CANCELLED & RESCHEDULED - Freshwater Mussel Survey at East & West Kingman Lake

Note: This event has been cancelled due to rain & high water levels. Please consider joining us on our rescheduled date, Tuesday, April 17th: https://anacostiaws.salsalabs.org/41724freshwatermusselsurveykingman/index.html

Note: In an effort to improve consistency in our surveys, we will be surveying in groups of 8 for all wild freshwater mussel survey events. Please only sign up if you are certain you are able to attend. If you sign up and need to cancel later on, please let us know as soon as possible so we can recruit our 8th surveyor. Thank you!

Date: Wednesday, April 3, 2024
Time: 9:30 am - 12:30 pm

Meeting Location: Langston Golf Course Driving Range: Click here for GPS directions to the driving range. NOTE: we will NOT be meeting at the Golf Course parking lot located at 2600 Benning Rd NE. We will be meeting at the driving range, which does not have a real address. Please consult the link above and the map below for directions. The driving range is just down the street from the Golf Course and is directly across from the Benning Rd entrance to Kingman and Heritage Islands Park.

• Parking is available at this location 
• The Minnesota Avenue Metro Station is about 1.1 miles away from this location (about a 21 minute walk)
• The Stadium Armory Metro Station is about 1.6 mile away from this location (about a 33 minute walk)

Project: Volunteers will join AWS for a wild freshwater mussel survey at East & West Kingman Lake! We will split into 2 groups on site. We will be walking in mud that can be very mucky in waders (AWS can provide you with a pair if you don't have your own). If you're not comfortable walking in mud using waders, we recommend joining us at a different event. If you need to borrow waders from AWS, you will want to make sure they are a snug fit, so if you're a half size in shoes, we recommend rounding down. Please be aware that most of our sizes are "men" sizes. 

In 2015, we started surveying the native species of freshwater mussels in the Anacostia River to understand their diversity and abundance. In 2018 we started a mussel propagation project partnering with the Harrison Lake National Fish Hatchery run by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Virginia collecting local broodstock from the Anacostia River. Volunteers are critical to keep this project going and to meet our goal of enhancing mussel populations to increase their water filtration capacity to help clean our river. 

Physical Level of Difficulty: Moderate to Difficult (leaning more towards difficult - very mucky!)

• This event will involve lifting, bending, and walking in mucky mud for a fourth of a mile. Participants will be expected to wear waders for the duration of the event. If you think any of the physical requirements will be problematic, please let us know.

Registration is required. Please register prior to the event date to receive additional information about the event. Anyone who doesn't register online will be denied access to the event. 

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For more information before the event, please contact Emily Castelli at [email protected] or call 301-699-6204 x103.

Click here to register