An Anacostia Ode in List Form
It's the Anacostia's Time Now
By Adam Ortiz
The Anacostia is the best river in the region. There, I said it. If your eyebrows are raised, or if you are scoffing audibly…just hang with me for a minute. Don’t get me wrong—we all know and have great love for the Potomac. But it’s the Anacostia’s time now.
The river and its tributaries are accessible by EVERY Metro line
Dozens of miles of waterfront running and cycling trails from the new Anacostia River Trail (ART)
The U.S. Arboretum
Bald Eagles…lots of them
Turtles…lots of them
A bird that can swim (the Cormorant!)
Fishing (and yes, you can eat most of them)
A bunch of restaurants and breweries on the trail network
Approximately 4,000 picnic areas
Kayak, canoe, and standup paddleboard rentals (Bladensburg, Wharf, Nationals Park, and more)
The 11th Street Bridge Park (coming soon)
Golfing (13 locations!)
The Kingman Island Folk and Bluegrass Festival (A.K.A., Utopia)
The best kite flying location anywhere (Colmar Manor Ballfields)
A battlefield site (Bladensburg)
Major League Baseball All-Star Game (July 17!)
An outdoor roller rink (really!), and
Most of the river and its trails are flanked by parks and forests, not highways!
It’s the Anacostia’s Time Now by Adam Ortiz is an excerpt from the MWCOG Region Forward Blog. Adam is the Director of the Prince George’s County Dept. of Environment, Chair of the Anacostia Watershed Restoration Partnership, and an unapologetic Anacostia River partisan.