The Audubon Signature Program provides comprehensive environmental planning assistance to landowners with projects in the design and development stages.  The goal of the Signature Program is to build environmental quality into every aspect of the buildings, grounds, and long-term maintenance of the development. 

It should be noted that Audubon International does not promote development of any kind; however, if a community chooses to approve a project for development, it is their goal to work with a piece of property to make the impact of that development on the land as little as possible. The PDF files listed below are the first pages of case studies done on golf courses that are certified in either the Cooperative Sanctuary or the Signature Program.  They serve as useful summaries of each course, with descriptions of their characteristics and certifications.

The Signature Program in Depth
All members of the Signature Program are required to produce and implement a Natural Resource Management Plan (NRMP) for the project.  In that plan, several topics are addressed, one of which is Integrated Pest Management (IPM). Members go through a Risk Assessment for any products that they may propose to use.  If the product passes the risk assessment based on toxicity, mobility and leachability as well as other criteria, then the product may be used on the Turfgrass.   In some cases, there are restrictions for where and when the products may be used.  This includes pesticides, herbicides and fungicides.   Audubon International encourages members to use high thresholds for pests and disease, and therefore give nature an opportunity to fix the problem first.  They promote the use of organic products and slow-release fertilizers.

One of the other topics covered in the NRMP is Water Quality Monitoring and Management.  Each member is required to produce baseline studies for the project and then to monitor surface water, ground water and sediment sampling at least at three stations quarterly for at least two years after the project is completed.  In some cases they find that water leaving a golf course property is cleaner than water coming onto the property. 

The program is comprehensive and monitoring continues after the project becomes certified.  Audubon International re-visits each project annually and the member provides an annual report of what they have accomplished during the year. 

Audubon International is one of hundreds of different Audubon societies and Audubon organizations within the United States, each with a similar but different approach and mission to protect the environment.  The Audubon Society of New York State, Inc., realizing that they had many programs that expanded well beyond New York, created Audubon International in 1996.