Anacostia River Bioblitz
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 in 2022 we celebrate the 6th Anniversary of our spearheading of the Anacostia River Bioblitz.
To record your results or follow along at home at iNaturalist, please use this project: 6th Annual Anacostia River Bioblitz.
This year, we have a whole slate of events that you can join:
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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. -
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.- 10 am to 10:45 am: Mammals: Kerry Wixted.
- 10:45 am to 11:30 am: Insects: Max Ferlauto with University of Maryland biologists.
- 11:30 am to 12:15 pm: Generalist walk Master Nats and PRISM with a focus on invasives!. Walk in Spanish with Defensores de la Cuenca.
- 12:15 pm to 1:00 pm: Herpetofauna: Rachel Gauza from MoCo
- 1:00 pm to 1:45 pm: Birds, Fran Toler, Friends of Dueling Creek
- 1:45 pm to 2:30 pm: Aquatic biodiversity sampling with the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
- 1:45 pm to 3:00 pm: Mushrooms, Serenella Linares, Audubon Naturalist Society
- 1:45 pm to 3:00 pm: Plant Walk: Jorge Bogantes, Anacostia Watershed Society and Bradley Simpson, Audubon Naturalist Society. This year we will offer a walk where we will clip some plant samples and then we will take them to an ID table to go more in depth with specific identification, with an educational approach for all folks with an interest in plants. Bring your own microscope to see for yourselves. A true botany session!!
- Ongoing stations: Aquatic biodiversity including Creek Critters (macroinvertebrates) with the Anacostia Watershed Society, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, and Audubon Naturalist Society. Identify and investigate species from the ponds and the river (including fish, crustaceans, mollusks, etc.).
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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.
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Bioblitz ID Party
Mon, October 24, 7pm-8:30pm
Join us, our partners, and local experts to ID species found during the weekend! Learn more about species ID and using the Identify function of iNaturalist.
These events are opportunites to explore the natural treasures of your Anacostia River but more importantly, it will be your opportunity to do community science to help us document the biodiversity of the Anacostia River Watershed. The Bioblitz and the City Nature Challange 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.
Our main tool is the crowd-sourced (and free!) iNaturalist app (https://www.inaturalist.org/home). Watch the videoat the bottom of this page to learn more about how to use iNaturalist!
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.
To record the results of your backyard bioblitz or if you join us at any of the events, please use this link: 6th Annual Anacostia River Bioblitz (https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/6th-anacostia-river-bioblitz)
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.