By Matthew Shepherd, Mace Vaughan, and Scott Hoffman Black

In an increasingly urbanized nation, golf courses give a welcome break from the hard surfaces of towns and cities. Golf courses are of growing importance in many communities, offering not just recreational opportunities but also helping to maintain a clean environment.

At the core of a healthy environment are pollinators—animals that move pollen among flowers, thus ensuring that the plants can form seeds and fruits. The work of pollinators touches our lives every day through the food we eat, and even in how we mark the seasons: think of the bloom of springtime meadows, berry picking in summer, and pumpkins in the fall.

Making More Room is intended as a companion to Making Room for Native Pollinators: How to Create Habitat for Pollinator Insects on Golf Courses, published by the U.S. Golf Association in 2002. These guidelines expand on that document and offer successful strategies for incorporating pollinator conservation into course management and easy–to–implement tips for providing habitat for native bees and butterflies. With a regional focus on Oregon, this document includes detailed lists of nectar and pollen plants, information about host plants for butterfly caterpillars, and extensive lists of relevant books, articles, and other sources of additional information.

Although the plant resources in Making More Room focus on Oregon, the bulk of the information is useful in all locations.