Marking a Mollusk Milestone

On September 27, the Anacostia Watershed Society hit a huge milestone in our #MusselPower program: releasing the 35,000th freshwater mussel to the Anacostia River! AWS President Chris Williams was joined by Tommy Wells, Director of the Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE), who put on their waders to gently release the last 400 freshwater mussels in this project.  At this small event at Kingman Lake near Langston Golf Course, Jorge Bogantes led a talk about the filtering power of freshwater mussels, and our tireless mussel super volunteers also came to release the babies they've helped to care for through the year.

In 2019, we set the goal to reach 35,000 new mussels with our funders from the Department of Energy and Environment and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and we are especially proud to meet this goal despite the interruptions of COVID-19.  A single freshwater mussel can filter 10-15 gallons of water a day, so this cohort of bivalves is filtering the equivalent of 200 Olympic-sized swimming pools per year!

Are you curious about the Anacostia River's freshwater mussels and the role they play in a healthy river ecosystem?  Go in deep about mussels by reading our storymap found by clicking here.

6th Annual Anacostia River Bioblitz
October 20-23

Please join us for the 6th annual Anacostia River Bioblitz!  We are calling on the region's community scientists, either aspiring or established, to participate in our annual census of the watershed's biodiversity.  Using the iNaturalist app, you can add valuable data to our effort by taking pictures of the wildlife and plants you see during that long weekend. 

Community Science: The Anacostia Bioblitz and iNaturalist on Zoom
Monday, October 17, 7-8pm
Join us for this virtual even with Ana Ka’ahanui, co-founder of Capital Nature; Serenella Linares, Audubon Naturalist Society; and Deborah Barber, The Nature Conservancy, to learn all about the Bioblitz. We will walk you through how to use iNaturalist, and share how the data we gather helps to make our local environment healthier.

Click here to register.

6th Anacostia River Bioblitz at Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens
Saturday, October 22, 10am-3pm
Join the Anacostia Watershed Society for a day guided tours and nature exploration with the region's nature experts!  No registration required, and walk-ups welcome. Meet our partners at various tables and stations, and check out our website for more.

Guilford Community Bioblitz
Sun, October 23, 1pm-3pm
Explore the floodplain forests being protected from development by our friends at the Coalition to Save Guilford Woods.

Click here to register for the Bioblitz at Guilford Woods

Volunteer Events Galore in October

The Anacostia Watershed Society is so grateful to our volunteers!  Thanks to their time and effort, we have been able to do so much to make the Anacostia Watershed a healthier place to live.  From tree plantings to vegetation surveys, trash-sorting challenges to mussel releases, we offer a slew of projects for every skill and activity level out in our area.

You can sign up for our monthly Volunteer Newsletter and get first notice of upcoming volunteer events.  Check out our very first edition last month by clicking here.

Click on the upcoming event below to register:

 

Marque su calendario - Festival del Rio 29 de Octubre 

Hola, amigos! Due to the expected terrible weather on October 1, the Festival del Rio has been moved to October 29.  This is a day devoted to connecting with our Latinx friends and neighbors and enjoy the Anacostia River. Stay tuned for more details!

 
 

Anacostia Watershed Society
4302 Baltimore Avenue | Bladensburg, Maryland 20710
(301) 699-6204 | info@anacostiaws.org

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