Weekly Estuary Update
Estuarine greetings! National Estuary Week begins on Saturday, September 21, 2024. This week is dedicated to all the collaborators, residents, and friends who contribute to the management of the waters connected to the San Juan Bay estuary. We hope you take advantage of all the workshops, tours, training events, and volunteer opportunities we have planned.
National Estuaries Week
From Saturday, September 21st to Saturday, September 28th, We will be celebrating the environmental, economic, and social importance of our estuarine ecosystem.
We invite you to participate in the scheduled activities, where you will learn about the region's biological diversity, actions to strengthen it against climate change, and how to assess and improve the quality of its waters.
Sign up today! See the calendar of activities at estuary.org/events.
Share the activity calendar with your family and friends!
Green Contact hours or community service will be certified, as applicable. For more details, write to us at: [email protected].
Students complete citizen scientist certification in the Estuary Participatory Bird Census module
This week, students from the zoology course at the University of Puerto Rico in Aguadilla completed their certification as citizens scientists in the Participatory Bird Censuses module of the Estuary.
After taking the introductory workshop and the thematic workshop, they carried out two bird censuses, on Saturday, September 14 at the UPR Botanical Garden in Río Piedras and on Tuesday, September 17 at the Punta Salinas Forest, in Toa Baja.
We thank Professor Javier Lugo for coordinating this certification, transporting the students, and integrating bird census topics into his course curriculum. Thanks also to the students from the University of Puerto Rico at Aguadilla for their interest in certification and for their time participating in these wildlife monitoring activities. Congratulations!
Coral reef assessment in County
As part of the Estuary Coastal Resilience Module, on September 15 we conducted an ecological assessment of coral reefs in the County Lagoon Estuarine Nature Reserve.
During this field trip, our citizen scientists, brothers Yahir and Yadriel Cuevas Soto from the University of Puerto Rico, identified species, including corals, fish, and invertebrates. They also estimated benthic cover and verified the presence of SCTLD (Coral Bleaching Syndrome) in the area. Thank you, Yahir and Yadriel, for your time and effort!
Veterans' excursions at County Lagoon
On Thursday, August 29, botanist Mario García led the first of several activities for our military veterans with an interpretive hike in the Condado Lagoon Estuarine Nature Reserve. During this experience, participants learned about the biodiversity of local plants, their uses, and their medicinal and ecological importance. Among these were the four mangrove species native to Puerto Rico and their role in our ecosystems.
On the morning of September 12, the group took an educational kayaking excursion on the lagoon. With the help of NightKayak, who donated their kayaks for the activity, the participants learned about Condado Lagoon, its biodiversity, and its ecological and socioeconomic importance.
The focus of this excursion was to learn, engage with, and connect with nature through several stops along the lagoon. Our veterans learned about marine life, native versus invasive vegetation, and man-made structures. They saw starfish, jellyfish, turtles, mangroves, sea grapes, and, as a final gift from nature, a spectacular appearance of two adult manatees and one juvenile.
We took this opportunity to review the Reserve's wildlife interaction protocols: the group immediately stopped and removed the paddles from the water, thus avoiding any direct contact with this family of curious manatees.
We need to give them their space!
Seed collection in the Piñon State Forest
On the morning of Saturday, September 7, we conducted a seed collection field trip in the Piñones State Forest as part of the Coastal Resilience module of the Estuary Citizen Scientist Certification program. During the trip, arborist Andreína Alexatos instructed the group on the differences between red mangrove, white mangrove, black mangrove, and button mangrove, and the importance of these species in the ecosystem.
We thank the eleven citizen scientists who joined us, and we invite everyone to continue their certification in the Coastal Resilience Module. You can see the scheduled workshops and field experiences at [website address]. estuary.org/ccc.
Visit of graduate students to the Juan Méndez Ravine
On Friday, September 13, 2024, the graduating students of the class, Innovative approaches to resilient water infrastructure, They visited the Capetillo Urban Garden, Nursery and Forest, along with professors Jorge Ortiz Zayas and Jorge Rivera Santos, and the TA and executive director of the Estuary, Brenda Torres Barreto.
There, they were welcomed by CAUCE staff, including its director, Mónica Ponce Caballero, social worker Cristy Agosto Cancel, and research assistant Dr. Natalia Rodríguez, along with members of the Capetillo community. The community members shared their experiences of the expropriation process and the evolution of the area into a forest.
The students descended into the forest, where they received an explanation of the use of the Visual Assessment Protocol for Streams in Puerto Rico, developed by Dr. Natalia Rodríguez Ortíz. Then, the team from the Water and Soil Chemistry Laboratory at the UPR Agricultural Experiment Station in Mayagüez demonstrated the detection of sanitary sewer discharges using a fluorescent dye.
The day ended with a demonstration of the Estuary Atlas as a mapping tool for students, provided by the Estuary's environmental educator, Coral Avilés Santiago.
The group was supported by Lourdes Perez Medina, Senior Project Lead, and Sofia Burgos Caraballo, Project Officer for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act.
Citizen Scientist Certification
The following are the upcoming scheduled events. See more events at: estuary.org/ccc.
Water Quality Monitoring Module:
Participatory Bird Census Module:
Microplastics Characterization and Reduction Module:
Coastal Resilience Module:
Job opportunities
Part-Time Faculty— The San Juan Bay Estuary Partnership is seeking qualified applications for a part-time faculty contract with a background in civil engineering for the graduate course “Innovative Approaches for a Sustainable Water Infrastructure.” This course will focus on the development of resilient infrastructure and nature-based and will integrate a multisectoral view in the study and evaluation of socio-ecological-technological urban systems. In this course, graduate students will be guided toward interdisciplinary research.
Accountant (part time)— The San Juan Bay Estuary Partnership is seeking qualified applications for an Accountant to join our highly skilled team for projects receiving funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
[Download your free copy] San Juan Bay Estuary: History and Research Opportunities
The Estuary is pleased to share its recent publication, San Juan Bay Estuary: History and Research Opportunities; by Ariel E. Lugo and Jorge F. Bauzá Ortega.
This comprehensive document includes valuable information on research conducted in the estuarine system, calling for these observations, findings, and conclusions to be added to in potential future research.
To arrange for the pickup of a free printed copy, please contact us at 787-725-8165.
Prepare yourself this hurricane season
Get ready for this hurricane season. Download the Community Hurricane Preparedness Guide of the Estuary and follow its recommendations. The strength and resilience of your community begins in your home.
Also visit the Virtual Estuary Community Centerwhere you will find vital information, such as relevant emergency numbers and instructions for preparing emergency backpacks.
Don't panic! Get ready.
Weekly bacteriological monitoring
Assessment conducted on Thursday, September 19, 2024. We have a RED flag for County Lagoon. We recommend avoiding all regions that exceeded the water quality parameter for enterococci of 70 CFU/100 mL. Remember to avoid the water after rain events.
