Estuario Weekly Update
Estuarine greetings. Up next, we share with you the upcoming activities, training and volunteer opportunities and professional growth options slated in benefit of the conservation and management of the waters connected to the San Juan Bay Estuary (SJBE). Keep reading!
Family Day
Join us for our Family Day at the Condado Lagoon Natural Estuarine Reserve, on Saturday, August 1, 2026, starting at 2:00 p.m. at Jaime Benitez Park. We will have opportunities to accumulate Contacto Verde or community service hours, such as workshops, a seed collection activity, and an interpretive tour. See the agenda at: estuario.org/eventos
See you at Jaime Benítez Park! All minors must be accompanied by an adult. No registration is required. Any questions or comments, email us at: [email protected]
Cine del Estuario
Cine del Estuario presents: Elio; on Saturday, August 1, 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. Bring your blanket or chair!
Artist-in-Residence exhibition
We share with you the invitation of the San Juan Bay Estuary Partnership (SJBEP)’s Artist-in-Residence, Antonio Martorell and his Friends, to the exhibition, El Estuario no está quieto (The Estuary isn’t quiet), on Saturday, August 8, 2026, starting at 1:00 p.m. at Taller Comunidad La Goyco.
The artist collective led by Maestro Martorell joins the artists-in-residence of past years, who, since 2018, have employed various creative ways to foster connection and experimentation among the resilient communities of the SJBE through art. Don’t miss the result of this historic residence!
See more information, including the agenda of activities, at: estuario.org/eventos
See you there!
Interpretive trail in Piñones
Join us for the next interpretive trail through the green spaces connected to the SJBE, on Saturday, August 15, 2026, at 8:00 a.m. in the Piñones State Forest. Register today, at: estuario.org/eventos
This interpretive tour counts toward Contacto Verde or community service hours. All minors must be accompanied by an adult, who must register separately.
Employment Opportunity
Professional Services Contract Opportunity
Enroll in the Graduate Course: CIAM 8990
CIAM 8990: Innovative Approaches for Sustainable Water Resource Infrastructure; is an interdisciplinary course integrated into multiple sectors for the study of Socio-Ecological-Technological Systems (SETs). The project to revert the channeling of the Juan Méndez Creek will be presented as a case study and space to apply knowledge.
It seeks to offer and bring the student closer to the theory and tools to address aspects related to SETs when conducting research that promotes the resilience of highly vulnerable regions. The course is theoretical-practical and will integrate and apply the concepts of “systems thinking,” “collaborative work,” “integration with communities” and “interdisciplinary research.”
The course is open to graduate students from multiple faculties and programs (e.g. Natural Sciences, Planning, Social Sciences, Architecture, Engineering, Public Health).
At the end of the course, students will create a research proposal using the Juan Méndez Creek as a case study to compete for a 1-year scholarship (stipend) ($20,000 master’s, $30,000 doctorate). For more information, contact Dr. Jorge Ortiz Zayas (Dept. of Environmental Sciences, UPR-Río Piedras) at: [email protected]
Students selected for scholarship
With great enthusiasm, SJBEP presents the graduate level students selected for the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 (IIJA)-sponsored study and research scholarship, through which they will contribute scientific and technical data, as well as analysis pertinent to the restoration and management of the Juan Méndez Creek, in San Juan, PR. These scholarship recipients completed the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras (UPR-RP)’s Department of Environmental Sciences graduate course: Innovative approaches for a sustainable water infrastructure and are part of the group of professionals trained to solve complex problems. Congratulations!
Verónica Olivo-Marrero, M.S., a student in the doctoral program in Biology at the UPR-RP Campus, where she works as a teaching assistant.
Research: Evaluation of the capacity of assimilation of pollutants in the Juan Méndez Creek. The project will evaluate the capacity to assimilate nutrients, sediment and carbon in channeled and non-channeled sections of this body of water.
“My motivation for doing the fellowship was more than a personal challenge, it was to apply my scientific knowledge to solve a tangible problem. Using the Juan Mendez Creek as a case study allowed me to combine both passions: water quality and laboratory analysis, taking into account the health of the ecosystem and the communities that surround it.
With my research I seek to determine the assimilative capacity of the Juan Méndez Creek, evaluating the different incoming pollutants, mainly from sanitary discharges and solid waste. I will evaluate three segments with geomorphological and hydrological differences. These results will help support the hypothesis of dysbiosis, an alteration of microbial composition, which is part of my dissertation. With these results I will be able to evidence the geomorphological and hydrological features that must be preserved in the restored tropical streams to ensure their assimilative capacity.”
Xavier A. García-López, PhD student in Environmental Sciences at UPR-RP. He has experience in projects developed at NASA DEVELOP, the United States Geological Survey and the University of Puerto Rico, where he currently works at as a research assistant.
Research: Spatial-temporal dynamics of the contributions of the Juan Méndez Creek to the San José and Los Corozos lagoons using optical and thermal remote sensing.
“I was motivated to do the fellowship with the SJBEP because these ecosystems are especially interesting to me. They interact with saline water, continental surface water and, in some cases, groundwater. This interaction generates dynamic and complex environmental conditions. For this reason, estuaries require continuous monitoring and study.
With my project I seek to develop a methodology to identify, quantify and characterize the discharge plumes generated by the Juan Méndez and San Antón streams, both tributaries of the San José lagoon. I use image processing and analysis techniques obtained with the MSI multispectral optical sensor of Sentinel-2. In addition, I analyze changes in water surface temperature using thermal sensors aboard the Landsat 8 and 9 satellites. This information will make it possible to assess the spatial and temporal variability of discharges and their possible effect on water quality. The results will contribute to strengthening environmental monitoring in this area.”
Certification for Citizen Scientists
Below are the activities for the coming weeks. Remember that the workshops and field experiences count toward Contacto Verde or community service hours. Minors must be accompanied by an adult, who must register separately. See more information and register, at: estuario.org/ccc
Water Quality Monitoring Module
Water Quality Monitoring Workshop: Bacteriological monitoring; Thursday, August 6, at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom
Field Experience: Bacteriological Monitoring; Thursday, Aug. 13, at 9:30 a.m. at the Condado Lagoon
Water Quality Monitoring Workshop: Physical-chemical parameters; Thursday, August 13, at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom
Microplastics Characterization and Reduction Module
Workshop on Characterization and Reduction of Microplastics; Tuesday, August 11, at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom
Coastal Resilience Module
Coastal Resilience Workshop: Ecological restoration of dunes and mangroves; Tuesday, August 4, at 7:00 p.m. on Zoom
Field experience: Planting coastal vegetation; Saturday, August 8, at 8:00 a.m. at the Condado Lagoon
Coastal Redsilience Workshop: Ecological Assessment of Coral Reefs and Seagrasses; on Wednesday, August 12, at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom
Field Experience: Seed Collection; Saturday, August 15, at 8:00 a.m. in Hato Rey
Field Experience: Ecological Assessment of Coral Reefs; Saturday, August 15, at 8:00 a.m. at the Condado Lagoon
Field Experience: Ecological Assessment of Seagrasses; Saturday, August 15, at 12:00 p.m. at the Condado Lagoon
Prepare for Hurricane Season
This 2026 hurricane season, SJBEP urges you to be prepared. Download the Community Hurricane Preparedness Guide and follow its recommendations. Protecting your community starts 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 be scared! Get prepared.
Weekly water quality monitoring
Evaluation carried out on Thursday, July 30, 2026. We have a GREEN flag for the Condado Lagoon. We recommend, however, 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.
