Preserving The Future Of Golf In Our Community

In January 2016, the Evanston Wilmette Golf Course Association, which runs and maintains Canal Shores Golf Course, received a planning grant from IDNR’s Coastal Management Program. This grant is to enable Canal Shores to “hire a design engineering firm to develop a comprehensive habitat restoration and land use plan.” This is a $20,000 matching grant, and the Association is tasked with raising $20,000 for the match. In April 2016, Canal Shores issued an RFP, received nine proposals, and selected PRI, Planning Resources, Inc. for the job. PRI utilized this three-step approach:

  1. conduct natural resource inventories, including delineation of wetlands, an inventory of trees, and mapping of the general habitat across the property
  2. identify restoration and green infrastructure opportunities; and
  3. develop an Ecological Master Plan that provides a clear understanding of the site’s goals and tangible direction on how to achieve those goals.

Click here for the Eco-plan exec summary
Click here for the Canal Shores Tree Survey

Canal Shores signed the PRI contract and raised the $20,000 needed for its part of the matching grant. PRI’s work took approximately 9 months. The Grounds Committee provided oversight for this planning process and invited neighbors to work with the committee.


A look back: steps Canal Shores has taken to bring the course back and improve its ecological health:

  • Hiring an experienced golf course supervisor;
  • Seeking advice from local sustainability groups (Talking Farm, Evanston TreeKeepers);
  • Building a berm at the north end of the course at Sheridan Road and planting it with native species — an area now certified by the National Wildlife Federation as a wildlife habitat;
  • Working towards certification from the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf
  • Partnering in the Natural Habitat Evanston initiative to achieve NWF certification for Evanston as a community habitat for birds and pollinators.

With the continued support of all our community partners, the Canal Shores restoration effort continues to create a beautiful green space for generations to come.

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