VOA常速英语2016--高尔夫球场回归自然 变成自然保护区（在线收听）

高尔夫球场回归自然 变成自然保护区

In the game of golf, a “mulligan” is slang for a second chance.

在高尔夫运动中，人们用俚语“mulligan”来表示让一杆。

Not long ago, Royal Oaks Golf Club got a major mulligan of its own when the underused property was turned into a nature preserve.

而不久之前，皇家橡树高尔夫俱乐部就获得了这样的机会，将其未充分使用的土地变成自然保护区。

Cart paths were converted to walking trails and water hazards became fishing ponds.

车道变成人行道，而有水障碍区则变成鱼塘。

That's finally given Jerry Jewell a chance to enjoy the green space.

杰里·杰威尔终于有机会享受这里的绿色空间。

"I lived there before when it was a golf course but I never came back and played golf on it, you know.

“在这座高尔夫球场诞生之前我就住在这里，但实际上你要知道，我从未来过，也没有打过高尔夫。

So I never got a chance to see what it looked like as far as the landscape and stuff."

因此我从未有机会欣赏这里的风景。”

Jewell's story is something that Joe Leslie with Western Reserve Land Conservancy has heard many times.

乔·莱斯利和西部保护土地管理委员会已经听过很多次像杰威尔这样的故事。

"There's a select number of people who would use a golf course, whereas in the case of a passive or active recreation area for that matter, it gives the opportunity for many more people to use it."

之前只有很少一部分人在这里打高尔夫，然而无论这个风景区的建设是出于主动还是被动目的，都能够吸引更多人前来。”

Western Reserve has worked on 10 similar projects in Ohio, and golf courses across the country are being returned to the “wild.”

西部保护土地管理委员在俄亥俄州启动了10个类似的项目，而全国的很多高尔夫场都开始回归自然。

The trend is being fueled by a recovering real estate market, the declining popularity of golf, and the clubhouses and restrooms already on the site.

由于房地产市场回暖及人们对高尔夫球运动热度的降低这样的趋势更为明显，而俱乐部和休息室已经到位。

But that return comes with costs.

但回归是有代价的。

"Because conversion to a golf course has stripped away some of those natural resource attributes that would allow us to get some of our public funding."

高尔夫球场的转变让我们失去了一些本可以为我们带来公共资金的自然资源。”

So his team replaced the greenway grasses with native plants, and reintroduced native species.

因此他的团队用本地植物替代园林草，重新引进本地品种。

And they had to deal with the residual pesticides and fertilizers that kept the green, green.

而且他们还要解决了农药残留及化肥问题，让绿色植物真正环保。

Western Reserve partnered with the County Parks Department on the conversion.

西部保护土地管理委员会正同国家公园管理部开展合作。

Parks director Jim Ziemnik said despite the cost, many of these projects add economical and ecological benefits to the community, such as flood prevention.

公园主任吉姆·泽梅尼克表示尽管付出了代价，但这些项目给当地社区带来了经济和生态效益，比如防洪就是这样。

"We also know historically that this used to have a lot of wetland-the soil type.

"我们同样知道历史上这里曾有很多湿地土壤类型。

So eventually, we're looking at developing some wetlands."

因此最后我们正在发展这些湿地。"

Returning Royal Oaks to its natural state will allow it to filter heavy snow melt or rainfall into the river instead of into the basements of surrounding homes and businesses as it has for years.

皇家橡树高尔夫球场变成自然公园可以过滤积雪和暴雨将其引入河中，而不是像数年前那样流入周围居民及商店的地下室中。

Ziemnik said the key with projects like this is patience.

泽梅尼克称这个项目最为关键的是耐心。

Although the park is open, there's still plenty to do.

虽然公园已经对外开放，但还需要做很多工作。

"It's probably going to be in terms of trails, overlooks, wetlands, it's probably going to be the better part of 10 years."

"这里将会有小路，露台，湿地，10年后会更美。"

As for Jerry Jewell, who now uses the park every day, he doesn't mind waiting.

至于每天都会来这里的杰里·杰威尔则不介意等待。

With what he's seen so far, he believes things will only get better.

他相信眼前的此情此景将会在未来变得更好。