If you spend any time working with the Anacostia Watershed Society, you will come to appreciate the humble mussel. Thanks to these filter feeders, the water of the Anacostia River is growing cleaner by the day. Today, the Anacostia River meets standards for swimming 60% to 70% of the time. “Our goal is to restore the Anacostia to a fishable and swimmable river … and to have the river meet standards 100% of the time by 2025,” says Emily Conrad, director of development for the Anacostia Watershed Society. “But we cannot do it alone.”
Mussels to the rescue
Mussels eat by filtering, so every time they take in water, these river dwellers remove excess nutrient pollutants like nitrogen and phosphorous from the river. They can even eat bacteria, including E. coli. This process initiates a larger chain of events, including the healthy growth of aquatic plants. These plants, in turn, provide a home for many other animals, such as fish, birds, and mammals. Even empty mussel shells provide tiny habitats for other bottom-dwelling invertebrates and serve as valuable real estate for algae and aquatic vegetation.
“We really live in a very special area,” notes Conrad. “About 300 species of freshwater mussels have been identified in the United States, with the highest species diversity found in the Southeast region of the country. A total of 16 species have been identified in the state of Maryland alone, and at least eight of them are found in the Anacostia River.”
But the privilege of living alongside these creatures brings responsibility, too. Freshwater mussels are one of the most imperiled groups of animals in North America. “Seventy percent of their species are listed as vulnerable, threatened, or endangered,” Conrad says. “Sadly, a total of 37 species are now considered extinct.”
This dramatic decline, Conrad explains, is due to severe habitat destruction, water pollution, climate change, damming, the introduction of invasive species, a decline in the populations of their host fishes, and overexploitation of water resources. The Anacostia Watershed Society has been combating these forces for 30 years. Among the organization’s proudest accomplishments is its successful legal action against local water authorities to stop the dumping of sewage overflows into the Anacostia River. DC Water has completed phase one of the Clean Rivers Project, resulting in a 90% reduction of sewage overflow into the river, as well as significant repopulation of mussels.
In just the past three years, the Anacostia Watershed Society has raised and released more than 24,000 mussels that are now filtering the equivalent of more than 130 Olympic size swimming pools each year. This work wouldn’t be possible without the donations and volunteer hours of local residents committed to this mission. Among those volunteers are hundreds of high school and middle school students who are learning about the connection between human choices and the natural world.
Training a future generation
Even with the impact of COVID-19, the Anacostia Watershed Society has found innovative ways to keep people involved. “In the past 12 months, we’ve done a good job of adapting our environmental education programs, even when schools are closed,” says Conrad. “We’ve worked with students virtually, and to a limited extent, in person when possible. We have done a lot of livestreaming of boat tours and using WiFi hot spots. For example, teachers on the boat release mussels, while kids watch virtually. It’s been a way to keep kids connected to the outdoors even when we cannot gather in person.”
Their efforts are making a difference, both for the Anacostia River and the students themselves. Many students choose to come back and do internships with the Anacostia Watershed Society or work at other organizations doing national resource management. By educating future generations on how best to care for and protect this natural habitat and resource, the Anacostia Watershed Society is ensuring continued progress and improvement for years to come.
Learn more about how you can get involved with the Anacostia Watershed Society and support their efforts to restore mussel populations.
Sustainably,
Bobby Firestein
For our 2022 Ecoprint calendar, Protecting the Natural Beauty of the Chesapeake Bay, we have partnered with 13 different organizations, all dedicated to helping solve the environmental challenges in this important ecological hub. Anacostia Watershed Society is our featured partner for the month of February. To get your own 2022 Ecoprint calendar, click the button below.