Audubon International

09/02/2026

🦋 It's that time of year — monarch butterflies are beginning their incredible fall migration RIGHT NOW, making their way south from the northeastern U.S. and Canada toward their overwintering grounds in the mountains of Mexico. Millions of butterflies are on the wing, and they need every patch of milkweed and native habitat they can find along the way to fuel the journey. The problem? That habitat is vanishing — and monarchs are paying the price.

That's where YOUR golf course comes in. 🌱⛳

Audubon International's Monarchs in the Rough program is actively looking for golf courses ready to join the effort. Sign up and you'll receive:

An acre's worth of regionally appropriate milkweed seed
Custom signage to share the story with your golfers
Planting guidance to get your habitat established right

Monarchs need milkweed to lay their eggs — it's that simple. And golf courses have exactly the kind of open, low-traffic land where it can thrive. Let's use it wisely. 💚

Interested in signing your course up? Head to monarchsintherough.org to learn more about Monarchs in the Rough! 🦋

08/31/2026

From the course to the community, this year's BioBlitz was bigger than ever. 🌿

For the first time, Audubon International's annual BioBlitz Competition expanded beyond the golf course and into the broader community, with three of our Sustainable Communities and one Signature Sanctuary Course joining forces to celebrate and document the incredible biodiversity living right in their own backyards.

Here's how each community made it their own:

🌾 Oldfield (Bluffton, SC) — A BioBlitz veteran, Oldfield continues to find creative new ways to engage their residents year after year, setting the standard for community participation.

🔍 Ford Field & River Club (GA) — First-time participants who hit the ground running, organizing a community-wide scavenger hunt during their Memorial Day celebrations that brought residents of all ages together around nature.

📱 Belfair POA (Bluffton, SC) — Brought technology into the mix, using iNaturalist to document and catalog their findings, turning every resident into a citizen scientist.

🦋 Eagle Creek HOA (FL) — Our Signature Sanctuary Community joined the competition this year with the help of one of our own Audubon International staff members, who assisted in hosting the event and guiding residents through the process firsthand.

This is what it looks like when residential communities and golf courses align around shared environmental goals, from waterway stewardship to habitat management, all supported by Audubon International memberships on both sides. We couldn't be more proud of everyone who participated this year. 👏

Here's to even more communities joining us next year! 🐦🌸

08/28/2026

BioBlitz Photo Contest – 3rd Place!

Congratulations to Sagamore Springs Golf Club on earning 3rd place with this beautiful photo of a honey bee visiting a milkweed flower! 🐝🌸

A great reminder of the important pollinators and native plants found throughout our golf course communities. Thank you to everyone who participated and helped celebrate local biodiversity!

08/28/2026

Flat Creek Golf Club in Peachtree City, GA has been a proud Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary certified course since 2017, and Superintendent Harold Ammons and his team just keep raising the bar. From thriving beehives producing nearly 100 bottles of honey a year, to Monarchs in the Rough milkweed habitat, to bluebird and Purple Martin boxes that have raised 100+ fledglings annually for five straight years, Flat Creek is living proof that a golf course can be a genuine wildlife sanctuary. Nearly a decade into certification, Ammons says it best: "Recertification keeps you motivated to do a lot of new things each year." That's the ACSP spirit. 🌿⛳

Click the link to view the full article: https://gcmonline.com/course/environment/news/birds-bees-and-butterflies-at-flat-creek-golf-club

The Georgia golf club has found success supporting wildlife and pollinators.

08/27/2026

BioBlitz photo contest - 2nd Place Winner!

A big congratulations to La Iguana Golf Course for earning 2nd place in our BioBlitz photo contest with this amazing shot of a nine-banded armadillo!

It’s incredible to see the unique wildlife that calls our golf courses home. Thanks to everyone who joined us and shared their BioBlitz discoveries!

08/26/2026

BioBlitz Photo Contest Winner!

Congratulations to Sugar Creek Golf Course for taking 1st place in our BioBlitz photo contest! Their winning photo captured a fun sighting of stacked painted turtles basking together. 🐢🐢🐢

Thank you to everyone who participated and shared their wildlife discoveries!

08/25/2026

🌿 BioBlitz 2026: The Results Are In! 🌿

A huge thank you to everyone who participated in this year’s BioBlitz! 🌱🐦 We’re excited to share the results from our amazing golf courses:

🏆 Highest Biodiversity:

1st Place: University of Maryland Golf Course: With the highest number of species recorded (437), this course truly stood out for its rich and diverse ecosystem! Congratulations!

2nd Place: Naples Lakes Golf Course: With an impressive second-highest species count of 395 species recorded, this course showcased the incredible biodiversity and variety of wildlife thriving throughout the property!

3rd Place: Belfair POA: With an impressive third-place finish and 305 species recorded, this community demonstrated the incredible diversity of wildlife and habitats that can be found throughout the property!

🏆 Highest Participation:

1st Place: Glencoe Golf Club: This course rallied the most participants, showing the incredible community spirit and passion for conservation! Congratulations!

2nd Place: Village Links of Glen Ellyn: This course brought together an impressive number of participants, highlighting the strong community engagement and enthusiasm for exploring local biodiversity!

3rd Place: Sandhill Crane Golf Club: This course showed great community involvement, bringing people together to discover and celebrate the incredible wildlife found on the property!

🏆 Best Photos:

1st Place: Sugar Creek Golf Course: Congratulations to Sugar Creek Golf Course on receiving first place in our photo contest. Participants captured the perfect shot of stacked Painted Turtles, showcasing the beauty of nature in its finest form!

2nd Place: La Iguana Golf Course: Congratulations on 2nd place with this incredible shot of a nine-banded armadillo exploring the course!

3rd Place: Sagamore Springs Golf Club: Congratulations to Sagamore Springs Golf Club on 3rd place with this beautiful photo of a honeybee visiting a milkweed flower—a perfect snapshot of pollinators at work!

Congratulations to all, and thank you for your commitment to preserving biodiversity and making BioBlitz 2026 a huge success!

08/17/2026

August is one of the most important months for monarch butterflies! As they begin their fall migration, monarchs rely on nectar-rich flowers for fuel, while the next generation depends on milkweed habitat to complete its life cycle.

Golf courses are uniquely positioned to make a difference by transforming out-of-play areas into thriving monarch and pollinator habitats that support wildlife, increase biodiversity, and showcase your course's commitment to conservation.

Join, or rejoin, Audubon International's Monarchs in the Rough program and receive FREE regionally appropriate milkweed seed, Monarchs in the Rough signage, and planting guidance to help establish or expand your pollinator habitat.

Don't miss your opportunity to take part in this impactful conservation initiative while funding remains available. Together, we can create more habitat for monarch butterflies—one golf course at a time!

Learn more and register: monarchsintherough.org

08/14/2026

08/11/2026

🦋🌿 Transform your golf course’s out-of-play areas into thriving pollinator habitats!

Creating a milkweed and pollinator plot can help support monarch butterfly populations, increase local biodiversity, and provide valuable opportunities to educate golfers and the community about the importance of these ecosystems.

Through Audubon International’s Monarchs in the Rough initiative, golf courses can create meaningful habitat in areas that may otherwise go unused. Thanks to generous grant support from the Wadsworth Golf Charities Foundation, registration is now open to ALL golf courses, both Audubon International members and non-members!

Join the movement and help create a lasting impact for monarchs and pollinators, one golf course at a time.

Learn More: monarchsintherough.org
Register Now: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/monarchs2017