_hover="100" filter_invert_hover="0" filter_sepia_hover="0" filter_opacity_hover="100" filter_blur_hover="0"][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" layout="1_1" spacing="" center_content="no" link="" target="_self" min_height="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" hover_type="none" border_size="0" border_color="" border_style="solid" border_position="all" border_radius="" box_shadow="no" dimension_box_shadow="" box_shadow_blur="0" box_shadow_spread="0" box_shadow_color="" box_shadow_style="" padding_top="" padding_right="" padding_bottom="" padding_left="" margin_top="" margin_bottom="" background_type="single" gradient_start_color="" gradient_end_color="" gradient_start_position="0" gradient_end_position="100" gradient_type="linear" radial_direction="center center" linear_angle="180" background_color="" background_image="" background_image_id="" background_position="left top" background_repeat="no-repeat" background_blend_mode="none" animation_type="" animation_direction="left" animation_speed="0.3" animation_offset="" filter_type="regular" filter_hue="0" filter_saturation="100" filter_brightness="100" filter_contrast="100" filter_invert="0" filter_sepia="0" filter_opacity="100" filter_blur="0" filter_hue_hover="0" filter_saturation_hover="100" filter_brightness_hover="100" filter_contrast_hover="100" filter_invert_hover="0" filter_sepia_hover="0" filter_opacity_hover="100" filter_blur_hover="0" last="true" first="true"][fusion_text columns="" column_min_width="" column_spacing="" rule_style="default" rule_size="" rule_color="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_direction="left" animation_speed="0.3" animation_offset=""]Left and right photos shot by Quin Warsaw, aka "Snappy" on the Berksdale Golf Course in Bella Vista, AR. Center photo shot by Marc F. Henning. The course is being managed to benefit golfers and the environment. It was accredited by Audubon as a Cooperative Sanctuary in spring of 2020. [/fusion_text][fusion_title title_type="text" rotation_effect="bounceIn" display_time="1200" highlight_effect="circle" loop_animation="off" highlight_width="9" highlight_top_margin="0" before_text="" rotation_text="" highlight_text="" after_text="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" content_align="center" size="1" font_size="" animated_font_size="" fusion_font_family_title_font="" fusion_font_subset_title_font="" fusion_font_variant_title_font="" line_height="" letter_spacing="" margin_top="" margin_bottom="" margin_top_mobile="" margin_bottom_mobile="" text_color="" animated_text_color="" highlight_color="" style_type="default" sep_color="" animation_type="" animation_direction="left" animation_speed="0.3" animation_offset=""]Berksdale golf course certified by Audubon as a sanctuary[/fusion_title][fusion_text columns="" column_min_width="" column_spacing="" rule_style="default" rule_size="" rule_color="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_direction="left" animation_speed="0.3" animation_offset=""]Local environmental awareness is evident in the decision to work toward certification of Berksdale Golf Course as an Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary, a designation it proudly received in spring 2020. The Audubon certification is a rigorous process requiring complete documentation of the habitat, flora, and fauna of the course and a redesign of course management policies and procedures to create and maintain a space that ‘works for the game of golf’ as well as maximizing it as an environmentally healthy open green space. Wendy Barnes, assistant superintendent of Berksdale Golf Course was drafted to head up this rigorous effort. Barnes has a background in horticulture and landscape management with a BA in Agricultural Science from the University of Arkansas and a career of jobs that steered her interest, knowledge, and experience toward sustainability.Wendy has a passion and concern for the environment, which she shares with her supervisor. At a time when golf courses are under intense scrutiny and criticism for land and water uses, the POA made a decision to work with Audubon to find a way forward for both the environment and the game. It has not been an easy project. There are seven stringent components to qualify as a sanctuary, and as a result, the management of Berksdale Golf Course has changed the way it maintains the course including implementing custom design water conservation and water quality practices. Even management of the proportion and location of greens and rough have changed.[/fusion_text][fusion_testimonials design="classic" navigation="no" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility"][fusion_testimonial name="Wendy Barnes" avatar="none" image="" image_id="" image_border_radius="" company="" link="" target="_self"]"In 2015 I saw maybe a single monarch on the course. Planted milkweed was one of our improvement efforts and last year it was covered with Monarchs. It was exciting to watch the caterpillars hatching.”[/fusion_testimonial][/fusion_testimonials][fusion_separator style_type="default" sep_color="" border_size="" icon="" icon_size="" icon_circle="" icon_circle_color="" alignment="center" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" top_margin="40" /][fusion_text columns="" column_min_width="" column_spacing="" rule_style="default" rule_size="" rule_color="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_direction="left" animation_speed="0.3" animation_offset=""]Education and outreach is one of the qualifying components for Aubudon certification. It is one in which Berksdale excels. The course the site for multiple Blue Bird Boxes monitored by Bella Vista residents. Bella Vista participated in Audubon’s International BioBlitz in spring 2018. Residents and a number of visiting professional naturalists from other parts of the state explored and documented micro-habitats and the fauna that live there. On that day, birders counted 55 different species on a course now being well managed for birdies—and the birds.[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

OTHER
ARTICLES