Dean Piller - CGSA Environmental Award Winner

The CGSA Toro Environmental Achievement Award is presented to a superintendent member of the CGSA that has completed an environmental project that puts into practice an Environmental Management Plan (EMP) as detailed in section 3 of the CGSA Environmental Management Resource Manual©.

A 25-year CGSA member with an AGS designation, Piller was the President of CGSA in 1999 and is a two-time recipient of the Gordon Witteveen Award (1998-2002.

Cordova Bay Golf Course has been the recipient of the 2003 Saanich Environmental Award for the Development and Construction Industry and is presently certified as an Audubon Sanctuary with the Audubon Society. Cordova Bay's project summary from 2006 through 2009 was to improve greens, soil physical properties and drainage venting.

The Cordova Bay plan has 14 separate objectives as part of their Environmental Management Program, incorporating a vast array of different initiatives from an irrigation audit, implementing a crayfish rehabilitation project to aid in algae, duckweed reduction, reducing fungicides by 50% and reusing composted aerification cores on his rough as topdressing material.

The Cordova Bay program was chosen unanimously by a panel of three judges who evaluate the applicants individually and select their preferred choice.

Patrick Moir, CGSA President, has also announced that Mitch Davidson, Assistant Superintendent at Wascana Country Club in Regina, has been awarded the 2009 Gordon Witteveen Award for his article entitled "An Experience of a Lifetime", which was published in the May/June, 2009 issue of the CGSA's GreenMaster publication..

Davidson is a three year member of the CGSA and was selected the 2008 Future Superintendent of the Year award recipient.

The Gordon Witteveen Award is presented annually by the CGSA to the superintendent or assistant superintendent who is judged by a panel of peers to have authored the best article written by a superintendent or assistant and published in the CGSA GreenMaster magazine during the past year. As well as receiving the Gordon Witteveen Award plaque, Mr. Davidson will also receive a cash award from the Toro Corporation.

The recipients of these awards as well as David Boyd, 2009 Superintendent of the Year, R. Vince Gillis, 2009 John B. Steel and Cameron Kusiek, 2009 Future Superintendent of the Year Award recipients will be recognized at the Awards Luncheon on Sunday, February 28th at the Canadian International Turfgrass Conference and Trade Show in Toronto, Ontario.

Earlier, the Canadian Golf Superintendents Association (CGSA) and the Western Canada Turfgrass Association (WCTA) announced that they will partner in the presentation of the 2011 Canadian International Turfgrass Conference and Trade Show. to be held in Vancouver March 4th to 8th. The newly renovated East Building of the Vancouver Convention Centre will host both the conference and the trade show components of the event.

This will be the 10th jointly sponsored event held by the CGSA in 12 years and the 3rd such event involving the WCTA. The agreement between the two associations provides for the conference to be jointly planned and for the two organizations to share the net proceeds. Under the terms of the agreement, the WCTA agrees not to hold a competing conference and trade show in 2011.

The CGSA represents golf course superintendents, assistant superintendents, equipment technicians and others involved in golf course management from across Canada. CGSA was founded in 1966 and currently has over 1500 members. The CGSA mission is to promote excellence in golf course management and environmental responsibility through the continuing, professional development of its members.

Canadian Golf Superintendents Association