Join the celebration!
From September 19-26, 2026, we celebrate National Estuaries Week! We have a packed calendar of learning, environmental restoration, and connecting to nature activities, plus opportunities to accumulate Contacto Verde or community service hours. Join and get involved! Read on for more information.
International Coastal Cleanup 2026
Have you signed up for the International Coastal Cleanup yet? Join the group captained by the San Juan Bay Estuary Partnership (SJBEP), at the Condado Lagoon Natural Estuarine Reserve, on Saturday, September 19, 2026, from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. We will be conducting a land-based cleanup and an underwater clean-up.
Sign up for the ground cleanup at the Condado Lagoon Estuarine Nature Reserve, HERE.
There are several groups that will be performing cleaning in the water. To be part of the underwater cleaning led by the Estuary, sign up HERE.
Educational fair
While we carry out cleanup actions in the Reserve, we will have an educational fair in celebration of National Estuaries Week, from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on the grounds of Jaime Benítez Park, on September 19. There will be multiple information stations, where you will learn about the ecosystems connected to the San Juan Bay Estuary (SJBE), its biodiversity, and the actions we take to restore and manage the health of the waters that are part of the watershed.
Cine del Estuario
Cine del Estuario presents: Lilo & Stitch (2025), in a special screening as a preamble to National Estuaries Week, on Saturday, September 19, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at Jaime Benitez Park. The film will be screened in Spanish, with English subtitles. Bring your chair and snacks. This screening is free of charge.
Paddle with the Estuary
On Sunday, September 20th, we open National Estuaries Week with the event, Paddle with the Estuary; a morning of connection with nature at the Condado Lagoon Natural Estuarine Reserve.
We will have educational activities on the grounds of Jaime Benítez Park. Bring your kayak or paddle board and paddle with us from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.! The meeting point for kayak/paddleboard participants will be Jaime Benítez Park.
If you don’t have a kayak or paddle board, you can rent one from Night Kayak, San Juan Paddleboarding, or SUP Action Paddleboard, Co. , while they last. See more rental information at: estuario.org/eventos
Celebrate from anywhere on the island! If you find yourself paddling in any other body of water on Sunday, September 20, share your photo on the social network of your choice and tag us (@estuariosanjuan).
Exploring the Estuary
Celebrate National Estuaries Week 2026 in a big way by joining the event, Exploring the Estuary: Documenting Biodiversity in the Condado Lagoon Natural Estuarine Reserve, on Saturday, September 26, from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Register today, at: estuario.org/eventos
We will document the species using the iNaturalist app. We will divide into groups throughout the day:
[7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.] Birds
[8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.] Marine Life
[8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.] Plants and Terrestrial Life
[10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.] Plants and Terrestrial Life
[2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.] Plants and Terrestrial Life
[4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.] Birds
[6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.] Nocturnal fauna
We will also have training workshops during the week, where you will learn how to identify the species and use the iNaturalist mobile application. All workshops will be via Zoom, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.:
[Monday, 21] Getting to know the plants of the Reserve
[Tuesday, 22] Getting to know the terrestrial life of the Reserve
[Wednesday, 23] Getting to know the aquatic life of the Reserve
[Thursday, 24] Documenting the Biodiversity of the Reserve (iNaturalist)
Exploring the Estuary counts toward Contacto Verde and community service hours. All minors must be accompanied by an adult, who must register separately. View the full calendar of events for the week and register today, at: estuario.org/eventos.
Field experiences
Join the field experiences scheduled this National Estuaries Week. Remember that these count towards Contacto Verde or community service hours. All minors must be accompanied by an adult, who must register separately.
Water Quality Monitoring Module
Field Experience: Bacteriological Monitoring; Thursday, September 24, at 9:30 a.m. at the Condado Lagoon
Participatory Bird Census Module
Field experience; on Sunday, September 20, at 7:00 a.m. at the Río Piedras Botanical Garden
Coastal Resilience Module
Field Experience: Propagation of coastal vegetation; on Sunday, September 20, at 8:00 a.m. in Loíza
Field Experience: Planting Coastal Vegetation; Saturday, September 26, at 8:00 a.m. at the Condado Lagoon
Interpretive trail
Join us for the next interpretive tour: Discovering the Nature of Urban Forests; on Friday, September 25, 2026, from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. at Julio E. Monagas Park. Register today, at: estuario.org/eventos
These tours count toward Contacto Verde or community service hours. All minors must be accompanied by an adult, who must register separately.
Presentation and closing discussion: El Estuario no está quieto
Join us for the closing event and celebration of the Antonio Martorell y sus Amigos Estuary Artist Residency on Friday, September 25, 2026, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., at the Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico.
During this special evening, we will premiere the documentary and present the book that collects the process and experiences of this artistic residency, along with a conversation with some of its protagonists. We will close the night with a cocktail to celebrate the culmination of this project and the encounter between art, communities and the SJBE.
The activity is open to the public, with limited spaces. To participate, it is necessary to complete the RSVP form.
Pilates Mat class
Close out National Estuaries Week in this Pilates Mat class with Elizabeth Solá, owner of Mind Body Parlor, on Saturday, September 26, from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. at Jaime Benitez Park in the Condado Lagoon Natural Estuarine Reserve. Pilates is a fitness method that includes strength and flexibility exercises. It is adaptable to any skill level; however, participants must be able to sit and stand off the floor without assistance.
Help us document restoratio n and conservation efforts in the SJBE watershed
Each year, we document habitat restoration and conservation efforts implemented throughout the SJBE watershed. Thus, we gather valuable information to support public investment in the region.
We urge all communities, organizations, or agencies carrying out restoration and conservation projects in the region to submit their projects for the period from October 1, 2025, to September 30, 2026, including pending projects.
These projects are reported to EPA and Congress. The form must be completed by September 30, 2026. We thank all the entities that are part of this effort. Access the form: HERE.
Professional Services Contract Opportunities
Thanks to everyone who joined our most recent Family Day
During the family day on Saturday, September 5th, we celebrated the week of the Greater Caribbean manatee, also known as the West Indian manatee.
We started the day with a talk about our entity, our current efforts and the projects and opportunities to participate and learn about the estuarine ecosystem.
Following the talk, the artist Kaos, taught us how to make linocuts. Kaos’ art was based on the manatee, so the participants took away a pleasant memory with some of the many engravings that Kaos brought us.
In the afternoon, all participants stayed to listen to the talk “Coexisting with the Manatee”, offered by Dr. Nilda Jiménez, in charge of the endangered species program of the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources. During the talk, we learned about the manatee, its taxonomy, feeding, reproduction, habits and things we can do to protect them. We also learned about the role that the Condado Lagoon Natural Estuarine Reserve plays in the protection of the manatee.
We closed the activities with a tour along the southern coast of the Reserve, where we learned more about the place where manatees live.
We ended the day with Cine del Estuario, where we enjoyed the film, Michael.
We thank the collaboration of the artist Camila “Kaos”, the municipal police of San Juan for always being attentive, for making rounds and for accompanying us during the tour; we also thank Dr. Nilda Jiménez, in charge of the endangered species program, and Carmen Santiago, director of education and citizen service, both from the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources.
Urban trail
On Saturday, September 12th, we held our most recent urban trail in the Condado Lagoon Natural Estuarine Reserve.
From Jaime Benítez Park to the beach, we walked through the streets to discover how the water, the city and the estuary are connected. During the tour we explored the site’s geography, its biodiversity and the path that the waters follow from the city to the Lagoon.
We also talked about the actions that we can take from our community to contribute to the protection and quality of our waters.
Thank you to all the people who accompanied us and shared with us this experience of learning and connection with our nature.
Media coverage
September 17, 2026. Manuel Guillama Capella. “Dejamos que nos hablen”: Estuario de la Bahía de San Juan identifica puntualmente zonas impactadas por descargas sanitarias. Ciencia y Ambiente. El Nuevo Día. Web. https://www.elnuevodia.com/noticias/locales/notas/dejamos-que-nos-hablen-estuario-de-la-bahia-de-san-juan-identifica-puntualmente-las-zonas-impactadas-por-descargas-sanitarias
Prepare for Hurricane Season
This 2026 hurricane season, SJBEP urges you to be prepared. Download the Community Hurricane Preparedness Guide and follow its recommendations. Protecting your community starts at home.
Also visit the SJBEP’s Virtual Community Hub, where you’ll find vital information such as relevant emergency numbers and instructions for preparing emergency backpacks.
Don’t be scared! Be prepared.
Weekly water quality monitoring
Thanks to the volunteers that suported the bacteriological monitoring of Condado Lagoon on Thursday, September 10, 2026, as part of the SJBEP Certification for Citizen Scientists’ Water Quality Monitoring Module. Up next, the results.
Evaluation carried out on Thursday, September 17, 2026. We have a GREEN flag for the Condado Lagoon. We recommend avoiding the areas that exceeded the “Beach Action Value” water quality parameter for 70 CFU/100 ML enterococci. Remember to avoid the water during rain events.
