The theme for World Wetlands Day 2018 is ‘Wetlands for a Sustainable Urban Future’. This is particularly relevant to our Ramsar Site at Pembroke Marsh. Did you know that Pembroke Marsh is home to a pea clam and freshwater limpet only found in Bermuda?
Freshwater wetland at Pembroke Marsh
Last weekend was a very busy one at Cooper's Island Nature Reserve, with many volunteers contributing hours of service to help promote and conserve biodiversity.
On Friday the 17th 80 young football players and coaches from the Bermuda Brazillian Football School joined HSBC bank and staff from the Department of Conservation Services to plant native and endemic plants throughout the Cooper's Island Reserve.
On Saturday the 18th a dozen volunteers from the Bermuda Audubon Society prepared 32 Longtail 'igloos' for use. These artificial nest chambers are styrofoam domes that must be coated to give them strength before they can be cemented into place along Bermuda's shoreline.
Congratulations to the Bermuda Audubon Societyon the restoration of the brackish pond habitat at Seymour's Pond Nature Reserve on Barnes Corner, Southampton. Members of the Society and contractor Bell's Skyline Excavating dug out parts of the pond which had become filled and removed garbage from the pond.
Audubon Society volunteers also culled invasive plants which were filling in the edges of the pond and replaced them native and endemic species. The Ministry of Public Works has replaced the adjacent road drain on Middle Road as part of the habitat restoration and it is hoped this will improve the water quality in Seymour's Pond for birds and the resident population of endemic Killifish which were introduced this year.
This habitat restoration fulfills many BSAP activities, including invasive species removal, native planting, habitat restoration, protected area improvement, protected species management and government/NGO collaboration.
The Governor planted an Olivewood at the reserve during the opening on October 22nd
