Grassroots effort honored by TOCA

Jeff Gullikson, golf course superintendent at the Spokane (Wash.) Country Club, saw an opportunity to educate America’s youth and took the initiative. That vision led to the First Green of Washington and eventually the 2005 Turf & Ornamental Communicators Association Environmental Communicator of the Year award.

Jeff Gullikson

“Jeff joins a long list of distinguished winners who practice environmental stewardship and take it well beyond the confines of their own daily business lives and make others aware of its importance,” says Den Gardner, executive director of TOCA.

The annual award recognizes outstanding efforts in communicating the benefits of environmental stewardship to an audience within the turf and ornamental industry.

Gullikson, who received the award at TOCA’s annual meeting in Memphis, Tenn., follows previous winners: Mark Welterlen, Grounds Maintenance Magazine; Bill Love, W.R. Love Golf Architecture; Tim Doppel, Atwood LawnCare; Doug Fender, Turf Producers International; Allen James, RISE; and Ron Dodson, Audubon International.

“I am honored to receive this award from peers who report on our industry,” Gullikson says. “It’s a great honor to be grouped together with the wonderful past recipients of this award.”

Frank Standfuss, regional sales manager for Certis USA, the program’s sponsor, presented the award. Standfuss said Gullikson epitomizes what’s good about the green industry and those who practice environmental stewardship.

“Jeff is a leader by example and his commitment to educating teachers and students about stewardship on golf courses and other green spaces is commendable,” Standfuss says. “It’s exciting to know that this type of program is now being developed nationally.”

First Green of Washington is a high school program dedicated to using golf courses as outdoor laboratories to teach students environmental and agronomic principles. The program started with a group of agriculture teachers playing in a golf tournament at Spokane Country Club for their state conference, according to Gullikson. The teachers realized what they were seeing on the golf course related to what they were teaching in the classroom.

“Several of the teachers were already teaching agronomy, soils, aquaculture, turfgrass management, horticulture, floriculture and natural resources,” Gullikson says. “They realized a golf course would make a great field trip to reinforce the classroom instruction given by the teachers.”

The program also is a fun activity that excites the students.

“The First Green started as an idea by the teachers, and our major objective when we started it was to provide support to the teachers and to be able to bring students to golf courses on field trips to demonstrate the environmental value of golf courses and introduce kids to the game of golf,” Gullikson says.

Organizers are in the process of expanding First Green to other parts of the country.

“While the First Green started in the state of Washington, we are in the process of grant writing to develop materials for high school teachers and golf course superintendents across the country so that others can learn how to develop partnerships that will impact the teaching of our children,” he says.

Gullikson, a golf course superintendent since the late 1980s, has been at Spokane Country Club since 2001. He also has been recognized with the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America’s 2004 President’s Award for Environmental Leadership. GCN