Premier Jennifer Smith took a special guided tour of what she described as "a living museum'' when she officially opened the Paget Marsh Boardwalk yesterday afternoon.

Government Conservation Officer David Wingate gave Ms Smith and other visitors a detailed insight into what plants and animals live in the protected eco-system just after the ribbon was cut at the Boardwalk's entrance way, just off Lover's Lane, Paget.

The event was attended by residents and tourists, young and old who all hoped to gain a first hand glimpse of what the Island's newest nature reserve open to the public had to offer.

Dennis Sherwin, a major financial contributor to the project and former president of the Bermuda National Trust, was just one of the local conservationists on hand to explain how it was hoped the Boardwalk would contribute to Bermuda.

"This project isn't just about nature,'' he said, "it's about people and what we wanted to do was provide the public with a chance to experience nature and to take a trip into what Bermuda was like before people first settled here.'' "The Boardwalk will provide people with a chance to experience nature easily but in a way that will not interfere with it,'' Mr. Sherwin added.

He also made it clear that while Paget Marsh was mainly there to give plants and animals a "protected'' place in which to thrive, the Boardwalk would add to that and provide educational opportunities for students learning about, not just Bermuda, but nature and biology as a whole.

Mr. Sherwin appealed to people to "visit as much as possible'' but also asked that they not leave any litter in the reserve when they left. He described the reserve as "a nice place to come, to be quiet and to learn as much as possible about us and the nature that surrounds us''.

Dr. Wingate pointed out that the Boardwalk project had been the result of a partnership between conservation groups, including the Bermuda Audubon Society (BAS) and the National Trust, and various arms of Government, including the Parks Department and the Works and Engineering Ministry.

He said: "Here we are next to one of Bermuda's busiest highways in one of Bermuda's busiest open spaces.

"For a long while, Paget Marsh has been inaccessible to most people, and now access to it has been made so that people can get inside safely and learn about it.'' He explained how Paget Marsh was also "one of the Tourism Minister's proposed eco-tourism sites'' and that he had already seen a good deal of interest in the Boardwalk from Bermuda's visitors.

Dr. Wingate also mentioned that the BAS had paid for the construction of a pond (named `David's Pond' after the Conservation officer himself) so that a number of species of waterfowl could feel at home at the marsh.

Premier Smith said: "This is a living museum which puts the spotlight on nature.

"As the former Education Minister I am especially happy to see such a beautiful part of Bermuda turned into a living laboratory for students.

"I hope that a lot of people derive a great amount of pleasure from experiencing Bermuda as it used to be.'' Paget Marsh Boardwalk is now open to visits from the general public every day between dawn and dusk.