Anacostia River Bioblitz

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The Anacostia Watershed is home to an incredible amount of species, and it takes a village to get out there and document them all. A bioblitz is a "Census of the Natural World" where over a short period of time, communities go out and document the species they see. The very first bioblitz was even held right here in the Anacostia Watershed at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens. This year we celebrated the 8th Anniversary of our spearheading of the Anacostia River Bioblitz. 

In this year's Bioblitz, there were 3,356 observation - the highest in the 8 years of the Anacostia River Bioblitz! Thanks to all who participated and helped achieve these results:

Bioblitz events are opportunities to explore the natural treasures of your Anacostia River, but more importantly, it will be your opportunity to engage in community science to help us document the biodiversity of the Anacostia River Watershed. The Bioblitz and the City Nature Challenge are weekend-long events from Thursday to Sunday where you can make your own observations using the iNaturalist app, at your own pace, from anywhere within the Anacostia River Watershed. This is a great opportunity to learn about the identification and ecology of some of the river's fascinating species.

From Thursday, September 5th through Sunday, September 8th, act as a community scientist to help us document the species of plants, mushrooms, and animals that you find in your yard, neighborhood, local park, or anywhere in the Anacostia Watershed using the (free) iNaturalist app. Play a game of Bioblitz Bingo with these printable bingo cards.

Saturday, September 7th, join us and our partners - including experts - for a morning of observing and learning about nature together!

Stay tuned to our social media channels and this page for further updates and details. 

Order your Bioblitz Tee

Our main tool is the crowd-sourced (and free!) iNaturalist app (https://www.inaturalist.org/home). Watch the video at the bottom of this page to learn more about how to use iNaturalist! We will track observations on our iNaturalist collection project page.

There are area in the Anacostia River watershed that are in need of more observations. See the map below and consider visiting these areas when you're ready to make observations!

 When you're out there exploring, here are some things to remember to bring:

• We will be using the iNaturalist app for our documentation and identification. Create an iNaturalist account (click here to sign up), and download the app to your smartphone before you get there.
• Bring a dry bag or any other waterproofing device to protect your phone in case of rain.
• Reusable water bottle filled with water
• Sunscreen
• Hat and sunglasses
• Insect repellent
• Sealable bag, or dry bag if you have one, for your other personal items
• Closed-toed shoes that can get damp
• A notebook and pencil to record any other interesting information by the experts.
• Camera if you are into photography and would like to take higher quality pictures to download later on iNaturalist from your laptop computer.

You can also follow our main project, Biodiversity of the Anacostia River on iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/biodiversity-of-the-anacostia-river

If you have any questions prior to the event, please contact Jorge Bogantes Montero at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 301-699-6204 ext. 118.