The Canadian Golf Superintendents Association (CGSA) Announces the 2020
CGSA/Rain Bird Environmental Achievement Award Recipient

February 19, 2021

Mississauga, ON - The Canadian Golf Superintendents Association (CGSA) and Rain Bird are pleased to announce Mark Lane, Superintendent from the Memphremagog Golf Club in Magog, Quebec, as the CGSA/Rain Bird Environmental Achievement of the Year Award winner for 2020.

The CGSA/Rain Bird Environmental Achievement Award recognizes a member of the CGSA who has held the position of golf course superintendent for a minimum of five years and who has distinguished themselves through dedication to the profession, performance as a golf course superintendent and contributions to their profession and their community by choosing a specific environmental project, policy, program or practice that has been initiated on their course and documented the environmental impact that this initiative has had at their facility.

Mark was selected for this award because of his dedication to be as environmentally responsible as possible and introducing a naturalization program. This ongoing program and his commitment to the naturalization of numerous acres, introduction of fescue zones within play and improving the irrigation system has had a dramatic influence on the golf course, its wildlife population and environmental impact.

As Mark renovates a hole and converts areas to fescue they configure the irrigation system to target areas more precisely and use less water. Work will continue in the spring converting the 16th hole and in the fall will embark on a renovation project of the 17th hole, converting another 2 acres.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the CGSA and Rain Bird for honouring me with this award," said Mark. "I would also like to extend my gratitude to my staff, for their tireless efforts and to the membership at Memphremagog for their continued support. It is thanks to all of them, that I am being honoured with this award.”

“CGSA is proud to announce Mark as the 2020 CGSA/Rain Bird Environmental Achievement Award winner.  Golf course superintendents are stewards of the environment and Mark's commitment to protecting the surrounding environment makes him the perfect recipient for this award. His ongoing work at Memphremagog will help irrigation and reduce their use of water while maximizing efficiency. Thank you and congratulations, Mark."

-       Darren Kalyniuk, CGSA President

“It is truly an honour for Rain Bird to present this award to Mark Lane. Not only has Mark instigated an extensive naturalization program at Memphremagog, converting well over 60,000ft2 of bluegrass to fescue and reducing not only man hours and fuel for maintenance but also providing increased habitat for wildlife on the property. On top of this, Mark is managing a very strict water analysis program to detect any chemicals entering and leaving the property. The restrictions imposed by the local authorities are such that Mark cannot use any product on the course that cannot be detected by the local lab. This not only limits his access to turf management tools, but also triggered the club to be creative in using alternative methods to maintain high quality playing surfaces. Mark also participates in a program with the local elementary school for building bird box. We all know that superintendents are stewards of the environment. Mark’s achievements and dedication are proof of the positive impact superintendents have on the environment and the local community. Rain Bird is very proud to present him with the 2020 CGSA/Rain Bird Environmental Achievement Award.”

− Serge Gauthier, Senior Golf Area Manager for Canada.

As the CGSA/Rain Bird Environmental Achievement of the Year winner, Mark and two of his team members will receive an "All-Access" registration to The Canadian 2021 Golf Course Management Conference March 2 - 4 and a Rain Bird prize package in lieu of travel in 2021.

Congratulations to Mark. We hope you will come to show your support and congratulate Mark during the CGSA Awards Ceremony where he will be presented with his award on Thursday, March 4 at 11:00 am (eastern standard time). To register for the conference or to attend the awards ceremony please visit The Canadian.

Rain Bird is the exclusive sponsor of this award. Thanks to the support from Rain Bird we can recognize our environmental achievement award winners who are an integral part of the golf course management profession.

About Rain Bird

Rain Bird Corporation is a privately held company founded in 1933. We are the leading global manufacturer and provider of irrigation products and services. Since the beginning, Rain Bird has produced and offered the industry's broadest range of irrigation products for farms, golf courses, sports arenas, commercial developments and homes in more than 130 countries around the world. Over the past eight decades, Rain Bird has been awarded more than 450 patents worldwide, including the first in 1935 for the original horizontal action impact drive sprinkler (U.S. Patent #1,997,901), which revolutionized the food production industry and ushered in a new era in irrigation, worldwide.

Rain Bird is committed to The Intelligent Use of Water™. Our commitment extends beyond products to education, training and services for the industry and the community. In 2015, Rain Bird developed the 25 Ways to Save 25% website to provide a resource on water irrigation options, http://25ways.rainbird.com.

About CGSA

The CGSA represents golf course superintendents from across Canada. Its mission is to promote and support superintendents and their profession. The association is also committed to environmentally sustainable practices with respect to the management of golf course properties.