Weekly Estuary Update
Greetings from the estuary! Below, we share events, initiatives, and training and collaboration opportunities scheduled to benefit the waters, ecosystems, and communities connected to the San Juan Bay estuary.
Support the Estuary with your Refund
This tax season, consider donating part of your refund to conservation and management efforts for the waters and ecosystems connected to the San Juan Bay estuary.
Look for the option “Contribution to the Special Fund for the San Juan Bay Estuary” , which you will find in the “Reimbursement” box on page 1 of your form.
This method is possible thanks to Law 48 of 2009, which establishes the Special Fund for the San Juan Bay Estuary.
Learn about the different methods available to donate to the Estuary at: estuary.org/donate.
Family day out at the County Lagoon Estuarine Nature Reserve
Join us for a family day of learning and adventure at the Laguna del Condado Estuarine Nature Reserve on Saturday, March 7, 2026, at Jaime Benítez Park. We will have the following activities:
[2:00 pm] Sports activity – Enjoy a game of badminton with family and friends.
[3:00 pm] Puerto Rico Water Quality Day Training Workshop – Get ready to participate in the eighteenth Puerto Rico Water Quality Day. Join this workshop and be part of the citizen monitoring of our archipelago's water bodies (Green Contact/community service).
[4:00 pm] Land cleanup of the County Lagoon Estuarine Nature Reserve – Join our team in this waste collection around the Reserve (Green Contact/community service).
[6:00 pm] Educational talk: The wildlife of the County Lagoon Estuarine Nature Reserve – Learn about the species that inhabit the Reserve and their importance (Green Contact/community service).
We look forward to seeing you! No registration is required. Several activities count towards Green Contact hours or community service, as applicable. For any questions or comments, please write to us at: [email protected].
Estuary Cinema
Estuary Cinema presents: How to Train Your Dragon (2025); Saturday, March 7, 2026, 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. No registration is required. Bring your blanket or chair.
Register for the 18th Puerto Rico Water Quality Day
On Saturday, March 7, 2026, registration officially opens for the island's largest citizen science event, Puerto Rico Water Quality Day.
For the eighteenth consecutive year, you will monitor the water quality of rivers, streams, lagoons, reservoirs, and beaches near you. You will learn how to use the monitoring kit provided by the Estuary and collect data that will help us better understand the health of these bodies of water.
Create your group, choose your body of water, and register at estuary.org/waterqualityday . Monitoring kits are limited, so we recommend registering as soon as possible. The 18th Puerto Rico Water Quality Day will be held on Saturday, April 18, 2026.
Join us for the first training workshop on Saturday, March 7, 2026, from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm at Jaime Benítez Park, as part of the Family Day Out at the Condado Lagoon Estuarine Nature Reserve. Come and be part of Puerto Rico's largest citizen monitoring effort!
5K Estuary in the Botanical Garden
The Estuary 5K is back! Join a race like no other, held entirely within the grounds of the Río Piedras Botanical Garden. We have an updated route, perfect for runners and walkers of all levels. You'll run along trails, enjoying streams and lakes, listening to birdsong, and under the shade of centuries-old native trees. There will also be a 1K segment for kids. The little ones will have fun at their own pace!
The second edition of the Estuary 5K will be on Sunday, May 17, 2026, at 7:00 am at the Río Piedras Botanical Garden in San Juan
The Estuary 5K is carried out with the endorsement and close collaboration of the Botanical Garden of the University of Puerto Rico.
We are looking for adult volunteers for the Estuary 5K.
We are seeking adult volunteers (18 years of age and older) to assist during the Estuary 5K at the Botanical Garden, from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. on May 17, 2026. Event volunteers will receive a t-shirt and reserved parking at the DRNA building, steps from the event. They will be required to attend a virtual orientation meeting via Zoom, which will be announced later.
Sign up as a volunteer for the Estuary 5K at estuary.org/events.
Aquatic waste reduction initiatives
In the watershed of the San Juan Bay estuary.
On Saturday, February 28, we carried out the most recent field experience of the Microplastics Characterization and Reduction module of the Estuary Citizen Scientist Certification.
We appreciate the participation of Isaac Marrero, Alejandra Figueroa, Jean Paul Lopez and Priscilla Rodríguez, digital content creator of the Estuary, who accompanied us on the journey to remove, identify and characterize microplastics on the surface of the San José Lagoon and the Suárez Canal.
Thank you for contributing and getting involved in the restoration and conservation of our bodies of water!
See more workshops and field experiences from the Estuary Citizen Scientist Certification below.
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 estuary.org/ccc.
Water Quality Monitoring Module
Water Quality Monitoring Workshop: Physical-Chemical Parameters ; Thursday, March 12, at 7:00 pm via Zoom
Field Experience: Bacteriological Monitoring ; Thursday, March 19, at 9:30 am at County Lagoon
Participatory Bird Census Module
Participatory Bird Census Field Experience ; Sunday, March 8, at 7:00 am in San Juan Central Park
Microplastics Characterization and Reduction Module
Microplastics Characterization and Reduction Workshop ; Tuesday, March 17, at 7:00 pm via Zoom
Coastal Resilience Module
Coastal Resilience Workshop: Ecological Assessment of Coral Reefs and Seagrasses ; Tuesday, March 10, at 7:00 pm via Zoom
Field experience: Seed collection ; Friday, March 13, at 8:00 am in Piñones
Coastal Resilience Workshop: Ecological Restoration of Dunes and Mangroves ; Thursday, March 19, at 7:00 pm via Zoom
Field Experience: Ecological Assessment of Coral Reefs ; Saturday, March 21, at 8:00 am at County Lagoon
Field Experience: Ecological Assessment of Seagrasses ; Saturday, March 21, at 12:00 pm at County Lagoon
Weekly bacteriological monitoring
Thanks to the volunteer who assisted with the bacteriological monitoring on Thursday, March 5, 2026, as part of the Water Quality Monitoring module of the Estuary Citizen Scientist Certification. The results are below:
Assessment conducted on Thursday, March 5, 2026. We have a GREEN flag for County Lagoon. However, 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.
