Weekly Estuary Update
Greetings from the estuary! Below, we share opportunities for collaboration, volunteering, and training this week, through initiatives and actions planned to benefit the ecosystems of the San Juan Bay Estuary and its communities.
Family day out at the County Lagoon Estuarine Nature Reserve
On Saturday, July 13, 2024, don't miss our next family day out at Jaime Benítez Park in the Laguna del Condado Estuarine Nature Reserve. We will have the following activities:
[2:00 pm] Land cleanup of the lagoon (with community service hours)
[4:00 pm] Sports activity for the whole family
[5:00 pm] Educational talk: Mangroves in danger, a call to conservation ; with Girl Scout Jomaris A. Ramos, from Troop 400 (with Green Contact hours)
[6:00 pm] Ethnobotanical Walk: Uses of the Plants of the County Lagoon (with Green Contact hours)
To close out the family day out, Cine del Estuario presents: The Flash ; at 7:00 pm. The film will be shown in Spanish with English subtitles. As always, this screening is free. Bring your blanket or chair!
See more information at: estuary.org/events.
The adventures of the UPRRP 3E Program continue
Students from the 3E Program (Examine + Explore + Expand) internship at UPRRP participated on Tuesday, June 18, in a microplastic monitoring and characterization activity in the Piedras River.
The activity was carried out as part of the participatory research experiences of the 3E Program and to expose students to the Estuary protocols.
Cristina Ramírez, manager of the aquatic waste area of the Estuary, was in charge of the activity, with the support of Coral Avilés and Eliezer Nieves.
Then, on Wednesday, June 19, the students visited San Patricio State Forest. There they were greeted by the forest management officer, planner Mia Sued. After a pleasant conversation, the students conducted a biodiversity survey in the forest as part of the internship's citizen science activities.
They conducted a bird census under the mentorship of Coral Avilés and Eliezer Nieves, from the estuarine education team.
They also documented two reptiles endemic to Puerto Rico, the racer snake and the Puerto Rican boa.
A week earlier, on Wednesday, June 12, the students accompanied arborist Andreína Alexatos and youth engagement coordinator Agnes Pagán on a monitoring visit to the County Lagoon. The young people studied the progress of the coastal vegetation previously planted in the area and received a short presentation on the importance of green infrastructure in preventing erosion in coastal regions.
Workshops on proper handling of oils
Last Thursday, June 27th, we conducted a workshop on the proper handling of cooking oils for 19 students at the Georgina Baquero School summer camp in Canóvanas. This wonderful group of children demonstrated great interest and commitment to conserving our natural resources. Thanks to Fid Marie Martínez, the recycling coordinator for the Municipality of Canóvanas, for inviting us.
We also conducted a workshop on the proper handling of oils in the Municipality of Loíza. The workshop took place at the Gregorio “Goyín” Lanzó Cirino Community Center in Parcelas Suarez.
Thanks to the students of the education and awareness internship on resource and waste management with the Estuary, who provided both workshops.
Field trip for the characterization and reduction of microplastics
On Friday, June 28, we conducted the most recent field trip of the Microplastics Characterization and Reduction module of the Estuary Citizen Scientist Certification, across San Juan Bay.
We thank Camila Kuan, Juan Rosa, Andrea Vázquez and Paul Lanctin, who accompanied us to characterize and count some 102 microplastics recovered from the Margarita and San Antonio canals.
We congratulate Juan Rosa and Andrea Vázquez, who completed their certification by attending this field trip. Congratulations!
#PlasticFreeJuly
Let's celebrate a plastic-free July. Follow the San Juan Bay Estuary's tips on actions you can take to reduce your use of single-use plastics.
This week: use reusable cutlery and/or straws.
Learn more ways to reduce your plastic footprint, information about Law 51-2022— Law for the prohibition of single-use plastics in Puerto Rico; and the actions of the San Juan Bay Estuary for the responsible management of waste, at: estuario.org/desechos-acuaticos.
Citizen Scientist Certification
Remember that this July we begin a new certification cycle, with introductory workshops for all thematic modules. Below are the scheduled events for the coming weeks:
Water Quality Monitoring Module:
Participatory Bird Census Module:
Microplastics Characterization and Reduction Module:
Coastal Resilience Module:
See more information at estuary.org/ccc.
Job opportunities
Support for Community Partnerships – Federal Urban Waters Partnership — The San Juan Bay Estuary is seeking qualified applicants to provide support for community partnerships with the Ambassador of the Federal Urban Waters Partnership, who is supporting the implementation of the Caño Martín Peña Ecosystem Restoration Project.
Accountant —The San Juan Bay Estuary Partnership, also known as the Estuary, is seeking qualified applications for an Accountant to join our highly skilled team for projects receiving funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The ideal candidate performs a variety of tasks related to budget preparation and maintenance of grant budgets.
Resident Artists of the Estuary – Request for Proposal — The Estuary seeks to select artistic proposals that support the restoration work of the Juan Méndez ravine.
Media coverage
Alonso Daboub Bullón. June 30, 2024. Mangroves planted to combat erosion. Environment Today. El Nuevo Día. p.38.
Message from your virtual community center
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 Tuesday, July 2, 2024. We have a GREEN flag for County Lagoon. However, we recommend avoiding areas that exceeded the water quality parameter for enterococci of 70 CFU/100 mL. Remember to avoid the water after rain events.
