Weekly Estuary Update
This week, we invite you to actively participate in the restoration and management of the waters connected to the San Juan Bay estuary, from supporting the effort by returning to Puerto Rico to joining us for Water Quality Day. We also offer opportunities to connect with your community, care for our resources, and strengthen our coastlines. Explore the available activities and join us in building a healthier estuary for everyone.
Support the Estuary with your Refund
This tax season, consider donating part of your refund to conservation and management efforts for the waters and ecosystems connected to the San Juan Bay estuary.
Look for the option “Contribution to the Special Fund for the San Juan Bay Estuary”which you will find in the box “Refund” 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 ways to donate to the Estuary at: estuary.org/donate.
Register for the 18th Puerto Rico Water Quality Day
Sign up today! Puerto Rico Water Quality DayThe largest citizen science event on the island!
For the eighteenth consecutive year, you will 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 Estuary and collect data that will help us better understand the health of these bodies of water.
Create your group, choose your body of water and register at estuary.org/waterqualitydayMonitoring kits are limited, so we recommend signing up as soon as possible.
Have you already registered for the eighteenth Puerto Rico Water Quality Day?
Come to one of the virtual training workshops, where you will learn how to use the water quality monitoring kit (provided by the Estuary) and how to properly record the data you collect that day.
See more information at: https://estuario.org/eventos
5K Estuary in the Botanical Garden
The Estuary 5K is back! Join a race like no other, held entirely within the grounds of the Río Piedras Botanical Garden. We have an updated route, perfect for runners and walkers of all levels. You'll run along trails, enjoying streams and lakes, listening to birdsong, and under the shade of centuries-old native trees. There will also be a 1K segment for kids. The little ones will have fun at their own pace!
The second edition of the Estuary 5K will be on Sunday, May 17, 2026, at 7:00 am at the Río Piedras Botanical Garden in San Juan
The Estuary 5K is carried out with the endorsement and close collaboration of the Botanical Garden of the University of Puerto Rico.
We are looking for adult volunteers for the Estuary 5K.
Spaces are still available for volunteers adults (18 years and older) to support the Estuary 5K race at the Botanical Garden, from 6:00 am to 10:00 am on May 17, 2026. Event volunteers will receive a t-shirt and have reserved parking at the DRNA building, steps from the event. They will be required to attend a virtual orientation meeting via Zoom, which we will announce later.
Sign up as a volunteer for the Estuary 5K, en estuary.org/events.
Friends of the Lagoon Meeting
Join the community action for the restoration and management of the Condado Lagoon Estuarine Nature Reserve. The next Friends of the Lagoon meeting will be on Wednesday, March 23, 2026, at 6:00 pm on the grounds of Jaime Benítez Park.
Everyone is invited. The meeting will be hybrid, with a virtual space via Zoom.
Receive your access link, HERE.
Actions for the reduction of aquatic waste
In the watershed of the San Juan Bay estuary.
Pop-up Recycling in Loíza
On Saturday, March 21, 2026, the Pop-up Recycling event returns to Loíza, from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm at the Miguel Fuentes Pinet Stadium. They accept #1, #2, and #5 plastics, aluminum, brass, and corrugated cardboard. This event takes place on the third Saturday of each month and is organized by LimPiaR, the Municipality of Loíza, and Tais.
The Estuary will be present with its educational table, where you will learn about actions to reduce waste in the waters connected to the San Juan Bay estuary, such as the community campaign with Limpiar, Leave a clean footprint in Piñones, and the used vegetable oil diversion program of the Municipality of Loíza. We look forward to seeing you!
Opportunities for professional services contracts
Assessing the biodiversity of the estuary
On Sunday, March 8, 20 volunteers explored the ecosystems of San Juan Central Park and documented the diversity of birds that use these natural spaces, as a field experience of the Participatory Bird Census module of the Estuary Citizen Scientist Certification.
We thank all the volunteers who joined us, particularly the group of students from the University of Puerto Rico at Río Piedras, from Professor Melitza Nieves' Biological Sciences course, who completed their certification through this experience. Congratulations!
See more workshops and field experiences from the Estuary Citizen Scientist Certification below.
Actions for coastal resilience
In recent weeks, citizen scientists from the Estuary participated in field experiences of the Coastal Resilience module that connect essential nursery work with the direct restoration of our coasts.
On Saturday, February 28, ten volunteers collaborated in the maintenance of the Estuary Nursery at Centro TAU, in Loíza.
The day included the transplanting of white mangrove and button mangrove seedlings, seed propagation, plant counting and characterization, and cleaning and weeding. This experience allowed participants to learn firsthand about the processes that support ecological restoration projects.
On Monday, March 2, 22 students from the American Military Academy, along with their teacher, Jacqueline López, participated in a tree planting at the Condado Lagoon Estuarine Nature Reserve. There, they planted approximately 208 seedlings of red mangrove, white mangrove, black mangrove, and button mangrove, reinforcing areas affected by erosion and replacing deteriorating vegetation.
Both experiences integrated education, action, and teamwork, demonstrating that coastal resilience is built step by step. Thank you to all the volunteers who joined us!
See more activities from the Coastal Resilience module of the Estuary Citizen Scientist Certification below.
Citizen Scientist Certification
Below are the activities scheduled for the coming weeks. Remember that all workshops and field experiences count toward Green Contact hours or community service. See more information at [website address]. estuary.org/ccc.
Water Quality Monitoring Module
Field experience: Physical-chemical monitoring; on Monday, March 23, at 8:30 am at Lake Las Curías and the Piedras River
Field experience: Physical-chemical monitoring; on Tuesday, March 24, at 9:00 am in San Juan Bay
Field experience: Physical-chemical monitoring; on Wednesday, March 25, at 8:00 am at Laguna San José/Torrecilla
Participatory Bird Census Module
Field experience; on Saturday, March 28, at 7:00 am in Old San Juan
Microplastics Characterization and Reduction Module
Field experience; on Friday, March 27, at 9:00 am at Laguna San José/Torrecilla
Coastal Resilience Module
Field experience: Plant propagation and maintenance; on Friday, March 27th, at 8:00 am at Vivero Estuario, Loíza
Weekly bacteriological monitoring
Thanks to the volunteers who supported the bacteriological monitoring on Thursday, March 19, 2026, as part of the Water Quality Monitoring module of the Estuary Citizen Scientist Certification. The results are below.
Assessment conducted on Thursday, March 19, 2026. We have a GREEN flag for County Lagoon. However, we recommend avoiding areas that exceeded the "Beach Action Value" water quality parameter for enterococci of 70 CFU/100 mL. Remember to avoid the water during rain events. Have a good weekend.
