Buy Back Bermuda

Buy Back Bermuda is a joint initiative by the Bermuda National Trust and the Bermuda Audubon Society to purchase and safeguard precious open space to protect it from development. Since 2004, the campaign has raised funds for and acquired three properties which have been restored as nature reserves that are open to the public. Further acquisitions are planned.

To support Buy Back’s ongoing work to save Bermuda’s remaining open spaces for the benefit of people and wildlife, please click here to donate.

Somerset Long Bay East Nature Reserve

Location: Daniel’s Head Road, Somerset. Open free from dawn to dusk. 

Somerset Long Bay East is an easily accessible reserve right next to Somerset Long Bay Beach with an interpretive trail, bird hide and large inland pond. It is a tranquil spot for watching waterfowl and enjoying time in nature.

Somerset Long Bay East was purchased by Buy Back Bermuda in 2005. Extensive work was undertaken expanding and dredging the pond – partially filled with trash in the early 20th century – to create a healthier environment for biodiversity. The reserve was opened to the public on Earth Day in 2007.

For more detailed information on the Somerset Long Bay Nature Reserve, view or download our Somerset Long Bay Guide.

Vesey Nature Reserve

Location: Middle Road, Southampton. Open free from dawn to dusk. 

 

This 8-acre nature reserve includes part of Evan’s Pond and features two quarries (inland and coastal), a natural limestone sink hole and a variety of habitats, ranging from lush woodland valley to the rocky shoreline of the Little Sound.

The reserve features a self-guided, interpretive trail highlighting habitats, flora and fauna, and a observation platform from which you can enjoy views of the Sound – a great place for a picnic.

The property was donated to Buy Back Bermuda by Sharon Vesey in 2009 and was restored as a nature reserve with public donations to the Buy Back Bermuda Round 2 Campaign.  Vesey Nature Reserve was opened to the public on Earth Day, 22nd April 2013.

For more detailed information on the Vesey Nature Reserve, view or download our Vesey Nature Reserve Guide.

 

Eve's Pond

Location: North Shore Road, Hamilton Parish. Open free from dawn to dusk. 

This 3.4 acre reserve adjoining the railway trail in Hamilton Parish, just west of Shelly Bay, includes a rocky coastline with tide pools, an inland valley with a brackish pond, and a wooded hillside.

Buy Back Bermuda purchased the land with public donations in 2012. Hidden beneath large casuarina trees, bushes, grass, soil and layers of sand lay the remnants of Eve’s Pond, a saltwater pond that used to rise and fall with the tide through a cave system emerging in Harrington Sound. In 1941 the pond was filled with sand dredged from Flatts Inlet.

The pond has now been re-excavated and restored as a sanctuary for wildlife and public enjoyment. The surrounding area has been replanted with native and endemic trees and shrubs.  A bird hide is scheduled for completion in September 2021. Walking trails will take visitors around the edge of the pond and up into the woodland hillside with views over the north shore.  Interpretive signage will enhance the visitor experience.

 

High Point, Southampton

Not  Yet Open To The Public

An exceptional individual gift, and funds from Buy Back Bermuda’s acquisition account including a $300,000 gift from PartnerRe, enabled Buy Back Bermuda to acquire ten pristine rural acres of arable fields, woodland and spectacular coastline at High Point in Southampton in 2021. The property holds incredible value in terms of recreation, agriculture and biodiversity.