Weekly Estuary Update
This week, we celebrate the connection between community, nature, and learning at the Condado Lagoon Estuarine Nature Reserve. We invite you to participate in a Family Day Out in commemoration of World Wetlands Day, enjoy Estuary Cinema, learn about educational opportunities for school groups, and discover how we continue to strengthen the ecosystems connected to the waters of the San Juan Bay estuary. Below, we share details of our upcoming activities. Join us!
Family day out at the County Lagoon Estuarine Nature Reserve
The Family Day Trip to the County Lagoon Estuarine Nature Reserve is back! Get ready for an afternoon of meeting, learning, and enjoying nature in commemoration of World Wetlands Day, on Saturday, February 7, 2026, at Jaime Benítez Park. See the schedule of activities at [website address missing]. estuary.org/events.
Don't miss this opportunity to connect with the community and the ecosystems around us. No registration is required. Several activities count towards active hours. Green Contact or community service, as applicable. 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 at 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 blanket or chair.
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].
Strengthening the coastal vegetation of County Lagoon
On Sunday, January 18, 2026, ten volunteers collaborated in planting 16 trees and coastal vegetation plants in the County Lagoon, as part of the Coastal Resilience module of the Estuary Citizens Scientist Certification.
The experience included an educational talk and the strategic planting of species such as button mangrove, sandpaper tree, guayacan, jayabico, cayur, yellow abey and palm, placed among deteriorating almond trees.
We thank the citizen scientists who participated and continue to contribute their time and commitment to the recovery and strengthening of coastal ecosystems connected to the San Juan Bay estuary. Every planting is an investment in the future of our waters and communities.
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
Water Quality Monitoring Workshop: Bacteriological Monitoring; on Thursday, February 5, at 7:00 pm via Zoom
Field experience: Bacteriological monitoring; on Thursday, February 12, at 9:30 am at the County Lagoon
Water Quality Monitoring Workshop: Physical-Chemical Parameters; on Thursday, February 12, at 7:00 pm via Zoom
Participatory Bird Census Module
Participatory Bird Census Workshop; on Tuesday, February 10th, at 7:00 pm via Zoom
Coastal Resilience Module
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
Field experience: Ecological assessment of coral reefs; on Saturday, February 14th, at 8:00 am at the County Lagoon
Field experience: Ecological assessment of seagrasses; on Saturday, February 14th, at 12:00 pm at the County Lagoon
Field experience: Planting of coastal vegetation; on Sunday, February 15th, at 8:00 am in Piñones
Weekly bacteriological monitoring
Thanks to the volunteers who supported the bacteriological monitoring on Thursday, January 29, 2026, as part of the Water Quality Monitoring module of the Estuary Citizen Scientist Certification. The results are below.
Assessment conducted on Thursday, January 29, 2026. 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. Have a good weekend.
