Anacostia Watershed Explorers
Atlantic Region; 2005
Background | Project Scope | Photo Gallery
Background
For the last 30 years, as cleanup efforts focused on the Potomac, the Anacostia has been referred to as ìthe forgotten river.î It was recently listed as a Watershed of Concern by the Chesapeake Bay Program, facing an uphill battle to become a fishable and swimmable river. In 2002, a formal strategy was developed by the Anacostia Watershed Society (AWS), Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG), the District of Columbia and other partners to begin addressing the debris problem and crafting a strategy for trash reduction and prevention.
Project Scope
AWS identifed two schools in the Watts Branch community to target for implementing the Watershed Explorers Program. Students receive in-classroom lectures and participate in discussions with hands-on experiments focusing on problems with the Anacostia Watershed. Students then participate in a river tour where they conduct water quality tests and see first-hand the flora and fauna in and along the river, and the debris that impairs plants, wildlife, and human activities. The final segment of the program is conducting a cleanup event and doing storm-drain stenciling.
Photo Gallery
Photos of a cleanup in the Anacostia Watershed, Maryland.
This program is funded through NOAA's Ocean Service, Office of Response & Restoration, Marine Debris Program.
