The outcry over plans to build a new hospital on the Botanical Gardens has brought into focus that the only way Bermuda can guarantee protection of her open spaces is to put them into the custody of the National Trust.

It might not come as a surprise to learn this is the view of National Trust director Steven Conway, but he is serious and points to the increasing use of Special Development Orders to by-pass normal planning procedure, Government?s overturning of a Section 34 land protection covenant at the Chaplin Estate and now the intention to build on the Island?s most famous National Park as the undeniable proof that this is the reality of Bermuda in 2006.

He has been involved with the National Trust for the past 12 years, first as property manager and in the last four years as director. In the middle of October he is returning to the world of commercial surveying. his successor has yet to be announced.

As he prepares to vacate his position, he reflected on the Trust?s achievements during his years and assessed what challenges still lie ahead.

?What I?m most pleased with is the ?Buy Back? campaign,? he said, referring to a successful joint campaign by the National Trust and the Audubon Society to buy a previously privately-owned section of land at Somerset Long Bay, safeguarding it for future generations as open space.

?The only way to protect open space forever is to have it owned by the National Trust or the Audubon Society. We were surprised by the success of the Buy Back campaign, we raised $2.2 million in just over a year. I think the weight of the two organisations working together was the secret,? he said.

Other open space that has come into the stewardship of the National Trust has included 23 acres at Smith?s Island in St. George?s Harbour, six acres at Elm Lodge in Warwick and half an acre at the Middleton Reserve in Paget. But that is only half the story.

Mr. Conway explained: ?We have added these extra acres but now we have to find the money to look after these areas. That is the challenge. Where do you get the money to look after them, otherwise they suffer and become overgrown with invasive species and eventually become mono-culture areas.?

The Trust currently has an annual budget of $1.7 million, with roughly a third coming from donations, one-third from rental of its properties and the final third from events and grants.

The rental side helps to subsidises the museums, nature reserves, building maintenance and school education programmes.

Safeguarding Bermuda?s open spaces is an increasingly important function for the National Trust, Mr Conway believes.

?The pitter-patter of defeats against saving land is making our role more important.?

Another challenge for the future is to increase the relevance of the National Trust to a broader proportion of the community. It has been in existence since 1970 and many of the historic properties, such as Vermont, are heavily-sided to tell the story of the white people who lived there in the 18th century.

Mr. Conway said: ?One project I have in mind is to re-interpret Vermont and tell also the story of the black Bermudians who were enslaved and lived there. Our research is showing that there were actually more black people than white people there, but where are their stories? What were their lives like as slaves? We want to have some discussion with the people and say to them ?what do you want to see at this site??.?

There are four National Trust sites incorporated in the African Diaspora Heritage Trail, helping to link the different cultures that make up Bermuda?s history. However, Mr. Conway adds: ?We are trying not to have ?black history? or ?white history? but to have simply history.?

The much heralded sustainable development programme and consultations undertaken by Government are welcomed.

?These are issues the Trust has spoken about for the past 20 years. The process has broadened the voice of the Trust. It is an excellent process that has been put in place,? said Mr. Conway, but he warned: ?Sustainable development has been about partnership and transparency and then this (hospital) plan came out. There was a year of silence and then this. It has shaken the sustainable development argument a bit, although it might get back on track.?

As he prepares to leave the National Trust, Mr. Conway said:?Working here has been an amazing experience because there are so many people involved. The commitment of the staff who work nine-to-five and then become volunteers at weekends, and the actual volunteers who join the team. These are dedicated people and you feed off their passion and their efforts.?