Weekly Estuary Update
Greetings from the estuary! Through our weekly update, we share scheduled events and opportunities for collaboration, training, and volunteering that benefit the San Juan Bay estuary, its ecosystems, and communities.
Family day out
Thank you to everyone who joined us for the most recent Family Day Out at the Condado Lagoon Estuarine Nature Reserve on Saturday, December 7, 2024! This time, we focused on celebrating World Soil Day.
We began at 3:00 p.m. with a sporting activity—several people approached us to join a game of badminton. Then, Yomaries González Bermúdez, from the organization Arte-Suelo-Ser, gave us a presentation on the different types of soil in Puerto Rico and their importance within estuarine ecosystems. The 41 people present learned about soil aggregates, porosity, organic matter, and other related topics.
After the talk, we took a botanical tour of the Reserve, where we highlighted the importance of the soils and their dynamic relationship with the San Juan Bay estuary. We learned about the symbiotic relationships between legumes and nitrogen-fixing bacteria, about organic mulch, the productivity of mangrove forests, and more. Thirty-five people joined the walk.
At the end of the afternoon, author Miriam Rosado Reyes delighted approximately 41 young people and adults with a reading from her book, Monarca. We concluded the day at the Estuary Cinema, where we screened the film Trolls Band Together. We thank José Ramos, administrator of Jaime Benítez Park, Yomaries González Bermúdez, the Arte-Suelo-Ser organization, and author Miriam Rosado Reyes for their collaboration.
See you again on February 1, 2025!
Christmas lights switched on at La Goyco
Through the community campaign, It should not touch the floor or reach the water. The Estuary was part of the Christmas lighting ceremony at Taller Comunidad La Goyco on Saturday, December 7, 2024. A total of 31 volunteers from the Estuary were present at the event's recycling stations, through which three bags of mixed materials, three bags of aluminum, one bag of plastic, 17 pounds of compostable materials, and 25 pounds of food scraps were collected.
Thank you to the volunteers who joined us!
The hours invested counted as field experience for the thematic module on Characterization and Reduction of Microplastics, of the certification of citizen scientists of the Estuary.
Clean Water and Healthy Communities Festival
The Estuary was one of the coordinators and collaborators of the first Aquafest: Clean Water and Healthy Communities Festival United for Prevention, held on Saturday, December 7, 2024, at Finca Higuaca in Cabo Rojo. Efforts like this are part of the actions within Puerto Rico's Strategic Plan to Reduce Aquatic Waste. The Estuary, along with other organizations, participated in the event by providing educational information booths.
As part of the festival activities, Estuary Public Policy Advisor Stacy Larancuent participated in the Law 51-2022 PanelLaw to Prohibit the Sale and Use of Single-Use Plastics in All Commercial, Sales and Distribution Premises Authorized to Conduct Business in Accordance with the Laws of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.”
The festival had an approximate participation of 500 people, who benefited from the educational activities, exhibitions, music, food and artisans, all focused on increasing knowledge of the problem of aquatic waste pollution, and how to prevent it.
AquaFest will return in 2025.
12th anniversary of the Green Island Reef Marine Reserve
The Estuary celebrates the collaborators of the Isla Verde Reef Marine Reserve, who, on the occasion of its twelfth anniversary, will be carrying out water quality monitoring activities, beach cleaning, planting and dune maintenance in the Reserve, on Saturday, December 14, 2024, from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm
Stop by the News Kiosk! Learn more here.
Second Recycling Pop-Up in Loíza
On Saturday, December 14, 2024, bring your recyclables to the second Recycling Pop-up in Loíza, a monthly collection event where you can properly dispose of plastics (#1, #2 and #5), aluminum, brass and corrugated cardboard that you no longer use.
The pickup will be from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm at the Miguel Fuentes Pinet Stadium, in Loíza.
Enjoy!
Mangrove monitoring in County Lagoon
On Saturday, November 23, 2024, a group of 14 participants conducted a seeding monitoring activity at Playita San Gerónimo in the Condado Lagoon, as part of the Coastal Resilience module of the Estuary's Citizen Scientist Certification program. During the activity, the importance of mangrove ecosystems in the estuary was emphasized, and seeds of red mangrove, white mangrove, black mangrove, and button mangrove were collected. The activity was led by coordinators Agnes Pagán and Andreína Alexatos.
Certification of scientific citizens
Below, we share the scheduled events for the coming weeks. See more information about the certification, thematic modules, and available registration at [link to website/website]. estuary.org/ccc.
Water Quality Monitoring Module:
Microplastics Characterization and Reduction Module:
Coastal Resilience Module:
Job opportunities
Green Infrastructure Coordinator (full time staff position)
Estuary Project Coordinator- Environmental Indicators Monitoring
Communications Consultant (Support)
Analyst – Resource and Waste Management
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) RESEARCH AND STUDY PROPOSALS – ESTUARIO FELLOWSHIP FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS
Media coverage
César R. Candelario Febles. December 8, 2024. Certification within everyone's reach. Environment Today. El Nuevo Día. pp. 40-41.
Weekly bacteriological monitoring
Assessment conducted on Thursday, December 12, 2024. We have a GREEN flag for County Lagoon. One station exceeded the Beach Action Value water quality standard of 70 CFU/100 ML. We recommend avoiding this area. Remember to avoid the water during rain events.
