Friends of the Hoppers-Birge Pond Nature Preserve

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.

04/25/2026

We swept all the way around the pond! Then some of us went down the railroad tracks to the tank area. We hauled out a couple of bags and barrels of trash as well as a few shopping carts but it was too much to clean in one go. Stay tuned for another opportunity to clean up this area. It sure needs a lot of help!!!

04/23/2026

Spring has sprung and the skunk cabbages are out and about in the wetlands at the Hoppers.

We thought we would give you the spring update about the twelve acres owned by H & T Holdings AKA the Tabaccos.

First the good news...They have tentatively agreed to sell the western 6 acres to the City! This is exceptionally good for the Hoppers because the land juts all the way out into the core forest and contains some key hiking trails and the historic Carter’s Spring. At the last City Council Meeting the council members voted unanimously to make the purchase. The funds to be used for the sale are from the sales of other real estate that the City owns, such as the firehouse, and that fund is earmarked specifically to buy land. The fund already exists and cannot be used for any other purpose, shifting the burden away from the taxpayer. Now the purchase must go before the budget committee who will make the final decision. If you want to support the purchase, you can come to the Budget hearing on Tuesday the 28th of April at 5 pm at City Hall.

Meanwhile, the bad news... the Tabaccos are cutting trees as fast as they can on the other six acres without a plan submitted to zoning. It is not clear what their intentions are at this time except that they want to entirely destroy the forest. We will keep an eye on this but legally they have every right to do this and there is not much that we can do about it. Like we mentioned in another post, we believe there used to be a zoning regulation that you couldn't cut trees of a certain width without a permit but that regulation seems to have been taken off the books with the last zoning overhaul.

It doesn't look good but we are hopeful that some kind of a deal can be made for the other six acres as well. Trees or no trees, it is a very important tract of land to maintain the continuity of the preserve area.

That's all for now.

We still have SAVE THE HOPPERS signs left. If you want an easy way to show support for the land, message us your address and we will drop you a sign when the next batch is ready. And get ready for the Earth Day 🌎 Clean Sweep on Saturday at 10 am! Park near the intersection of Jennings Rd. & North Pond St.

04/16/2026

Please sign this petition against the proposed data center on Riverside Ave in Bristol.

Say NO to the proposed data center on Riverside Ave

04/14/2026

We are happy to say that the Tabaccos have made a tentative offer to sell 6 of their 12 acres to the City to fortify the City’s holdings at the Hoppers Nature Preserve.

However, it's looking like the apocalypse out there at the moment... six of the 12 acres that Tabacco owns near the center of the Hoppers Preserve is currently being deforested with junk removal taking place. There were even fully buried cars that the excavator got stuck trying to remove. It's a real shame about the trees but the Tabaccos are apparently fully within their rights to remove them. You used to have to get a city permit to remove trees like that but recently the regulation was removed from the books. Who made that decision? I would like to know.

‼️Please come to the City Council Meeting tonight at 6:45 at City Hall Council Chambers to help save the other 6 acres from this same fate. The other 6 acres is the parcel with the hiking trails that juts all the way out into the core forest. But if you can only go to one Meeting, come to the Budget hearing on April 28th at 5 pm. It is really important that we make a good turnout because this land is really important to save!!

04/12/2026

We don't want to pop the cork just yet but we are cautiously optimistic about some new news...

The Tabaccos offered to sell 6 of their 12 acres to the City!!! 🤩

The Mayor thinks she can secure some money from a fund that already exists from which a purchase of open space is allowed. But she needs your support!

How can you help?
✳️ Come to the Board of Finance Meeting Tuesday, April 28th at 5 pm to show your support for the project. This meeting is the most important one to attend as the Board has the power to approve or deny the purchase.
✳️ Come to the City Council/Finance Meeting Tuesday the 14th at 6:45 pm. They will also be voting on the matter.
✳️ Put a sign in your yard! If you live in the Birge Pond/Jennings School neighborhood or a busy street in town, we have a sign for you! Please message us with your address and we will drop off signs starting tomorrow until we run out.

Both meetings are in the Council Chambers at City Hall. You can speak at either meeting but you can also just show up to show your support. One of us will ask for a show of hands for who is there for the Hoppers.

Hope to see you there!!!

03/29/2026

Hey everybody!

We are trying to find other environmetally-minded people and groups within Bristol to do a little networking. We are not sure yet what this looks like but we want there to be the opportunity to create synergy and cooperation between groups and like-minded people. If you are interested in sharing your work or your aspirations for Bristol, give us a buzz on Messenger or email us at [email protected]. Together we can help our City become a better place to live!

03/09/2026

Change of plans! No meeting tonight. The applicant has withdrawn his plans. We think that he will resubmit with a completely different plan but we do not know when.

Good news!!!