Weekly Estuary Update
Greetings from the estuary! Below, we share the events, initiatives, and actions carried out for the benefit of the San Juan Bay estuary, its ecosystems, and its communities.
Manatee Day at your Family Day Out
Join us! On Saturday, September 7, 2024, Caribbean Manatee Conservation Day in Puerto Rico, we will be hosting our next Family Day Out at the Condado Lagoon Estuarine Nature Reserve, one of the island's homes for this species. There will be activities for the whole family, educational talks, a children's story time, and an Estuary Movie.
Don't miss the educational talk, "The West Indian Manatee: Treasure of Condado Lagoon and the Caribbean," at 4:00 pm with Yabriel Pagán and Mariellie Pérez from the Caribbean Manatee Conservation Center. This talk will count toward Green Contact hours.
In addition, we will have the educational talk, "Mangroves in Danger: A Call to Conservation," at 5:00 pm with Girl Scout Jomaris A. Ramos López from Troop 400. Learn more about these important ecosystems that are part of the Reserve's biodiversity. This talk will count toward Green Contact hours.
At 6:00 pm, we will be joined by author Gabriela Joglar Burrowes, who will read the story, " Carlitos the Little Coati Wants to Hear the Sea." Bring the whole family!
The Family Day Out will conclude with Estuary Cinema, presenting Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles at 7:00 pm in Jaime Benítez Park. The film will be shown in Spanish with English subtitles. As always, this activity is free. Bring your blanket or chair!
Panel on water infrastructure in Puerto Rico
On Friday, September 6, 2024, from 9:00 am to 10:30 am, the Estuary invites you to the panel, Resilience at the urban scale: considerations for water infrastructure in Puerto Rico; to be held in the Natural Sciences building of the University of Puerto Rico in Rio Piedras, with virtual space through Zoom.
During this panel, moderated by the Estuary's executive director, the panelists will address how we can define the resilience of urban-scale water infrastructure in Puerto Rico from an interdisciplinary perspective. Considering complex urban contexts, such as the Juan Méndez Ravine in the Municipality of San Juan, they will discuss innovative approaches and important considerations for the planning and development of nature-based solutions.
Our panelists will be Jorge R. Ortiz Zayas, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences at UPRRP, Dr. Jorge Rivera Santos, professor in the Department of Civil Engineering and Surveying at UPRM, Dr. Tania del Mar López Marrero, professor in the Department of Social Sciences at UPRM, and Raúl Santiago Bartolomei, MP, Ph.D., assistant professor at the Graduate School of Planning at UPRRP.
Register today at estuary.org/events.
Friends of the Lagoon Meeting
Join the group of collaborators, neighbors, and friends who work with the managers of the Condado Lagoon Estuarine Nature Reserve. We will be meeting on Wednesday, September 4, 2024, from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm at Jaime Benítez Park and virtually via Zoom. Everyone is invited. Sign up to receive your Zoom link at estuary.org/events.
Save the dates: National Estuaries Week
National Estuary Week is coming soon ! From September 21-28, 2024, we'll be commemorating the ecological and social importance of our estuaries and their ecosystems with volunteer opportunities, educational workshops, and more. Save the dates! Follow our weekly updates for details.
Join the second BIOBLITZ at the County Lagoon Estuarine Nature Reserve
As part of National Estuary Week, we will be holding the second BIOBLITZ at the County Lagoon Estuarine Nature Reserve. During this citizen science activity, you will learn about the species of plants, birds, fish, invertebrates, and other living things that inhabit the Reserve.
Educational workshops will be held from September 23 to 27, culminating in a biodiversity monitoring activity in the Reserve on Saturday, September 28. More information will be published soon.
Complete your citizen scientist certification in the Estuary Coastal Resilience Module
Gain the training you need to help strengthen coastal regions in your community. See available events in the Coastal Resilience module and register today at estuary.org/ccc . We add new events regularly.
The Coastal Resilience module covers the topics of Coral Reef Assessment, Seagrass Assessment, and Coastal Restoration of Dunes and Mangroves.
If you are one of the citizen scientists who have participated in the workshops and field trips related to the Coastal Resilience module, the Estuary encourages you to continue your certification. For any questions, or to check your certification status, please write to us at: [email protected] . Certification is free of charge.
School activities at the County Lagoon
The Estuary is offering educational activities 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 Monday through Friday, 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.
To coordinate, write to us at: [email protected].
Citizen Scientist Certification
Below are the upcoming scheduled events. See more events at: estuary.org/ccc.
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.
Estuary Resident Artists – Request for Proposals — Estuary Resident Artists create artistic expressions with the aim of involving citizens in the process of conservation and restoration of the estuary basin, in a creative and culturally relevant way.
[Download your free copy] San Juan Bay Estuary: History and Research Opportunities
The Estuary is pleased to share the 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
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 Thursday, August 29, 2024. We have a GREEN flag for County Lagoon. Several stations exceeded the water quality standard for enterococci of 70 CFU/100 mL—we recommend avoiding these areas. Remember to avoid the water during rain events.
