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.
Puerto Rico's Water Quality Day Returns
The island's largest citizen science event is back! The 16th Puerto Rico Water Quality Day will be held on Saturday, April 15, 2024, from 9:00 am to 11:00 am. Form your group today!
Participants in Water Quality Day will collect simple water quality parameters across the island. The collected data will be added to a global database and provide a glimpse into the state of the island's waters.
Tell your family and friends, choose a body of water that's important to you, and register your group at: estuary.org/waterqualityday
Family day out at County Lagoon
Thank you to everyone who joined us for the family day trip to the Condado Lagoon Estuarine Nature Reserve!
Starting on Saturday morning, March 2nd, 36 volunteers carried out a cleanup in the Reserve, removing 253 pounds of solid waste. We thank the participants, the Los Tsunamis group, and the park administrator, Jaime Benítez, José Ramos, for their support.
Later, about 12 people participated in an outdoor yoga session with instructor Victoria Bermúdez. Thank you, Victoria!
After the yoga session, Coral Avilés and Eliezer Nieves, from our education team, led a group of 43 people on an interpretive tour of the Reserve. During the tour, the group discussed the ecosystem, its biodiversity, and the importance of protecting water quality.
After the tour, coordinators Daritzel Cintrón and Mario García provided an open-air workshop on the biodiversity of the Reserve.
They covered birds, amphibians, invertebrates, mammals, marine life, and the most common plants. After the workshop, they played a trivia game.
The family day out at the County Lagoon Estuarine Nature Reserve concluded with an Estuary Cinema screening featuring Barbie. 102 people attended.
Once again, thank you to the volunteers, collaborators, administrators, and visitors who joined us. Until next time!
Job opportunities
Internship Opportunity—Stakeholder Education & Awareness – The San Juan Bay Estuary Partnership (Estuary) seeks university-level interns to raise awareness within municipalities and educate themselves about the importance of correct management of solid/liquid waste, including the impact of incorrect disposal of used oil and other materials on gray infrastructure and the environment.
Request for Proposal—Capacity Building and Facilitation Services – 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 ecosystem, healthy communities, and vibrant ecosystem in the San Juan Bay Estuary and its urbanized watershed.
Request for Proposals—Recruiting Services – The San Juan Bay Estuary Partnership, or Estuary, requests proposals from qualified individuals or firms to provide recruiting services for various open positions (contractor and staff). The selected firm will be responsible for sourcing, screening, and presenting qualified candidates to fill positions in accordance with the Estuario's internal policies and procedures and other grant requirements.
See more information at: estuary.org/jobs
Certification of scientific citizens
Below are the upcoming scheduled events. We add more activities regularly. See more information at estuary.org/ccc.
Participatory bird census module:
March 10 – Field Trip: Participatory Bird Census; with Coral Avilés and Eliezer Nieves, from 7:00 am to 10:00 am in San Juan Central Park
Water quality module:
March 14 – Introduction to Water Quality Monitoring Workshop; with Coral Avilés, from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm via Zoom
Microplastics characterization and reduction module:
March 21 – Introductory workshop on microplastics and other aquatic debris; with Coral Avilés, from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm via Zoom
Coastal resilience module:
March 19 – Field trip: ecological assessment of coral reefs; with the coastal resilience coordinator, Daritzel Cintrón, from 7:00 am to 10:00 am at El Escambrón Beach
March 23 – Field trip: planting coastal vegetation; with arborist Andreína Alexatos, from 8:30 am to 11:30 am in the Northeast Ecological Corridor, Luquillo
March 28 – Introduction to Coastal Resilience Workshop; with Coral Avilés, from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm via Zoom
March 31 – Field Trip: Ecological Assessment of Coral Reefs and Seagrasses; with Daritzel Cintrón, from 8:00 am to 11:00 am at the County Lagoon
Other activities
Planting of coastal vegetation in Luquillo:
On Saturday, February 24, 22 volunteers, along with EcoCulture collaborators, planted more than 900 palo de gallo trees (Pterocarpus officinalis) in the Northeast Ecological Corridor, as part of the coastal resilience module of the Estuary's citizen science certification program. We thank all the volunteers who joined us, EcoCulture, Reforesta, and the Northeast Ecological Corridor Coalition.
Seed collection in Loíza:
On Tuesday, February 27, ten volunteers accompanied coastal resilience coordinator Andreína Alexatos to collect seeds on the Pescador Peninsula in Piñones. The group collected approximately 648 red mangrove propagules, which will be used in future coastal plantings. Thank you!
Media coverage
March 1, 2024. San Juan Bay Estuary Urges Taxpayers to Donate Through Their Tax Refunds. Science and Environment. El Nuevo Día. Web. https://www.elnuevodia.com/ciencia-ambiente/otros/notas/estuario-de-la-bahia-de-san-juan-exhorta-a-los-contribuyentes-a-donar-a-traves-de-su-reintegro/
Brenda Torres Barreto. March 6, 2024. Action to protect our coasts. Opinion. El Nuevo Día. p.44.
Support us with your refund
When you make your individual contribution this 2024, support the Estuary with a tax refund. Look for the option “Contribution to the Special Fund for the San Juan Bay Estuary ” on line 1B of the “Refund” section . Read more here.
Weekly bacteriological monitoring
Assessment conducted on Thursday, March 7, 2024. We have a GREEN flag for County Lagoon. However, we recommend avoiding areas that exceeded the water quality parameter for enterococci Beach Action Value of 70 CFU/100 ML. Have a great weekend!
