Weekly Estuary Update
This week, we're sharing more actions and opportunities to continue caring for the waters and ecosystems connected to the San Juan Bay estuary. We appreciate the commitment of all the people, communities, and partners who have been part of our efforts throughout 2025. In this time of reflection and togetherness, we wish you happy holidays filled with well-being, hope, and connection to nature.
The most recent family outing was a success.
The family day out on December 6th began with a linoleum printing workshop on repurposed textiles, led by student artist Camila Meléndez Cruz. Participants painted t-shirts and fabric scraps using estuarine imagery, such as manatees, green turtles, and pelicans, among others.
We took a tour with the botanist, Mario García, where we learned about the diversity and importance of the flora of the Condado Lagoon Estuarine Nature Reserve and how it supports the conservation of the water quality of the San Juan Bay Estuary.
The arborist, Andreína Alexatos, facilitated the Coastal Resilience workshop: Ecological restoration of dunes and mangroves; where we learned about the importance of mangroves and dunes for coastal resilience and water quality.
The Family Day Out concluded with Estuary Cinema, during which we enjoyed the film Superman (2025). The next Family Day Out at the County Lagoon Estuarine Nature Reserve will be on Saturday, February 7, 2026. See you then!
Christmas Bird Censuses Gamaliel Pagán Hernández
The Gamaliel Pagán Hernández Christmas Bird Censuses are back!
Join us as we assess the health of ecosystems connected to the San Juan Bay estuary by counting and documenting its endemic and migratory birds. The censuses begin on Friday, December 26, 2025, and continue until Saturday, January 10, 2026.
The censuses will count towards Green Contact hours or community service. Check the calendar and register today. en estuary.org/events.
Developing sustainable water infrastructure
This December 2025, the course culminated for the third time: Innovative approaches to sustainable water infrastructure; From the Department of Environmental Sciences at the University of Puerto Rico. This semester, using the Juan Méndez stream as their study site, five graduate students investigated the social, ecological, and technological aspects that influence and shape water bodies in urban areas. They conducted a health survey to identify potential sources of pollution throughout the watershed and, as their final project, developed and presented a research proposal.
Dr. Jorge Ortiz led the course, with support from Dr. Rivera Santos and Brenda Torres Barreto, executive director of the Estuary. The resilient infrastructure manager, Lourdes Pérez Medina, and the project officer of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs ActSofía Burgos Caraballo assisted in its coordination and progress. The course received support from grant 4T-96213322-2.
Opportunity for a professional services contract
Citizen Scientist Certification
Below are the activities scheduled for the coming weeks. Workshops and field experiences for the Estuary Citizen Scientist Certification count toward Green Touch hours or community service. See more information at: estuary.org/ccc.
Participatory Bird Censuses
Participatory Bird Census Workshop; on Tuesday, December 23, at 7:00 pm via Zoom
Coastal Resilience
Field experience: Planting coastal vegetation; Saturday, December 20th, at 8:00 am in Piñones
Weekly bacteriological monitoring
Assessment conducted on Thursday, December 18, 2025. We have a RED flag for County Lagoon. We recommend avoiding areas that exceeded the water quality parameter for enterococci, "Beach Action Value," of 70 CFU/100 ML. Remember to avoid the water during rain events.
