Estuary Weekly Update

An estuarine greeting! Through our weekly update, we inform residents and friends of the San Juan Bay estuary watershed communities about events, projects, activities, and training opportunities.

Employment Opportunities

[JOB ANNOUNCEMENT] PROJECT OFFICER – BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE ACT FUNDING

Estuary seeks applications for an experienced, full-time Project Officer responsible for overseeing the successful project management and operations of Bipartisan Infrastructure Act (BIL) projects, including, but not limited to, water quality restoration, blue/green infrastructure, and climate/coastal resilience. See the listing at: https://estuario.org/job-announcement-project-officer-bipartisan-infrastructure-law-funding/

[CONTRACT NOTICE] COORDINATOR OF THE ESTUARIO PROJECT – CITIZEN SCIENTIST CERTIFICATION PROGRAM

The Estuario Project Coordinator – Citizen Science Certification Program will be responsible for training citizens in the Coastal Resilience module of the Estuario Citizen Science Certification Program. See the listing, in: https://estuario.org/contract-announcement-estuario-project-coordinator-citizen-scientist-certification-program-3/

2,200 mangroves are owned as part of Estuario's certification for citizen scientists

On Saturday, April 22, 2023, International Mother Earth Day, a group of volunteers celebrated by planting 2,200 mangrove specimens in the Jobos beach mangrove, Isabela.

See the photo gallery, here.

Certification for citizen scientists

Below are the thematic workshops and field trips scheduled as part of our certification for citizen scientists:

Introductory workshops:

During the month of May, we will be conducting a new round of introductory workshops for the thematic modules of water quality, participatory bird censuses, characterization and reduction of microplastics, and coastal resilience.

May 3: Introduction to Water Quality Monitoring – with Eliezer Nieves Rodríguez
May 10: Introduction to Participatory Bird Censuses – with Eliezer Nieves Rodríguez
May 17: Introduction to Microplastics and Other Aquatic Debris – with Eliezer Nieves Rodríguez
May 24: Introduction to Coastal Resilience – with Patria Aponte Marcano

All workshops will be held from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm, virtually via Zoom.

Thematic module on coastal resilience:

In addition to the introductory workshop for the thematic module of coastal resilience, we have the following workshops and field trips:

May 2: Thematic workshop—Coral Reef Ecological Assessment; 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm via Zoom
May 6: Field trip—monitoring coral communities; 8:00 am – 12:00 pm, location will be shared upon registration.
May 13: Field trip—red mangrove planting: 8:00 am – 12:00 pm, in Isabela
May 30: Thematic workshop—Ecological Restoration with Red Mangrove Planting; 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm via Zoom.

Sign up today! View all events and additional information about the certification process and thematic modules, in https://estuario.org/ccc/.

Family day trip to the Condado Lagoon Natural Estuarine Reserve

Our family day trip to the Jaime Benítez Park is back! On Saturday, May 6, 2023, don't miss the following activities scheduled in honor of mom and for the whole family:

12:00 pm – Our information table opens
2:30 pm – Estuarine games for kids: Learn through low-impact games for kids, while mom enjoys the macramé workshop.
3:00 pm – Macramé workshop for mom: Come and learn to make crafts in macramé, we will make key chains and bookmarks.
4:00 pm – Pilates class for mom: Enjoy these mind-and-body controlled exercises, aimed especially at mom. Don't forget to bring your mat.
5:00 pm – DJ Kids—Sunset Silent Disco Party: Ecological and conscious event, which teaches us different ways to enjoy natural areas in a healthy way. Come and enjoy the talent of these young DJs. You will need to register to get your headphones, it will require an ID. Bring your reusable bottle.
7:00 pm – Estuary Cinema Presents: Dune (2021)

The activities are open to the public and free of charge. You can confirm your attendance at the family day out to receive updates and additional information at https://estuario.org/eventos/ . We look forward to seeing you!

Estuary Cinema

After the family day trip, Cine del Estuario presents: Dune (2021), at 7:00 pm in the Jaime Benítez Park of the Condado Lagoon Natural Estuarine Reserve. Bring your blanket or chair!

Media coverage and publications

Leysa Caro González. April 26, 2023. Natural Resources denies experiencing a crisis with the flood control pump system. Government. El Nuevo Día. Web.

April 25, 2023. Interview with María Gabriela Huertas Díaz. Teleonce. Web.

April 24, 2023. Mangroves return to the coast of Isabela. Find out more. El Nuevo Día. p.2.

Mónika Candelaria. April 24, 2023. Interview with Brenda Torres Barreto. Dawn News. wapa.tv. Web.

Luisa Sotero. April 23, 2023. Another sewage spill reported in Condado. Telenoticias. Telemundo PR. Web.

Valeria María Torres Nieves. April 23, 2023. The San Juan Bay Estuary urges people to stay away from Condado Beach due to stormwater runoff. Local News. El Nuevo Día. Web.

Patria I. Aponte Marcano. April 22, 2023. Urgent need to restore coral reefs. Opinion. El Nuevo Día. p.44.

Renia Rosa. April 22, 2023. Urgent call to curb plastic pollution. Supplements. El Nuevo Día. pp. 4-5. [Web version]

Weekly Water Quality Monitoring

Evaluation conducted on Thursday, April 27, 2023. We Have a NET flag for the Lagoon County Natural Estuary Reserve. Although the calculations present a measurement below the water quality parameter for enterococci (70 CFU/100mL), we recommend avoiding the water since four of the five Skiing scored high bacteriological counts.