Estuario Weekly Update
An estuarine greeting! Below, we share opportunities for collaboration, volunteering, and training for this week, through initiatives and actions planned to benefit the ecosystems of the San Juan Bay Estuary and its communities.
Family Day at Condado Lagoon Natural Estuarine Reserve
On Saturday, March 2, 2024, join us for a clean-up in the Lagoon (certifiable as Contacto Verde or community service hours), a yoga session, an interpretive tour, a talk about biodiversity in the Lagoon, ecological trivia, and the Cine del Estuario feature.
There will be healthy food and juice concessionaires. The tour, the talk and the trivia will be certifiable as Contacto Verde hours. We look forward to seeing you there! See more information at: estuario.org/eventos
Cine del Estuario
Employment opportunities
Accountant – The San Juan Bay Estuary Partnership, also known as the Estuario, is seeking qualified applications for an Accountant to join our highly skilled team for projects receiving funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The ideal candidate performs a variety of tasks related to budget preparation and maintenance of grant budgets. In order to succeed in this position, the candidate must be organized and have excellent time management skills.
Operations Auditor – The San Juan Bay Estuary Partnership (Estuario) is seeking qualified applicants for the Operations Auditor contract to perform evaluation of the processes and operations, and assess financial and compliance to prevent risks of operations under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) funds.
Senior Project Lead (Juan Mendez Creek Restoration) – The San Juan Bay Estuary Partnership (Estuario) is seeking qualified applicants for the Senior Project Lead- Juan Méndez Creek position to lead project efforts in coordination with Estuario’s work and its team. This contractor will act as project liaison and will be responsible for leading the technical aspects of the project; carry out the reconnaissance study and develop the report, manage data, support coordination with USACE and carry out any other tasks needed to manage technical aspects for the Juan Mendez Creek Restoration.
Project Evaluator – The San Juan Bay Estuary Partnership (Estuario) seeks qualified applicants for the Project Evaluator contract position to document project efforts of the Juan Mendez Creek Restoration.
Green Infrastructure Specialist—BIL – The San Juan Bay Estuary Partnership (Estuario) is seeking qualified applicants for the Green Infrastructure Specialist position to carry out data collection and assessments, necessary field evaluations, assess gray/green infrastructure and collaborate with research fellows.
Field Technician – The San Juan Bay Estuary Partnership (Estuario) is seeking qualified applicants for the field technician position to conduct a rapid needs assessment, gather data, conduct analysis, document, and present the results of the rapid needs assessment.
Technical Facilitator – The San Juan Bay Estuary Partnership (Estuario) seeks a senior level expert/technical to bring support as a Technical Facilitator to lead an analysis of the conditions of the Juan Mendez Creek with the input from the Infrastructure Committee. The technical facilitator is expected to develop and present to the Infrastructure Committee recommendations for the restoration plan using the information gathered throughout the year.
Technology Consultant—Request for Proposals – The San Juan Bay Estuary Partnership, or Estuario, requests proposals from entities with the technical expertise in technology for the development of a technology platform that integrates a collaborative database and a dashboard that includes environmental monitoring data from Estuario, municipalities, and state agencies.
Estuario Internship Opportunity—Stakeholder Education & Awareness – The San Juan Bay Estuary Partnership (Estuario) seeks university-level interns to raise awareness within municipalities and educate about the importance of correct management of solid/liquid waste, including the impact of incorrect disposal of used oil and other materials on gray infrastructure and the environment.
Ve todas las oportunidades disponibles en: estuario.org/empleos
Certification for Citizen Scientists
Below are the upcoming events. We add more regularly. See more at estuario.org/ccc.
February 24 – Field trip: planting of coastal vegetation; with Andreína Alexatos, from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in the Northeast Ecological Corridor, Luquillo
February 25 – Field Trip: Ecological Assessment of Coral Reefs; with Daritzel Cintrón, from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. at Balneario del Escambrón
February 27 – Field trip: seed collection and coastal cleanup; with Andreína Alexatos, from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in Peninsula del Pescador, Piñones
February 29 – Thematic Workshop: Ecological Assessment of Marine Habitats: Coral Communities and Seagrasses; with Daritzel Cintrón, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. via Zoom
February 26 – Field Trip: Water Quality Monitoring; with Rebeca Rivera, Monitoring Coordinator, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at Embalse Las Curías and the Río Piedras
February 27 – Field Trip: Water Quality Monitoring; with Rebeca Rivera, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the San Juan Bay (boat trip)
February 28 – Field Trip: Water Quality Monitoring; with Rebeca Rivera, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at Laguna San José (boat trip)
February 29 – Field Trip: Weekly Water Quality Monitoring; with Rebeca Rivera, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Condado Lagoon
Night of Ideas with the Alliance Française of Puerto Rico
On Friday, March 1, 2024, the Estuary, together with the Alliance Française de Puerto Rico and Villa Albertine, will celebrate the event: Noche de las Ideas: un evento sobre urbanismo y ecología.
We’ll have a workshop on ecological practices and the films Los sonidos del Estuario (2023) and Tant que le soleil frappe (2022) will be screened, accompanied by an open discussion with Puerto Rican environmental planners.
The event is open to the public. See more information and separate your space, here.
Other activities
Coastal Resilience Field Trip in the Condado Lagoon:
On Saturday, February 10th, 33 volunteers planted around 800 red mangrove seedlings in the Condado Lagoon Natural Estuarine Reserve, as part of the coastal resilience module of the Estuario’s certification for citizen scientists.
In addition to planting, they participated in a brief talk about the importance of green infrastructure in coastal regions and carried out water quality monitoring in the area. We appreciate their commitment to the environmental health of our coasts and bodies of water. Thank you!
Support us with your tax refund
By making your individual contribution in 2024, support the Estuario with your tax refund. Look for the option “Contribution to the Special Fund for the San Juan Bay Estuary“, on line 1B of the “Refund” box. Read more, here.
Weekly water quality monitoring
Evaluation carried out on Thursday, February 22, 2024. We have a RED flag for the Condado Lagoon Natural Estuarine Reserve. We recommend avoiding the areas that exceeded the water quality parameter for enterococci of 70CFU/100ML. Remember to avoid all water bodies during rain events. Have a nice weekend!
