Nature preserve improvements could be under way in fall

• Improvements to the Hoppers-Birge Pond Nature Preserve (Bristol, Connecticut) may startsoon, according to the co-chairman of the city committee overseeing the area. The work will include a boat launch for canoes and kayaks onto Birge Pond, a parking area for people with disabilities, a bridge over the dam and a new fishing pier. There also will be new lighting and improvements to the trail around the pond, Letourneau said.
• In addition to a recently dredged pond that attracts a variety of wildlife, the preserve includes a large, hilly, wooded area that contains fragile geological "kettles" formed during the Ice Age.
• "We're the first nature preserve" in the city, Letourneau said. The committee puts on at least a couple of events each year to attract people to the nature preserve. One is a fall foliage walk to catch the season's colors and another celebrates Earth Day every spring. Committee members are considering adding an event in February to draw attention to the preserve and highlight activities there that take advantage of the cold, snow and ice.
• The Hoppers-Birge Pond Nature Preserve is a 200-acre area in the north-central part of the city. It is under the jurisdiction of the Bristol Parks and Recreation Department but is categorized as open space and is to be used for passive recreation such as hiking, bird-watching, snowshoeing, canoeing and fishing.