Pontoon Boat Tour on the Anacostia

This past Thursday, I took a guided pontoon boat tour with the Anacostia Watershed Society’s water quality specialist, Masaya Maeda.  He takes a trip out on the river every Thursday or more to conduct tests and take samples in a few sampling locations. We made our way easily down the river during high tide and only occasionally ran over hidden branches in the water.  

Masaya Maeda (AWS) and a film graduate student (American Univ.)

Exploring Trees and Plants in the Anacostia Watershed

It's great to know what you're looking at while strolling through natural areas.

Here's a list of 20 trees found in the Anacostia Watershed:

Large Trees
Common Name	Botanical Name
Red Maple	Aceraceae Acer rubrum L.
Bitternut Hickory, Swamp Hickory	Juglandaceae Carya cordiformis
American Beech	Fagaceae Fagus grandifolia
Swamp White Oak	Fagaceae Quercus bicolor
American Elm	Ulmaceae Ulmus americana
Willow Oak	Fagaceae Quercus phellos
Chestnut Oak	Fagaceae Quercus prinus
Black Willow	Salicaceae Salix nigra
American Sycamore	Platanaceae Platanus occidentalis L.
Virginia Pine	Pinaceae Pinus virginiana

Small Trees and Shrubs
Common Name	Botanical Name
Paw Paw	Annonaceae Asimina triloba
Fringetree	Oleaceae Chionanthus virginicus
Silky Dogwood, Cornel Dogwood	Cornaceae Cornus amomum
Swamp Azalea	Ericaceae Rhododendron canescens
Common Elderberry	Caprifoliaceae Sambucus nigra ssp.
Deerberry	Ericaceae Vaccinium stamineum L.
Mapleleaf Viburnum	Caprifoliaceae Viburnum acerifolium L.
Sassafras	Lauraceae Sassafras albidum
Hazel Alder	Betulaceae Alnus serrulata
Witch Hazel	Hamamelidaceae Hamamelis virginiana L.

Anacostia Watershed Society's long-term commitment

The AWS has worked on improving the Anacostia Watershed since 1989.  A lot of progress has been made to clean up the river, but of course, there's a lot more to be done.  This video show's the AWS President, Jim Foster, leading a pontoon tour down the river.

Local 11th Street Bridge Celebration

Saturday morning was a beautiful day to check out the new bridge across the Anacostia River.  The two overlooks give pedestrians and cyclists a chance to sit down and enjoy the breeze from the River.  Many informational booths were set up, as well as live music and a mini parade.  I stopped by the Anacostia Watershed Society's table and picked up some material-- I signed up for their email list and may end up going for a morning to do water sampling or for an evening paddling the river.

Overlook

Press on the Anacostia as a fitness destination

The Washington Post's Express featured new fitness opportunities appearing on the Anacostia River's waterfront, including a kayaking rental shops and improved bike and pedestrian trail networks.  Check out the article! 

Also advertised is the Local 11th Street Bridge Celebration taking place on September 7th, celebrating the official opening of the new local 11th Street bridge, complete with its 14-foot wide shared-use bicycle and pedestrian path and two overlooks.  The event is a way to get people connected to each other and the Anacostia River.  I plan on checking it out this Saturday...

Interest in the Anacostia Rivershed

Hello, I'm a graduate student studying urban and regional planning at Virginia Tech's Alexandria, VA campus.  I was first acquainted with the Anacostia River's range of problems and possibilities in a studio course last Spring. 

Our studio course helped THEARC do some initial research to support design considerations and decision-making for the proposed 11th Street Bridge Park.  The community has four goals for this new bridge park: 1) Create a healthy community by establishing a safe place for residents to exercise and play, 2) Connect the community with the Anacostia River, 3) Reconnect the neighborhoods of Anacostia and Capitol Hill, and 4) Generate new jobs and economic activity. 

Hand in hand with the local community's goals, the District of Columbia is striving to make all of the Districts rivers swimable and fishable by 2032, as declared in the Sustainable DC Plan.