Estuario Weekly Update
An estuarine greeting! Through our weekly update, we share the events and opportunities for collaboration, training, and volunteerism scheduled to benefit the San Juan Bay estuary, its ecosystems, and communities.
Summit 2024
The San Juan Bay Estuary Partnership invites you to its 2024 Summit, to be held on Monday, December 2, Tuesday, 3 and Wednesday, December 4, at the theater of the College of Engineers and Surveyors of Puerto Rico, in Hato Rey. This is a massive event that will bring together experts and connoisseurs in the topics of sustainability and urban resilience to achieve greater integration and collaboration between various sectors and disciplines.
Show your research
We are receiving abstracts of projects or studies relevant to the San Juan Bay Estuary watershed. If you are an expert or connoisseur on urban sustainability and resilience issues, we invite you to submit a poster as part of the Watershed Symposium of Puerto Rico on Wednesday, December 4.
Join as a volunteer
We are also receiving registrations for volunteers to collaborate on various tasks throughout the three days. Sign up today on the event portal.
The 2024 Summit is open to everyone. See more information in estuario.org/cumbre-2024.
Estuario Family Day
On Saturday, November 2nd, we celebrated once again our Family Day at the Condado Lagoon Natural Estuarine Reserve. We started with a “Nature Hunt” where about 70 people joined us on the self-guided botanical trail of the Reserve. During the activity, participants learned about the plants identified in the Reserve, their morphology, distribution and different uses.
Then, our bird experts, Coral Avilés, Eliezer Nieves and the education and bird censuses intern, Jordi Salguero, gave us an interesting talk about migratory birds. Some 76 people were present. We played a trivia game with the information learned.
At 5:30 p.m. we split into several groups for a birdwatching tour. After the tour, we enjoyed a screening of Cine del Estuario, presenting the film Migration.
The migratory bird talk and birdwatching tour were part of the activities of the Migratory Bird Festival, held in the Caribbean in collaboration with Environment for the Americas.
Amigos de la Laguna
The SJBEP invites you to the next meeting of Amigos de la Laguna, on Wednesday, November 13, 2024, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the Jaime Benítez Park of the Condado Lagoon.
The meeting will also have a virtual space via Zoom. Sign up at estuario.org/eventos to get your access link.
Orientation meeting for the Estuario Artists-in-Residence opportunity
We have scheduled a new orientation meeting on Wednesday, November 13, 2024, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. via Zoom.
This meeting is an integral part of the proposals’ submission and selection process.
Sign up today, at estuario.org/eventos.
Estuario-New York State collaboration
The SJBEP works to protect ecosystems of great importance to Puerto Rico. Watch New York’s lieutenant governor join the effort, via HITN Television, HERE.
Bird census
On Saturday, November 2nd, we conducted a bird census in Parque Central de San Juan. We thank all the volunteers and citizen scientists who joined us, particularly the group of students of the Biological Sciences course of the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras, who finished their certification in the module of Participatory Bird Censuses, in this their second field experience.
42 species of birds were sighted and documented in eBird, including several migratory birds that visit the San Juan Bay Estuary ecosystems at this time of year.
We thank our team of educators and birders, Coral Avilés and Eliezer Nieves, for leading the activity and Jordi Salguero, who is working on an internship in education and citizen science with the SJBEP.
Planting of coastal vegetation
On Saturday, October 26, we carried out a planting of coastal vegetation and reinforcement for past plantings, in the Condado Lagoon Natural Estuarine Reserve. We were accompanied by 36 citizen scientists, who planted about 325 specimens of red mangrove, black mangrove and button mangrove. This planting counted as field experience for the certification of the Estuario Coastal Resilience module. The coordinators, Agnes Pagán and Andreína Alexatos, led the event.
Certification for Citizen Scientists
Below are the events scheduled for the coming weeks. See more information at: estuario.org/ccc.
Coastal Resilience Module:
Employment Opportunities
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) RESEARCH AND STUDY PROPOSALS – ESTUARIO FELLOWSHIP FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS—The San Juan Bay Estuary Partnership is looking to engage graduate students to design and conduct a research project that employs a multidisciplinary approach to develop innovative strategies for enhancing the resilience of vulnerable regions through nature-based solutions in the San Juan Bay Estuary.
Community Facilitator (RFP)—The San Juan Bay Estuary Partnership seeks qualified applicants to provide services as a Community Facilitator in the Juan Méndez Creek (JMC) Restoration Project.
ARTISTA RESIDENTE DEL ESTUARIO—El Artista Residente del Estuario enfocará su propuesta a lo largo de la quebrada Juan Méndez en San Juan, Puerto Rico.
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 carried out on Thursday, November 7, 2024. We have a RED flag for the Condado Lagoon. We recommend avoiding the water in all regions that exceeded the Beach Action Value water quality parameter of 70 CFU/100 ML. Have a nice weekend.
