During the morning commute to Washington, D.C., thousands of cars stream over a handful of bridges that cross the Anacostia River, the drivers oblivious to the story below. Born of fire and ice, the river was once the realm of dinosaurs, mammoths and wolves. In the geologic blink of an eye, it was transformed from a thriving artery of life to a waterway too toxic for people to swim in or eat fish from. Overshadowed by the U.S. Capitol Building, monuments and ambitions of those in the world’s most powerful country, the Anacostia was abused and forgotten.
And yet, life persists. Great blue herons soften the graffiti-marked concrete channels constructed along the river. Cottontail rabbits nibble grass at the edge of forest remnants, and skinks and snakes slither among fallen…
