North Woodstock, CT
74.59 Acres
In December, 2013, The New Roxbury Land Trust acquired this land in the historic village of North Woodstock, off scenic Route 169. Identified as the Bishop Farm from their 18th and 19th century relatives, the land had been in the same family for more than 200 years. The family made an earlier gift of land to The New Roxbury Land Trust in 2004. Honoring family wishes, most of the Bishop Farm is now protected.
Offering a mixed landscape, the Bishop Preserve is habitat to a variety of songbirds, both year round residents and migratory visitors, such as vireos, orioles, warblers, and grosbeaks, to name just a few. With English Neighborhood Brook below, raptors can be found experiencing their comfort zone amongst a mix of hard and soft woods.
The Bishop Preserve boasts a fine example of black birch. Growing in forests throughout eastern North America, this common native tree’s cambium (the green layer under the bark) contains the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory oil of wintergreen, which you can smell if you scratch-and-sniff the twigs or bark. The male catkins of the black birch appear in the winter, before the leaves develop, and release the pollen into the wind in early spring. The female flowers of the black birch appear in early spring. Its smooth, grey bark is punctuated by horizontal lenticels, which allows the tree to breath. Unlike cherry trees, sometimes they are confused when the leaves are absent, the birch bark is not riddled with cracks.
Notice to visitors:
None of our properties have marked trails and most of the properties include some steep terrain, so visitors should take care, and be comfortable in finding their way through a heavily wooded landscape.
The Preserve is open for scheduled events only.