Contact: Ken Ellens
Ken Ellens Communications
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Arnold Palmer Signature Golf Course at Benchmark
Hospitality’sStonewall Resort Recognized for Environmental
Excellence
Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary
The Woodlands (Houston), Texas, August 31, 2009 … Benchmark
Hospitality has announced that the Arnold Palmer Signature Golf Course
at Stonewall Resort of Weston, West Virginia, has been recognized as
a "Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary" through the Audubon
Cooperative Sanctuary program of Audubon International. This is
the second time Stonewall Resort’s golf course has been so designated. The
course is one of 693 golf courses in the world to receive the honor. Benchmark
Hospitality has operated the resort since before opening in 2002.
“We are extremely honored to receive this prestigious designation
from the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary,” said Mike Hager, the resort’s
general manager. “I’d especially like to recognize
Chad Clovis, CGCS, director of resort facilities, and Phil Curran, golf
course superintendent, and their team who led this effort and have been
instrumental in maintaining the sanctuary status for the resort’s
Arnold Palmer Signature Golf Course.”
"The Palmer Course at Stonewall Resort has shown a strong commitment
to its environmental program,” said Jim Sluiter, staff ecologist
for the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Programs. “[and the
team there] are to be commended for their efforts to provide a sanctuary
for wildlife on the golf course property.”
The Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses, endorsed
by the United States Golf Association, provides information and guidance
to help golf courses preserve and enhance wildlife habitat, and protect
natural resources. To be certified, golf courses must demonstrate
that they maintain a high degree of environmental quality in a number
of categories, including Environmental Planning, Wildlife & Habitat
Management, Outreach and Education, Chemical Use Reduction and Safety,
Water Conservation, and Water Quality Management. Golf courses
go through a recertification process every two years. Courses from
the United States, Africa, Australia, Canada, Central America, Europe,
Mexico, and Southeast Asia have achieved certification in the program.
About Audubon International
Audubon International is a not-for-profit, environmental education
organization dedicated to educating, assisting, and inspiring millions
of people from all walks of life to protect and sustain the land, water,
wildlife, and natural resources around them. Its award-winning
education and certification programs have helped more than 5,800 businesses,
golf courses, schools, communities, and new developments improve environmental
performance and manage natural resources responsibly on more than one
million acres of land. For more information, contact Audubon International
at (518) 767-9051 or acsp@auduboninternational.org,
or visit their website at www.auduboninternational..org. For
more information on golf and the environment, visit www.golfandenvironment.org.
About Stonewall Resort
The Four Diamond-rated Stonewall Resort is a 208-guestroom property
with a lakeside lodge and lakeside cottages, a conference center, restaurants,
complete fitness center and swimming pool, spa and an 18-hole Arnold
Palmer Signature Golf Course. The resort is located at Stonewall Jackson
Lake State Park near Weston, West Virginia. Stonewall Resort is
a joint private/public development between McCabe-Henley LP and the West
Virginia Department of Natural Resources. Benchmark Hospitality
International operates Stonewall Resort.
About Benchmark Hospitality International
Benchmark Hospitality International is a leader in the management and
marketing of resorts, conference centers, hotels, and Personal Luxury
Hotels™. The privately held company, launched in 1980, is
a founding member of the International Association of Conference Centers. Benchmark
Hospitality is a worldwide organization operating propertiesin
major metropolitan and resort destinations. Benchmark'sinternational
headquartersis locatedinThe Woodlands, Texas, near
Houston, withregional offices in New Jersey and Connecticut. Internationaloffices
arelocatedin Tokyo, Japan, and Santiago, Chile. For the location
of Benchmark’s properties and additional information, visitwww.benchmarkhospitality.com.
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