Topography, Streams & Ponds
The Ducktrap Wildlife Preserve has a remarkably diverse landscape due to the close proximity of Ducktrap Mountain, Pitcher and Knight Ponds and the large wetland complex that lies between them. The northwest-southeast orientation of each of these features is a conspicuous landscape-level topographic trend that reflects the orientation of the underlying bedrock.
The dominant physiographic feature is Ducktrap Mountain, which is on the eastern end of the Camden Hills range. Total relief is about 675 feet, ranging from a highest point of 725 feet just northeast of the Ducktrap Mountain summit to about 60 feet, where the Ducktrap River borders the southern edge of the Preserve. Topography of the Preserve differs markedly from steeply to moderately sloping along the edge of Knights Pond to relatively flat along the shoreline of Pitcher Pond.
The Preserve lies entirely within the watershed of the Ducktrap River. It includes 2,560 feet of shore frontage on Knights Pond and 6,060 feet of frontage on Pitcher Pond. Knights Pond is a 102-acre pond that has an average depth of about 9 feet. Pitcher Pond is a 367-acre pond that has an average depth of about 16 feet. Both ponds have extensive emergent marshes and aquatic beds along portions of their shorelines and both support warm water fish species such as white and yellow perch, sunfish, smallmouth bass, and chain pickerel. A small dam is located below the outlet of Pitcher Pond. This dam has a 12-foot hydrologic head. It was built in 1960 and is maintained by the Pitcher Pond Association.
The geology of the Preserve is composed of dark grey phyllite inter-bedded with quartzite. This rock type is softer than granite and weathers to a rusty color. It is the dominant rock type along the western shore of Penobscot Bay.
Soils of the Preserve reflect parent material and topography. In general, soils are derived from medium to coarse textured glacial till that has formed from phyllite. On hilltops and steep side slopes the till deposits are shallow giving rise to Lyman soils. Mid-slope soils tend to be finer, deeper and may be seasonally wet. Lower slopes and relatively level areas, where the till is compact and deep, typically have poorly drained Peru and Boothbay soils. The lowest areas along streams or in wet depressions tend to have clayey or peat soils that are saturated throughout the growing season.
The above description of the topography, streams and ponds of the Ducktrap Wildlife Preserve was adapted from a report by ecologist Janet McMahon in a published manuscript submitted to the Ducktrap Wildlife Preserve in February, 2002 entitled “Ecological Assessment of the Ducktrap Wildlife Preserve Study Area”.