For his 50th birthday bash on New Year's Eve, Peter Frith made a special request to his friends - help beautify a small island off his St. David's home by planting cedar trees on it.

The privately-owned island off Emily's Bay Lane has become overgrown with Cassurina trees and is blocking Mr. Frith's view of St. George's Harbour.

However, he says that's not the main reason for wanting to improve the appearance of the island, known as Brooks Island. He recently read with keen interest an article on Conservation Officer Jeremy Madeiros' restoration work at Nonsuch Island and, as a member of the Audubon Society, Mr. Frith wants to do his bit for nature, too.

"That's exactly how I look at it," he said. "It would be small but I feel it would be an important contribution, and it would allow other generations coming up behind to understand what the island originally looked like.

"It's a tricky balance and that's the big challenge the Government has right now...the balance between development because of the need for low cost housing, but also the need for nature and ecological conservation."

The island, on the St. David's side of St. George's Harbour, is now owned by Mona Walsh, the granddaughter of the late Howard E.D. Smith who previously owned it. Another granddaughter, Dianne Green, who lives next to the Friths, welcomes his plans for the island as does her cousin.

"I spoke to her a while back and said that Peter wanted to cut down the Cassurinas and plant cedar trees and wanted to see if it was okay with her and she said `sure, go ahead'." explained Mrs. Green.

"I think it is wonderful - something that needs doing. It would make it better for the birds and is not as unsightly as the Cassurinas.

"My grandfather was famous for growing Easter Lillies and had a farm over what is now Southside before the base came. Then, in 1940, the base came and took the land and with his compensation he bought land on this side."

"The only person I've spoken to at any length is Dr. David Wingate, the retired Conservation Officer, and he gave me some pointers," said Mr. Frith whose birthday is on January 2, but who held his party on New Year's Eve.

He sent out invitations to 50 of his closest friends and some 104 people attended, including six who flew in from overseas for the party. Friends donated some $1,500 in cash to the cause and one also donated the first cedar tree for the island.

"Right now the island is all overgrown with introduced Cassurinas and Mexican Peppers, stuff like that, which are not true Bermudian," said Mr. Frith.

"Reading the story about what David Wingate did at Nonsuch and the fella who is over there now, Mr. Madeiros - working hard to keep Nonsuch a replica of what the historic plants were like - I said `why not do the same thing'."

Mr. Frith said he spent time talking to another member of the Smith family, Eugene Smith (Mrs. Green's father) who was his neighbour before his death. Both shared a common interest in bird watching.

"One of the things Mr. Smith and I used to talk about as he was getting older was how we both loved birds and he wanted to see the island become a bird sanctuary," Mr. Frith recalled.

With the blessing of the family, Mr. Frith is close to seeing that happen as the island cannot be built on. He wants to make sure everything is done legally when it comes to the clearing of the island and restoring it to its natural beauty.

"The idea is to talk to Jeremy Madeiros, who is the Conservation Officer now, and also David Wingate who I originally talked to about it, get their professional advice about what to do and how to go about it," he stated.

"We believe we would have to make sure that any kind of work that we do over there is okay by law. Mrs. Green confirmed that anything we did to the island was going to be very good."

It is not known when the work will start, but Mr. Frith is looking forward to cleaning up the island which he estimates is about 250 feet long and about 50 feet wide. He is hoping to plant about 20 cedar seedlings.

`It (restoration work) certainly isn't going to happen very fast, it would have to be done in stages," said Mr. Frith, who decided to move ahead with the idea after his friend Stuart Doyle suggested he ask for donations instead of birthday gifts to help fund the project.

"A couple of my friends were saying I should organise a (work) party. We could start this spring, as soon as the weather settles down. We will probably pay a few guys to come down and do the heavy work first. Part of the funds will go towards cutting down the trees.

"There are some endemic plants on there and there is one cedar, but the rest of the island is all overgrown with other trees."