Bristol blocks illegal dumpers from Native American site

Waypoyset Preserve access paths now blocked by boulders to keep illegal dumpers from driving into woods

By Ted Hayes
Posted 2/22/18

Illegal dumping in a fragile nature preserve north of Narrows Road has been a problem for years, but it looks like those days may be over.

After receiving complaints from the neighborhood, workers …

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Bristol blocks illegal dumpers from Native American site

Waypoyset Preserve access paths now blocked by boulders to keep illegal dumpers from driving into woods

Posted

Illegal dumping in a fragile nature preserve north of Narrows Road has been a problem for years, but it looks like those days may be over.

After receiving complaints from the neighborhood, workers from the Department of Public Works this week placed a half dozen large boulders across two dirt tracks that lead into the interior of the land, known as the Waypoyset Preserve. One of them leads straight into the roughly 30-acre preserve from Narrows Beach; the other is on Narrows Road.

The work was aided and supported by DPW Chief Kevin McBride, Bristol Town Administrator Steve Contente, Town Council Chairman Nathan Calouro and members of the trust.

Neighborhood residents have long complained that contractors regularly dump construction debris, from drywall scraps to pressure treated lumber, toilets, carpeting and more, in the preserve. In addition, a campsite complete with several tents, clothing and a large amount of trash had been abandoned on a bluff overlooking a creek in the center of the property. DPW workers cleared out much of the accumulated trash this week, sealing up the land afterwards with boulders.

The Waypoyset Preserve is overseen by a trust whose board is made up of town officials, neighborhood representatives and local Native Americans. It was created about 20 years ago, after a state-mandated archaeological study uncovered significant remains of Native American settlement there. The land had been proposed for development, and after archaeologists confirmed that the site was a significant part of the history of the Wampanoags, grants were obtained to purchase the land and preserve it in perpetuity.

The property contains walking paths, flat and rocky areas, a creek and a lagoon just behind the Narrows Road beach.

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