M e e t t h e W i n n e r s
Anacostia River Canoe Trip May 2000
Many thanks to Robert Boone, Jim Connolly, Josh Ungar and all the folks at the Anacostia Watershed Society for their ongoing support of River of Words , their innovative environmental education programs, and for their tireless efforts to restore the Anacostia River to health. Photos by Josh Ungar.
One of the highlights of the annual trip to Washington, DC for the River of Words prize winners and their families is our canoe trip on the Anacostia River. Our friends at the Anacostia Watershed Society guide us down the river, stopping along the way to view wildlife, flora and cultural artifacts, including Dueling Creek, a side stream where a duel took place over a hundred years ago.
The Anacostia River (formerly known as the Eastern Branch of the Potomac River) is one of the two rivers that form the delta on which Washington, DC is built. Located in one of the most densely populated areas of the United States, the Anacostia flows through Maryland suburbs and the District of Columbia. It is connected to the tidal system of the Chesapeake Bay. Even after more than 200 years of degradation due to urbanization and neglect, the Anacostia is still a beautiful river and supports an abundance of life and species not found elsewhere in the District of Columbia.
The Anacostia’s banks were inhabited by the Nacotchtanke Indians for 3,000 years prior to the arrival of John Smith in 1608. Thick forests ran right to the water’s edge and deer, buffalo and turkeys were abundant. Huge sturgeon and other fish were plentiful in the deep water, fed by two large creek systems that meet at Bladensburg, Maryland (where we put our canoes in the water) to form the river. The river, however, was overfished even before the Civil War.
In 1800, Bladensburg was the second largest port on the East Coast. Ocean-going tall ships sailed all the way upriver. The channel was 30 feet deep. Nowadays, the depth of the river is less than three feet in some areas—the result of two centuries of deforestation, agriculture and road building. When the tide is low, we can touch the bottom of the river with our canoe paddles in some places.
The rich soil on the river’s edge led to clearing of the forests for tobacco and other crops. The river began silting up by the beginning of the 19th century and by 1830, the Port of Bladensburg was closed due to sedimentation.
The Anacostia flows past the National Arboretum and Kenilworth Gardens, the only National Park devoted to water plants. The 12-acre site contains many plants native to the Washington, DC area and—in a series of lovely ponds—the world’s largest collection of water lilies. Each year, our winners and their families arrive at Kenilworth Gardens by canoe. We go ashore and have a picnic, then walk around the beautiful, quiet paths to view the plants.
Seeing Washington, DC from the water is a special treat for ROW winners. For information youth rowing programs, canoe trips for classes, groups or individuals, or to learn more about the Anacostia River, contact:
The Anacostia Watershed Society
The George Washington House,
4302 Baltimore Avenue
Bladensburg, MD 20710-1031
Phone: 301-699-6204
www.anacostiaws.org
