Self-Guided Habitat Tour

Introduction

Welcome to the Kingman and Heritage Islands Self-Guided Habitat Tour. Whether you’re a first-time visitor or a regular to the island, we hope you learn and experience something new about this oasis within the city! The online map shows all the stops on the tour, additional points of interest, and options for English, Spanish, and ASL interpretations. The tour can be done in any order, and tour trail markers will have QR codes to access the audio chapter from the website. 

As you wander along the trails, take a moment to appreciate the sights and sounds. Through the dedication of environmental organizations, community volunteers, and a dedicated government, Kingman and Heritage Islands serve as a testament to the power of collective action in urban conservation and restoration. 

Wetlands are the feature of this tour, but history and climate clips are interwoven into the stories you will hear. We hope you enjoy learning and exploring the islands. 

This tour is brought to you by the District Department of Energy and Environment and funded by an EPA Region 3 Wetland Program Development Grant. Thank you to our partners at Living Classrooms and Anacostia Watershed Society for their collaboration in this project development. 

Land Acknowledgement

The Department of Energy and Environment upholds an intimate relationship between the natural environment and the built environment of Washington, DC, and acknowledges the complex history of the land upon which it sits. We recognize that the District of Columbia occupies the unceded ancestral land of the Nacotchtank, the sacred site of the Nacostine or Anacostan people, and the unceded ancestral land of the Piscataway people. We acknowledge the more than a dozen tribal nations living across the region that for centuries have served as environmental stewards of the Anacostia and Potomac watersheds, the broader Chesapeake Bay watershed, and the land today considered part of Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia.  

Tour Topics & Locations

  • Head to this next stop. Then click here or scan the QR code to learn more about the tidal freshwater wetland habitat surrounding Kingman + Heritage Islands.

  • Head to this next stop. Then click here or scan the QR code to learn about the vernal pool habitat on Kingman Island.

  • Head to this next stop. Then click here or scan the QR code to learn about the Anacostia River and the creation of Kingman + Heritage Islands.

  • Head to this next stop. Then click here or scan the QR code to learn more about the Anacostia Watershed.

  • Head to this next stop. Then click here or scan the QR code to learn about the Kingman Island Meadow.

  • Head to this next stop. Then click here or scan the QR code to learn about the submerged aquatic vegetation habitats surrounding Kingman + Heritage Islands.

  • Head to this next stop. Then click here or scan the QR code to learn about the mussel habitats surrounding Kingman + Heritage Islands.