From monitoring space shuttles to watching wildlife! The Cooper's Island Wildlife Observation Tower was officially opened May 2013.
About here once stood Pembroke Fort, built by the British on the southernmost tip of Cooper's Island for protection against Spanish and French raids. All traces of the fort were removed with the building of the NASA base in the 1960's. NASA was given permission to build a tracking station to gather tracking and scientific data from all NASA spacecraft, satellite and planetary probes. The Bermuda station participated in all of the Gemini, Apollo and Skylab mission.
Over time technological advances made the Cooper's Island facility obsolete and it was handed back to Bermuda Government in September 2001.
By 2011 the radar tracking building was demolished but it was found that the radar base had spectacular views and could serve as an ideal spot for observing whales, White-tailed Tropic Birds (Longtails) and possibly even our endemic Bermuda Petrel (Cahow).
With sponsorship from HSBC Ltd, Baron Construction Ltd. refurbished the radar base as a 'wildlife watch tower' complete with spiral staircase and new railings. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources then designed a series of display boards, now installed inside the tower, which describe the rare flora and fauna of the reserve, as well as the history and restoration project.
No vehicles are permitted within the reserve so it's about a 0.5mile walk from the reserve entrance to the cache but it's mostly paved and takes you past some gorgeous beaches.
Public Transport:
Bus #6
*IMPORTANT: Ask the bus operator if they can take you to and pick you up from Clearwater Beach (closest stop to Cooper's Island). This particular part of the bus route is only done seasonally.
Disclaimer
1. This geocache has approval to be placed at this location on property managed by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
2. The following items may not be placed in the geocache: food, illegal substances, medications, personal hygiene products, pornographic materials, hazardous materials, or weapons of any type.
3. By searching for the cache, visitors agree that they are responsible for their own actions, and acknowledge that neither the Bermuda Government nor the cache owner is responsible for any loss or injury that may occur in relation to such search. 4. Report any incident, problem, or violation to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
