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.
5K Estuary in the Botanical Garden
Join the first-ever Estuary 5K on March 23, 2025, at 7:00 am at the Río Piedras Botanical Garden in San Juan. Explore trails, admire streams and lakes, and listen to birdsong under the shade of native and centuries-old trees. Register today: HEREWe have limited space.
Registration includes a commemorative shirt, a medal upon completing the 5K, a race number, a chip to record your race duration, hydration, access to a farmers market and educational tables at the end of the race.
For an additional cost, you can get the opportunity to enter the raffle for the VIP Concert Experience of No me quiero ir de aquí, by Bad Bunny.
The Estuary 5K is carried out with the endorsement and close collaboration of the Botanical Garden of the University of Puerto Rico.
Set aside the date
The 17th Annual Puerto Rico Water Quality Day will be held on Saturday, April 5, 2025, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Registration opens in early March. Mark your calendar and stay tuned for updates!
We are still recruiting volunteers to help with tasks such as providing training workshops, distributing kits, and setting up public water quality monitoring stations. If you would like to participate as a Water Quality Day volunteer, see more information. here.
Family day out
On Saturday, February 1st, we celebrated another edition of our family day out. This time, we commemorated World Wetlands Day with educational activities to raise awareness about the importance of our wetlands.
We started at 4 pm with an interpretive tour, in which 72 people participated and learned basic concepts about wetlands, their importance, their biodiversity and the challenges they face on our island.
Then we had an educational talk entitled: The wetlands of the estuary basin; 65 people stayed to listen to the talk and also participated in the trivia game.
Later, we had our usual Estuary Cinema, where we presented the film: Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. About 48 people stayed to enjoy it under the stars.
We thank the municipal police at the Jaime Benitez Park station for their collaboration. We also thank José Ramos, administrator of Jaime Benitez Park, Yamileth Meléndez of Yami's Little Shop for bringing food to the park, and everyone who came to help, participate, and share a pleasant time with their families.
See you again on Saturday, March 1st.
Learn about the Economic Valuation Project of the San Juan Bay Estuary
If you live, work, or enjoy leisure activities in the San Juan metropolitan area of Puerto Rico, we invite you to learn about the Economic Valuation of the San Juan Bay Estuary project on Friday, February 21, 2025, from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm virtually, via Zoom.
The Estuary and Metro Economics are conducting a comprehensive economic valuation of the ecosystem goods and services provided by the San Juan Bay estuary. The results of the study will educate the public, government agency personnel, and elected officials about the importance of restoring and conserving this estuarine system.
Register today for the information session. Get your access link. here.
Recycling pop-up in Loíza
On Saturday, February 15, 2025, LimPiaR will have its next Recycling Pop-up, from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm at Miguel Fuentes Pinet Park, in Loíza.
Bring your plastics (#1, #2, #5), aluminum, brass, and corrugated cardboard. This collection event takes place on the third Saturday of each month. Don't miss out!
Characterization of microplastics in the San José Lagoon
On Friday, January 31, we carried out our most recent field experience of the Microplastics Characterization and Reduction module of the Citizen Scientist Certification, in the San José Lagoon and the Torrecilla Lagoon.
We appreciate the participation of Dianivette Rolón, Leonicha Cordero, Edgar Lozada and Elsa Ortiz, who accompanied us in classifying and documenting microplastics removed from the water's surface.
Annual meeting of the Puerto Rico Recycling Partnership
On Friday, January 24, we participated in the annual meeting of the Puerto Rico Recycling Partnership (PRRP). As part of the meeting, aquatic waste project coordinator Paul Lanctin presented the efforts of the Intermunicipal Network for Integrated Resource and Waste Management in the Estuary Basin.
The Intermunicipal Network for Integrated Resource and Waste Management seeks to consolidate and structure collaboration among the municipalities that comprise the San Juan Bay estuary watershed. Its goal is to eradicate aquatic waste from the region through joint actions aimed at developing a Comprehensive Resource and Waste Management Plan.
We thank Ronalisse Esteban, recycling coordinator for the Municipality of Trujillo Alto, who shared her experience as a member of the Intermunicipal Network for Integrated Resource and Waste Management in the watershed. We also thank the PRRP for the invitation and their ongoing work in the recycling industry. Congratulations!
Certification of scientific citizens
Below are the scheduled events for the coming weeks. See more information at: estuary.org/ccc.
Coastal Resilience Module
Field Experience—Planting Coastal Vegetation; Saturday, February 15, from 8:30 am to 11:30 am at the Guajataca River, Quebradillas [Green Contact hours/community service]
Register today at: estuary.org/ccc.
Support the Estuary with your refund
This new tax filing season, we encourage you to donate part of your refund to conservation and management efforts for the ecosystems of the San Juan Bay estuary.
Allies who wish to contribute to these actions can do so through the total or partial donation of their reimbursement, directly from their single payroll (individual).
This method is possible thanks to Law 48 of 2009, which establishes the Special Fund for the San Juan Bay Estuary.
Look for the option “Contribution to the Special Fund for the San Juan Bay Estuary”, which you will find on the line 1B of the boxing “Refund” from your form.
Our restoration, conservation, and management efforts are made possible by the donations, collaboration, and volunteer work of residents, businesses, institutions, and friends of the interconnected waterways that comprise the San Juan Bay Estuary watershed. The San Juan Bay Estuary is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation that designs, implements, and monitors restoration efforts to improve water quality and associated ecosystems within the San Juan Bay Estuary system and its watershed.
Learn about the different methods available to donate to the Estuary at estuary.org/donate/.
Weekly bacteriological monitoring
Assessment conducted on Thursday, February 6, 2025. We have a GREEN flag for County Lagoon. However, we recommend avoiding areas that exceeded the Beach Action Value water quality parameter of 70 CFU/100 ML. Remember to avoid the water during rain events.
