Estuario Weekly Update
Soon we begin a new year, with our sights set on the care of our waters and surrounding communities. May this 2026 find us collaborating, learning, and acting for a healthier and more sustainable future for everyone. Happy New Year!
Below, we share the recent actions and resources that highlight the work to strengthen the San Juan Bay Estuary (SJBE) and its watershed.
Gamaliel Pagán Hernández Christmas Bird Census
Today, Friday, December 26, we begin the 2025-2026 season of the Gamaliel Pagán Hernández Christmas Bird Census.
There’s available spaces for several dates still. Join us in assessing the health of the ecosystems connected to the SJBE, through the counting and documentation of endemic and migratory birds. We will continue until Saturday, January 10, 2026.
Censuses will count toward Contacto Verde or community service hours. View the calendar and register today, at estuario.org/eventos.
Actions for coastal resilience
On Sunday, December 7, 2025, we carried out a coastal vegetation planting as a Certification for Citizen Scientists’ Coastal Resilience module field experience, at Pocita de Piñones. 40 young ASEZ STAR volunteers joined us, led by Green Infrastructure Coordinator, Andreína Alexatos.
They planted around 1,005 coastal species, including red mangrove, green buttonwood and baybean, in a stretch of approximately 68 meters. In addition to planting, the participants received an educational talk on the ecological importance of these species and their role in protecting our coasts.
On Sunday, December 14, ten volunteers participated in the propagation of coastal plants in the nursery Vivero Estuario, located at Centro TAU, in Piñones. After an introductory talk, they transplanted white mangrove and green buttonwood seedlings, followed by cleaning and weeding work in the site.
These actions are essential to ensure the proper development of the plants that, in the future, will be part of coastal restoration projects in the region.
We appreciate the energy and enthusiasm of both groups and applaud their commitment to the restoration and sustainable management of the natural infrastructure of our coasts. The Coastal Resilience module workshops and field experiences will continue in early 2026.
Weekly water quality monitoring
Evaluation carried out on Tuesday, December 23, 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.
