dump...the land in the Blue Hole Hill area has played its part in Bermuda's rich history.

Thursday saw another milestone when the Hamilton Parish site officially became the Island's latest national park and nature reserve.

Politicians, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Parks officials, Parks Commission representatives, and deputy Governor Mr. Peter Willis were among those who gathered for a special ceremony.

The Blue Hole Park sign on the roadside was unveiled by the man who christened it -- Mr. Bernard Blee, of Bostock Hill, Paget.

"I saw the competition in the newspaper to name the park, and I sent in three or four choices,'' he told The Royal Gazette .

Mrs. Liesbeth Cooper, of Pitts Bay Road, Pembroke, and Mr. Wayne Waddell and Mrs. Mary Waddell, of Harrington Hundreds, Smiths Parish, then unveiled the Walsingham Nature Reserve sign.

As they did so, assistant Parks director Mr. Bill Cook praised the efforts of those behind the venture.

Earlier, Environment Minister the Hon. Gerald Simons pointed out the opening of the park came just days after the 25th anniversary of Earth Day, which was marked by thousands in America.

He said Bermudians lived in an isolated oceanographic island, and enjoyed one of the highest per capita incomes in the world.

"We are also one of the most densely populated places in the world, and we have a far greater responsibility to protect our environment for our own sanity and protect the natural habitat of the creatures who live here,'' he said.

Mr. Simons believed Blue Hole -- which features a bird viewing pond, caves and a picnic area -- would become one of the most popular parks in Bermuda.

One organisation which helped out with the two-year restoration was the Bermuda Audubon Society.

The society's vice-president Mr. Andrew Dobson said: "We are delighted to have been involved in the establishment of the park, and in particular in the recreation of the pond and bird blind.'' It was in 1992 that Government overcame a big stumbling block in its efforts to create a 40-acre national park and nature reserve when a long-running land battle with Mr. Russell Dismont came to an end.

The two sides agreed on a $800,000 deal for the purchase of Mr. Dismont's 2.7-acre property at Blue Hole Hill.

The purchase of the neighbouring 11.5-acre Outerbridge Trust land represented the critical last step in securing a large tract of undeveloped wilderness.