Estuario Weekly Update
Join us for the Family Day at the Condado Lagoon Natural Estuarine Reserve, this Saturday, November 7th! Keep reading for more details.
Below, we share with you the events and opportunities for volunteering, training and professional growth available in benefit of the waters connected to the San Juan Bay Estuary (SJBE). Estuarine greetings!
Family Day
Join the Family Day at the Condado Lagoon Natural Estuarine Reserve, on Saturday, November 7, 2026, on the grounds of Jaime Benítez Park, in celebration of World Ecology Day. We will have a sports activity, informative talks, a mosaic activity and an interpretive tour. See the agenda, at: estuario.org/eventos
Several of the activities count towards Contacto Verde or community service hours. All minors must be always accompanied by an adult. The event does not require registration. For more information, email us at: [email protected]
Cine del Estuario
Cine del Estuario presents: Moana 2; on Saturday, November 7, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. at the Jaime Benítez Park of the Condado Lagoon Natural Estuarine Reserve. The film will be screened in Spanish, with English subtitles. This screening is free of charge. Bring your blanket or chair.
Reducing aquatic waste in the SJBE
Participate in recycling and waste reduction initiatives across the SJBE watershed:
Electronics Recycling in the Municipality of San Juan
On Friday, November 13, 2026, the Municipality of San Juan will hold its fourth Electronic Recycle-a-thon, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Community Deposit Center of the Coliseíto Pedrín Zorrilla (entering through Domenech Avenue). Divert electronic equipment that you no longer use, such as computers, cell phones, televisions, consoles, and more, correctly and responsibly.
Coastal cleanup in Piñones
The San Juan Bay Estuary Partnership (SJBEP), in collaboration with the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DNER) and the Municipality of Loíza, invites you to be part of a deep cleanup effort on the coastal shoreline of Piñones, on Tuesday, November 24 and Wednesday, November 25, 2026, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Cleaning will count for Contacto Verde hours. Remember that all minors must be accompanied by an adult, who must register separately.
Your participation makes a difference! Join us in taking care of our natural spaces and preventing waste from reaching our bodies of water.
Blue Friday 2026
For the fifth consecutive year, swimmers group Los Tsunamis invites volunteers to a traditional day of care and cleaning of the Condado Lagoon Natural Estuarine Reserve, Blue Friday, on Friday, November 27, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. The day will consist of an aquatic cleaning for swimmers, a shore cleaning if you prefer not to enter the water, the removal of submerged debris and support with kayaks or paddle boards, if you have one available.
Join Los Tsunamis this Blue Friday and support the maintenance of the Condado Lagoon! The meeting point will be at Jaime Benítez Park, at 8:30 a.m. This year, Los Tsunamis estimate that they will need four or five rowing boats to help pull materials out of the water. Your help will be key!
To participate, contact Laura Magruder at 787-602-0279 or at: [email protected]
Professional Services Contract Opportunities
Certification for Citizen Scientists
Join the workshops and field experiences of the SJBEP Certification for Citizen Scientists. Remember that they 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, Nov. 12, at 9:30 a.m. at the Condado Lagoon
Water Quality Monitoring Workshop: Physical-chemical parameters; on Thursday, November 12, at 7:00 p.m. on Zoom
Participatory Bird Census Module
Participatory Bird Census Workshop; Tuesday, November 10, at 7:00 p.m. on Zoom
Field experience; on Sunday, November 15, at 7:00 a.m. at the Botanical Garden of the UPR, Río Piedras
Field experience; on Sunday, November 22, at 7:00 a.m. at Lago Las Curías, San Juan
Coastal Resilience Module
Field Experience: Coral Reef Ecological Assessment; Wednesday, November 11, at 8:00 a.m. at the Condado Lagoon
Field Experience: Seagrass Ecological Assessment; Wednesday, November 11, at 12:00 p.m. at the Condado Lagoon
Coastal Resilience Workshop: Ecological Restoration of Dunes and Mangroves; Thursday, November 19, at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom
Actions for coastal resilience
On Saturday, October 17, 2026, 22 volunteers planted some 272 specimens of coastal vegetation in the Condado Lagoon Natural Estuarine Reserve, including red mangrove, black mangrove, white mangrove and green buttonwood.
This planting seeks to mitigate the effects of coastal erosion in the area.
On Sunday, October 25, nine volunteers carried out seed propagation, cleaning and maintenance work at Centro TAU’s Vivero Estuario in Loíza.
These actions contributed to keeping the nursery in good condition and strengthening the availability of plants for future planting activities. Congratulations!
Both activities counted as field experience of the Coastal Resilience module of the Estuary Citizen Science Certification. We congratulate the volunteers who completed their certification during these events. Join us!
Bird census in Piñones
Thank you to everyone who joined us in the most recent participatory bird census in the Piñones State Forest, on Saturday, October 10, 2026, as a field experience of the Participatory Bird Census module of the SJBEP Certification for Citizen Scientists. During this day, the SJBEP joined the October Big Day, the second international birding day of the year, where participants from all countries join to conduct bird censuses and document them in the eBird application. This year Puerto Rico reached 9th place in increase in eBird users since 2025.
Congratulations to those who participated in this event, entering their data into eBird and also to those who completed their certification!
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
Shoutout to the SJBEP Science and Technical Coordinator, Edward Hernández, and the Scientific Director, Jorge Bauzá, who carried out the most recent bacteriological monitoring of the Condado Lagoon on Wednesday, November 4, 2026. Up next, the results.
Evaluation carried out on Wednesday, November 4, 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 enterococci of 70 CFU/100 ML. Remember to avoid the water during rain events. Have a good weekend!
