Estuario Weekly Update
This week we share several opportunities to connect, learn about, and support the conservation of the waters connected to the San Juan Bay Estuary (SJBE). From considering a contribution to the Special Fund for the SJBE when filing your return, to participating in community activities such as the Family Day at the Condado Lagoon Natural Estuarine Reserve, we continue to create spaces for the enjoyment and protection of our ecosystems. We also invite you to the second edition of the Estuario 5K at Jardín Botánico, and learn about new professional, training and volunteer opportunities. Every action adds up in benefit of our bodies of water.
Support the SJBEP with your Refund
This filing season, consider donating your income to conservation and management actions of the waters and ecosystems connected to the SJBE.
Look for the option “Contribution to the Special Fund for the San Juan Bay Estuary”, which you will find in the “Refund” box on page 1 of your form.
This method is possible thanks to Law 48 of 2009, which establishes the Special Fund for the San Juan Bay Estuary.
Learn about the different methods available to donate to the Estuary at: estuario.org/donar.
Family Day at the Condado Lagoon Natural Estuarine Reserve
Join us for a day of learning and adventure at the Condado Lagoon Natural Estuarine Reserve, on Saturday, March 7, 2026, at Jaime Benítez Park. We will have the following activities:
[2:00 p.m.] Sports activity – Enjoy a game of badminton with family and friends.
[3:00 p.m.] Training Workshop for Water Quality Day of Puerto Rico – Get ready to participate in the eighteenth Water Quality Day of Puerto Rico. Join this workshop and be part of the citizen monitoring of the waters of our archipelago (Contacto Verde/community service).
[4:00 p.m.] Ground Cleanup of the Condado Lagoon Natural Estuarine Reserve – Join our team on this waste pickup around the Reserve (Contacto Verde/Community Service).
[6:00 p.m.] Educational talk: The wildlife of the Condado Lagoon Natural Estuarine Reserve – Learn about the species that inhabit the Reserve and their importance (Contacto Verde/community service).
Hope to see you there! No registration is required. Several activities count toward Contacto Verde or community service hours for students, as applicable. If you have any questions or comments, please email us at: [email protected].
Cine del Estuario
Cine del Estuario presents: How to Train Your Dragon (2025); on Saturday, March 7, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. at 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. No registration is required. Bring your blanket or chair.
Register for the Eighteenth Water Quality Day of Puerto Rico
On Saturday, March 7, 2026, registration officially opens for the island’s largest participatory science event, the Water Quality Day of Puerto Rico.
For the eighteenth year in a row, you’ll monitor the water quality of rivers, streams, lagoons, reservoirs, and beaches near you. You will learn how to use the monitoring kit provided by the San Juan Bay Estuary Partnership (SJBEP) and collect data that contributes to a better understanding of the health of our waters.
Create your group, choose your body of water and sign up, at estuario.org/diadecalidaddeagua. The amount of monitoring kits is limited, so we recommend signing up as soon as possible.
Come to the first training workshop, on Saturday, March 7, 2026, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Jaime Benítez Park, as part of the Family Day at the Condado Lagoon Natural Estuarine Reserve. Join us!
Estuario 5K at Jardín Botánico
The Estuario 5K is back! Join a race like no other, carried out entirely within the grounds of the botanical garden, Jardín Botánico de Río Piedras. We have an updated route, perfect for runners and walkers of all levels. You will walk along trails, appreciating streams and lakes, listening to the singing of birds and under the shade of centuries-old native trees. There will be a 1K segment for kids. The kids will have fun at their own pace!
The second edition of the Estuario 5K will be on Sunday, May 17, 2026, at 7:00 a.m. at Jardín Botánico de Río Piedras, in San Juan
The Estuario 5K is carried out with the endorsement and close collaboration of Jardín Botánico de la Universidad de Puerto Rico.
We are looking for adult volunteers for the Estuario 5K
We are looking for adult volunteers (18 years of age or older) to support during the Estuario 5K race at Jardín Botánico, from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. on May 17, 2026. The volunteers will receive a T-shirt and will have reserved parking, in the DNER building, within steps from the event. They will need to attend a virtual orientation meeting via Zoom, which we will announce later.
Sign up to volunteer for the Estuario 5K in estuario.org/eventos.
Aquatic waste reduction initiatives
In the SJBE watershed.
On Saturday, February 28, we carried out the most recent field experience for the Certification for Citizen Scientists’ Microplastic Characterization and Reduction module.
We thank Isaac Marrero, Alejandra Figueroa, Jean Paul Lopez and Priscilla Rodríguez, SJBEP Digital Content Creator, who joined us on the journey of removing, identifying and characterizing microplastics off the surface of the San José Lagoon and the Suárez Channel.
Thank you for contributing and getting involved in the restoration and conservation of our waters!
See more Certification for Citizen Scientists’ workshops and field experiences, below.
Professional Services Contract Opportunities
Certification for Citizen Scientists
Below are the activities scheduled for the coming weeks. Remember that all workshops and field experiences count toward Green Contact or community service hours. See more information in estuario.org/ccc.
Water Quality Monitoring Module
Water Quality Monitoring Workshop: Physical-chemical parameters; Thursday, March 12, at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom
Field Experience: Bacteriological Monitoring; Thursday, March 19, at 9:30 a.m. at the Condado Lagoon
Participatory Bird Census Module
Field experience of Participatory Bird Censuses; on Sunday, March 8, at 7:00 a.m. in San Juan’s Central Park
Microplastics Characterization and Reduction Module
Workshop on Characterization and Reduction of Microplastics; Tuesday, March 17, at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom
Coastal Resilience Module
Coastal Resilience Workshop: Ecological Assessment of Coral Reefs and Seagrasses; Tuesday, March 10, at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom
Field Experience: Seed Collection; Friday, March 13, at 8:00 a.m. in Piñones
Coastal Resilience Workshop: Ecological Restoration of Dunes and Mangroves; Thursday, March 19, at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom
Field Experience: Ecological Assessment of Coral Reefs; Saturday, March 21, at 8:00 a.m. at the Condado Lagoon
Field Experience: Ecological Assessment of Seagrasses; Saturday, March 21, at 12:00 p.m. at the Condado Lagoon
Weekly Water Quality Monitoring
Thanks to the volunteer who supported the bacteriological monitoring on Thursday, March 5, 2026, as part of the SJBEP Certification for Citizen Scientists Water Quality Monitoring module.
Evaluation carried out on Thursday, March 5, 2026. We have a GREEN flag for the Condado Lagoon. However, we recommend avoiding the areas that exceeded the “Beach Action Value” water quality parameter for 70 CFU/100 ML enterococci. Remember to avoid the water during rain events. Have a good weekend.
