Allied Golf Association Of BC Receives Funding Boost For IPM From BC Government

BC Environment Minister Mary Polak (L) Was On Hand At Redwoods Golf Course In Langley To Present A Cheque To AGA-BC President Trevor Smith (R) - Image Credit Bryan Outram/ British Columbia Golf

British Columbia Golf

Following up on several months of work and communication, the Allied Golf Association of British Columbia (AGA-BC) this past Monday received a cheque from BC Minister of Environment, Honourable Mary Polak on behalf of the BC Ministry of Environment for $35,000 to go toward their Integrated Pest Management Program (IPM). 

The presentation took place at The Redwoods Golf Course in Langley.

As AGA-BC President Trevor Smith has stated in the past, “Both the environment and climate action are paramount to the future of our province and have a profound effect on the golf industry. As a result, AGA-BC members work everyday to ensure they’re protecting the environment and to fight climate change.”

Over the years the AGA-BC Environmental Advocacy Committee has been hard at work to update the IPM Guide for Turfgrass Managers. This guide was originally published in 2002 and was last updated in 2009 and was jointly produced by the Western Canada Turfgrass Association (WCTA) and the Ministry Of Agriculture.

Smith had earlier outlined what he foresaw as being necessary in updating the IPM Guide to continue with this important initiative, including:

  1. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) fundamentals
  2. Disease and pest identification/management
  3. Current approved PMRA products
  4. Current Acts and Regulations
  5. Calibration of equipment
  6. Current issues section
  7. Recommendations to other useful publications, smart phone applications and websites

Smith had articulated to the Ministry of Environment in earlier communications that it was going to require a lot more time, effort and resources to properly finish the IPM Guide so that they could develop the best standards for Turf mangers for the province.

To that end, the AGA-BC vision was to produce a world-class publication, both in online and hard copy formats, in order to provide easy-to-access information for all of their association members.

Those points were heard and recognized by the Ministry of Environment and as Minister Polak stated at the cheque presentation, “Golf course operators offer more than merely golf opportunities. Species benefit and actually thrive in these environments due to the proper use of modern technologies and the application of Integrated Pest Management practices."

Minister Polak had earlier talked about how the golf industry had made tremendous strides in the area of environmental concerns, saying, "I can’t say enough about how your industry has really stepped up and become to us, in the Ministry of Environment, truly an industry that we see as partners. We really believe that we can be leaders in this regard for British Columbia and the golf industry is a big part of that. We’re very pleased to be working with them in this area and we’re very pleased with the efforts that have been undertaken by the golf industry in terms of the awareness and education on the subject.”