Message from the Executive Director

Fighting for our Future

There has been a great deal said and written about the Fairmont Southampton Special Development Order (SDO) in recent weeks. Even for those of us closely involved, the arguments for and against this development can be a lot to process and it is easy to lose sight of the core issues.

Tourists have always come to Bermuda primarily for our natural beauty. This development will ruin the very tourism product we offer. The high-rise residential condos that are proposed, which will be sold to overseas buyers for part-time occupancy, are not a sustainable long-term model for Bermuda. The hotel grounds will be a construction site for years and the only green space left after development will be the (reduced) golf course. What’s more, if this development is allowed to go ahead it will give a green light for this model of tourism development everywhere else on the island.

I will not go further into BNT’s position here – you can read more on our website. We have consulted widely, including with experts in the tourism industry and with various community groups. We have also been working closely with BEST and the Bermuda Audubon Society. It is through that collaboration, with the assistance of a law firm, that we were able to get the three-week extension for objections. We must not waste that extra time, and urge anyone who has not yet contacted their MP, written a letter of objection or signed the petition to do so now.

In our many conversations with Bermudians across the board – young and old, black and white – some themes have been evident. Very few support the residential portion of the development, but there are many who won’t support the fight because they see it as a “done deal”. Worryingly, there are also a lot of people who say they are reluctant to publicly oppose the development because they are afraid – civil servants afraid for their jobs, contractors afraid they won’t get future Government contracts. Others have been frightened by the developer’s threat that investors may pull out, or reluctantly support the development because they have been convinced it is the only way the hotel can succeed and bring back jobs and visitors to boost the economy.

We can’t give in to fatalism or fear. This is a fight for the long-term sustainable future of our island. We owe it to future generations to do everything we can to stop this SDO.

Karen Border

Executive Director

Natural Heritage Updates

Myles Darrell, Head of Natural Heritage

Invasive species: Why are we deliberately costing ourselves a fortune?

On a recent tour of Eve’s Pond with a community group we all saw something poke its head out of the water. One young woman thought it was a turtle. I didn’t want to believe her but there it was: the dreaded Red-eared Slider. Someone’s pet got too big for its terrarium and was left at Eve’s Pond for us to foster.

Last month, someone dumped water hyacinths in the ponds at Spittal Pond. These exquisitely beautiful plants are killers: they reduce oxygen levels for fish, creating conditions conducive to mosquito proliferation. They make water murky and reduce biodiversity.

They are wiping out our mosquito-larvae-eating killifish and gambusia. This is directly causing a serious mosquito problem. In turn, this requires increased use of chemicals in the atmosphere and on our bodies to deal with the problem we unnecessarily caused ourselves!

And consider the chickens. Some years ago, someone released chickens they no longer wanted. Now we have tens of thousands of chickens roaming freely around our island, damaging farmers’ crops and home vegetable patches and irritating us with early morning roosters crowing.

Those who dump their unwanted pets and plants in our natural areas probably mean no harm. But we need to educate ourselves. Putting something where it doesn’t belong is a problem for us all. And it is costing us a fortune. Invasive species are defined as: non-native species whose introduction is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human, animal or plant health.

How do they affect us economically?

In Bermuda we invest an immense amount to get rid of invasive species; you’ve heard it again and again. It requires human resources, time, equipment, not to mention the cost of gas to transport horticultural waste to the dump (at $50+ per load). All this could be spent on efforts to make our island more beautiful, more biodiverse and healthier. But the constant, unrelenting distraction of clearing invasives leaves little time for anything else.

It is literally affecting our cost of living.

Check these numbers out: Studies have shown that in the 1960s invasive species cost the US approximately $2 billion annually (about $6 per person). Recent data suggests invasive species cost the US about $120 billion a year (about $370 per person) in economic and environmental damage. On a global scale invasive species are said to cost the world more than $1.28 trillion dollars (almost $200 dollars for every person on the planet) at a low estimate.

Those individuals who don’t give much thought to the damage to our beautiful, unique environment and ecosystems might be a bit horrified at the waste of money.

The Protected Species Act 2003 recognizes the willful destruction, damage, removal, or obstruction of a habitat as an offence and offenders are liable to fines as great as $25,000 for ongoing offences. I’m not sure anyone has ever been found guilty, and rather than focus on a punitive approach, I’m hoping we can work together to make sure everyone is knowledgeable about the impact invasive species are having on our community, as I’m sure nobody has time or money to invest in something so potentially destructive.

Cultural Heritage Updates

Dr. Charlotte Andrews, Head of Cultural Heritage

Jamestown in Bermuda

The Trust was thrilled to welcome the Board of Directors, Director of Archaeology David Givens, and other supporters of Jamestown Rediscovery Foundation to our museums in April. Dr Michael Jarvis enhanced our tours with his knowledge of the historic homes, their ongoing archaeology and the wider St. George’s and Bermuda contexts.

We were also pleased to join a special reception hosted by the United States Consul General Karen Grissette in honour of the group’s visit to Bermuda. At magnificent Cedarhurst, we heard Sir John Swan, the Minister of Youth, Sport and Culture Owen Darrell and the U.S. Consul General all comment on the enduring Bermuda-U.S. relationship, and how that began with the connections between the island and Jamestown.

Jamestown Rediscovery Foundation’s Board of Directors with U.S. Consul General Karen Grissette (fourth from left), Director of Archaeology David Givens (sixth from left) and Dr. Charlotte Andrews (far right) at Cedarhurst.

Settlement story on show at the Globe

At the Globe Museum in the World Heritage Site of St. George’s, we have reused components of a travelling exhibit about the connections between Jamestown and Bermuda, sites which are officially tripled with Lyme Regis.

We mounted exhibit panels among same-scaled models of the ships Sea Venture, Deliverance and Patience on generous loan to us from the St. George’s Foundation and a series of settlement story paintings by Christopher Grimes on loan from Centennial Bermuda Foundation.

Government of Bermuda Custodian of Historic Wrecks Dr. Philippe Rouja is also permitting us to play clips from ‘Downing’s Wreck: The Story of the Sea Venture’ produced by LookBermuda.

Check our museum hours at bnt.bm and visit the Globe to experience the early settlement story downstairs and the in-depth Civil War exhibit ‘Rogues & Runners’ upstairs.

Reeve Court archaeological testing

Professional archaeologist Florence Laino recently relocated to Bermuda and the Trust has been extremely fortunate to have already benefitted from her expertise. Flo has assessed the archaeological significance of the lower floor of Reeve Court by testing areas beneath the wooden floorboards, which had rotted. Her findings have indicated there is little in situ in the way of artefacts in this site. We may now replace the wooden floor and focus on more promising research sites. The Trust is renovating the lower floor of Reeve Court for rental and the archaeological lab will be relocated to the cellar of the Globe.

Florence Laino at Reeve Court

Heritage Education

Anna Stevenson, Heritage Education Coordinator

With the weather warming up, we have been busy with 3-part learning journeys and field trips. Three-part learning journeys involve a preliminary session in the school to introduce a topic, followed by a field trip to a BNT site, then a final classroom session to review and consolidate what the children learned.

P5 students from Harrington Sound Primary school were introduced to the topic of enslavement which included a trip to Verdmont where the children learned about the daily lives of those that were enslaved at the property. We also welcomed a group of senior school students from Cedarbridge Academy to Verdmont to investigate why it is part of the African Diaspora Heritage Trail. Their teacher wrote: “The students are still talking about what they learned. It is amazing to see what they remembered from it. The reports we have done from our tour are incredible so far."

Out and about in nature, we took P4 students from St George’s Preparatory and Bermuda High School to Spittal Pond to learn about living things in their habitats. The students were given information cards to spot native birds and species of plants as we walked through the forest. St George’s students were delighted at the sight of a large adult cane toad hopping across a trail and all the students were particularly fascinated by the chitons, nerites and sea snails found at the Checkboard formation.

Our weekly experiential learning sessions at Waterville with the Bermuda Centre for Creative Learning continued with the 6- to 8-year-olds. Through outdoor exploration and indoor hands-on experiences, they have been learning about spotted eagle rays, mangroves, strange artefacts, games from the past, the lives of the first settlers and shipbuilding.

Properties Update

The newly painted blue entrance door and grey walls at Tucker House.

…..and we have a Winner!

The BNT 2024 Built Heritage Calendar Photo Contest has come to an end, and we are excited to announce the winner. In December last year we asked local photographers to submit photos featuring Bermuda Architecture themes for our next annual calendar. We were delighted to receive 250 images! Through a rigorous voting process 50 images were selected to be featured in the calendar and the People’s Choice photo was selected by the public last week.

The winner of the grand prize of $500 is Laurie Zuill for her beautiful colourful image of Duke of Clarence Street in St. George’s. This image was also selected as the title page of the calendar. Congratulations Laurie!

The 2024 calendar will be available in June. Stay tuned for updates!