Beaverdam Creek was always a bit of a mystery to me. Last couple years, we would paddle in get to a big log jam and then turn around back to the Anacostia River. Beaverdam Creek was where the Earth Conservation Corps pulled 5,000 tires out of the creek in the 1990’s and if the tide and water clarity were right we could still always find tires to remove in the creek. However, this year the log jam is passable and I was able to paddle upstream to the Kenilworth Avenue bridge where the river goes into a culvert. Not only are there a bunch of tires in this newly accessible stretch, but I want to view beyond the culvert.
The waters of Beaverdam Creek have noticeably more sediment than the brown, sediment-laden Anacostia River as you can see in the zone where the two mix. 25 July 2023.
Beaverdam Creek isn’t a very pretty creek. It is channelized and has steep, muddy banks. Busy railroad tracks are right on the top of the right bank. There are large, abandoned metal tanks (fuel tankers) that greet you when you begin paddling up the creek from the Anacostia River. There is always lots of trash and tires. The Beaverdam Creek Watershed is 14.8 square miles or 8% of the Anacostia River Watershed. Even though Beaverdam Creek and its watershed are small, they contribute 17% of the Anacostia River’s flow and it seems quite a bit of the PCB’s to the river.
Sitting in an eddy and realizing that today is not the day for exploring the upper reaches of Beaverdam Creek. 25 July 2023.
Recently, I had the time and fortitude for exploring and headed out to go up Beaverdam Creek and see what lies beyond the culvert under Kenilworth Avenue. However, thunderstorms had other ideas. Beaverdam Creek was high, fast, brown, and chunky. I paddled up to the newly passable (in 2023) log jam, hung out in an eddy, watched a small standing wave below the log jam, and thought discretion is the better part of valor today. I was surprised by how lively Beaverdam Creek was. I have paddled Dueling Creek, Northeast, and Northwest Branches when swollen with fresh rains – they get high, but you can still paddle them. A possible difference is the Anacostia River Watershed has 25% impervious surfaces, while Beaverdam Creek Watershed has 32% impervious surfaces. Impervious surfaces mean rain moves to the river faster and the channelization of the creek also means water moves through the system faster. This is referred to being ‘flashy’ (as in flash floods) – as there is minimal infiltration of water into the surrounding landscape to moderate the flow.
Tires paddled out from Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens. Bladensburg Waterfront Park. 25 July 2023.
Instead of paddling up Beaverdam Creek I paddled into the aquatic gardens and removed some tires. Not as adventurous, but still productive.
The goal of a stormwater pollution prevention plan (SWPPP) could be improved water quality for water exiting construction sites or it could be to enable construction to continue unabated with the window dressing of SWPPP. This particular construction site SWPPP was been poorly implemented from the initiation of the site. While we were on vacation the SWPPP aspect of this site declined. I took these photos while running and sent them to DC DOEE (Department of Energy and Environment). Hopefully DC DOEE will take action, but this is one small construction site in a city full of construction sites. It is the same story as so many things here in DC: we have laws, but no enforcement.
Construction site. 2902 Vista Ave NE, DC. 20 July 2023.
As is typical for DC DOEE, I have not received a response. A week later the site continues to leak sediment and construction waste into the Anacostia River. The sad thing is that all the SWPPP protections have been installed and are present, they just have not been maintained so they are functional.
Sediment escaping from construction site and covering sidewalk, 2902 Vista Ave NE, DC. 20 July 2023.
The impairment of the Anacostia River is not from a single event. Every car that travels on roads in the watershed leaves tire particles, brake wear particles, and oil & gas on roadways to wash into the river. Every application of lawn fertilizers &/or pesticides has a portion that ends up in the river. All the litter in the watershed is working its way to the river. Death by paper cuts is how we are wrecking our river, and in this instance, it is an entirely preventable paper cut.
Poorly maintained sediment barrier, 2900 block of Vista Ave NE, DC. 27 July 2023.
What really needs to happen is a societal shift. We need to make environmental consciousness part of everyday life. Perhaps instead of saying: “how are you?” or “what’s up?” Our greeting should reflect our planetary citizenship: “how are you making the world a better place?” or “what’s your plan for the watershed today?”
Sediment escaped from construction site covering street about 100 yards downhill from construction site. 2900 block of Vista Ave NE, DC. 20 July 2023.
The nice person from a previous post, is Kari. Kari has created a group, DC Trash Paddlers on an app called Meetup.
Screenshot from the Meetup app.
We ran into the DC Trash Paddlers on the Anacostia River. It was pretty exciting to see 5 kayaks out picking up river trash. It is pretty cool that Kari organized this and we hope to join them for some of their outings
Meeting Kari and the DC Trash Paddlers on the Anacostia River. Bladensburg Water Park, MD. 23 July 2023.Our contribution to Sunday’s Anacostia River trash removal. Bladensburg Water Park, MD. 23 July 2023.
The jet ski people are back. They seem to come out in July and August.
Jet ski on the Anacostia River. Bladensburg Waterfront Park, MD. 25 July 2023.
On a brain-baking hot day after a four hours of working in the sun I was paddling back to Bladensburg Waterfront Park with my second load of trash: 3 tires, a bag of plastic, and just to make it interesting a 4′ fluorescent light bulb (intact). The sun was low enough that the river was shaded and wildlife were coming in to the river for their evening refreshment and then with a motorized banshee scream the stillness, peace, and quiet are destroyed as the jet ski pilot decides to turn circles in the river and then head back upstream. Moments later another person on the same jet ski performs a similar maneuver. The quiet is destroyed, the wakes have made the near shore waters too turbid for tire hunting, and the cooler air of evening smells of gasoline and exhaust.
The rules of the waterway for jet ski users. Bladensburg Waterfront Park. 25 July 2023.
If it were up to me, the Anacostia River would be a non-motorized zone, but it isn’t. As it is there are rules clearly posted on the boat ramp the jet skis launch from: maximum speed 6 knots (7 mph). However, in the DC Metro area, rules only apply to those who follow them absent enforcement. Being as the Anacostia isn’t more than 200′ in width you are never more than 100′ from shore, but that doesn’t matter to the jet ski people – they will drive fast, create wakes (and erosion), and make loud noises.
My second trash haul of the day, Bladensburg Waterfront Park. 25 July 2023.
I would say that just like the jet ski people I am there to enjoy the river, but I do not think the jet ski people come to enjoy the river. They are there to enjoy their jet ski, the waterway they are on doesn’t matter. I have never seen a jet ski stop to watch a turtle or marvel at the river’s beauty. The Anacostia River is a poor choice for a jet ski because it is shallow, brushy, and has poor visibility, but the jet ski people are still willing to go fast and make the river just as pleasant as any of the areas roadways.
I know jet skis have legitimate uses, but for the most part it appears they are merely toys for the same ‘me go VROOM VROOM’ crowd that has to drive cars louder than aircraft.
I am not saying kayaks are perfect. I am saying that I try to respect the river and other river users. I invite the jet ski people to join in respecting the river and other river users – maybe by going to the larger Potomac River which is better suited to their high horsepower shenanigans.
Oh well, at least they go away at the end of summer.
With the pandemic over we set off on a 2-week ‘vacation’ visiting friends and family that required a little over 6100 miles of driving! We drove through 4 days of heavy rain and had temperatures over 100°f for 9 days – which limits paddling opportunities, but we still managed to get some paddling in. The great thing about paddling some new spots in different places is seeing how the water, resource management, and paddle experience differ from place to place.
The trusty Crescent Kayaks Splash II was used for all paddling and rode 6100+ miles on our roof rack like a champ. Keller Lake Kayak Launch, Apple Valley, MN. 11 July 2023.
While lugging a kayak for the entire road trip cost us in decreased gas mileage and also made getting stuff in and out of the hatchback a hassle, it was much easier than trying to arrange kayak rentals for all the paddle stops. The kayak we chose for the trip was Kelly’s Crescent Kayaks Splash II. A single tandem is less wind resistance, better gas mileage, easier loading/unloading, the Splash II has a nice front deck for our dog, and it is fun to paddle tandems! Note: especially when hopping between water bodies it is important to clean your boat thoroughly and let it it dry between water bodies to prevent transporting invasive species.
We removed a tire from the river. Ouachita River, Forsythe Park, Monroe, LA. 3 July 2023.
Our first paddle stop was on the Ouachita River in Monroe, LA. The Ouachita, being Kelly’s home town river is a river we know pretty well. Our paddling was cut short by thunder and lightning, but we got to play on a beach and cool off from the 100° weather before it was time to get back to the boat ramp.
Phipp’s Pond. Esther Simplot Park, Boise, ID. 7 July 2023.
Our next paddle was Phipp’s Pond in Boise, ID. Even though the car thermometer said 101°, the water in Phipp’s Pond was cool and the shady bits were wonderful! The pond was packed with kayaks, SUPs (paddleboards) and people recreating on the shore. This is the water body my daughter paddles the most and it was very pleasant paddle.
Anacostia was a bit freaked out by how rough the water was. Boise River, Boise, ID. 8 July 2023.
When you visit Boise in summer, you should run the Boise River. Ada County has made it so easy. The river is cool and refreshing. While we kept the tandem upright, running the small rapids on the river filled our tandem with water, so we had to empty the boat of water after each set because we run the Splash II with scupper plugs.
The waves have some force! Lake Traverse, SD. 9 July 2023
Late in the day, with a howling wind off the South Dakota prairie kicking up white caps, we put in for a quick paddle on Traverse Lake. This is a big lake on the border of SD & MN. It is in a glacial depression and the numerous big rocks in the lake testify to the ancient presence of glaciers. A dense algae bloom made visibility of rocks in the water difficult, if the wave action wasn’t exposing them. We made it through without a wave dropping us on a rock and had a decent paddle, even though Anacostia Riverpup was a little freaked out by the size of the waves on the lake.
Sunset paddle. Pomme De Terre Lake, Tipsinah Mounds Campground, MN. 9 July 2023.
Pomme De Terre Lake was a pretty little gem and fun to paddle. The lake was kind of small and the prairie winds kept it pretty whipped up, but it was definitely a worhwhile spot.
Morning paddle. Pomme De Terre Lake, Tipsinah Mounds Campground, MN. 10 July 2023.Anacostia Riverpup enjoying some morning sun. Keller Lake, Apple Valley, MN. 11 July 2023.
Keller Lake was a paddle choice based upon proximity to family. It was a perfectly fine place to paddle, but you will be making more than one lap to get a good workout.
The barns on shore were a scenic part of the agriculture/aquatic interface. Rock River, WI. 13 July 2023.
The Rock River was so fun! We put in at Rock River Park and Boat Launch in Johnson Creek, WI. There were spawning carp everywhere and little Anacostia Riverpup was not having it – the carp were creeping her our. We paddled upstream and then turned around to paddle back to the park.
Urban skyline. Busse Lake, IL. 13 July 2023.
If you were somehow magically transported to Busse Lake, you would not know you were in the Chicago metropolitan area. The lake was really pretty and we got to see some cool wild flowers. I even managed to have a leech attach to my leg while taking some butterfly photos! This is another water body infested with Eurasian watermilfoil, so we needed to really scrub the boat before our next stop.
Ani is on the lookout for submerged logs. Little Calumet River, Indiana Dunes National Park, IN. 13 July 2023.
our next paddle stop was an adventure to find. I wanted to paddle Long Lake in Indiana Dunes National Park, but was informed by a ranger that paddling is not allowed on Long Lake. The Ranger suggested Marquette Park in Gary, but we were not able to find the put in. We tried a nearby boat ramp on Google Maps only to end up on a sketchy, gated road. A quick phone call to a ranger led us to Bailly Homestead on the Little Calumet River in Indiana Dunes National Park. We were on a sketchy, dead end, narrow road but it led us to a river crossing. As we were unloading the kayak, a ranger pulled up. I half expected to be told to pack up and move on, but he wished us a pleasant paddle. We paddled upstream to a stopper log jam and downstream to a stopper log jam. The abundance of timber in the river was really good for Calopteryx damselflies – we saw a ton of them! The adventure of finding a paddle spot was greater than the actual paddle itself, which was just a pleasantly pretty, log-infested, joy ride.
We almost made it to lake Erie. Huron River, Huron, OH. 14 July 2023.
Our next paddle stop was the Huron River boat ramp in Huron, OH. The boat ramp was super deluxe and had three discrete ramps and crazy huge parking. This was an access point for large boats to get on Lake Erie and the Huron River banks are suitably fortified to withstand the wakes of these larger boats. We tried to get to Lake Erie but just about 100 meters from the goal, little Anacostia Riverpup was not liking the waves and we turned around and paddled upstream to calmer waters. After paddling we had lunch on the patio of a fancy, riverside restaurant in the town of Huron.
The spruce-scented breeze was a refreshing treat! Lake Arthur, Moraine State Park, PA. 14 July 2023.
We had planned on a different spot, but daylight was running short and we were near Moraine State Park in western PA. My parents used to live in nearby Butler, PA and I have visited the park a couple times before, so we decided Lake Arthur of Moraine State Park would do. We put-in at the Bear Run boat ramp and had a wonderful paddle on the lake. Just enough breeze, just enough shade, great bird watching, and a bewitching spruce scented breeze on the water. This was a great paddle.
Anacostia River, MD. 16 July 2023.
We finally made it home and I got to paddle on the good ol’ Anacostia River. Even though we paddle this river ~100 times/year. It is always a nice spot to paddle. While it is fun to paddle new and exciting rivers and lakes, there is no place like home.
If all humans disappeared today ,the earth would start improving tomorrow. If all the ants disappeared today ,the earth would start dying tomorrow.
David Suzuki
Pogonomyrmex barbatus. Adrian, TX. 4 July 2023.
Ants of the genus Pogonomyrmex (a.k.a. harvester ants, a.k.a. Pogos) are interesting ants. The colonies last as long as their founding Queen, which can be 30 years (Porter and Jorgensen, 1988). Their colonies can be spotted from aerial photos because the ants clear the vegetation around their nests. Pogo ants can be the top seed predators in some areas and as such they greatly influence plant species distribution and abundance (Briggs and Redak, 2016). Pogos also have the most potent venom of any insect (Schmidt 1986). I once knelt on a Pogomyrmex owyheensis colony and quickly discovered my error as I was weeping a clear exudite from the stings that soaked my socks and hiking boots. Doing field work in Pogo country it is not unusual to see a biologist to remove their pants in order to remove a single stinging Pogo ant.
Pogonomyrmex rugosus. Tucumcari, NM. 5 July 2023.
Pogos are predated upon by horned toads, which have evolved tolerance to Pogo venom. During my Pogo encounters I looked for, but did not find horned toads (which are actually cute lizards). At least I did get to see Pogos!
Pogonomyrmex rugosus. Santa Fe County, NM. 5 July 2023.
Next time you find yourself in arid country and you see bald patches in the vegetation go up and peek in on what the Pogo ants are up to. Be sure to look around the edges of the colony, because you may just find a horned toad too!
Pogonomyrmex rugosus. San Juan County, UT. 6 July 2023.Pogonomyrmex occidentalis. Malad City, ID. 7 July 2023.Pogonomyrmex occidentalis. Miles City, MT. 9 July 2023.
References:
Briggs, C.M. & R.A. Redak. 2016. Ant Pogonomyrmex rugosus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Coastal Sage Scrub: Interactions With Invasive Plant Species. Environmental Entomology, Volume 45, Issue 4, Pages 983–990,
Porter, S.D. & C.D. Jorgensen. 1988. Longevity of harvester ant colonies in southern Idaho. J. Range Manage. 41:104-107.
Schmidt, J.O. 1986. Chemistry, pharmacology and chemical ecology of ant venoms, pp. 425-508. In T. Piek [ed.], Venoms of the hymenoptera. Academic Press, London.
Dragonflies can be used as bioindicators of water quality, so the return of dragonflies to the Anacostia River is a big deal. However, adult dragonflies have wings and can occur in places where the entire life cycle is not viable. That is why documenting the flightless stages of the dragonfly life cycle is so important to be able to state that a species is capable of reproduction in a given body of water. I have put on a mask and snorkel and watched dragonfly larvae underwater, but water clarity (and quality) in the Anacostia River rarely would be conducive to this activity. Even if I did a snorkle survey of odonate larvae, are they surviving to adulthood? Recently I was lucky enough to find and document an exuvia (shed larval skin) and a teneral adult (freshly emerged and unable to fly) of Stylurus plagiatus while kayaking on the river. These sightings provide compelling evidence that the Anacostia River has changed for the better from when Orr (2001) pronounced the river dead from the viewpoint of dragonflies. Both of these sightings document a larva becoming an adult in the Anacostia River!
Exuvia of Stylurus plagiatus. Downstream from Bladensburg Waterfeont Park, Anacostia River, MD. 23 July 2023.
Dragonflies offer so much in the way of beauty and wonder. I am glad to see them back and reproductively active in the Anacostia River system.
Teneral (freshly emerged and still pumping hemolymph to inflate wings and abdomen) Stylurus plagiatus. Downstream from Bladensburg Waterfeont Park, Anacostia River, MD. 23 July 2023.
Reference
Orr, R. 2001. The Dragonflies and Damselflies (Insects: Odonata) of the Aquatic Gardens, Kenilworth Marsh, Kingman Lake/Marsh, National Arboretum and the Anacostia River from New York Avenue South to Benning Bridge (Washington, D.C.): With Notes on Butterflies and Other Natural History Observations. United States. National Park Service. 48 pages.
When shot guns were replaced with binoculars, that was a technological revolution in birdwatching that totally changed the game. Birders no longer needed the marksmanship of a John James Audbon and birdwatchers didn’t have to worry about what to do with the carcasses after a long day in the field. Birders no longer kept drawers of study skins, armed with field notebooks birders could observe behaviors that may have been difficult when shooting birds.
Well, roughly 100 years after the binocular revolution, I now go birdwatching without a notebook or field guide because I have the Sibley Guide app and eBird on my phone. These apps work so well that I do not miss the older physical versions. A bonus is that my eBird checklists can have notes and photographs all stored digitally for me to access without the clutter of multiple notebooks. I also use the iNaturalist app, but that requires photographs. I have had iNaturalist make some questionable calls (a tribute to my photographic skills?), for example: a semi-palmated plover was identified as a bald cypress.
As we were doing our 6100 mile vacation/ visiting friends and family/road trip it seemed everywhere I went I was asked: “have you tried the Merlin app?”
When we got home I downloaded the app and went out in my neighborhood. DC may not be the target environment for the Merlin app as it registered zero birds – too much traffic noise. I have used it now birding in some parks and have found it pretty cool. It develops a bird list based upon what the app hears. I am certain it will make mistakes, but it is nice to have confirmation of what you think you are hearing and it may be useful for learning new bird songs.
Ultimately birding is about learning, having fun, and enjoying nature. I have found the 3 apps I have been using to be unobtrusive and expect Merlin to be similar. I look forward to using the Merlin app in sone coastal marshes around here and in general having fun.
Even though a concrete sidewalk is only expected to last 25 to 30 years, I thought it was very cool to find a Ginkgobiloba leaf imprint in the side walk concrete and thought it fitting that a modern fossil is made of a plant that is known from the real fossil record.
It won’t last millions of years, but for now I will enjoy it.
Roseate spoonbills are cool birds. With their pink feathers and weird bills they just stand out. In the US they were once associated with the gulf coast and coastal Calfornia, but times have changed.
Screenshot from PoPville.
In 2021 there was a roseate spoonbill at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens (a large tidal wetland on the Anacostia River here in DC). I rode my bike out to Kenilworth numerous times, but never did see the bird. On the day we left for our road trip vacation in 2023 a roseate spoonbill showed up again at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens! When we got back I rode my bike out to try to spot the bird and was told the spoonbill left a few days ago. Oh well, I still went bird watching at the aquatic gardens and enjoyed some lotus blossoms.
The white/pink dot is two roseate spoonbills enjoying the low tide! Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, DC. 18 July 2023.
I went back to the aquatic gardens a couple days later and was watching a half-dozen great egrets hunting the remaining water at low tide, when I noticed something pink way out on the low tide mudflat/wetland. It wasn’t a roseate spoonbill, it was two of them! I rode my bike to a different vantage point and watched them foraging for 20 minutes or so. The views through my binoculars were much better than my cell phone photo above.
Screenshot of eBird search for roseate spoonbill sightings. 21 July 2023.
I have seen roseate spoonbills in Louisiana, but it was pretty cool to see them in DC. There seems to be quite a post-breeding movement of these birds into the area this year, as you can see from the search snapshot above.
biologistsoup 