Batson River

What Am I Looking At?

You are looking at the Batson River. Though you can barely see the river in the summer when it is dry, you can see where the river overflows during wet season and keeps the ground wet. Though this creates many dead trees, they are still great habitats for birds, bugs, and other animals who thrive in this environment.

Signs of a Healthy River

Otters spotted along the river signify that the river has a healthy ecosystem.

Otters are called an "indicator species." This means that the otter is a sign of a healthy environment. Otters are very sensitive and refuse to live anywhere that doesn't have a constant supply of food, or in a habitat that contains pollution.

Otters mostly eat fish, but will also eat crayfish, frogs, salamanders, clams, snails, turtles, birds, and insects. Otters like to eat the brook trout that are found in the Batson River. Female brook trout build nests (called redds) out of gravel on the bottom of streams to lay their eggs in.

Freshwater Brook Trout

The Batson River is located 3.1 miles from downtown Kennebunkport. It runs 6.4 miles long, with perennial streams that total over 15 miles in length. The largest portions of the coastal wetlands are at the mouth of the Batson where it is classified as a minor coastal river.

Otter Tracks

Courtesy Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife

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