Event
Anacostia River BioBlitz
Fee:
Free.Dates & Times
Date:
Time:
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Type of Event
Description
The 5th Anacostia River BioBlitz at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens is a great chance for the park to add to its species inventory through citizen science and observations. It is also a wonderful way for anyone interested in natural history to explore and learn more about the plants and animals that inhabit the park and the DC region.
How you can participate:
1. Download iNaturalist on your mobile device before coming to the park and join the project "Biodiversity of the Anacostia River." This is how we are collecting citizen observations. If you want to learn more about how to use iNaturalist, you can watch a tutorial at https://www.inaturalist.org/pages/video+tutorials or you can join the Watershed Wednesday "Happy Hour" on September 15th from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Zoom where Ana Ka’ahanui from Capital Nature will go over iNaturalist basics. Use this link to RSVP for the class https://anacostiaws.salsalabs.org/09152021wwhh/index.html
2. Come Out to the Aquatic Gardens on Saturday, September 18th and take your own observations and add them to iNaturalist on the "Biodiversity of the Anacostia River Project" or join local experts on programs and walks to identify species while also learning about them.
Here's what is happening on Saturday:
10am - 2pm: Join local experts in collecting critters out of park ponds at the aquatic station. This activity is great for families with children and will be on-going so you can drop in anytime between 10 and 2:00 p.m It's likely that you will collect things like tadpoles and small fish, crustaceans, mollusks, and a variety of macro invertebrates. Once they are identified by you or the experts on site, we will release them back into the ponds. Collecting equipment will be provided but come expecting to get muddy.
11am: Tidal water survey. Join experts from SERC at the edge of the river and tidal wetlands for a survey of local fish. SERC experts will demonstrate the use of electroshock equipment which temporarily "shocks" fish in the immediate area so they float to the surface where they can be easily looked at and identified before the "shock" wears off and they are put back in the water. Seine nets will also be used to collect critters in these areas.
12 pm: Mushroom walk: this expert led walk will go into forested areas around the park to look for and identify mushrooms for the park database while teaching about basic mushroom identification. Insect repellent and long pants are recommended to avoid getting ticks.
12pm: Pond & Wetland Native Plant Walk: Plant expert Bradley Simpson will lead a walk along the ponds and the tidal marsh to talk about the local flora and survey plants for the park species list.
1 pm: Forested wetland survey: This walk will take visitors into wooded areas adjacent to the ponds to look for and identify native flora and fauna that can be added to the park species list. Along the way expect to learn about the species inhabit these unique places and how to identify them. Insect repellent and long pants are recommended to avoid getting ticks.
Reservation or Registration: No
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