Conservation mindset: One fish, two fish

Found atop black lava rock at the intersection of the Colorado Plateau, Mojave Desert and Great Basin lay 600 acres of the Black Desert Resort outside St. George, Utah. Red sandstone cliffs surround the course, and five national parks are within a day’s drive of the resort. Home to a 19-hole Tom Weiskopf-designed course and 200 acres of nature conservation land, Black Desert Resort has made protecting the environment a focus from the beginning. 

“It's quite a unique and dramatic setting,” says Dr. Joseph Platt, the resort's director of environmental affairs. “And as far as the desert goes, the lava provides a unique habitat from the massive areas of desert around here.”

The resort gained Audubon International Signature Sanctuary certification in 2023, with hopes of gaining Platinum certification in the near future. The course, opened for play in May 2023, was built with sustainability in mind. Gray water is used for efficient irrigation, and low voltage power is used throughout the property.

Superintendent Ken Yates uses organic fertilizers and integrates environmentally motivated practices into his programs. “We take every measure we can to protect the environment and be part of it,” Yates says. “We want to be stewards of the land.” 

Platt has worked in environmental affairs for more than 30 years and earned a Ph.D. in ecology from Cornell University. Platt Environmental, founded in 2009, provides biological surveys and assessments, as well as documents for advancing conservation projects. At Black Desert, one of the things he has been tasked with developing is an educational program for visitors. Platt has made continuous efforts to engage and educate visitors and staff members on conservation. 

“The natural wildlife that occurs on the site is being welcomed,” Platt says. “Our guests are guests, and the rattlesnakes and the coyotes, this is their home, so consider yourself a guest. And that has been very satisfying to be involved with it.”

Virgin River chub used to be found in the river among Zion National Park and used as a food source. Now it can be found in only a few areas in Utah — the ponds at Black Desert Resort being one of them. The chub is considered an endangered species and is federally protected. “As the river changed, as it was diverted for irrigation and polluted, invasive fish were put into the river,” Platt says. “The Virgin River chub was just decimated. It was out-competed, and it couldn’t survive.”

After working with the state and federal government, Black Desert’s six ponds were tested. Soon, the resort was granted permission to house the Virgin chub in one of the lakes. The goal is that the fish will grow, thrive, breed and then be released into the river, repopulating the species. 

The environmental specialist is using the concept of refugia, with the pond being the fish’s place of refuge. Refugia are environmental habitats used for species, ecosystems and communities for long-term persistence. “There’s no predators in the lake, and they’re happy, they’ve been there 10 months,” he says. Platt monitors water temperature and no chemicals or fertilizers are permitted to be used directly around the pond. 

The fish housing holds an environmental and educational purpose. Platt says a nature center is being planned for the resort, free for visitors. 

The fish aren’t the only educational species on the course. The desert tortoise, another endangered and protected species, is native to southwestern Utah, south of the Black Desert. St George is the only area in the state to still have them. 

“We’re in negotiation now to be able to have desert tortoises in captivity on display in natural settings where people can actually see them,” Platt says. “They are defined as being endangered, which means there aren’t many of them, and so the general public doesn’t have a real good opportunity to see tortoises, so we’re going to do that.

“We hope to be able to help the people engage in this natural area and enjoy not only the golf and the fancy five-star resort, but the nature of the site too.”

Kelsie Horner is Golf Course Industry’s assistant editor. To submit your course’s conservation efforts, email her at khorner@gie.net.