10. Barona Creek Golf Club Lakeside, Calif. First Audubon International Signature Sanctuary on Native American sovereign land in California
Because cattle grazed on the 250-acre grounds for nearly 100 years, much of the original oak woodlands had been severely depleted. A large-scale oak restoration project resulted in the transplanting of more than 170 mature native oaks. With the goal of increasing biodiversity, architects Gary Roger Baird and Todd Eckenrode developed natural-looking drainage areas into dry creek beds that produced new habitat, while the open land between holes serves as wildlife corridors. They also created 12 acres of lakes and streams for irrigation that provides vegetated shorelines for wildlife cover and has become a haven for migra-tory birds. In just a few years the number of bird species increased from 62 to 134.