Estuario Weekly Update
Happy Thanksgiving!
During these holidays, we thank the neighbors, friends, volunteers, collaborators, donors, and the team that make possible our work of restoring and managing the San Juan Bay Estuary and its interconnected ecosystems.
Below, we share opportunities for collaboration, volunteering and training for this week, through initiatives and actions programmed for the benefit of the ecosystems of the San Juan Bay Estuary and their communities.
Employment opportunities
The coordinator must enthusiastically integrate all sectors into the event and lead their participation, considering and improving upon the data from previous years. The coordinator’s primary goal should be access to clean and safe water for all in Puerto Rico.
The San Juan Bay Estuary Partnership (Estuario) is seeking qualified applicants for the Estuario Project Coordinator- Juan Méndez Creek position to carry out the reconnaissance study and develop report, manage data, support with coordination with USACE and any other support needed to manage technical aspects for the Juan Mendez Creek Restoration.
Estuario seeks a senior level expert/technical to bring support as a Technical Facilitator to lead an analysis of the conditions of the Juan Mendez Creek with the input from the Infrastructure Committee.
Estuario seeks qualified applicants for the field technician position to conduct a rapid needs assessment, gather data, conduct analysis, document, and present the results of the rapid needs assessment.
Estuario seeks proposals from qualified firms/individuals for Podcast Services to document the restoration of the Juan Méndez Creek under the funds of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).
The Stakeholder and Engagement Coordinator supports Estuario’s role as a regional convener, catalyst, and facilitator to restore and maintain clean waters that support thriving ecosystems, healthy communities, and a vibrant ecosystem in the San Juan Bay Estuary and its urbanized watershed.
The Citizen Science and Education Manager is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the Estuario’s capacity building efforts and education efforts at a regional level. This position will help develop and communicate data related to baseline conditions through habitat, restoration, or coastal resilience initiatives, volunteer monitoring, and other data sets through education efforts.
Certification for citizen scientists
Water Quality Module:
- November 27 – Field Trip: Water Quality Monitoring; with Rebeca Rivera, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in Las Curías and Río Piedras
- November 28 – Field Trip: Water Quality Monitoring; with Rebeca Rivera, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in San Juan Bay
- November 29 – Field Trip: Water Quality Monitoring; with Rebeca Rivera, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at Laguna San José
- November 30 – Field Trip: Water Quality Monitoring; with Rebeca Rivera, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at Laguna del Condado and neighboring beaches
Coastal Resilience Module:
- November 25 – Field Trip: Ecological Assessment of Seagrass Communities [STUDENTS 9-12]; with Daritzel Cintron, 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at Laguna del Condado
- November 30 – Introduction to Coastal Resilience Workshop; with Coral Avilés, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. via Zoom
- December 2 – Field trip: planting of coastal vegetation with Andreína Alexatos, from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in the Northeast Ecological Corridor in Luquillo
- December 9 – Field trip: maintenance of the Estuary Nursery; with Andreína Alexatos, from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the TAU Center in Loíza
- December 12 – Field trip: red mangrove seed collection; with Andreína Alexatos, from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Peninsula del Pescador in Piñones
#GivingTuesday
Our work to restore and manage the San Juan Bay Estuary is made possible thanks to collaborations with citizens, municipalities, and government agencies (among others); through the exchange of infrastructure and scientific and technical data to support effective projects. However, beyond infrastructure, the most precious resource of the Estuary and its collaborators is an informed and involved public.
With this goal in mind, we are training citizens in environmental restoration practices through our certification of citizen scientists in coastal resilience. This effort requires an investment of approximately $100,000 per year. A donation from you en route to this #GivingTuesday helps us get closer to this goal and continue to train, reforest, and collect data to improve the quality of our waters.
#GivingTuesday takes place on Tuesday, November 28, 2023. There are multiple ways you can donate. Find out how, at: https://estuario.org/donar/
Cine del Estuario
Cine del Estuario presents: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever; on Saturday, December 2, 2023, at 7:00 p.m. in the Jaime Benítez Park of the Laguna del Condado Estuarine Nature Reserve. As always, this feature will be free of cost. The film will be screened with Spanish audio and English subtitles. See you there!
Bird Study Merit Badge
The San Juan Bay Estuary Partership, in collaboration with Concilio de Puerto Rico and the Guaitiao District of the Boy Scouts of America, will be offering the Bird Study Merit Badge.
Merit badge requirements will be offered in a virtual workshop via Zoom. The workshop consists of two parts on different days, so participants must attend both virtual sessions.
1st Virtual Session: Wednesday, December 6, 2023 (6:00 PM to 7:30 PM)
2nd Virtual Session: Wednesday, December 13, 2023 (6:00 PM to 7:30 PM)
For the field requirement, we will have a list of dates to coordinate attendance at two bird censuses between December 14, 2023 to January 5, 2024. The listener must always be accompanied by an adult, so both must register on the dates they are going to attend. Bird censuses will be early in the morning from 7:00 AM to 10:00 AM.
Scouts interested in participating must have approval from their Scoutmaster and ensure that an adult unit leader is registered and present for the two virtual sessions. To register, you can do so in estuario.org/eventos.
Weekly water quality monitoring
Evaluation carried out on Tuesday, November 21, 2023. We have a RED flag for the Condado Lagoon Natural Estuarine Reserve. We recommend avoiding the areas that exceeded the Beach Action Value water quality standard of 70 CFU/100 ML. Have a good weekend!
