A local resident recently raised the alarm about multiple piles of trash and discarded debris surrounding an area he believes to be an active campsite, which he and his granddaughter discovered while exploring a public, Town-owned nature trail near Elmwood Drive.

Bill Marshall has lived on Elmwood Drive for a long time, and often enjoys the tranquility of a nearby nature trail (known as Perry-Tavares Farm, maintained by the Town of Bristol), which leads into the surrounding wooded area and stretches about a half mile south to Tupelo Street, encompassing about 100 acres.

About two total miles of walking trails snake through the open space, which are open from sunrise to sunset. The Town restrictions for the open space are short and simple; “No camping. No Fires.”

Marshall found evidence of both occurring off one of the trails during a recent walk, and a visit from the Phoenix to the site with Marshall and his granddaughter on Aug. 14 showed he wasn’t exaggerating.

A short distance from the area marked as a meadow on the Perry-Tavares map was a large fire pit, which he said indicated the beginning of the campsite. Next, a large pile of assorted garbage about 100 feet down the trail. A little ducking and weaving through the branches another 200 or so feet, slightly off the beaten path, revealed another large area comprised of multiple piles of debris — tied up plastic bags, discarded clothing items, food scraps, a bicycle helmet, and massive amounts of other assorted detritus.

A short distance from that largest area of trash was what appeared to be a living quarters, with a makeshift shelter set up utilizing a brown camouflage tarp tied off to some trees. Beside that, a large cooler roped shut with a sizable amount of unopened cans and bottles of food stacked neatly atop.

Curiously enough, next to the cooler was a large pile of long pieces of processed lumber. Marshall wagered a guess that whoever was living out there was planning on building something more permanent. Marshall’s granddaughter showed a video she took of a truck of men pulling up to the entrance of the trail with a load full of similar looking lumber, indicative that whoever was out in the woods was known to be out there, and apparently receiving assistance from others.

Marshall aired his frustration about the situation.

“I just want to know if this is a walking trail, a squatter’s trail, or a hunting trail,” he said, alluding to a deer stand he also observed being set up along the walking trail in preparation for Bristol’s inaugural deer hunting season coming in September. “It’s supposed to be a nature trail.”

Police response
When the Phoenix originally reached out to the Bristol Police Department for a statement on the campsite, Chief Kevin Lynch said that officers had visited the area after being called for a report that men were hauling items into the woods (apparently related to the incident described above).

“Patrol officers did respond to the area you spoke of, and the folks lingering in the area asserted they were leaving,” Lynch wrote in an email on Aug. 15. “My office was informed that the individuals left on their own accord once they realized the police were notified.”

But it appears that the responding officers were not immediately aware of the sites deeper within the woods. After confirming with Marshall that all the trash remained at the site on Tuesday, Aug. 22, the Phoenix followed up with Chief Lynch, sharing photographs from the site visit (some of which are printed along with this story), and asked if officers had gone further into the woods and found the piles of trash. Lynch responded that officers would be out to investigate the same day, and followed up that afternoon with their findings.

“We have located two encampments deep into the woods on Town property,” Lynch wrote in an email. “Sgt. Vieira with 2nd shift personnel located the site and reports that the site is inactive, and the items left behind have no significant value. I have directed Sgt. Vieira to work with DPW for site clean-up.”