Weekly Estuary Update
Estuarine greetings! This week we invite you to continue exploring, learning, and participating in the restoration and management of the waters connected to the San Juan Bay estuary. From urban and interpretive tours to educational talks and field experiences, we share below numerous opportunities to get involved. We also celebrate the success of the Gamaliel Pagán Hernández Christmas Bird Census and continue to expand spaces for collaboration, education, and community action.
Family day out at the County Lagoon Estuarine Nature Reserve
The Family Day Trip to the Condado Lagoon Estuarine Nature Reserve is back! Get ready for an afternoon of meeting, learning, and enjoying nature on Saturday, February 7, 2026, at Jaime Benítez Park. We will have the following activities:
[2:00 pm] Zumba at the Estuary – Work out with instructor Nellian Reyes. Bring your friends and family.
[3:00 pm] Educational talk: The wetlands of the estuary basin: Knowing their geography, ecosystems and biodiversity – Learn about the wetlands connected to the waters of the San Juan Bay estuary (this activity counts towards Green Contact/community service hours).
[4:00 pm] Interpretive Tour: Water Quality in the Wetlands of the San Juan Bay Estuary – On this informative walk, you will learn about the biodiversity of these ecosystems and the conservation efforts we make to protect them (Green Contact/community service).
[5:30 pm] Community Conversation on the Conservation of County Lagoon – Join the conversation with residents, concessionaire operators, caretakers and users of the Reserve (Green Contact/community service).
Don't miss this opportunity to share with the community and connect with the ecosystems around us. No registration is required. For any questions or comments, please write to us at: [email protected]. We will wait for you!
Estuary Cinema
Estuary Cinema presents: How to Train Your Dragon (2025), on Saturday, February 7, 2026, at 7:00 pm in Jaime Benítez Park of the Condado Lagoon Estuarine Nature Reserve.
The film will be shown in Spanish with English subtitles. This screening is free. No registration is required. Bring your own blanket or chair.
Urban tour in Old San Juan
Join us for a tour through Old San Juan, where you'll learn about this urban space and its connection to the waters of the San Juan Bay estuary. This tour counts toward Green Contact hours or community service, as applicable.
Register today at estuary.org/events.
Interpretive tour in the Piñones State Forest
Join an interpretive tour of Piñones State Forest, one of the spaces in the Urban Forest Network of the San Juan Bay Estuary Watershed. The tour will be on Sunday, February 1, from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. It counts toward Green Touch hours or community service, as applicable. Register today at: estuary.org/events.
Talk about wetlands connected to the estuary
On Monday, February 2, 2026, World Wetlands Day, don't miss the talk, "The Wetlands of the Estuary Basin: Understanding Their Geography, Ecosystems, and Biodiversity," from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm via Zoom. This talk counts toward Green Contact hours or community service, as applicable. Sign up here.
School activities in the Estuarine Nature Reserve of the County Lagoon
Estuario offers educational activities for student groups in Jaime Benítez Park, from interpretive tours, workshops and other activities related to the topics of biodiversity, ecosystems, water quality, green infrastructure and coastal resilience.
Spaces are available on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, between 8:00 am and 12:00 pm, for groups of all levels (K-12), from public, private, or homeschool schools, with a maximum of 30 participants per activity. These activities count toward Green Contact hours or community service.
To coordinate, write to us at: [email protected].
The Christmas Bird Censuses were a success. Gamaliel Pagán Hernández
During this holiday season, we held the annual Gamaliel Pagán Hernández Christmas Bird Census event, from December 26, 2025 to January 10, 2026.
We documented a total of 91 bird species, including 10 endemic and 25 migratory species, through 16 censuses conducted in 13 natural areas connected to the waters of the San Juan Bay estuary. A total of 147 volunteers participated.
We thank the volunteers and citizen scientists who joined us. Thanks also to the managers and administrators who granted us access to their natural areas.
View the report of documented species, including dates, locations, and photos, via the eBird platform. HERE.
Opportunities for professional services contracts
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, January 26, at 8:30 am at Lake Las Curías and the Piedras River
Field experience: Physical-chemical monitoring; on Tuesday, January 27, at 9:00 am in San Juan Bay
Field experience: Physical-chemical monitoring; on Wednesday, January 28, at 8:00 am at Laguna San José/Torrecilla
Field experience: Bacteriological monitoring; on Thursday, January 29, at 9:30 am at the County Lagoon
Water Quality Monitoring Workshop: Bacteriological Monitoring; on Thursday, February 5, at 7:00 pm via Zoom
Microplastics Characterization and Reduction Module
Microplastics Characterization and Reduction Workshop; on Thursday, January 29, at 7:30 pm via Zoom
Field experience in the characterization and reduction of microplastics; on Friday, January 30, at 9:00 am in San Juan Bay
Coastal Resilience Module
Field experience: Ecological assessment of coral reefs; on Saturday, January 24, at 8:00 am at the County Lagoon
Field experience: Ecological assessment of seagrasses; on Saturday, January 24, at 12:00 pm at the County Lagoon
Field experience: Seedling propagation; on Sunday, January 25th, at 8:00 am at Vivero Estuario of Centro TAU, Loíza
Field experience: Planting of coastal vegetation; on Saturday, January 31st, at 8:00 am in Piñones
Field experience: Ecological assessment of coral reefs; on Saturday, January 31, at 8:00 am at the County Lagoon
Field experience: Ecological assessment of seagrasses; on Saturday, January 31, at 12:00 pm at the County Lagoon
Coastal Resilience Workshop: Ecological Assessment of Coral Reefs and Seagrasses; on Tuesday, February 3rd, at 7:00 pm via Zoom
Field experience: Planting of coastal vegetation; on Friday, February 6, at 8:00 am at the County Lagoon
Weekly bacteriological monitoring
Thanks to the volunteers who supported the bacteriological monitoring on Thursday, January 22, 2026, as part of the Water Quality Monitoring module of the Estuary Citizen Scientist Certification. The results are below.
Assessment conducted on Thursday, January 22, 2026. We have a RED flag for County Lagoon. We recommend avoiding areas that exceeded the "Beach Action Value" for enterococci of 70 CFU/100 mL. Remember to avoid the water during rain events. Have a good weekend.
