The Hamilton Rotary Club celebrated its 101st anniversary in Bermuda with the planting of six endemic trees in a beauty spot soon to be opened for agriculture and community enrichment.

Rotarians and representatives of the Bermuda National Trust, along with other volunteers, planted Bermuda cedars, palmettos, all spice and olive woods in the High Point Nature Reserve on Alton Hill in Southampton .

The ten-acre property is owned by Buy Back Bermuda, a collaboration between the BNT and the Bermuda Audubon Society, which purchased the property in 2022. It was supported by an “angel” donor and BBB’s funds acquisition account including a $300,000 donation by PartnerRe.

The six trees are among the first of 100 endemics to be added to Bermuda in celebration of the Rotary’s century of service. In addition to those planted at the reserve, there is one at the Bermuda Botanical Gardens and another at Warwick Academy.

George Cook, a director of the Hamilton Rotary Club, said: “I read somewhere, ‘the person who plants trees, thinks beyond himself’. I love that idea; it’s a very Rotarian idea.

“We are helping the Bermuda National Trust with planting endemic plants in their new nature reserve and they are helping us broadcast how long we have been here and what we have been doing for 100 years — these trees will be here for many more years.

“Our objective is to plant 100 trees to celebrate the 100 years of Rotary being in Bermuda. We are now celebrating our 101st year, and for us this is a good beginning. With collaboration, the BNT and hopefully the parks department in the future, we can find some good sites.”

Cathy Bassett, the president of the Hamilton Rotary Club, said the planting on Saturday morning fell on the exact day of the anniversary.

Separately, there are 25 volunteers working with the BNT to open the nature reserve on Earth Day on April 22.

Myles Darrell, the head of natural heritage at the BNT, said: “It is beneficial to plant native endemics to protect and preserve our natural heritage.

“Perhaps more importantly in this climate crisis that we are facing, these plants are adapted to withstand those hurricane-force winds, intense rains, and depleted and lime-based soils that we tend to have. They thrive under those conditions.

“As we have more hurricanes with increased strength, we are really going to be depending on these to ensure that our island has some greenery.”

Betsy Baillie, the daughter of Tom and Betty James who previously owned the land, was in attendance for the planting. Mr James, who was primarily a poultry farmer, purchased the land in 1959.

Ms Baillie said: “My parents would be amazed that it is going to be a nature reserve.”