SJBE supports to EPA’S Office of Research and Development, Gulf Ecology Division:
After a successful meeting where Dr. Susan Yee, from the ORDs Gulf Ecology Division, presented the ongoing study “Integrating Ecosystem Services into Community-level Decision-Making: A San Juan, Puerto Rico Case Study,” the SJBE committed to support this initiative by sharing our knowledge of the ecosystem and the communities, as well as our scientific expertise. The meeting, coordinated by our Program Manager Evelyn Huertas, assisted our Scientific Director, Dr. Jorge Bauzá, and our Outreach Manager, Gladys Rivera. That same week, we assigned a resource to help the group identify areas to place mosquito traps in our communities. Also, our Water Quality Coordinator, Harold Manrique, supported a monitoring and research field trip through the San José Lagoon.
Educational and environmental field trip by the Chiclana in Caimito: On June 7th our Education Manager, Javier Cardona, and AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer, Helen Angell, guided a group of students from Aguas Buenas through the Chiclana creek. The group of twenty (20) students learned about the San Juan Estuary Program, the flora and fauna of the Chiclana creek and the importance of environmental volunteer work. The community leader, Juan Cruz, recounted the community’s perseverance to save and preserve the creek, which is in process of restoration today, thanks to the support of volunteers and organizations like ours. During the event, the students performed water quality monitoring tests in the creek.
Capacity building opportunities for our AmeriCorps VISTA participants: During this week, our VISTA volunteers participated in several training opportunities. Our Birds and Fauna Specialist, Laura Fidalgo, participated in the Long-Term Environmental Research (LTER) Symposium in El Verde Visitor Center at Luquillo, on June 9th. On June 7 and 8th, our GIS and Mapping Coordinator, Ysabel Díaz, participated in a GIS coastal inundation mapping training at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus; and in the I-TREE workshop on June 11th, with our Trash Free Waters Coordinator, Rosana Betancourt.
Green Flag for the Condado Lagoon: This week, enterococcus readings for the Condado Lagoon complied with the federal standard. Here's the link to the report:
No comments:
Post a Comment