Estuario Weekly Update
Estuarine greetings! Below, we share the events, initiatives, and training and collaboration opportunities programmed in benefit of the waters, ecosystems and communities connected to the San Juan Bay Estuary (SJBE).
Support the San Juan Bay Estuary Partnership with your refund
This new tax season, use your refund to donate towards the conservation and management actions of the ecosystems of the SJBE.
Look for the option “Contribution to the San Juan Bay Estuary Special Fund,” located in line 1B of the “Refund” box of your form.
This method is possible thanks to Act 48 of 2009, which established the San Juan Bay Estuary Special Fund.
Learn about the different methods available to donate to the San Juan Bay Estuary Partnership (SJBEP), in estuario.org/donar/.
Family Day at the Condado Lagoon Natural Estuarine Reserve
The next Family Day at the Condado Lagoon Natural Estuarine Reserve will be on Saturday, March 1, 2025, starting at 2:00 p.m. on the grounds of Jaime Benítez Park. We will have the following activities:
• Sports activity [2:00 p.m.]
• Condado Lagoon Natural Estuarine Reserve Cleanup (2 hours of community service) [3:00 p.m.]
• Workshop: Wildlife in the San Juan Bay Estuary Watershed (1 hour for Contacto Verde) [5:30 p.m.]
• Wildlife Trivia (30 minutes for Contacto Verde) [6:30 p.m.]
• Cine del Estuario Presents: Wicked [7:00 p.m.]
The Family Day is free of charge. No registration is required to participate. If you have any questions, please send us an email to: [email protected]. See you there!
Learn about the project for the Economic Valuation of the San Juan Bay Estuary
If you live, work or play in the metropolitan region of San Juan, Puerto Rico, we invite you to learn about the Economic Valuation of the San Juan Bay Estuary, on Friday, February 21, 2025, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. virtually, through Zoom.
The SJBEP is conducting a comprehensive economic valuation of the ecosystem goods and services provided by the SJBE. The results of the study will educate the public, government agency personnel, and elected officials about the importance of restoring and conserving this estuarine system.
Register for the briefing today, here.
Estuario 5K at Jardín Botánico de Río Piedras
Don’t miss the first Estuario 5K, on March 23, 2025, at 7:00 a.m. at the Jardín Botánico de Río Piedras, San Juan. Walk along trails, appreciate streams and lakes, and listen to the singing of birds under the shade of native and centuries-old trees. There are spaces left still! Sign up today.
Registration includes a commemorative shirt, medal at the end of the 5K, runner number, chip to record the duration of your race, hydration, and access to educational tables at the end of the race.
For an additional cost, you can get the opportunity to enter the raffle for the VIP Concert Experience of Bad Bunny’s No me quiero ir de aquí.
The Estuario 5K is carried out with the endorsement and close collaboration of the Jardín Botánico de la Universidad de Puerto Rico.
Water Quality Day of Puerto Rico
The seventeenth Water Quality Day of Puerto Rico will be on Saturday, April 5, 2025, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Registration for the event opens in early March. Mark your calendar!
We are still recruiting collaborators to help with tasks like providing training workshops, distributing kits and establishing water quality monitoring points open to the public. If you would like to participate as a Water Quality Day collaborator, see more information here.
Recycling pop-up in Loíza
On Saturday, February 15, 2025, LimPiaR will have its next Recycling Pop-up, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Parque Miguel Fuentes Pinet, in Loíza. Bring your plastics (#1, #2, #5), aluminum, brass, and corrugated cardboard. This collection event takes place on the third Saturday of every month.
The SJBEP will be present during this event. Look for our information table, where you will learn about the initiatives for the restoration and management of the waters connected to the SJBE, including the collaborative campaign with LimPiaR: Deja una huella limpia en Piñones.
Participatory bird census in Carolina
On Saturday, February 8, 2025, we carried out the most recent field experience of the Participatory Bird Census module of the certification of citizen scientists of the Estuary. A total of 234 individuals of 33 species were observed at Laguna Blasina, in Carolina.
Thank you, to all the citizen scientists who joined us! Every month, we hold workshops and field experiences for the Participatory Bird Census module. See more information at: estuario.org/ccc.
Seeds collection in Piñones
On Saturday, February 1, as part of the Coastal Resilience module of Estuario’s Certification for Citizen Scientists, 22 participants collected red mangrove, white mangrove, black mangrove, and button mangrove seeds at the Piñones State Forest.
The experience included an educational talk on how to identify these trees and their growth stages. In addition, the volunteers processed about 500 propagules collected the day before, and beach bean seeds collected a few months ago. This event was led by the arborist, Andreína Alexatos.
Certification for Citizen Scientists
Below are the upcoming scheduled events. See more information at: estuario.org/ccc.
Microplastics Characterization and Reduction Module
Workshop on the characterization and reduction of microplastics; Tuesday, February 18, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. via Zoom
Field experience; Saturday, February 22, from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. at San Juan Bay
Coastal Resilience Module
Field experience—planting coastal vegetation; on Saturday, February 15, from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on the Guajataca River, Quebradillas
Learn more and sign up today, at estuario.org/ccc.
Weekly water quality monitoring
Evaluation carried out on Thursday, February 13, 2025. We have a GREEN flag for the Condado Lagoon. However, we recommend avoiding the areas that exceeded the Beach Action Value water quality parameter of 70 CFU/100 ML. Remember to avoid water during rain events.
