Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee
The Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee (STAC) advises the Estuary throughout the decision-making process regarding what and how to restore and conserve the estuary, ensuring that actions are aligned with and updated to reflect the latest scientific and technical knowledge. The STAC is responsible for:
- Validate the scientific and technical basis of the decisions regarding the Estuary.
- Validate the scientific and technical basis of the restoration and conservation projects included in the annual work plans of the Estuary.
The STAC is composed of the following members of the scientific community:
- Ariel E. Lugo — Hanael Asociados, Inc. — President
- Angel Meléndez — Water Quality Manager, Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources
- Autumn Oczkowski —Research Scientist, Office of Research and Development, United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA)
- Christa Von Hillebrant — International Tsunami Information Center / Caribbean Office, United States National Weather Service (USNWS)
- Estrella Santiago — Environmental Affairs Manager, Martin Peña Channel Link Project Corporation
- Evelyn Huertas — San Juan Bay Estuary Project Officer, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA)
- Iván Llerandi — Supervising Biologist, United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)
- Jorge Ortiz — Professor, Department of Environmental Sciences, Rio Piedras Campus, University of Puerto Rico
- Jorge Rivera Santos — Professor, Mayagüez Campus, University of Puerto Rico
- José Juan Terrasa Soler — Marvel Architects and Landscape Architects / Professor of Architecture, Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico
- José Rivera — National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
- Julieta M. Gómez Fragoso — United States Geological Survey (USGS)
- Tischa Muñoz-Erickson — Adjunct Professor, Río Piedras Campus, University of Puerto Rico
- Wilberto Cubero — Task Force VIPR, United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)
Meeting materials:
The Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) is composed of residents of the San Juan Bay Estuary study area. The CAC serves as a forum that brings together the diverse voices of local communities as part of the Estuary's direct engagement with them. During the 2022 strategic planning process, the CAC integrated representatives from sectors that do not necessarily reside in the study area but have a particular interest in the estuary's conservation and restoration, such as local business leaders, especially from the tourism and fishing sectors, workers, and visitors. This ensures greater representation of the watershed's interests.
The purpose of the CAC is to ensure that the Estuary has the knowledge and understanding of stakeholders when deciding what and how to restore and conserve the estuary. Its role is to advise the Estuary throughout the decision-making process, as needed, to ensure that estuary restoration and conservation are carried out in a culturally competent manner and integrate stakeholder knowledge and understanding of the challenges and actions required to achieve the mission. The CAC is responsible for:
- Sharing real and practical contextual observations from all stakeholders to validate the scientific and technical basis of Estuary decisions.
- Channeling and amplifying the voices of all stakeholders throughout the Estuary decision-making process to ensure that actions are not only based on science, but are also culturally appropriate and correct.
- Validate the strategies that will support stakeholder participation in the restoration and conservation of the estuary, included in the Estuary's annual work plans, before submitting them to the Implementation Committee.
The CAC is composed of the following members of the estuarine community:
- Marisol Jiménez — Friends of the County Lagoon — County, San Juan — President
- Ana D. Hernández — Puerto Rico Canoeing Federation — Condado, San Juan
- Ana Laura Soto Ducos — Venus Gardens Urbanization Residents Association, Inc. — Venus Gardens, San Juan
- Betzaida López — Municipal Administration — Loíza
- Cynthia Manfred — Guarda Río — University Gardens, San Juan
- Federico Cintrón Moscoso — The Bridge — Río Piedras and Santurce, San Juan
- Gertrudis Calderón Hernández — Cantera Peninsula Neighborhood Council — Cantera Peninsula, San Juan
- Hilda Benítez — 7Quillas Grupo Tortuguero San Juan — Condado and Ocean Park, San Juan
- Joyce Kim — Machuchal, Santurce, San Juan
- Laura Teresa Magruder — Friends of the Condado Lagoon — Condado, Santurce, and Miramar, San Juan
- Lucy Cruz — G-8 — Caño Martín Peña, San Juan
- Manuel Minero González — Friends of Fort San Jerónimo — Boquerón and Laguna del Condado, San Juan
- Mariana Reyes Sanglero — La Goyco Community Workshop — Santurce, San Juan
- Michael Fernández — Faces with a Cause — Cataño and Guaynabo Norte
- Nilsa Medina — Lake View Neighborhood Association — Las Curías, Cupey, San Juan
- Paco López Mujica — Arrecifes Pro Ciudad — Isla Verde, Carolina
- Wanda Ivelisse González-Vélez — Toabajeños en Defensa del Ambiente / Al rescate de mi escuela — Levittown, Toa Baja
Meeting materials:
