Branch on the nearby Sunny Point Military Ocean Terminal (KOTSU). 



The Sampson Pond area contains a number of high quality doline 

 pond sites, which exist in very good condition relative to other similar 

 sites in the area. Sampson Pond was once used for swimrains and other 

 recreation on a small scale, but this use has apparently been IcLr^ely 

 discontinued in recent years. The ponds are all located in an area which 

 is vegetated primarily by a stand of second growth longleaf pine ( Pin us 

 palustris ) , althouch other successional communities are present in sur- 

 rounding tracts which have been disturbed at some tine in the past. It 

 is not Icnown if there are future plans to hajrvest timber in the Sampson 

 Pond area. 



Vegetation and plant communities: 



Any extensive discussion of Orton Pond Natural Area vegetatior.al com- 

 munities would be relatively meaningless, since access to the area was 

 not granted by the landowner, and consequently, no vegetation sampling 

 was possible-. Eowever, in viewing aerial photography of the Pond area 

 in conjunction with field reconnaisance as was afforded from public 

 roads, it appears likely that the most extensive upland plant communities, 

 such as occur in the Sampson Pond area and in the upland areas west of 

 Orton Pond, are very similar to those comparable communities described 

 in the Boiling Springs Lakes area report, which deals with the directly 

 adjacent area west of Orton Pond. 



Knov;n vegetational communities in the immediate vicinity of Orton 

 Pond are somewhat unique, and in view of both the age of the pond itself 

 and the topography of the immediately surrounding upland areas, a sam- 

 pling of vegetational communities on and adjacent to the pond margins 

 would probably be most interesting. Because the lake is relatively exten- 

 sive and very old, huge beds of aquatic species, such as v.-ater shield 

 ( Brasenia schreberi ) , water milfoil ( liyriophyllua heterophyllun ) , "nd 

 yellow nelumbo ( Melumbo lutea ) exist within the pond . Eald cypress 

 ( Taxodium dictichum ) occurs in dense stand along the margins of the pond, 

 and as stunted individuals scattered throughout the pond. In addition, 

 bluff areas to the morth of the pond are vegetated by a relatively mature 

 oak — hickory hardwood forest, as v/ell as by mature stands of longleaf 

 pine in some areas. 



Physical features: 



General description — Orton Pond, oriented in a SW-NS directi-n, resulted 

 from the damming of Orton Creek. In its upper reaches the pond is 

 flanked by a series of relatively steep bluffs. Towards the eastern end 

 of the pond, a series of hills and low ridges occur interspersed with 

 a series of shallow, irregularly-shaped depressions (e_«^. » Campson Pond), 



Topography — Both N- and S-facing bluffs surround much of Orton Pond. 

 Relief ranges to 15 m in the pond's westernmost extensions, but is 

 generally in the range of 6 m at the eastern pond margin. Ponds occur- 

 ring near the SE end of Orton Pond have gently to moderately-sloping 

 walls, and are believed to have resulted from subsurface solution of 

 limestone deposits, followed by subsequent surface slumping. 



Geology — The surficial sediments are marine-deposited sands and clays of 

 the Pamlico Terrace of Pleistocene age, overlying the Castle Kayne 

 Limestone of Eocene age. 



1 

 Parnell, J.F. 1979. Personal communication. Dept, Biology, LIIC-W, 



Wilmington, N.C. 28^+01. 



174 



