Bermuda's top environmental officer, Dr. James Burnett-Herkes, is to retire.

Dr. Burnett-Herkes has been permanent secretary to the Department of Environment, Planning and Natural Resources since August 1988.

But at the end of June he will leave the $107,000-a-year post to take up fresh challenges in Bermuda.

"It has been varied and challenging and I feel I have contributed to the Island,'' he said yesterday.

Dr. Burnett-Herkes, 55, of Bailey's Bay, started work in the Bermuda civil service in 1962 after being educated at Sandys and Saltus Grammar Schools and in America at McGill and Miami Universities.

He gained a BSc in Agriculture, an MSc in fisheries biology and a Phd in marine biology.

A born Bermudian, Dr. Burnett-Herkes has spent his working life in the same Ministry working his way up the ranks in posts including assistant fisheries officer and director of the Aquarium.

His hobbies include sailing, tennis and fishing and he is a member of the Bio Station's board of trustees and serves on the board of directors of the Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute. He is also a member of the Bermuda Zoological Society, the National Trust, the National Gallery and the prestigious US Smithsonian Institute.

"The reason I have worked in the department is because I have a concern for the environment and natural resources,'' he added.

ENVIRONMENT ENV