Mohawk River a high priority for Springfield County Club Golf Course superintendent

The Mohawk River runs through the Springfield Country Club, Springfield, Ore., and is inclusive in the Mohawk Watershed and Springfield Country Club Golf Course Superintendent, Brian Hickey, wants to make sure he and club are doing all they can to make sure the river remains pristine and environmentally sound.

“We at the club not only enjoy its beauty, but we also irrigate from the Mohawk, so it is our responsibility to keep the river clean at all times and an environmental success,” said Hickey. “It is not only my job to keep our golf course in great condition, but it also important that everyone here at Springfield CC be aware of the importance of the Mohawk River and impact it has on our surroundings and the environment.

The club has partnered with the Mohawk Watershed Council and Hickey is proud of the cooperation and the work which has taken place in the past and will in the future to enhance the quality of the Mohawk River.

The Mohawk River has been cited as high priority for protection. The restoration project, spearheaded by Hickey, at Springfield Country Club seeks to increase habitat connectivity and quality within the Mohawk basin through invasive weed eradication and control, in conjunction with the establishment of planting native trees and shrubs.

Long term goals for the Mohawk and its entire watershed are to achieve measurable changes in water quality parameters such as lower water temperatures and achieve higher dissolved oxygen levels.

The project at Springfield Country Club in the past has included community volunteers planting over 1,000 native trees along the banks of the Mohawk and the constant mowing to kill blackberry plants along the river.

“The has been an exciting and ongoing project for all involved,” said Hickey. “I can’t say enough about the support of the club, our maintenance staff, volunteers and the ability to work with the Mohawk Watershed Council, all keys to making this work now and long into the future.”

Hickey is a present board member of the Oregon Golf Course Superintendents Association, which has been a leader for many years in the environmental golf movement, winning awards not only as an Association, but also many individual environmental awards for its members.

For more information contact Greg Crawford, OGCSA public relations director at 503-407-8255 or Brian Hickey at 541-747-0008.