Estuary Update
A warm hug to our entire estuarine community!
This week we're sharing opportunities for collaboration, training, and volunteering through initiatives and actions that benefit the ecosystems of the San Juan Bay estuary and its communities. These activities, tips, and information are for everyone's benefit.
Request for Proposals — Estuary Resident Artists
The year 2022 brings another season of artist-in-residences, creating sustainable solutions for ecosystem protection and restoration, economic development, and the cultural celebration of communities in the Estuary watershed. We are seeking artists to develop two projects focused on climate change adaptation and the integration of blue economy initiatives.
Christmas bird censuses “Gamaliel Pagán Hernández”
Save the date!
The Estuary is already coordinating with natural area managers in the basin to schedule the traditional Christmas bird censuses in collaboration with the Audubon Society.
This year, as part of our COVID protocols, we will be reducing the number of participants for each event. It begins on December 14, 2021 and extends to January 5, 2022. These censuses will count as contact hours for the Citizen Scientist Certification of the Estuary, therefore we invite all people who have already completed the theoretical workshops to participate.
Stay tuned to our social media channels for more details.
Citizen Scientist Certification
Become a certified citizen scientist with Estuary. Don't miss the elective workshop. Water Quality: Bacteriological Analysis, Wednesday, November 17, 2021, at 5 PM via Zoom.
Register today.
Community Action
Cupey Bajo community joins the Estuary efforts
The Estuary, through its Illegal Discharge Monitoring and Remediation Project, works to restore and conserve the water quality of the ecosystems within the Estuary's watershed. Integrating communities into the identification of these discharges and monitoring the health of their water bodies is crucial to the project's success.
The community of Cupey Bajo joined this project by identifying a polluting condition in the Guano Creek, which runs near the community and flows into the Piedras River. Following this notification, our team confirmed a sewage overflow during their visit to the area and contacted the relevant agencies for its correction. This incident was caused by a hydraulic malfunction that has already been repaired. This demonstrates the communities' ability to immediately detect polluting situations, which is a great asset in managing and protecting our waterways.
We invite you to be part of this effort. To learn how to report conditions like this, access our environmental complaints protocol:
You can also join the Community Water Network:
Weekly water quality monitoring
Below, we share the results of the weekly bacteriological monitoring, carried out on Wednesday, November 10, 2021. These results are also published through our social media channels.
this week we have green flag For the County Lagoon Estuarine Reserve, we continue to observe some areas with red flags; therefore, we recommend avoiding recreational use in those areas and being alert for precipitation events.
Media coverage
Alvarado León, G. November 7, 2021. Will provide advice on environmental justice. Environment Today. El Nuevo Día. P.42.
Message from your Virtual Community Center
Estuary urges you to download the Community Hurricane Preparedness Guide and follow their recommendations this season. The strength and resilience of your community begins at home. This November, we continue to urge communities to recognize the risks of natural disasters and stay informed during this time.
To learn about Risk Mitigation and identify risks, conditions, and community assets in your community, go to: https://estuario.org/
Take advantage of our information platform, the Virtual Estuary Community Center, where you will find vital information to prepare yourself along with your family and community.
The restoration and water quality management efforts in the San Juan Bay estuary watershed are made possible by our supporters. Donations to the Estuary are tax-deductible in Puerto Rico and the United States.
For more information, access https://estuario.org/donar/.
Tune in to our social media channels, where we share information, including various virtual activities that will contribute to your knowledge and personal and professional development. For any questions or inquiries, please contact us through [contact information missing]. [email protected].
We invite you to register as a volunteer, HERE.
