Weekly Estuary Update
Greetings from the estuary! Below, we share initiatives that promote contact with nature, environmental learning, and collective action for the health of the waters connected to the San Juan Bay estuary.
Family day out at the Estuary
Join us for the next family day out at the Estuary, on Saturday, July 5, 2025, at the Condado Lagoon Estuarine Nature Reserve, celebrating a plastic-free summer on the grounds of Jaime Benítez Park. We will have the following activities:
Installation of “No Fishing” signs at the Lagoon: Let's take care of the Condado Lagoon Estuarine Nature Reserve (Green Contact/community service); at 1:00 pm
Educational talk: Impact of Tissue Loss Disease on Hard Corals (Green Contact/Community Service); at 3:00 pm
Underwater tour: Discovering urban reefs (Green Contact/community service); at 4:30 pm. This activity has a limited capacity of 12 participants and requires separate registration.
Interpretive tour: The plants of the County Lagoon Estuarine Nature Reserve and their connection with water (Green Contact/community service); at 5:30 pm
Come with your family and friends! All activities are free. Registration is not required (except for the Underwater Tour, which has a limit of 12 people and requires registration). The Family Day Out at the Estuary takes place on the first Saturday of each month.
Estuary Cinema
Estuary Cinema presents: Inside Out 2; Saturday, July 5, 2025, at 7:00 pm at Jaime Benítez Park in the Condado Lagoon Estuarine Nature Reserve. The film will be shown in Spanish with English subtitles. This screening is free. Bring your blanket or chair! Estuary Cinema is presented on the first Saturday of every month.
Interpretive tour: The estuary and its relationship with water quality
Participate in an interpretive tour of the Laguna del Condado Estuarine Nature Reserve, where you will learn about the different functions of this estuarine ecosystem and the importance of its water quality.
Join us on Sunday, June 29, 2025 and every last Sunday of the month at the Condado Lagoon Local Market, in Jaime Benítez Park, between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm
Workshop for educators
The Estuary invites educators from public and private schools, as well as homeschoolers of all levels, to the workshop: Water + Trees to Conserve Our Estuarine Ecosystems; on Friday, July 11, 2025, from 9:00 am to 11:00 am at Jaime Benítez Park in the Condado Lagoon Estuarine Nature Reserve. We will discuss the connection between water and trees and the ecosystems of the San Juan Bay Estuary watershed.
The first part of this workshop will be a review of basic concepts about flora and water quality. The second part will be a botanical tour where we will learn about the identification of some tree species and their relationship to water quality.
Register today at estuary.org/events.
Urban tour in Capetillo
Join us for the urban tour: Discovering the connections between the city's water and the estuary; on Saturday, July 12, 2025, from 8:00 am to 10:00 am in Capetillo, Río Piedras.
This activity counts towards Green Touch/community service hours. Register today at estuary.org/events.
Estuary provides oil handling workshop
Last Saturday, June 14, the Estuary's aquatic waste project coordinator, Camila Rodriguez, participated in the monthly meeting of the Community Water Network in the Venus Gardens community, where she offered a workshop on oil diversion—Don't throw it down the sink: alternative oil management for the protection of the Estuary's waters.
We hope that the communities in the Network will continue to replicate initiatives and implement vegetable oil diversion programs in order to protect water infrastructure and natural resources. Congratulations!
Estuary supports the Recycling Pop-up in Loíza
Last Saturday, June 21, the Estuary was present at LimPiar's monthly Recycling Pop-up, in Miguel Fuentes Pinet Park in the Municipality of Loíza.
Through our information table, we invited participants to protect bodies of water by promoting the municipal vegetable oil diversion program and the importance of diverting this material from water infrastructure.
We acknowledge the municipality of Loíza for maintaining this effort and the infrastructure to divert used cooking oil from the residents of the municipality. We also recognize their joint campaign with LimPiaR, titled: Leave a Clean Footprint in Piñones . We thank LimPiaR for the invitation and their follow-up on this event.
Estuary at the Trujillo Alto Environmental Fair
Last Saturday, June 21st, the Estuary participated in the Trujillo Alto Municipality Environmental Fair. In addition to an educational booth showcasing the organization and its activities, the Estuary gave a presentation on the importance of diverting used cooking oil and conserving waterways.
We also invite participants to take part in and divert used cooking oil through the municipal oil collection program. The Estuary recognizes the Municipality of Trujillo Alto for its environmental commitment and the organization of events like this one.
Estuary Citizen Scientist Certification
Below are the activities scheduled for the coming weeks. See more information at estuary.org/ccc . These activities count toward community service and Green Touch hours.
Water Quality Monitoring Module
Water Quality Monitoring Field Experience: Bacteriological Monitoring; Thursday, July 3, at 9:30 am at County Lagoon
Water Quality Monitoring Workshop: Bacteriological Monitoring ; Monday, July 7th, at 7:00 pm via Zoom
Water Quality Monitoring Field Experience: Bacteriological Monitoring; Thursday, July 10, at 9:30 am at County Lagoon
Water Quality Monitoring Workshop: Physical-Chemical Parameters ; Thursday, July 10, at 7:00 pm via Zoom
Coastal Resilience Module
Coastal Resilience Field Experience: Planting coastal vegetation; Saturday, June 28, at 8:00 am in Piñones, Loíza
Coastal Resilience Workshop: Ecological Assessment of Coral Reefs and Seagrasses ; Tuesday, July 8, at 7:00 pm via Zoom
Coastal Resilience Field Experience: Ecological Assessment of Coral Reefs; Saturday, July 12, at 8:00 am at County Lagoon
Coastal Resilience Field Experience: Planting Coastal Vegetation; Saturday, July 12, at 8:00 am at County Lagoon
Coastal Resilience Field Experience: Ecological Assessment of Seagrasses; Saturday, July 12, at 12:00 pm at County Lagoon
Prepare yourself this hurricane season
Prepare for this hurricane season. Download the Estuary Community Hurricane Preparedness Guide and follow its recommendations. Your community's strength and resilience begin at home.
Also visit the Estuary Virtual Community Center , where you'll find vital information, such as relevant emergency numbers and instructions for preparing emergency kits.
Don't panic! Get ready.
Weekly bacteriological monitoring
Assessment conducted on Thursday, June 26, 2025. We have a GREEN flag for County Lagoon. 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.
Thanks to the citizen scientists who supported this week's bacteriological monitoring, as part of the Water Quality Monitoring module of the Estuary Citizen Scientist Certification.
