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Connecting Washingtonians to the Anacostia River can be as simple as offering free boat trips.
On a recent Saturday morning, one woman stood near the Anacostia boat ramp watching people board the Anacostia Riverkeeper鈥檚 boat for an hourlong trip from Kingman Island to the Benning Road Bridge.
One more spot was still available when Anacostia Riverkeeper Trey Sherard asked the woman, 鈥淲e鈥檝e got more room, would you like to join us? It鈥檚 free!鈥�
The woman who identified herself simply as Jamiyah told 草莓传媒 she hesitated because she was just out for her regular walk along the Anacostia River Trail and didn鈥檛 have any money with her.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know whether there was a charge鈥� for the trip, but once told that there was no fee, 鈥淲ell, I said OK!鈥� she said with a smile.
After the ride, Jamiyah, a resident of D.C.鈥檚 Ward 7, said of the trip, 鈥淚t鈥檚 an adventure!鈥� and added she would plan to bring her grandchildren for a ride in the future.
Another native Washingtonian, Kim Davis, was also on board for the ride. She told 草莓传媒 she鈥檇 visited the parks alongside the river with her family as a child, but had never actually been on the Anacostia River before.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 think I could even feel more connected,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 hope more people come down and enjoy it.鈥�
Public and private tours are offered, and those along for the ride get a chance to learn about the health of the river, the history of the area and the wildlife that is often spotted along the way.
On a sunny August morning, James Mitchell, a summer associate with the Anacostia Riverkeeper helped birders on board spot everything from hawks to kingbirds, calling out at one point, 鈥淵ou鈥檝e got another heron as well, at one o鈥檆lock,鈥� allowing those with binoculars or cameras to lock in on the position of the birds.
Anacostia Riverkeeper Trey Sherard said the Anacostia River Explorers tours are partially funded through the D.C. Department of Energy and Environment. That includes money generated from D.C.鈥檚 bag fees.
The tours are important, Sherard said, 鈥渂ecause people who have actually lived in D.C. for their lifetime, or even generations鈥� haven鈥檛 been on the river before.
While the passengers on board enjoy the rides, Sherard said the chance to show people the beauty they may drive by every day is one of his favorite things about his job.
鈥淭his river is gorgeous. And people need to see it so that they can begin to fall in love with it and build a relationship with it, and they become stewards themselves once we have that connection,” he said.
