Estuario Weekly Update
An estuarine greeting! Below, we share the events, initiatives and actions carried out for the benefit of the San Juan Bay Estuary, its ecosystems and its communities.
Celebrating Manatee Day in your Family Day
Join us! On Saturday, September 7, 2024, Caribbean Manatee Conservation Day in Puerto Rico, we will have our next Family Day Trip at the Condado Lagoon Natural Estuarine Reserve, one of the homes of this species on the Island. There will be activities for the whole family, educational talks, a story reading for children and Cine del Estuario.
Don’t miss the educational talk, El manatí antillano: tesoro de la Laguna del Condado y el Caribe; at 4:00 p.m. with the resources Yabriel Pagán and Mariellie Pérez, from the Caribbean Manatee Conservation Center. This talk will count towards Contacto Verde hours.
In addition, we will have the workshop, Manglares en peligro, un llamado a la conservación, at 5:00 p.m. with the Girl Scout, Jomaris A. Ramos López, from Troop 400. Learn more about these important ecosystems that are part of the biodiversity of the Reserve. This talk will count towards Contacto Verde hours.
At 6:00 p.m., we will be accompanied by the writer, Gabriela Joglar Burrowes, with the reading of the story, Carlitos el cobito quiere escuchar el mar. Come with your whole family!
The Family Day will conclude with Cine del Estuario, presenting Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, at 7:00 p.m. at Jaime Benítez Park. The film will be screened in Spanish, with English subtitles. As always, this activity is free of charge. Bring your blanket or chair!
Panel on Water Infrastructure in Puerto Rico
On Friday, September 6, 2024, from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., the San Juan Bay Estuary Partnership invites you to the panel, Resiliencia a la escala urbana: consideraciones para la infraestructura hídrica en Puerto Rico; to be held at the Natural Sciences building of the University of Puerto Rico in Río Piedras, with virtual space through Zoom.
During this panel, moderated by the SJBEP executive director, panelists will address how we can define the resilience of water infrastructure at the urban scale in Puerto Rico from an interdisciplinary perspective. Considering complex urban contexts, such as that of the Juan Méndez Creek in the Municipality of San Juan, they will discuss innovative approaches and important considerations for the planning and development of nature-based solutions.
We will have as panelists Jorge R. Ortiz Zayas, Ph.D, Professor of the Department of Environmental Sciences at UPRRP, Dr. Jorge Rivera Santos, Professor of the Department of Civil Engineering and Surveying at UPRM, Dr. Tania del Mar López Marrero, Professor of the Department of Social Sciences at UPRM, and Raúl Santiago Bartolomei, MP, Ph.D, Assistant Professor of the Graduate School of Planning at UPRRP.
Sign up today, at estuario.org/eventos.
Meeting of Amigos de la Laguna
Join the group of collaborators, neighbors, and friends who work with the Condado Lagoon Estuarine Nature Reserve management coalition. We will be meeting on Wednesday, September 4, 2024, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on the grounds of Jaime Benítez Park and with virtual space through Zoom. Everyone is invited. Sign up to receive your link via Zoom, in estuario.org/eventos.
Save the Dates: National Estuaries Week
National Estuaries Week is coming soon! From September 21 to 28, 2024, we will commemorate the ecological and social importance of our estuaries and their ecosystems, with volunteer opportunities, educational workshops, and more activities. Save the dates! Follow our weekly update for more details.
Join the second BIOBLITZ of the Condado Lagoon Natural Estuarine Reserve
As part of our National Estuaries Week celebration, we will hold the second BIOBLITZ of the Condado Lagoon Estuarine Natural Reserve. During this citizen science activity, you will learn about the species of plants, birds, fish, invertebrates, and other living beings that inhabit the Reserve.
There will be educational workshops from September 23 to 27, culminating with a biodiversity evaluation at the Reserve, on Saturday, September 28. More information will be published soon.
Complete your citizen scientist certification with the Estuario Coastal Resilience Module
Get the knowledge you need to help strengthen your community’s coastal regions. See the available Coastal Resilience module events and sign up today, in estuario.org/ccc. We add new workshops and field experiences regularly.
The Coastal Resilience module entails the topics of Coral Reef Assessment, Seagrass Assessment, and Coastal Restoration of Dunes and Mangroves.
If you are one of the citizen scientists who have participated in the workshops and field trips for one of the topics related to the Coastal Resilience module, the SJBEP encourages you to continue your certification. For any questions, or if you want to know your certification status, write us at: [email protected]. Certification is free of charge.
School activities in the Condado Lagoon
The SJBEP is offering educational activities in the Jaime Benítez Park, from interpretive tours, workshops and other activities related to the topics of biodiversity, ecosystems, water quality, green infrastructure and coastal resilience.
Spaces are available Monday through Friday, between 8:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m., for groups of all levels (K-12), from public, private or homeschoolers, with a maximum of 30 participants per activity. These activities count towards Green Contact hours (Contacto Verde).
To coordinate, write us at: [email protected].
Certification for Citizen Scientists
Below are the upcoming scheduled events. See more events at: estuario.org/ccc.
Coastal Resilience Module:
Employment Opportunities
Part-Time Faculty—The San Juan Bay Estuary Partnership is seeking qualified applications for a part-time faculty contract with a background in civil engineering for the graduate course “Innovative Approaches for a Sustainable Water Infrastructure”. This course will focus on the development of resilient infrastructure and nature-based and will integrate a multisectorial view in the study and evaluation of socio-ecological-technological urban systems. In this course, graduate students will be guided toward interdisciplinary research.
Artistas Residentes del Estuario – Request for Proposals—Los Artistas Residentes del Estuario generan expresiones artísticas con el objetivo de involucrar a los ciudadanos en el proceso de conservación y restauración de la cuenca estuarina, de una manera creativa y culturalmente relevante.
Download Your Free Copy—San Juan Bay Estuary: Research History and Opportunities
The San Juan Bay Estuary Partnership is pleased to share the recent publication, San Juan Bay Estuary: Research History and Opportunities; by Ariel E. Lugo and Jorge F. Bauzá Ortega.
This comprehensive document includes valuable information on research conducted in the estuarine system, calling for adding to these observations, findings, and conclusions in potential future research.
To arrange for a paperback pickup, please contact us at 787-725-8165.
Prepare for this Hurricane Season
Get ready for this hurricane season. Download the Estuario Community Hurricane Preparedness Guide and follow its recommendations. The strength and resilience of your community starts at home.
Also visit the Estuario Virtual Community Hub, where you’ll find vital information such as relevant emergency number information and instructions for preparing emergency backpacks.
Don’t get scared! Get prepared.
Weekly water quality monitoring
Evaluation conducted Thursday, August 29, 2024. We have a GREEN flag for the Condado Lagoon. Several stations exceeded the water quality standard for enterococci of 70CFU/100ML—we recommend avoiding these areas. Remember to avoid the water during precipitation events.
