More than $22,000 has been donated to help plant native trees at a nature reserve.

The generous funding for the Bermuda Audubon Society came from members of the Coral Beach and Tennis Club in Paget.

The donation of $22,640 is for the continued maintenance of the Alfred Blackburn Smith Nature Reserve, an 8.7-acre coastal property to the west of the club.

The money will be used to cull casuarinas and to plant cedars, palmettos, olivewoods and other native species as part of a phased plan that will begin in the new year.

“We are especially grateful to receive such a generous donation that will enable generations of Bermudians to enjoy the benefit of this beautiful area of open space,” said Andrew Dobson, president of the Bermuda Audubon Society.

“Our job at the Bermuda Audubon Society will be to work hard to restore this land into a pristine piece of historic Bermuda, showcasing endemic and native trees and plants and protecting the habitat of our native bird life, including both woodland birds and longtails, which nest along the coastline.”

Representatives of the action group of Coral Beach members, Teresa Chatfield and Judith Howe-Tucker, said the money was amassed after several members who had given money for legal fees for the group during receivership decided that the remaining funds should be donated to a charity.”

“Coral Beach and Tennis Club is a neighbour of the Alfred Blackburn Smith Reserve, part of the Audubon Society reserves,” the action group said. “With this money, the Audubon Society can return this land to its original glory — full of endemic Bermudian plantings for all of Bermuda to enjoy.”

Nik Bhola, general manager at Coral Beach, said the club was “committed to Bermuda”.

“An important part of being a local institution is the legacy and the messages you leave behind for future generations,” he said.

“Coral Beach and Tennis Club is fully focused on creating a legacy that all of Bermuda can be proud of. Our owners and our members are fully committed to Bermuda.”

The Alfred Blackburn Smith Nature Reserve was established in 2002 as a gift to the Bermuda Audubon Society from Elfrida Chappell, in memory of her father.

Her intention was to establish a reserve that would assist with the preservation of Bermuda’s natural coastal features, native flora and bird life.