Weeds are a serious problem at the Anacostia Community Boathouse.
The site is home to eight member rowing associations, whose members volunteer to maintain the facilities. Recently, they’ve begun wading into the boathouse’s bioswale — a strip of planted ground that catches and filters stormwater runoff for pollutants before it enters the Anacostia River — and pulling out invasive plants threatening its biodiversity.
Mary Ellsworth, a volunteer environmental captain at the boathouse, said the work is difficult and discouraging. Although the bioswale is performing well, she said, the state of the overall ecosystem is hard to watch.
“For people who are nature lovers and know the environment, it’s almost painful to walk through green areas that you notice are all invasives, and they are in most places along the river,” she said.
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