Weekly Estuary Update
Greetings from the estuary! Below are the activities and opportunities for collaboration, training, and employment this week, benefiting the interconnected waters of the San Juan Bay estuary system.
Family Day Trip to the Estuarine Nature Reserve of the County Lagoon
Celebrate all mothers with us on Saturday, May 4th! Join us at Jaime Benítez Park, where starting at 3:00 pm, we'll have a macrame workshop, a Zumba class for moms, a birdwatching tour (with Green Contact hours), a talk on endemic birds (with Green Contact hours), and a screening of Estuary Cinema. Our friends from Pizzeria 188 will be selling food and snacks. See more information at estuary.org/events . We hope to see you there!
Estuary Cinema
Following the Family Day Out, Estuary Cinema presents: Trolls; on Saturday, May 4, 2024, 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. As always, this screening is free. Bring your blanket or chair!
We are seeking new Estuary Resident Artists
The Artist-in-Residence initiative has transformed into a national movement! The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in collaboration with the National Endowment for the Arts, announced the creation of artist-in-residence programs in six regions of the U.S. National Estuary Program.
Therefore, we are pleased to announce a new season of Estuary Resident Artists for this year 2024, which will be focused on the restoration efforts of the Juan Méndez ravine in San Juan.
View the call for applications here and apply today. The call for applications is open until May 15, 2024.
Certification of scientific citizens
Begin your certification as a citizen scientist with the Estuary. Participate in the introductory workshops for the thematic modules on water quality, microplastic characterization and reduction, participatory bird censuses, and coastal resilience:
Thursday, May 2 – Participatory bird censuses
Thursday, May 9 – Water Quality
Thursday, May 16 – Characterization and reduction of microplastics
Thursday, May 23 – Coastal Resilience
All workshops will be facilitated by the Estuary's environmental educator, Coral Avilés, from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm via Zoom.
See more activities and register today at estuary.org/ccc.
Return your Water Quality Day kit
Return your kit! When you return your water quality kit, you'll receive a reusable estuarine bag, so you can reduce your environmental footprint in style. Pick up your reusable bag today!
Stop by our office (1315 Avenida Ponce de León, San Juan, PR 00907) Monday through Friday, between 10:00 am and 3:00 pm. Call us at 787-725-8165 or write to us at: [email protected].
You can also visit Jaime Benítez Park in the Condado Lagoon Estuarine Nature Reserve on Sunday, April 28, from 12:30 pm to 6:00 pm
Job opportunities
Video Production Services—Request for Quote – The San Juan Bay Estuary Partnership, Estuario, is looking to engage a professional consultant(s) to provide video production services to produce a video for the Estuario's 30th anniversary.
Economic Valuation Study—Request for Proposal – The San Juan Bay Estuary Partnership is looking to engage a professional consultant(s) to conduct an economic valuation study to determine the current economic value of the natural resources and services in the San Juan Bay Estuary watershed.
Capacity Building and Facilitation Services—Request for Proposal – The Capacity Building Services supports Estuario's role as a regional convener, catalyst, and facilitator to restore and maintain clean waters that support a thriving, healthy ecosystem
See more information at: estuary.org/jobs
Other activities
Kilometers of change:
The San Juan Bay Estuary stands in solidarity with the Kilometers of Change movement, a relay race across the entire island that will take place continuously over three days to raise funds for the benefit of women victims of gender violence.
Estuary Executive Director Brenda Torres will participate in Leg #7 from Quebradillas to Aguadilla (a distance of 13.55 miles) on May 17, 2024, along with ten other runners. The group will be captained by athlete Melissa Ríos.
At Estuary, we understand that the state of our environment reflects our quality of life and that, to achieve environmental justice, resilience, or access to clean water, it is necessary to eradicate violence from our communities. Learn more about Kilometers of Change here.
Bird census in Punta Salinas:
On Monday, April 22, World Earth Day, our public participation specialist, Eliezer Nieves, led a participatory bird census in the Punta Salinas Forest, with citizen science students from the Espíritu Santo Academy of Toa Baja.
The students made this tour as part of their citizen scientist certification in the participatory bird census thematic module, where they learn techniques to identify birds, how to document them, and their importance within the San Juan Bay estuary ecosystem.
Learn more about the participatory bird census module of the Estuary's citizen scientist certification at: estuary.org/ccc.
Media coverage
Torres, Brenda. April 23, 2024. Gender violence and environmental justice. Opinion. El Nuevo Día. p.29.
Weekly bacteriological monitoring
Evaluation conducted on Thursday, April 25, 2024. We have a GREEN flag for County Lagoon. All stations met the water quality standard for enterococci, "Beach Action Value," of 70 CFU/100 mL. However, we remind you to avoid the water during rain events. Have a great weekend!
