Page 62 - Trump Never Give Up: How I Turned My Biggest Challenges into Success

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W HEN THE O THER S IDE E XPECTS A D UEL

development caused some consternation and the environmental-
ists were immediately on guard. In fact, I remember people
openly laughing when they saw the scope of what I had planned.
This site is of environmental and historical significance to Scot-
land, and no one thought I would get approvals to go ahead. The
environmental statement on Menie Estate alone takes up two
five-inch-thick books.
The main problem centered around an environmental con-
cern I had never encountered before called geomorphology. It
was brought to our attention by our environmental experts and
by the Scottish National Heritage Organization. Since
addressing this subject was a Planning Board requirement and
a major hurdle, we took it very seriously and tried to learn
everything we could. We hired the leading authority on geo-
morphology, and every detail was seriously considered. I think
we surprised everyone by our concern and professional con-
science, and our perseverance and integrity was noted by the
decision makers involved.
Back to geomorphology, which is the study of movement
landforms, including their origin and evolution and the processes
that have shaped them over the years. The remarkable sand
dunes found on the Menie Estate are a restricted area compris-
ing a total of 25 acres of land. They move by natural forces—
which can spell disaster for a golf course. We looked at maps
from many years ago and saw how the entire 25 acres of dunes
had literally moved to a different location by nature’s force, and
so we knew the environmental concerns and ours were valid.
We did extensive research on this problem and discovered
the dunes could be stabilized by planting beds of marram grass,
whose root system allows it to thrive in windswept and harsh
climates. This grass protects the sand dunes and also adds
another dimension of natural beauty to the landscape.
In addition, based on our environmental research, we made
many other recommendations to improve and protect the local

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