Weekly Estuary Update
A message from our CEO:
The beginning of March arrived with a lot of energy from our team; evaluating the water resource and alerting sectors of the government and communities about its condition, raising awareness, planting coastal vegetation, and adding actions by those who live, hang out and work in the metropolitan area of San Juan.
On the other hand, we encourage you to support our non-profit organization, whether through a donation or by contributing part of your payroll reimbursement. There are always ways to contribute. be part of a project that will scientifically ensure a socially and economically vibrant region.
I take this opportunity to congratulate the geologist, Pedro Antonio Gelabert, on his most recent publication: Oil Spills: By the tankers Ocean Eagle and Zoe Colocotroni and their relationship with environmental laws.
Support the Estuary with your Refund
This tax season, we encourage you to donate a portion of your refund to efforts to eliminate sewage discharges into beloved bodies of water like Condado Lagoon and beaches. You'll also be supporting the restoration of San Juan Bay, the canals connecting the lagoons in the San Juan metropolitan area, and management projects for this vital ecosystem.
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.
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/.
Puerto Rico Water Quality Day 2025
Registration is now open! We offer informational workshops to show you how to be part of the effort, but it's as simple as creating your group, choosing a body of water, and participating. This event will be on Saturday, April 5, 2025, from 9:00 am to 11:00 am.
During Puerto Rico Water Quality Day, you will evaluate the conditions of your chosen body of water. You will be able to collect data from your observations and submit the results. You will be part of a global citizen science effort, as your results will be included in the EarthEcho Water ChallengeThe Estuary will provide all necessary materials free of charge. See more information at estuary.org/waterqualityday.
We thank Ford and their great effort to support entities like ours through Ford Environmental Donations.
5K Estuary in the Botanical Garden
The first Estuary 5K will be on March 23, 2025, at 7:00 am in the Río Piedras Botanical Garden, San Juan! You'll run along trails, enjoying streams and lakes, and listening to birdsong under the shade of native and centuries-old trees.
Registration includes a commemorative shirt, a medal upon completing the 5K, a race number, a chip to record your race duration, hydration, and access to educational tables after completing the race.
The Estuary 5K is made possible with the endorsement and close collaboration of the Botanical Garden of the University of Puerto Rico. We thank Aerostar, Ferraiouli, and Paulson Puerto Rico for their support in making this first 5K a reality.
Interpretive tour in the Piñones State Forest
Join us for an interpretive tour in one of the urban forests of the San Juan Bay estuary watershed, the Saturday, March 15, 2025, from 8:00 am to 10:00 am in the Piñones State Forest.
You will learn about the biodiversity of the forest, the ecological services it offers us, and its natural connection with the waters of the estuary.
This activity counts towards Green Contact hours. Register today at estuary.org/events.
Family day out at the Estuary
On Saturday, March 1st, we held our latest Family Day Out at the Condado Lagoon Estuarine Nature Reserve. This time, we celebrated World Wildlife Day, focusing on the reserve's ecosystem.
Cleaning at the reservation
As part of the day trip, 26 volunteers accompanied us on a land cleanup in three areas of the Reserve.
Thirteen bags of trash were removed from the lagoon's shoreline, totaling 222 pounds. The materials found included plastic bottles (109), clothing (112), food wrappers (79), pieces of plastic or foam (102), and straws (109).
The family outing also included a talk and trivia game about wildlife and its importance, in which 24 people participated. We closed the day with Estuary Cinema, where some 128 people attended the screening of the film Wicked, on the grounds of Jaime Benítez Park.
We thank all the collaborators who made this day possible; Yamileth Meléndez from Yami's Little Shop for bringing and selling her food during the event; José Ramos, the park administrator, for his help with the cleanup; the municipal police from the Jaime Benítez Park station; and all the volunteers and attendees. See you next time!
Information table about the Estuary in Caimito
During the activity of Caimito Tastes Like Culture, On Friday, February 28th, through our educational table, we shared information about the importance of proper vegetable oil disposal as a strategy for conserving our water infrastructure. We brought our container to the event, which helped divert the oil used during the activity. We thank the Estuary's aquatic waste project coordinators, Camila Rodríguez and Paul Lanctin, who staffed the table during the event.
Workshop for the Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan of Puerto Rico
On Tuesday, February 25, 2025, the Estuary participated in the workshop for Puerto Rico's Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan, developed by the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DRNA). The Estuary attended this interactive workshop along with professionals from the solid waste industry, government and municipal officials, non-profit organizations, and private companies, in support of the creation of this new Plan.
Learn more about the development of Puerto Rico's Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan and how you can contribute. here.
Bird censuses in the Botanical Garden
On February 25 and 26, students from the environmental science courses at the Faculty of General Studies of the University of Puerto Rico participated in two bird censuses at the Río Piedras Botanical Garden. These censuses counted as field experience for the Participatory Bird Census module of the Estuary Citizen Scientist certification program.
We thank Professor Melitza Nieves of the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus, who integrated this Estuary module into her biological science courses to promote research and monitoring methodologies in the natural areas of the Estuary watershed. We also thank educators Coral Avilés Santiago and Eliezer Nieves Rodríguez, who coordinated the activity.
Planting of coastal vegetation in the County Lagoon Estuarine Nature Reserve
As a field experience of the Coastal Resilience module of the Estuary's citizen scientist certification, 32 students and teachers from the CeDIn Superior—Laboratory School of the Inter-American University Metro Campus, carried out a planting of coastal vegetation in the Condado Lagoon Estuarine Nature Reserve.
Citizen scientists applied their knowledge of mangrove ecosystems by planting approximately 803 red mangrove seedlings in the Playita San Gerónimo area. The activity was led by Professor Yamila Meléndez Rivera, along with Coastal Resilience coordinators Andreína Alexatos and Agnes Pagán.
Presentation at the Multiple Insurance Cooperative
On the morning of Saturday, March 1st, Estuario participated in the Coop Meeting and Third Ethics Symposium of the Puerto Rico Multiple Insurance Cooperative. Dr. Jorge Bauzá took part in an educational event on environmental issues, aimed at cooperative owners and focused on sustainable development.
The topic of the Estuary was: The San Juan Bay Estuary: an example of restoration, improvement and conservation of an urban tropical ecosystem, where your participation counts.
Dr. Bauzá gave an educational presentation on the Estuary restoration efforts and how cooperative members can get involved as collaborators in these efforts.
Thank you to the Multiple Insurance Cooperative of Puerto Rico for the invitation!
Certification of scientific citizens
Below are the activities scheduled for the coming weeks. See more information at estuary.org/ccc.
Microplastics Characterization and Reduction Module
Workshop for the Microplastics Characterization and Reduction module; on Thursday, March 13, from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm via Zoom
Weekly bacteriological monitoring
Assessment conducted on Thursday, March 6, 2025. We have a RED flag for County Lagoon. We recommend avoiding areas that exceeded the "Beach Action Value" water quality standard of 70 CFU/100 ML. Remember to avoid the water after rain events.
