Estuario Weekly Update
Estuarine greetings! On Saturday, September 21, 2024, the National Estuaries Week begins. We dedicate this week to all the collaborators, inhabitants and friends who contribute to the management of the waters connected to the SJBE. We hope you will take advantage of all the workshops, tours, training events, and volunteer opportunities we have scheduled.
National Estuaries Week
From Saturday, September 21st to Saturday, September 28th, we will be celebrating the environmental, economic, and social importance of our estuarine ecosystem!
We invite you to participate in the scheduled activities, where you will learn about the biological diversity of the region, actions to strengthen it against climate change and how to evaluate and improve the quality of its waters.
Sign up today! See the calendar of activities, in estuario.org/eventos.
Share the calendar of activities with friends and family!
Contacto Verde or community service hours will be certified, as applicable. For more details, write to us at: [email protected].
Students get certified as citizen scientists with the Estuario Participatory Bird Census module
During this week, students of the zoology course of the University of Puerto Rico in Aguadilla completed their certification as citizen scientists in the Estuario Participatory Bird Census module.
After taking the introductory and thematic workshops, they carried out two bird censuses, on Saturday, September 14 at the Botanical Garden of the UPR in Río Piedras and on Tuesday, September 17 at the Punta Salinas Forest, in Toa Baja.
We thank Professor Javier Lugo for the coordination for this certification, the transportation of the students and for integrating the topics of bird censuses into his course curriculum. Thanks also to the students of the UPR in Aguadilla, for their interest in getting certified and for their time in these activities of monitoring our wildlife. Congratulations!
Coral Reef Assessment in Condado
As part of the Estuario Coastal Resilience module, on September 15 we conducted an ecological assessment of coral reefs in the Condado Lagoon Natural Estuarine Reserve.
During this day, our citizen scientists, brothers Yahir and Yadriel Cuevas Soto, from the University of Puerto Rico, carried out the identification of species of corals, fish and invertebrates, in addition to estimating the benthic cover and verifying the presence of Coral Bleaching Syndrome in the area. Thank you, Yahir and Yadriel, for your time and effort!
Veteran excursions in the Condado Lagoon
On Thursday, August 29th, botanist, Mario Garcia, offered the first of several activities for our military veterans, with an interpretive walk in the Condado Lagoon Natural Estuarine Reserve. During this experience, participants learnt about the biodiversity of local plants, their uses, and their medicinal and ecological importance. Some of these are the 4 species of mangrove in Puerto Rico and their function in our ecosystems.
During the morning of September 12, the group went on an educational kayak excursion in the Lagoon. With the help of NightKayak, who donated their kayaks for this activity, participants studied about the Condado Lagoon, its biodiversity, and its ecological and socioeconomic importance.
The focus of this excursion was to get involved and connect with nature through several stops along the Lagoon. Our veterans discussed the marine life, native vs. invasive vegetation, and man-made modules. They saw starfish, jellyfish, turtles, mangroves, seagrapes, and as a final treat from nature, a spectacular apparition of 2 adult and 1 juvenile manatees.
We take this opportunity to go over the Reserve’s wildlife interaction protocols: the group immediately stopped and removed the paddles from the water, thus avoiding any direct contact with this family of curious manatees.
We must give them their space!
Seeds collection in the Piñones State Forest
On the morning of Saturday, September 7th, we conducted a seed collection field experience in the Piñones State Forest, as part of the Coastal Resilience module of the Estuario Certification for Citizen Scientists. During the tour, the arborist, Andreína Alexatos, instructed the group about the differences between the red, white, black and button mangroves, and the importance of these species in the ecosystem.
We thank the eleven citizen scientists who accompanied us, and we invite everyone to continue their certification in the Coastal Resilience Module. You can view the workshops and scheduled field experiences in estuario.org/ccc.
Graduate students visit the Juan Mendez Creek
On Friday, September 13, 2024, the graduate students of the class, Innovative Approaches for a Resilient Water Infrastructure, visited the Huerto, Vivero y Bosque Urbano de Capetillo, together with professors Jorge Ortiz Zayas and Jorge Rivera Santos, and the TA and Executive Director of the San Juan Bay Estuary Partnership, Brenda Torres Barreto.
There, they were received by CAUCE personnel, including its director, Mónica Ponce Caballero, the social worker, Cristy Agosto Cancel and the assistant researcher, Dr. Natalia Rodríguez, along with members of the community of Capetillo. The community members shared their experiences, the process of expropriation of homes and the evolution of the space into a forest.
The students descended into the forest, where they received an explanation about the use of the Visual Assessment Protocol for Streams for Puerto Rico, developed by Dr. Natalia Rodríguez Ortíz. Then, the team from the Water and Soil Chemical Laboratory of the Agricultural Experimental Station of the UPR in Mayagüez carried out a demonstration of the detection of sanitary discharges, using a fluorescent dye.
The day ended with a demonstration of the Estuario Atlas as a mapping tool for students, provided by the SJBEP’s environmental educator, Coral Avilés Santiago.
The group was supported by Lourdes Perez Medina, Senior Project Lead and Sofia Burgos Caraballo, Project Officer of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Certification for Citizen Scientists
Below are the upcoming scheduled events. See more events at: estuario.org/ccc.
Water Quality Monitoring Module:
Participatory Bird Census Module:
Microplastics Characterization and Reduction Module:
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.
Accountant (part time)— The San Juan Bay Estuary Partnership is seeking qualified applications for an Accountant to join our highly skilled team for projects receiving funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
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, September 19, 2024. We have a RED flag for the Condado Lagoon. We recommend avoiding all the regions that exceeded the water quality parameter for enterococci of 70CFU/100ML. Remember to avoid the water after rain events.
