Anacostia River Bioblitz

2026 Bioblitz – September 13, 2026

The Anacostia River watershed is home to an incredible number of species, and it takes a village to get out there and document them. A bioblitz is a communal effort to record as many species as possible within a designated location and time period. Our bioblitz uses the free iNaturalist (www.inaturalist.org) application to record the data. However, the goal of our bioblitz is to educate the public about the watershed’s natural heritage and the use of the application is optional during our public events. The very first bioblitz ever was held right here in the Anacostia River watershed at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens in 1996! Our own Anacostia River Bioblitz has been held annually since 2017. 

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 where you can make your own observations using the iNaturalist app, at your own pace, from anywhere within the watershed. This is a great opportunity to learn about the identification and ecology of some of the river’s fascinating species.

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

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 areas 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:

• Smartphone with iNaturalist app downloaded. Create an iNaturalist account (click here to sign up) before you get there.
• Dry bag or any other waterproofing device to protect your phone in case of rain.
• Sealable bag or dry bag for your other personal items
• Reusable water bottle filled with water
• Sunscreen
• Hat and sunglasses
• Insect repellent
• Closed-toed shoes that can get damp
• A notebook and pencil to record any other interesting information from 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 jmontero@anacostiaws.org or 301-699-6204 ext. 118.