Friends of the Hoppers-Birge Pond Nature Preserve

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Friends of the Hoppers-Birge Pond Nature Preserve

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Our mission is to help preserve, protect and promote the nature preserve for passive recreation & wildlife habitat. Sign our petition: https://c.org/KJF6V2z2KG

The Hoppers Birge Pond Nature Preserve is a public nature preserve in Bristol, CT and part of the Bristol Park System. The Hoppers includes 200 acres of natural woodland and Birge Pond, both used for passive recreation. The Hoppers has a rich history of local folklore. Local legend has it that the Hoppers was a major thoroughfare for travel in colonial times. The Wappinger Indian Tribe and the Leatherman used the Old Colonial Road. In addition to local history, the Hoppers has several glacial features dating back to the Ice Age, when the glacial cover receeded 12,000 years ago. The features include kettles, eskers and drumlins. Enjoy your visit to the Hoppers-Birge Pond Nature Presere and look for information and events here and at the Bristol Libraries, Bristol Parks and Recreation, and local websites. Our partners at Connecticut Forest and Park Association also list our events. Happy Trails!

08/08/2026

Zoning Meeting 6 pm at City Hall
This Monday August 10th
MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD!!!

Application for further earth removal from land surrounded by the Hoppers Preserve

What is now happening at the Hoppers? Smack dab in the middle of the 280 acre Hoppers Preserve the developer Tabacco owns 6 acres. Tabacco is exercising his perrogative to do as he pleases. Tabacco's selfish interests will damage the peace and tranquility of the preserve and physically harm the wetlands and wildlife. It matters to Tabacco not a wit that this downtown nature preserve is invaluable to working families. Families that cannot easily escape to the wilds of rural towns or state parks.Tabacco intends to transform his bit of the Hoppers into thousands of truck loads of sand and ultimately into a few high end homes for the affluent.

The city of Bristol would like to buy Tabacco's property because it is of importance to the overall integrity of the Hoppers Preserve. Tobacco's property is identified in the Bristol Plan of Conservation and Development as a priority for conservation. Tabacco has expressed no interest in stopping this development and selling this land to the city. Yet, it is not too late to repair and conserve this property. Come to Monday's Zoning meeting at 6 PM in city hall. Express your opposition to the further removal of earth from the site. Hopefully Tabacco will come to his senses and stop this development.

Conserving Tabacco's 6 acres along with the rest of the Hoppers could be our legacy for a great Bristol for generations to come. Who should prevail, Tabacco or the 1,094 signatories of the SAVE THE HOPPERS PETITION?

07/11/2026

Native plant of the day: Princess pine (Lycopodium obscurum) is a clubmoss that is native to the eastern United States. It is an ancient, slow-growing evergreen often called Ground Pine.

Historically, Princess Pine (and related clubmosses) has seen several unique applications. The leaves and spores were used in herbal teas, flavoring for root b**r, and holiday wreaths. Indigenous communities and early settlers utilized the plant to make treatments for kidney issues, rheumatism, and stomach ailments. The plant even produces highly flammable spores that were once used as flash powder in early photography, theater, and fireworks.

Princess pines have been disappearing from forests and woodlands due to unsustainable harvesting practices. They are extremely slow to mature and may not reproduce for 15 - 20 years. Once disturbed, a colony has a hard time recovering. If you appreciate Princess Pines, look, don't pick!

07/05/2026

We did our plant survey today and found evidence of a thriving Pitch Pine-Scrub Oak community in the center of the Hoppers! For those of you who want to do the deep dive into what that means...

A Pitch Pine-Scrub Oak community, often referred to as a pine barrens, is a rare, fire-dependent ecosystem. It thrives on droughty, acidic, nutrient-poor sandy soils.

This habitat is defined by a sparse pitch pine canopy and a dense understory of scrub oak. The canopy is typically open (25-75% closure) with pitch pine (Pinus rigida) as the dominant tree. The understory is heavily dominated by dense, 2 to 3-meter-tall thickets of scrub oaks (Quercus ilicifolia and Quercus prinoides), alongside lowbush blueberries and huckleberries.

These barrens are fire-maintained and fire-dependent. The frequent cycle of wildfires or prescribed burns prevents the area from succeeding into a standard oak-pine forest, clearing out dead needles and allowing sunlight to reach the understory.

These communities are most common on glacial outwash plains, coastal plains, and the Connecticut River Valley.

Because of the specialized vegetation, these areas are crucial habitats for rare species, including certain moths, butterflies, and declining bird populations like the whip-poor-will and eastern towhee.

Because of fire suppression and suburban development over the last century, these barrens are globally rare and actively protected in several states.

If the habitat is to survive long-term in the Hoppers, it will require active human management as fire cannot be used as a tool for regeneration so close to inhabited areas.

06/30/2026

A big shout out and thank you to Mayor Ellen Zoppo for facilitating the purchase of 6 acres in the Hoppers. Thank you also to the Tabacco Brothers for their willingness to sell the 6 acres. The best part is no taxpayer funds were used for the purchase. The money came from a city real estate fund which is made from the sale of other city properties which are no longer useful. Bristol's natural spaces need all the support they can get. Mayor Zoppo understands that and came through in a big way.

06/28/2026

Tree Survey Part 2. 🌲🌳🪾🌿🌱

What kinds of trees are there in the heart of the Hoppers? Are they all the same type and size? Is there regeneration of new trees happening? What other plants are present in the understory? Can we see any signs of birds or wildlife?

All of these questions we ask to see if the forest is healthy and resilient.

Last season we did two plots of a tree survey to help us find out what the forest looks like in the central part of the Hoppers. We looked at a Chestnut Oak stand, a Hemlock stand and now we would like to look at a rare and imperiled Pitch Pine stand. It's quite amazing that we have this right in the middle of Bristol!

Come with us and participate in the last plot of the survey! No experience with tree ID necessary. We will learn as we go!

Sunday, July 5th at 9 am (early start time to beat the heat). It should take approximately 2 hours.

Go all the way down Ambler Road and park on the right in the gravel lot.

It will be hot so bring lots of water, Also bring snacks, bug spray, long pants if you need.

Please RSVP if coming or thinking about coming.

Hope to see you there!!.

06/14/2026

Native plant of the day: You can tell if its a Hay-scented Fern (Dennstaedtia punctilobula) if it gives off a scent of crushed hay in late summer. Hay-scented Ferns grow in meadows and sunny openings in the forest canopy. Although they are beautiful to walk through, provide cover for small wildlife, and stabilize erosion, they are of limited ecological value. Hay-scented Ferns are quick to colonize logged-over sites, spreading by runners, sometimes inhibiting forest regeneration by crowding out tree seedlings. Deer find them bitter and prefer to eat oak and maple seelings, further inhibiting growth of new trees. Where there is a lot of deer pressure, such as over much of the state, hay-scented ferns thrive and become dominant. Fortunately, at the Hoppers there is very little presence of deer, so there is a good amount of tree regeneration and limited areas of the fern. There are also a lot of diverse understory plants at the Hoppers such as low bush blueberry, mountain laurel, maple-leaved viburnum, spicebush, witch hazel and sassafras. This is an indicator of forest health. Hay-scented fern is a lovely native that often becomes too much of a good thing in an ecosystem that is out of balance.

06/07/2026

We had a lovely Trails Day Hike initiated by the Connecticut Forest and Park Association. We saw glacial formations, Mountain Laurel in full bloom, American Chestnuts; we learned about the history of the Old Colonial Road and so much more. Next time be sure to join us!

06/07/2026

Biological Phenomena of the Day - Something we saw on yesterday's Trails Day Hike ...

🔺️ Witch's hat galls are pointed, cone-shaped growths on witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) leaves. They are triggered by the Witch Hazel Cone Gall Aphid (Hormaphis hamamelidis). These harmless blemishes act as nurseries for feeding and reproducing aphids.

🔺️ How the Galls Form: In the Spring, female aphids crawl to developing leaf buds.

🔺️ Chemical Reaction: The aphid feeds and injects a substance into the leaf that alters its growth, causing the tissue to multiply and form a cone around her.

🔺️ Appearance: The galls first emerge as bright red or yellowish-green, and as they age into autumn, they often turn black.

🔺 ️Life Cycle: Aphids reproduce safely inside the protective "witches hat" galls.Offspring emerge and migrate to birch trees to feed and spend the summer.In late summer or fall, a new generation flies back to the witch hazel to lay overwintering eggs.

🔺 Should You Treat Them? No treatment is necessary. The presence of these galls is largely an aesthetic issue. Because the aphid and witch hazel have evolved together over a long period, the tree is not harmed or put at risk by these growths. You do not need to prune or apply pesticides.

04/29/2026

🌿🏵🌳🐞🐝🐿🐇🦅🦆🌺🌱🪺🪾🌼

Tonight the budget committee of the City of Bristol voted to fund the purchase of the western six acres of land owned by the Tabaccos! A small victory for all living things! The land is home to many trees, mountain laurel, forest birds, bobcats, bear and deer and many other animals and plants. Carter's Spring, on the land, was the place to go for people of the past to get pure drinking water. And for the people of the present, the hiking trails in this area provide a calming refuge from the bustle of modern life. We are thrilled that this six acre parcel is on its way towards protection. A big thank you to all those who came out in support!

We must add that the fund used for the purchase is a fund specifically earmarked for land purchases and comes from the sales of other properties no longer in use, such as an old firehouse. Thus, there is no direct burden on the taxpayer.

Photo is of the native plant of the day at the Hoppers... Houstonia caerulea - Little bluet - is a tiny plant with an outsized personality, as its small white or bluish flowers with the yellow centers are striking in the late spring when they flower in lawns, fields, roadsides and other habitats including high in the mountains. The Cherokee used an infusion of little bluet as a cure for bedwetting.

Address

Crescent Street
Bristol, CT
06010

Website

https://www.change.org/p/save-the-hoppers-petition?recruiter=1402301397&recruited_by_id=a44f7790-0467-11f1-a18c-2f494542

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