Jennifer McDonnell, left, installation management flight chief with the U.S. Air Force’s 11th Civil Engineer Squadron, and Ryan Soens, right, chief of environmental management with the 11th CES, place buckets of young mussels into the Potomac River at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington, D.C., Aug. 22, 2025. The 11th CES partnered with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the Anacostia Watershed Society to release the mussels, which help clean the water by filtering excess nutrient pollutants. Located at the confluence of the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers, which empty into the Chesapeake Bay watershed, JBAB provides an ideal location for the release initiative. More than 1,000 young mussels were released during the project. (U.S. Air Force photo by Hayden Hallman)

Jennifer McDonnell, the installation management flight chief with the U.S. Air Force’s 11th Civil Engineer Squadron, places mussels into a bucket to release into the Potomac River at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington, D.C., Aug. 22, 2025. The 11th CES partnered with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the Anacostia Watershed Society to release the mussels, which help clean the water by filtering excess nutrient pollutants. Located at the confluence of the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers, which empty into the Chesapeake Bay watershed, JBAB provides an ideal location for the release initiative. (U.S. Air Force photo by Hayden Hallman)

From left, Michael Hooks, an environmental engineer with the U.S. Air Force’s 11th Civil Engineer Squadron, Emma Schuldt, a volunteer, and Jennifer McDonnell, installation management flight chief with the 11th CES, attach a protective cover to buckets of young mussels to release into the Potomac River at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington, D.C., Aug. 22, 2025. The covers protect the young mussels from predators while the mussels reach maturity. The 11th CES partnered with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the Anacostia Watershed Society to release the mussels, which help clean the water by filtering excess nutrient pollutants. Located at the confluence of the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers, which empty into the Chesapeake Bay watershed, JBAB provides an ideal location for the release initiative. (U.S. Air Force photo by Hayden Hallman)

Members of the U.S. Air Force’s 11th Civil Engineer Squadron gather for a group photo next to the young mussels that they released into the Potomac River at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington, D.C., Aug. 22, 2025. The 11th CES partnered with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the Anacostia Watershed Society to release the mussels, which help clean the water by filtering excess nutrient pollutants. Located at the confluence of the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers, which empty into the Chesapeake Bay watershed, JBAB provides an ideal location for the release initiative. More than 1,000 young mussels were released during the project. (U.S. Air Force photo by Hayden Hallman)

Jennifer McDonnell, left, installation management flight chief with the U.S. Air Force’s 11th Civil Engineer Squadron, and Ryan Soens, right, chief of environmental management with the 11th CES, place buckets of young mussels into the Potomac River at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington, D.C., Aug. 22, 2025. The 11th CES partnered with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the Anacostia Watershed Society to release the mussels, which help clean the water by filtering excess nutrient pollutants. Located at the confluence of the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers, which empty into the Chesapeake Bay watershed, JBAB provides an ideal location for the release initiative. More than 1,000 young mussels were released during the project. (U.S. Air Force photo by Hayden Hallman)

Jennifer McDonnell, installation management flight chief with the U.S. Air Force’s 11th Civil Engineer Squadron, counts young mussels and places them into a bucket at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington, D.C., Aug. 22, 2025. The 11th CES partnered with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the Anacostia Watershed Society to release the mussels, which help clean the water by filtering excess nutrient pollutants. Located at the confluence of the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers, which empty into the Chesapeake Bay watershed, JBAB provides an ideal location for the release initiative. (U.S. Air Force photo by Hayden Hallman)

Sarah Payne, left, a manpower analyst with the U.S. Air Force’s 11th Civil Engineer Squadron, and Ryan Soens, chief of environmental management with the 11th CES, count and place young mussels into a bucket at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington, D.C., Aug. 22, 2025. The 11th CES partnered with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the Anacostia Watershed Society to release the mussels, which help clean the water by filtering excess nutrient pollutants. Located at the confluence of the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers, which empty into the Chesapeake Bay watershed, JBAB provides an ideal location for the release initiative. (U.S. Air Force photo by Hayden Hallman)

Emma Schuldt, left, a volunteer, measures the weight of a young mussel while Amberleigh Ray, right, an environmental engineer with the U.S. Air Force’s 11th Civil Engineer Squadron, annotates the results at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington, D.C., Aug. 22, 2025. The team measured the size and weight to determine the maturity of the mussels. The 11th CES partnered with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the Anacostia Watershed Society to release the mussels, which help clean the water by filtering excess nutrient pollutants. Located at the confluence of the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers, which empty into the Chesapeake Bay watershed, JBAB provides an ideal location for the release initiative. More than 1,000 young mussels were released during the project. (U.S. Air Force photo by Hayden Hallman)

Michael Hooks, an environmental engineer with the U.S. Air Force’s 11th Civil Engineer Squadron, measures the size of a young mussel with a dial caliper at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington, D.C., Aug. 22, 2025. The size and weight are used to determine the maturity of the mussels. The 11th CES released more than 1,000 young mussels to help clean the water off of JBAB and the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The 11th CES partnered with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the Anacostia Watershed Society to release the mussels, which help clean the water by filtering excess nutrient pollutants. Located at the confluence of the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers, which empty into the Chesapeake Bay watershed, JBAB provides an ideal location for the release initiative. (U.S. Air Force photo by Hayden Hallman)

U.S. Air Force Col. James M. Clark, far left, commander of Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling and the 11th Wing, and Jennifer McDonnell, far right, installation management flight chief with the 11th Civil Engineer Squadron, discuss environmental benefits during the young mussel release event on JBAB, Washington, D.C., Aug. 22, 2025. The 11th CES partnered with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the Anacostia Watershed Society to release the mussels, which help clean the water by filtering excess nutrient pollutants. Located at the confluence of the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers, which empty into the Chesapeake Bay watershed, JBAB provides an ideal location for the release initiative. (U.S. Air Force photo by Hayden Hallman)

Jennifer McDonnell, center, installation management flight chief with the U.S. Air Force’s 11th Civil Engineer Squadron, speaks with U.S. Air Force Col. Angelique Nelson, center right, 11th Mission Support Group commander, and Lt. Col. Daniel R. Romero, right, 11th Civil Engineer Squadron commander, during the young mussel release event at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington, D.C., Aug. 22, 2025. The 11th CES partnered with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the Anacostia Watershed Society to release the mussels, which help clean the water by filtering excess nutrient pollutants. Located at the confluence of the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers, which empty into the Chesapeake Bay watershed, JBAB provides an ideal location for the release initiative. (U.S. Air Force photo by Hayden Hallman)

Emma Schuldt, left, a volunteer, and Jennifer McDonnell, right, installation management flight chief with the 11th Civil Engineer Squadron, place sand in the bottom of a bucket during a mussel release event at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington, D.C., Aug. 22, 2025. The sand stabilized the mussel buckets and provided a similar environment to the mussels’ natural state. The 11th CES partnered with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the Anacostia Watershed Society to release the mussels, which help clean the water by filtering excess nutrient pollutants. Located at the confluence of the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers, which empty into the Chesapeake Bay watershed, JBAB provides an ideal location for the release initiative. (U.S. Air Force photo by Hayden Hallman)

Jennifer McDonnell, left, installation management flight chief with the U.S. Air Force’s 11th Civil Engineer Squadron, and Amberleigh Ray, right, an environmental engineer with the 11th CES, prepare to release young mussels into the Potomac River at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington, D.C., Aug. 22, 2025. The 11th CES partnered with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the Anacostia Watershed Society to release the mussels, which help clean the water by filtering excess nutrient pollutants. Located at the confluence of the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers, which empty into the Chesapeake Bay watershed, JBAB provides an ideal location for the release initiative. (U.S. Air Force photo by Hayden Hallman)