Estuario Weekly Update
This week, the San Juan Bay Estuary Partnership (SJBEP) invites you to a day of educational fun with your family at the Condado Lagoon Natural Estuarine Reserve, with workshops and trails focused on the restoration and management of our waters. We also bring you opportunities for volunteering, community involvement, and Certification for Citizen Scientists activities, through which you can add Contacto Verde or community service hours, as applicable. See the upcoming activities, below.
Family Day
Join us for the next Family Day at the Condado Lagoon Natural Estuarine Reserve, on Saturday, December 6, 2025, starting at 3:30 p.m. at Jaime Benitez Park. We will have an art workshop, a botanical trail through the Reserve and a workshop on the importance of dunes and mangroves for our coasts.
The botanical tour and dune and mangrove workshop will count towards Contacto Verde or community service hours. See more details at: estuario.org/eventos. Hope to see you there!
Cine del Estuario
Cine del Estuario presents a new feature of Superman (2025); on Saturday, December 6, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. in the Jaime Benítez Park of the Condado Lagoon Natural Estuarine Reserve. The film will be screened in Spanish, with English subtitles. This feature is free of charge. Bring your blanket or chair!
Meeting for friends of the Condado Lagoon
Don’t miss the next meeting of Amigos de la Laguna, on Wednesday, December 3, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. at the Jaime Benítez Park of the Condado Lagoon Natural Estuarine Reserve, with virtual space available through Zoom. Everyone is invited.
To receive your virtual access link, sign up at: estuario.org/eventos.
Reducing aquatic waste in our estuarine waters
Be part of the recycling and waste reduction initiatives across the San Juan Bay Estuary (SJBE) watershed:
Volunteers for recycling stations at Taller Comunidad La Goyco
We have remaining spaces for one of the shifts at the recycling stations for the Christmas Lighting of Taller Comunidad La Goyco, on Saturday, December 6, 2025.
Your participation will count as field experience for the Estuario Certification for Citizen Scientists’ Microplastics Characterization and Reduction module. The shifts are three hours long each.
Sign up today, HERE.
Research and Study Proposals—Estuario Fellowship for Graduate Students
SJBEP will offer a scholarship for graduate students to develop and carry out studies aimed at understanding and addressing the complex problems identified at the Juan Méndez Creek, in San Juan. Interested parties are encouraged to focus their research proposals on topics related to ecosystem analysis, innovative problem-solving strategies, and community outreach.
The deadline is December 15, 2025. The period is six months. The scholarship is $10,000 for master’s students, $15,000 for doctoral students. More information available here.
Employment Opportunity
Professional Services Contract Opportunity
Certification for Citizen Scientists
Below are the activities scheduled for the coming weeks. Estuario Certification for Citizen Scientists’ workshops and field experiences count toward Contacto Verde or community service hours. See more information at: estuario.org/ccc.
Water Quality Monitoring
Water Quality Monitoring Workshop: Bacteriological monitoring; Tuesday, December 9, at 7:00 p.m. on Zoom
Water Quality Monitoring Workshop: Physical-chemical parameters; Thursday, December 11, at 7:00 p.m. on Zoom
Characterization and Reduction of Microplastics
Workshop on Characterization and Reduction of Microplastics; Tuesday, December 2, at 7:00 p.m. on Zoom
Coastal Resilience
Coastal Resilience Workshop: Ecological restoration of dunes and mangroves; Tuesday, November 25, at 7:00 p.m. on Zoom
Field experience: Planting coastal vegetation; Saturday, November 29, at 8:00 a.m. in Piñones
Field Experience: Seed and plant propagation; on Sunday, November 30, at 8:00 a.m. at Centro TAU, Loíza
Media coverage
November 14, 2025. Estuario de la Bahía de San Juan anuncia programa de becas para investigación ambiental. Ciencia y Ambiente. El Nuevo Día. Web. https://www.elnuevodia.com/ciencia-ambiente/otros/notas/estuario-de-la-bahia-de-san-juan-anuncia-programa-de-becas-para-investigacion-ambiental/?cache=uwz99
November 17, 2025. Abren convocatoria de becas para investigaciones relacionadas a la quebrada Juan Méndez. El Vocero. Web. https://www.elvocero.com/actualidad/abren-convocatoria-de-becas-para-investigaciones-relacionadas-a-la-quebrada-juan-m-ndez/article_3a4dddff-b373-405a-8d4b-8715911ff3ba.amp.html
November 17, 2025. Ofrecen beca para investigación sobre la restauración de la quebrada Juan Méndez en San Juan. Locales. Metro Puerto Rico. Web. https://www.metro.pr/noticias/2025/11/17/ofrecen-beca-para-investigacion-sobre-la-restauracion-de-la-quebrada-juan-mendez-en-san-juan/
Prepare for Hurricane Season
Get ready for this hurricane season. Download the Estuario Community Hurricane Preparedness Guide and follow its recommendations. Your community’s preparation begins at home.
Also visit the Estuario Virtual Community Hub, where you’ll find vital information such as relevant emergency numbers and instructions for preparing emergency backpacks.
Don’t get scared! Get prepared.
Weekly water quality monitoring
Thanks to the volunteers who supported the bacteriological monitoring of Thursday, November 20, 2025, as part of the Estuario Certification for Citizen Scientists’ Water Quality Monitoring module. Up next, the results:
Evaluation carried out on Thursday, November 20, 2025. We have a RED flag for the Condado Lagoon. We recommend avoiding the areas that exceeded the «Beach Action Value» water quality parameter for enterococci of 70 CFU/100 ML. Remember to avoid the water during rain events.
