Estuario Weekly Update

Join the San Juan Bay Estuary Partnership (SJBEP)’s upcoming educational activities, training opportunities, and volunteer experiences scheduled in benefit of the waters and ecosystems connected to the San Juan Bay Estuary (SJBE). From the International Coastal Cleanup, an estuarine fair, interpretive tours, workshops, and field experiences, to the annual biodiversity documentation event, Explorando el estuario, you have multiple ways to learn, contribute, and enjoy in community. See more details below!

National Estuaries Week

National Estuaries Week is coming soon! Beginning Saturday, September 20 and continuing through Saturday, September 27, 2025, we have educational activities and training opportunities available to all, including opportunities to accumulate Contacto Verde hours or community service, as applicable. Here are the upcoming activities:

International Coastal Cleanup 2025

We’re kicking off National Estuaries Week with the International Coastal Cleanup 2025 on Saturday, September 20, 2025. As in previous years, the SJBEP joins Scuba Dogs Society, leading the cleanup of the Condado Lagoon Estuarine Natural Reserve. Join our team! Sign up here.

Estuarine fair

Don’t miss Feria del estuario, on Saturday, September 20, starting at 9:00 a.m. at the Jaime Benítez Park of Condado Lagoon Estuarine Natural Reserve.

We will have educational stations where you will learn about estuarine ecosystems, their biodiversity and the projects we carry out for the restoration and maintenance of the quality of the waters connected to the SJBE.

Cine del Estuario

Special feature! Our estuarine cinema, Cine del Estuario, presents: IF; on Saturday, September 20, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. at the Jaime Benítez Park of Condado Lagoon Estuarine Natural Reserve, in celebration of National Estuaries Week. The film will be screened in Spanish, with English subtitles. As always, this feature is free of charge. Bring your blanket or chair.

Exploring the estuary

On Saturday, September 27, 2025, we will conclude the celebration of National Estuaries Week with the third annual biodiversity documentation event of the Condado Lagoon Estuarine Natural Reserve, Explorando el estuario, from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Don’t forget to sign up for the virtual training workshops, where you will learn about the species you can encounter in the Reserve. The workshops are divided into three categories: marine life (Monday, 22nd), plants (Wednesday, 24th) and terrestrial life (Thursday, 25th). Don’t forget to register for the documentation workshop on Tuesday, September 23rd, where you will learn how to work with the iNaturalist app, which we will use during the event.

View the calendar and register today for activities scheduled in celebration of National Estuaries Week, in estuario.org/eventos.

Interpretive trails in the urban forests connected to the SJBE

On Friday, August 29, the SJBEP had its latest interpretive trail of the series: Discovering the nature of our urban forests; in the Julio E. Monagas National Park in Bayamón. During the trail, participants discovered the stories of this urban forest in the Karst region of Puerto Rico, its natural history, geology, the connection with the water that flows from the aquifers to the Las Cucharillas swamp and the San Juan Bay and the endemic biodiversity of Puerto Rico that makes this forest its home. We thank everyone who was part of this interpretive experience in the estuarine wilderness.

Don’t miss the next trail

The next interpretive trail will be on Friday, September 19, 2025, from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. in the Piñones State Forest. Learn about this natural space, its ecosystems, biodiversity and its connection with the waters of the SJBE. Sign up today, at estuario.org/eventos.

Citizen scientists strengthen coastal resilience in Piñones

On Sunday, August 31, 2025, the SJBEP carried out a Coastal Resilience module field experience, joined by 42 participants from the ASEZ-STAR group, in the Piñones State Forest. The field experience included educational talks on the four types of mangrove, an interpretive tour and the collection of red mangrove, white mangrove and black mangrove seeds.

The group also worked with the propagation of previously collected red mangrove propagules. This experience contributed to the practical learning of the volunteers and to their process of certification with the SJBEP’s Certification for Citizen Scientists.

Certification for Citizen Scientists

Below are the activities scheduled for the coming weeks. See more information about the certification and all the thematic modules, in estuario.org/ccc. These activities count toward community service hours and Green Contact.

Water Quality Monitoring Module

Field Experience: Bacteriological Monitoring; Thursday, September 18, at the Condado Lagoon

Water Quality Monitoring Workshop: Physical-chemical parameters; on Thursday, September 18, via Zoom

Field experience: Physical-chemical sampling; on Monday, September 22, in San Juan

Field experience: Physical-chemical sampling; on Tuesday, September 23, in San Juan

Field experience: Physical-chemical sampling; on Wednesday, September 24, in San Juan

Field Experience: Bacteriological Monitoring; Thursday, September 25, at the Condado Lagoon

Microplastics Characterization and Reduction Module

Workshop on Characterization and Reduction of Microplastics; on Wednesday, September 17, via Zoom

Coastal Resilience Module

Coastal Resilience Workshop: Ecological Assessment of Coral Reefs and Seagrasses; on Monday, September 15, via Zoom

Coastal Resilience Workshop: Ecological restoration of dunes and mangroves; on Tuesday, September 16, via Zoom

Field Experience: Ecological Assessment of Coral Reefs; Sunday, September 21, at the Condado Lagoon

Field Experience: Ecological Assessment of Seagrasses; Sunday, September 21, at the Condado Lagoon

Field experience: Planting coastal vegetation; on Friday, September 26, in San Juan

Be Ready for 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 begin at home.

Also visit the Estuario Virtual Community Hub, where you’ll find vital information such as relevant emergency numbers and instructions for preparing emergency backpacks.

Don’t get scared! Get prepared.

Weekly water quality monitoring

Thanks to the UPR Cayey students who supported the bacteriological monitoring on Thursday, September 11, 2025, as part of the Water Quality Monitoring module of the Estuario Certification for Citizen Scientists. Here are the results.

Evaluation carried out on Thursday, September 11, 2025. We have a RED 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.