Photo: Reggie Hall/The Conservation Fund
Dozens of turtles and birds, like this egret, can be spotted all along the river. Bald eagles and blue herons are other common sightings. Over 90 percent of the wetlands along the Anacostia have been lost but recent restoration efforts have reconstituted about 20 percent. Wetlands are an important part of the river's landscape, they provide a natural filtering system as well as food and habitat for birds and other wildlife.