Lumi Anakostia

Washington, DC school children get a boat ride on the Anacostia River with U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell at the kickoff event for National Fishing and Boating Week. (Rosanne Skirble/VOA)

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service volunteer Eric Lawton gives Makayla Gray her first fishing lesson on the Anacostia. (Rosanne Skirble/VOA)

The trash strewn riverfront is across the street from the Nationals Baseball Park and adjacent to the Washington Navy Yard, named a hazardous waste site because of contamination. (Rosanne Skirble/VOA)

Volunteers do service projects to rebuild the wetland in the Anacostia River. (Photo: Anacostia Watershed Society)

Groundwork Anacostia River director Dennis Chestnut talks with Washington, DC residents Trevon Brox and Antony Smith about jobs on the river. (Rosanne Skirble/VOA)

This watershed protection team services the litter traps on the Anacostia managed by Groundwork Anacostia River, DC. (Photo: Groundwork Anacostia River, DC)

While plastic bottles remain a major problem, a new law that puts a fee on disposable bags has dramatically helped reduce the number of plastic bags in the river. (Photo: Groundwork Anacostia River DC)

The smokestacks from a closed power plant are a grim reminder of the toxic pollutants that flow into the river. (Photo: Groundwork Anacostia)

With renewed conservation efforts, wildlife is returning to the Anacostia. Boaters frequently see birds like this snowy egret. (Anacostia Watershed Society)

Sections of the Anacostia have become a paddler’s delight, like this scene near Bladensburg Park in Maryland. (Anacostia Watershed Society)