Estuario Weekly Update
An estuarine greeting! Through our weekly update, we share the events, training workshops, and collaboration opportunities available in benefit of the interconnected waters of the San Juan Bay Estuary.
National Estuaries Week
We’re closing this National Estuaries Week in a big way! On Saturday, September 28th, join us at the Condado Lagoon Natural Estuarine Reserve for various biodiversity documentation tours, starting from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
We will also have the workshop: Manejo correcto de aceite vegetal en la cuenca del estuario; from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.
There are still spaces left! Sign up today, at estuario.org/eventos.
Family Day at the Condado Lagoon Natural Estuarine Reserve
More activities coming to the Reserve! On Saturday, October 5, 2024, don’t miss the next Family Day, starting at 3:00 p.m. We will have the following activities:
[3:00 p.m.] Soccer Game
[4:30 p.m.] Interpretive hike through the Reserve (with Contacto Verde hours)
[5:30 p.m.] Trivia: Bats of Puerto Rico (with Contacto Verde hours)
[6:30 p.m.] Reading of the story: Canito, el murciélago pescador (with Contacto Verde hours)
For Cine del Estuario, we will have the movie, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, at 7:00 p.m. in the Jaime Benítez Park. It will be screened in Spanish, with English subtitles. As always, this feature will be free of charge. Bring your blanket or chair.
Collaboration of municipalities for resources and waste management
On Tuesday, September 24, 2024, we held the most recent Annual Meeting of the Red Intermunicipal para el Manejo Integrado de Recursos y Residuos de la Cuenca del Estuario. The meeting achieved the purposes of reporting the progress of actions of the intermunicipal network, identifying opportunities for collaboration and providing tools for the development of recycling plans at the municipal level.
We had representatives from the municipalities of Bayamón, Canóvanas, Cataño, Guaynabo, Loíza, San Juan, Toa Baja, and Trujillo Alto. We also had the presence of the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources and the Department of Consumer Affairs of Puerto Rico. We also had the companies Sun Waste, Tais, Reciclaje del Norte and non-profit organizations: PR Science Trust, CCOREM, Taller Comunidad La Goyco, SWANA, IIAM, IEMES, CAMBIO PR and Generación Circular.
We are immensely grateful for the environmental commitment of the Network’s municipalities; the companies present and the non-profit organizations that work for a more sustainable Puerto Rico. Thanks also to the Municipality of Trujillo Alto, who hosted this meeting.
Counting the birds of the SJBE
Among the trees, the song of the nightingale, the oriole and the woodpecker, we continued celebrating National Estuaries Week, with the participatory bird census held on Sunday, September 22 at the Botanical Garden of the University of Puerto Rico in Río Piedras.
Thank you, to the volunteers who joined us and to our estuarine birding educators, Eliezer Nieves and Coral Avilés, who guided the participants in this experience, which is part of the requirements of the Participatory Bird Census module of the Estuario Certification for Citizen Scientists.
Environmental actions in calle Loíza
The San Juan Bay Estuary Partnership’s Aquatic Debris Manager, Cristina Ramírez, was part of the most recent episode of Archivo G, a vlog for Taller Comunidad La Goyco. In this edition, which had an environmental theme, Cristina talks with Mariana Reyes about the management of the community’s waste reduction campaign, Que no toque el piso ni llegue al agua, a collaboration between the SJBEP and La Goyco in the communities surrounding Loíza Street. They were joined by Ángel Rodríguez, from Martín Peña Recicla. Watch the episode, HERE.
Employment opportunities
Accountant (part time)— The San Juan Bay Estuary Partnership, also known as the Estuario, is seeking qualified applications for an Accountant to join our highly skilled team for projects receiving funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Technical Support Consultant—The San Juan Bay Estuary Partnership (Estuario) seeks qualified applicants to provide services as a Technical Support Consultant to support Estuario’s water quality monitoring and related efforts through technical support, data management, and visualization.
Artists in Residence Coordinator—The San Juan Bay Estuary Partnership (Estuario) is seeking a coordinator with experience in arts and culture to support the Estuario Artist in Residence (AIR) initiative.
Community Liaison—The San Juan Bay Estuary Partnership (Estuario) seeks qualified applicants to work as a Community Liaison under the Juan Méndez Creek (JMC) Restoration Project.
Community Facilitator (RFP)—The San Juan Bay Estuary Partnership (Estuario) seeks qualified applicants to provide services as a Community Facilitator in the Juan Méndez Creek (JMC) Restoration Project.
International Coastal Cleanup a success
On Saturday, September 21, the start of National Estuaries Week, the SJBEP was part of the International Coastal Cleanup, led in Puerto Rico by Scuba Dogs Society. Estuario served as the cleanup captain at the Condado Lagoon Natural Estuarine Reserve.
Around 101 volunteers removed 46 bags from the Reserve, containing about 426 pounds of different types of waste. Among the strangest items the group found were a bag of medicines, a suitcase, a tire cover, textiles and an electronic tablet.
We thank all the volunteers who joined us in the Reserve, including the group of swimmers Los Tsunamis, the Puerto Rican SUP League, the Surfrider Club of the Marist School, the group of the Commonwealth-Parkville School, a School of San Juan, Nueva Pedagogía, Arcadis, the students of the University of Puerto Rico system and the Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico. Thanks also to Scuba Dogs Society, for the organization of this event and to the Municipality of San Juan, for their continued support.
Certification for Citizen Scientists
Below are the upcoming scheduled events. See more events at: estuario.org/ccc.
Coastal Resilience Module:
Media coverage
Newsroom. September 22, 2024. Celebran la Semana de los Estuarios en Laguna del Condado. El Vocero. Web. https://www.elvocero.com/actualidad/celebran-la-semana-de-los-estuarios-en-laguna-de-condado/article_40e967b0-7935-11ef-a7b4-279f4d0e89df.html
September 22 2024. Celebran la semana de los estuarios en la Laguna del Condado. Metro Puerto Rico. Web. https://www.metro.pr/noticias/2024/09/22/celebran-la-semana-de-los-estuarios-en-la-laguna-del-condado/?outputType=amp
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 conducted Thursday, September 26, 2024. We have a GREEN flag for the Condado Lagoon. We recommend, however, avoiding the areas that exceeded the water quality parameter for enterococci of 70CFU/100ML. Remember to avoid the water during rain events.
