ASLO Conference; New coral colonies; Special Fund; UPR class on the SJBE; TV interviews

Pictures: new coral colonies at our reef trail in the Condado Lagoon.

Our weekly update for February 5, 2011 to February 12, 2011 is as follows:

1) Media coverage: Hundreds of aquatic scientists in Puerto Rico for ASLO conference, sponsored in part by the SJBEP- The American Society of Limnology and Oceanography is conducting their conference “Limnology and Oceanography in a Changing World” in the Puerto Rico Convention Center beginning this Saturday. We are very proud of the work done by our Scientific Advisor, oceanographer Dr. Jorge Bauzá, and of the leading role he has taken in the coordination of this international conference.

Our press release announcing the meeting was published by leading local and international news media:

http://www.primerahora.com/puertoricoserasededeconferenciadecienciasacuaticas-472798.html

http://www.elnuevodia.com/cientosdecientificoslleganalaislaestefindesemana-887068.html

http://www.ambienteplay.com/noticias/agua/puerto-rico-sera-sede-de-la-conferencia-de-ciencias-acuaticas

http://noticias.latino.msn.com/latinoamerica/puertorico/articulos.aspx?cp-documentid=27614011

http://www.unionradio.net/ActualidadUR/Nota/visornota.aspxid=66315&tpCont=1&idsec=9&idprog=0>

http://feeds.univision.com/feeds/article/2011-02-09/puerto-rico-sera-sede-derefPath=/univision41/

http://mx.news.yahoo.com/s/09022011/38/n-technology-p-rico-sera-sede-conferencia.html

2) Status of the SJBEP’s Special Fund: our license plate was approved and sent to the Secretary of the Department of Transportation and Public Works. Media coverage on donations through tax return forms: This week, the agency in charge of producing local license plates (DISCO) sent the approved art for our special license plate to the Secretary of the agency in order to produce the first 5,000 license plates. The license plates will be available by the month of April, 2011, through the CESCOs of the island for only $30.00. Of this donation, we will receive $20 for the Special Fund of the San Juan Bay Estuary.

El Nuevo Día newspaper published our press release to promote the alternative of donating funds to our organization through this year's tax return forms:

http://www.elnuevodia.com/dospesosquelimpianelaireydanvidaalasaves-887162.html

3) 1,250 new coral colonies at our artificial reef: We are very proud to communicate that oceanographer Héctor Ruiz has accounted for 1,250 new coral colonies in our artificial reef trail at the Condado Lagoon. The 800 lb. structures were deployed on December 23, 2008, and in such a short period of time we are witnessing a marvelous coral restoration in the area. Please refer to the photos of the colonies, which are unique in our urban environment.

4) TV Interviews: Javier Laureano was interviewed by Univision reporter Susan Soltero to promote our activities, and to explain to the public the dredging activities going on the Río Piedras river, and the flood mitigation project at the Margarita Canal. The interviews were aired live on Wednesday, February 9, 2011, at 6:45am and 7:50am, with a recorded version aired at noon. Telemundo reporter Sylvia Gómez interviewed Laureano and Dr. Bauzá on the restoration of the Condado Lagoon, and the interview aired on the same day (February 9) on the highly-rated 5:00pm news.

5) University-level class on the San Juan Bay Estuary: Javier Laureano is offering an ad honorem undergraduate course this semester, devoted exclusively to examining the San Juan Bay Estuary urban ecosystem from a humanistic approach. Students will focus their research on topics such as aquatic debris, oral history, urban water, and literature, among other subjects. The course, entitled “City and Ecology: The Bioregional Perspective of the San Juan Bay Estuary,” is being presented as part of the offerings of the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies of the University of Puerto Rico, Humanities Faculty, Rio Piedras Campus.

6) Key meeting held with researchers from the Institute of Neurobiology of the University of Puerto Rico: The San Juan Bay Estuary Program will partner with the Institute of Neurobiology to help them compete for a National Science Foundation grant to study novel contaminants, such as endocrine disruptors, and their effect upon SJBE’s biota. Dr. Jorge Bauzá and Javier Laureano met with the following researchers to discuss the initiative: Dr. Steve Treistman, Director, Institute of Neurobiology, UPR Medical Sciences; Dr. Mark W. Miller, Associate Director, Institute of Neurobiology, UPR Medical Sciences; Dr. Joshua Rosenthal, Assistant Professor, Institute of Neurobiology, UPR Medical Sciences; and Dr. Loretta Roberson, Assistant Professor, Environmental Sciences Program, UPR Río Piedras.

7) Melaleuca stand maintenance proposal granted to contractor: Ambienta Inc, a small, successful environmental firm in Puerto Rico, was selected from among three (3) proposals to perform the maintenance and control of the invasive Melaleuca in the Canal Suárez wetland.

SAVE THE DATE

Estuary’s Cinema: We will screen the movie “Anna and The King” on Saturday, February 12, 2011, at 7:00pm in the Jaime Benítez Condado Lagoon Park.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHPoKOi1XcM

ASLO Conference:

http://www.aslo.org/meetings/sanjuan2011/

Guachinanga restoration/ Dunes stabilization/ Oral history-Cucharillas/ Estuarine Comic Books/ IGERT students

Photos: IGERT student's monitoring trip; new billboard and 'mesh' to promote our Special Fund; Educational sign at the Caimito community.

Our weekly update for January 30 - February 5, 2011, is as follows:

Guachinanga island restoration initiative at the San José Lagoon: As part of next year’s Work Plan, the Cantera Peninsula Company and the San Juan Bay Estuary Program are joining efforts to restore this beautiful island in the San José Lagoon. Guachinanga is a nesting paradise for coastal birds and is home to a very unique biodiversity in the midst of the Metropolitan Area in part thanks to its isolation. Debris and sedimentation closed the small channel that separated Guachinanga from the Cantera Peninsula, and now water quality is in peril in the filled area. The Cantera Peninsula will match $100,000 of EPA funds in cash to complete a restoration dredging initiative, which has an approximate cost of $200,000.

Billboard and ‘mesh’ to promote tax return contributions to our Special Fund: Thanks to the work of our communications specialist, Georgina Vega Porrata, we obtained free of charge the placement of a billboard and a ‘mesh’ at a building in Condado to promote contributions to our Special Fund through tax returns. As soon as the billboard and mesh are placed we will publish the photo and exact address. Leverage obtained through this initiative adds up to $15,000 per month.

Drug Court’s “Addicts in Rehabilitation Program” will volunteer in dunes stabilization pilot project: As part of their rehabilitation program, Drug Court associates will contribute to our first dunes stabilization pilot project planting event that will take place (tentatively) on March 25, 2011, at an undisclosed site. We thank Drug Court’s judges and prosecutors for their interest and enthusiasm in our ecological restoration program.

New estuarine educational sign placed at the entrance of the Caimito community: Community leader Haydée Colón approached our organization to place an educational sign identifying her community as part of the San Juan Bay Estuary’s watershed. We are glad to announce that this week employees of the Municipality of San Juan installed a sign that was designed and produced by the San Juan Bay Estuary Program at the entrance of the Caimito community. Several thousands of vehicles pass the site on a daily basis.

Oral history of the Cucharillas Wetland communities: As part of her collaboration with the San Juan Bay Estuary Program during the current academic year, Ph.D. student Betzaida Ortiz is completing a research project on the oral history of the communities living on the Cucharillas Wetland. To date she has interviewed several community leaders and residents, and in the following weeks she will interview two very special community elders, each over one-hundred years of age. Ortiz, who already has a manuscript of 75 pages, began the project after a kick-off meeting with Javier Laureano. Our organization will publish the narratives at the end of 2011. We are very proud of the work Ortiz is doing and encourage her to continue her interdisciplinary research on the San Juan Bay Estuary.

Estuarine Comics Workshop - First phase of our estuarine ecological alphabetization campaign to be launched at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MAC): Twelve Junior High and High School students will participate in our Estuarine Comics Workshop, to be held on April 2, 9, and 16 at the MAC. Graphic and comics designer José Luis Vargas will be the facilitator of the workshops. The students will be drawn from the schools affiliated with our Estuary Guardians/Water Quality Monitoring Project. On March 26, they will take a guided boat tour of the ecosystem. This is the first phase of a comprehensive educational campaign that includes a TV spot, newspaper ads, a coloring book, and a comic book designed and created by students.

Conference and monitoring trip with National Science Foundation’s IGERT University of Puerto Rico students: On Wednesday, February 3, 2011, fifteen graduate students from the Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) of the University of Puerto Rico went on a monitoring trip to the eastern axis of the Estuary. Ernesto Olivares, the SJBEP’s Water Quality Monitoring Coordinator, served as guide and environmental interpreter. As part of this National Science Foundation-sponsored program, Javier Laureano offered a conference to the group on January 31, 2011. Currently three IGERT students are focusing their research on the San Juan Bay Estuary.

Twentieth-Century Fox is sponsoring our Estuary’s Cinema: We want to thank Twentieth-Century Fox’s official distributors in Puerto Rico for sponsoring this key outreach initiative of our organization. Every second and fourth Saturday of each month, the SJBEP presents short films, educational documentaries, and a featured film, free of charge. Thanks to the work of our communications contractor, Georgie Vega Porrata, we obtained the permit to screen the following films (approximate monthly leverage of $500-$700):

FEBRUARY

12
 Anna and the King


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHPoKOi1XcM

26 The Truth About Cats and Dogs


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBvwueGobMk

MARCH

12 Little Miss Sunshine 


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWyH_twcMl0

26 Fern Gully: The Last Rainforest trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccURwir7C_o

APRIL



1 Los ‘100,000’ - Local documentary on abandoned cats and dogs in the streets of Puerto Rico 


http://www.100000movie.com/Videos.html

23 Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs 


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfjcECDxuy4&feature=fvst

SAVE THE DATE

April 30, 2011: Puerto Rico Water Quality Monitoring Day. Send an email to Gladys Rivera for information at grivera@estuario.org

Troy Wright/ Tax returns/ Isla de Cabras Cleanup/ Ecological Literacy Campaign

Photos: volunteers working at our cleanup and planting event at Isla de Cabras.

Our weekly update for January 23 to January 28, 2011, is as follows:

1. We welcome Scotiabank-Puerto Rico’s CEO to our Board of Directors: The Board of Directors of the Corporation for the Conservation of the San Juan Bay Estuary Program met yesterday, January 27, 2011, at the offices of our new Board member, Mr. Troy Wright, CEO of Scotiabank-Puerto Rico. Mr. Wright has over 22 years experience in the international banking and investment industry, and holds university degrees from the University of Western Ontario and from Harvard. He has served on the Board of Directors of several prestigious nonprofit organizations. In our meeting, Mr. Wright promoted the creation of a finance plan to better structure our non-federal income. Javier Laureano, in coordination with Board members, will draft the plan to be presented at the Board’s March meeting.

2. Now you can make a donation to the San Juan Bay Estuary Program in your tax returns: Yes! If you have wondered where exactly your tax money is going, now you can choose to make a donation for the improvement of the environment by supporting the extraordinary job the San Juan Bay Estuary Program is doing for our coastal ecosystems. Every cent counts; you can donate from one cent to whatever amount you chose. Just go to your Puerto Rico Tax Return, and in the Short Form look for page 3, line 22 (a), and on the Long Form look for page 2, line 40 (b). Now you know.

3. Melaleuca control project in the Suarez Canal, a pilot project for the Caribbean: Two years ago the San Juan Bay Estuary Program began the removal of a 4-acre stand of invasive species Melaleuca quinquenervia. Over 10,000 invasive trees were impacting a wetland located along one of the borders of the Suarez Canal in the Carolina Municipality. The removal project was a success, and the first of its kind done in Puerto Rico – and probably in the Caribbean. The project advanced the implementation of Action HW-16 of our Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan. As part of this year’s Work Plan, we will be performing maintenance efforts consisting of the manual removal of new seedlings and the application of wetland-safe herbicide. This action will prevent further recurrence of the invasion. In order to discuss the project scope, we conducted a site visit to the area with potential contractors. The following environmental consulting firms attended the site visit: Econet Solutions Inc., JC Environmental, and Ambienta, Inc. The deadline established for the proposal’s submission is February 7, 2010.

4. Caño Martín Peña Environmental Restoration Project: Dr. Jorge Bauzá represented the San Juan Bay Estuary Program in a key meeting on January 27, 2011, at 9:30 am, at ENLACE’s offices. The objective of the meeting was to explore several dredging material disposal alternatives. The consultants found new issues and possible solutions regarding the disposal of the dredging material in the artificial depressions of the San Jose Lagoon. The consultants discussed their findings, possible disposal alternatives, type and availability of capping material, and staging areas, among other topics. The following agencies and organizations were represented at the meeting: USEPA, NOAA, USACE, IDS, PBS&J, and the host, ENLACE.

5. Estuarine and Ecological Literacy Public Service Campaign: As part of a broad communications effort that will include comics, newspaper ads, TV ads, and a coloring book, 30 species of flora and fauna from the San Juan Bay Estuary watershed were selected as a good showcase of our ecosystem. Photos and information about the natural history of selected species were collected from multiple sources. As part of the initiative, the Puerto Rico Museum of Contemporary Art (MAC) is providing, as an In Kind donation to the SJBEP, their education room, for conducting estuarine comic workshops with 12 students on April 9, 16, and 23, 2011.

6. Estuary Guardians, Platform for Science Fair Projects: Several of our Estuary Guardians students used their water quality monitoring experience with us as inspiration and learning grounds to complete their research projects for this year’s Science Fairs. One student, from the Escuela del Deporte de San Juan, worked on a comparison of the pH levels between the rain water of San Juan and that of the Cataño municipalities. The student found the acidity in Cataño's rain water higher than that of San Juan. The Colegio de la Congreación MITA students compared water quality from beaches along the northern and southern coasts of the Island, and the northern coast showed better water quality results. Our Outreach Coordinator, Gladys Rivera, was invited to participate in the Science Fairs of two schools as a judge. Congratulations to the teachers and students!

7. Estuary Guardians' Students Achievements: We are proud to inform you that Laura Roldan and Odemaris Carrasquillo, both Estuary Guardians students from the Sciences and Math Specialized School of Carolina (Pa’Los Duros), received recognition and several awards for their project entitled “Construction and integration of a design using biomass for runoff water purification.” They received the US Metric Association Award, the 2010 Regional Ricoh Sustainable Development Award, the Great 1st Award of the Regional Science Fair, and the Gran Premio de Asociación Interamericana de Ingeniería Sanitaria y Ambiental (AIDIS). They were also finalists for the Discovering H20 competition in Puerto Rico, and were invited to participate in Intel Isef 2010 in San Jose, California. Congratulations to Laura and Odemaris and to Estuary Guardian Leader Professor Yiria Guzmán!

8. Over 800 lbs. of debris removed from San Juan Bay at our cleanup in Isla de Cabras National Park: More than 60 volunteers participated in last Saturday’s cleanup and planting event. Girls Scouts, students from several schools in the Metropolitan Area, participants of the Liga Atlética Policiaca of San Juan, Caribe Hilton’s employees, and other citizens received an educational talk about the San Juan Bay Estuary and planted coastal trees species, including Almond Trees. Small children collaborated by planting white mangrove seedlings, and our volunteers picked up more than 800 pounds of debris from this western axis of the Bay. Gladys Rivera and Eddie Ramirez from the Caribe Hilton coordinated the event. Plants were provided by the Natural Resources and Environment Department’s nursery in Piñones.

Meeting with senator Arango; 1st meeting of the PR Watershed Partnership; Data to predict pollution impacts in the SJ Bay; Dredging report

Pictures: Dolphins, great companions in our monthly monitoring trip at the San Juan Bay; Unilever-Puerto Rico employees volunteering for our mangrove restoration project; Contractor cleans stormwater sewage in Santurce after an educational approach by the SJBEP.

Our weekly update for January 11 to January 21, 2011, is as follows:

1) Kick-off meeting for the restoration of the Condado Lagoon: Dr. Jorge Bauzá and Javier Laureano met with contractor Fernando Pagés Rangel on January 12, 2011, in a kick-off meeting to review the final expected outputs of the contract and establish deadlines. The studies and the alternative designs of the restoration project will be submitted by September 30, 2011.

2) Informative meeting with senator Roberto Arango; Restoration of the Condado Lagoon on top of the list: Javier Laureano and Dr. Jorge Bauzá met with senator Roberto Arango on January 18, 2011, to inform him about the importance of the San Juan Bay Estuary to the Metropolitan Area and to Puerto Rico, as well as the relevance of the implementation of our Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan, and to present to him, in this context, the restoration of the bottom of the Condado Lagoon - currently our organization’s main restoration project. The senator was very enthusiastic about the Condado Lagoon restoration project, and recollected his participation in our Red Mangrove planting campaigns.

3) Saving White and Black Mangrove trees: In an innovative habitat enhancement event, over 1,300 endangered, germinated seedlings from mangrove trees of the Piñones State Forest were replanted in the Cucharillas Wetland. Employees of Unilever-Puerto Rico, along with company associates from the Dominican Republic and Trinidad & Tobago, collected germinated seedlings from a marsh in the Piñones State Forest in pots and transplanted them in the Corredor del Yaguazo’s nursery in Cataño. When the trees have grown enough, employees from Unilever-Puerto Rico will plant them in strategically selected sites of the Cucharillas Marsh. We want to thank our Citizen Advisory Committee’s President, Gretchen Guzmán, for her collaboration in the planting event, and Herminio Díaz, Biologist of Piñones State Forest. Outreach Coordinator Gladys Rivera is coordinating this initiative.

4) Successful first meeting of the Puerto Rico Watershed Partnership: The Partnership had its first meeting on January 13, 2011, in Sea Grant’s offices, at the University of Puerto Rico’s Mayagüez Campus. Representatives from the Guánica Bay/Río Loco Watershed Project, Sea Grant, Jobos Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (JOBANNER), the San Juan Bay Estuary Program and EPA’s Watershed Stewardship Initiative, NOAA, and USDA’s NRCS participated in the meeting. On this first such occasion, representatives offered brief presentations of their watersheds’ main challenges, programs, funding, and administrative structures. A second meeting will take place at the end of March at JOBANERR.

5) Light contamination control pilot project: Javier Laureano met with the administrators and executives of the Ashford Presbyterian Hospital to present the concerns of the San Juan Bay Estuary Program regarding the severe light contamination their institution is currently producing towards the Atlantic Ocean and the sandy shore of the Condado Beach, a spawning area of the Leatherback Turtle, a species in danger of extinction. The Hospital’s representatives were very friendly and cooperative and understood the problem. As a result, the Ashford Presbyterian Hospital will be the first known private building to begin a light contamination control project in the coastal Metropolitan Area of the Island. This is a very important first step for the conservation of sea turtles in the Metro area, and is the first light contamination project of our organization. The pilot project in the area is part of larger efforts to restore the Condado Lagoon.

6) Data collected to predict spill and pollution impacts in the San Juan Bay: The SJBEP provided support to the Caribbean Regional Association for Integrated Coastal Ocean Observing (CaRAS) and the NOAA Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOSS) in a study conducted to measure currents’ velocities and directions in the San Juan Bay. The method consisted of the deployment of an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) and drifters in nine (9) stations within the San Juan Bay. The data collected will be useful for predicting spill and pollution impact sites within the San Juan Bay, and to establish corresponding pro-active response actions. Furthermore, the data is crucial to evaluating and validating the water quality and hydrodynamics model of the SJBE, particularly regarding the environmental response to the restoration dredging of the Martín Peña Channel. Dr. Jorge Bauza is a regional member of the CaRAS/IOOS technical and planning committee.

7) Another step further in the process of establishing a set of environmental indicators: A Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) for the “Assessment of Sediments and Fish Tissue Contaminants” study was submitted to EPA on January 20, 2011. All recommendations made to the QAPP by Carol Lynn, USEPA-QAPP reviewer, were addressed, and Dr. Jorge Bauzá and contractor Dr. Ernesto Otero submitted the document for final approval.

8) Update of SJBE Watershed Land-Use Map in process: Dr. Raúl Matos, director of the Geomatic Sciences Department, Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico, is working with Dr. Jorge Bauzá in the development of an updated land-use map for the SJBE watershed. Aerial photos collected by the Puerto Rico Planning Board in 2010 were solicited by the aforementioned agency for the creation of the new land-use map.

9) Water quality monitoring data from the SJBEP is the “best available information” for proceeding with studies of the Martín Peña Channel, says independent report: Dr. Jorge Bauzá provided a technical review of the aforementioned report and submitted comments and recommendations to Proyecto Enlace del Caño Martín Peña. The report submitted by PBS&J is entitled “Technical Memorandum Task 2.6 Water and Sediments Quality Studies for the Martín Peña Channel Ecosystem Restoration Project.” It summarizes and analyzes existing water and sediment quality data sets from different sources in order to identify available studies that may provide relevant information for the restoration dredging of the Caño Martín Peña.

The report concluded that the water quality data collected by the San Juan Bay Estuary Program since 2008 represents the best available information for comparing and contrasting water quality within the various portions of the San Juan Bay estuary, including the Martín Peña Channel and the San José Lagoon.

10) Contractor cleans stormwater sewage after an educational approach by the SJBEP: Flooding in the Metropolitan Area and the contamination of our beaches and bodies of water is caused to a great extent by sediment and pollutants flushed into the stormwater sewage infrastructure by contractors, residents, and rain events. Javier Laureano had an educational conversation with a contractor who was flushing cement into the stormwater system of San Jorge Street while completing a construction project at the San Jorge Catholic Church and School. The talk was compelling enough to cause the contractor to clean the sidewalk and the stormwater drain system in the street within 24 hours. Attached please find the photos.

11) Dolphins great companions in monitoring trip: Six dolphins accompanied Ernesto Olivares, our Monitoring Coordinator, in his monthly monitoring boat trip in the San Juan Bay. Other stations monitored include those at the Cucharillas wetland, Piñones, Juan Méndez Creek, and Torrecilla. Attached please find a picture sent to us by Olivares.

SAVE THE DATE

CLEANUP AND PLANTING TOMORROW: Cleanup and planting event at Isla de Cabras National Park – 9:00am. Meeting place: Isla de Cabra entrance.

ESTUARY OPEN AIR CINEMA TOMORROW: We will present the movie “Juno” at the Jaime Benítez Condado Lagoon Park at 7:00pm. Limited free parking, early birds get better options. Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0SKf0K3bxg

FEBRUARY 13-18: ASLO Meeting, “Limnology and Oceanography in a Changing World” at the Convention Center in San Juan: http://www.aslo.org/meetings/sanjuan2011/

APRIL 30, 2011: PUERTO RICO WATER QUALITY MONITORING DAY- more information to come.

TetraTech contracted for the Condado Lagoon's restoration studies/ Monitoring at Río Piedras/ CAC Meeting/

First picture: Graduate students from the University of Puerto Rico's School of Public Health monitoring sediments. Other pictures: Students from the Inter American University's CECIA environmental organization monitoring the Río Piedras (main urban river if the San Juan Bay Estuary)

Our weekly update for December 12 through December 18, 2010, is as follows:

1. Press Release- Tetra Tech contracted for the first phase of the restoration of the bed of the Condado Lagoon; $300,000 investment: The San Juan Bay Estuary Program announced the contract of Tetra Tech through an investment of $300,000. The firm will design and perform the studies needed to fill the artificial depressions in the Condado Lagoon. This action is key to improving water quality in the Lagoon, as well as the quality of marine life within its estuarine ecosystem. The benthic restoration of the Condado Lagoon and its seagrass beds will take approximately five years and is the main long-term restoration objective of our organization.

http://www.elnuevodia.com/respirode$300000paralalagunadelcondado-839720.html

http://www.primerahora.com/programadelestuarioanunciaproyectoderestituciondelfondodelalagunadelcondado-454666.html

2. Team of scientists, planners, and other professionals to draft new CCMP actions: To date we have hired five (5) specialists drawn from several disciplines to draft thirty (30) new actions for the consideration of the Board of Directors of the San Juan Bay Estuary Program. We expect to have the actions drafted by April 30, 2011, in order to have time to discuss them with the community and our stakeholders. New actions involve coastal erosion, climate change, invasive species, and adaptive management, among other topics.

3. Monitoring event from the source to the estuarine end of the Río Piedras: For the first time in the SJBEP, the highest point of the watershed know as Las Curías and the source site of the Río Piedras river (the main fresh-water source of the SJBE) was sampled for water quality. Students from the Center for Education, Conservation, and Environmental Interpretation from the Inter American University joined Dr. Jorge Bauzá and Ernesto Olivares, SJBE monitoring coordinator, in a water sampling event. The students measured water quality parameters and quantified levels of fecal coliforms along the river path to the estuary.

4. Environmental Advisor on radio program: The nonprofit organization known as Prensa Comunitaria (“Community Press”) invited and interviewed Dr. Jorge Bauza on their weekly radio program. Community stewardship in the coastal ecosystem restoration project, urban forest enhancement, and environmental education were some of the topics discussed during the 30-minute transmission.

5. Updated land-use map for the SJBE watershed in progress: A group of engineering students from the Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico, under the supervision of Ms. Marisol Rodriguez, Director of the Department of Land Surveying and Topography, will develop a new land-use map of the SJBE watershed. This updated map will present changes in impervious cover surfaces, mangrove area, new infrastructure, wetland impacts, and coastal activity. The last land-use map developed for the SJBE was completed more than a decade ago.

6. Citizens Advisory Committee Meeting: The CAC met this week at the Capetillo Urban Forest and Vegetable Garden. As part of the meeting, community leaders took a guided tour and were able to interact with Capetillo community representatives. Scholar and planner Carmen M. Concepción participated in the meeting as part of a graduate course she is offering on urban environmental planning.

7. New estuarine ecological literacy campaign in the works: Most of the San Juan Bay Estuary watershed’s constituents are divorced from their urban ecological landscape. As part of a large estuarine ecological literacy project, our organization chose graphic designer Marina Rivón to create three ads related to our watershed’s fish, birds, and trees. The ad campaign will be linked to the creation of comic books with the same theme, as well as TV ads, and a drawing contest. The comic books will be created by children from the communities of the SJBE and we expect to use them as popular education tools.

8. Another riparian restoration project being promoted by a community leader: Damaris Estrada met with Javier Laureano to discuss her interest in joining forces with the San Juan Bay Estuary Program to clean and plant the fringes of a segment of the Juan Méndez creek, located along the back yard of her Victoria Apartments in Capetillo. Estrada has been educating children and preventing littering in the area, currently a place where heavy illegal dumping is taking place. Our organization is sponsoring a special screening function in the community, and will show the SJBEP’s educational short films as well as the documentary “Oceans.” Next week Laureano will visit the community to design with them a plan for restoration activities.

9. New coloring book on coral reef species: Cartoonist and scuba diver Paco López, at the CAC meeting this week, shared that he is currently designing a very special coloring book on the marine species he has identified on the Isla Verde coral reef island, located to the north side of the watershed. The SJBEP will sponsor the printing of the coloring book, which will be ready by the first quarter of 2011.

Protocol to report Caiman sightings/ Communications contractor hired/ EPA Region 2 Administrator visits the SJBEP/ PR Recycling Partnership/

Pictures: a) EPA Region 2 Administrator, Judith Enck, visiting the Juana Matos Community Greenhouse, a key component of this community-based wetland restoration initiative. b) Judith Enck examining the Juana Matos community's stormwater system. c) Enck visiting the La Esperanza Peninsula with community leader Rosa Hilda Ramos, a Goldman Award recipient.

Weekly update for December 5, 2010 to December 11, 2010

1) Communications contractor hired: We are pleased to announce that we have contracted Georgina Vega Porrata-Doria as our new communications contractor. Vega Porrata's twelve years of experience managing and creating public-relations and marketing campaigns for local (Puerto Rican) and international markets encompasses media ranging from print and television to special events. Georgina Vega Porrata Doria Public Relations & Marketing, LLP, clients include a diverse group of organizations that includes nonprofit organizations, such as the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Puerto Rico (MAC/ PR) and Festival Buena Vida, which have all expanded and enriched their business and reputation in Puerto Rico through the effective and influential use of strategic public relations and brand management.

2) SJBEP takes action to improve Barrio Obrero Marina community’s recycling program: The Barrio Obrero Marina (a low-income and inner-city community) recycling program began this year, collecting recyclables on its 14 streets. To date the project has been managed by two women from the community who collect the bulky materials in their own cars. The SJBEP included in its budget the contract of a truck driver who will help in the collection of the materials. The contractor will begin the pick-up process next week, with his own truck.

3) SJBEP coordinates Judith Enck’s visit to Cucharillas Wetland and its community leaders: EPA’s Region 2 Administrator, Judith Enck, visited the Cucharillas Wetland with SJBEP personnel who presented several restoration projects and issues of the area to her. Enck met with community leaders Rosa Hilda Ramos, Pedro Carrión, the staff of the SJBEP, and our Citizen Advisory Committee’s President, Gretchen Guzmán, on Wednesday, December 8, 2010.

4) Protocol established to report sightings of Caiman crocodiles: A community meeting for the design of an educational campaign on the Caiman crocodile took place on Wednesday night. The SJBEP, Enlace Project, the DNER, and representatives of the Group of the 8 Communities of the Martín Peña Channel (G-8) met to discuss the actions needed to prevent accidents involving the Caiman crocodile. Important successes were the promise of full support from the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, along with the design of a protocol to report sightings of this dangerous species. A flyer was designed by the group and will be handed out during the community’s Christmas celebration.

5) Bauza Mangrove Restoration Technique (TeReBa) is spreading out: The Department of Natural and Environmental Resources is using, in their mangrove restoration projects, a method known as TeReBA: the mangrove restoration method developed by the Scientific Advisor of the SJBEP, Dr. Jorge Bauzá. TeReBa consists of sowing four red mangrove seedlings, held together with biodegradable tape around a fixed wooden rod. This restoration technique increases the success and growth rate of mangrove seedlings in comparison with others methods. The DNER mangrove planting event using TeReBA was covered by the print media (Primera Hora and Vocero Newspapers).

http://www.primerahora.com/drnarealizasiembrademanglerojoencayoaurorayfirmaacuerdodecomanejoconconcesionarios-450141.html

6) Water Quality Improvement and Seagrass Restoration Project at Condado Lagoon: All proposals regarding this project have been evaluated by the Proposal Evaluation Committee. There will be a meeting to discuss proposals’ evaluations and final selection.

7) EPA’s 40th Anniversary: The event took place at the Inter American University on December 10, 2010, from 8:00am to 5:30pm and was a complete success, with over 500 attendees. Judith Enck highlighted EPA’s priorities for the island. Javier Laureano and Jorge Bauzá offered a presentation as part of a round table on the Martín Peña Channel.

8) Sediment toxicity and water quality monitoring: Students from the UPR’s Public Health School conducted a field sampling trip with the SJBEP to monitor several water-quality parameters (bacteriology and gasoline components) and sediment toxicity (Arsenic and Lead). Dr. Jorge Bauzá and Ernesto Olivares joined Dr. Carlos Rodríguez and his group of graduate students, and offered technical assistance to the initiative.

9) EQB provides new storage space for the SJBEP’s Water Quality Monitoring Program: This week the Environmental Quality Board began providing much needed storage space for our Monitoring Program equipment, as well as access to its lab for instrument calibration. It constitutes an in-kind gift of over $6,000 per year.

10) SJBEP at the Puerto Rico Recycling Partnership (PRRP) meeting: As part of her visit to Puerto Rico, Judith Enck met with the PRRP to discuss the reports of several committees working on composting, market development, and outreach, among others. Javier Laureano presented a public service campaign on recycling that the SJBEP will begin to place on several media outlets beginning next month.

IMPORTANT WORKSHOP - Community Vegetable Garden Creation Workshop: The SJBEP and the Huerto, Vivero y Bosque Urbano de Capetillo community group will offer a community vegetable garden creation workshop to our volunteers, stakeholders, and community leaders. The activity will take place on December 18, 2010, from 8:30am to 5:00pm. To join this marvelous community-based experience, please contact Gladys Rivera at: voluntarios@estuario.org

CINE DEL ESTUARIO (Estuary’s Cinema) TOMORROW!- Like every second and fourth Saturday of the month, tomorrow we will be showing a new movie, “The Queen,” for our Cine del Estuario project at the Condado Lagoon Park at 7:00pm This is a free activity for everyone.

OFFICE WILL BE CLOSED FOR CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS FROM DECEMBER 23, 2010, TO JANUARY 7, 2011.

Light contamination/ Works at the Malaria Canal/ Novel water toxicity test/ Guided tours

Pictures: Light contamination from the Presbyterian Ashford Medical Hospital; new logo of the PR Watershed Partnership; graduate students from the University of Puerto Rico during a boat tour through the ecosystem; school students visiting the Pedro Antonio Gelabert Estuarine Library.

Our weekly update for November 28, 2010 to December 4, 2010 is as follow:

1) Making the case for light contamination: Javier Laureano identified an extreme case of light contamination at the employee’s parking lot of the Presbyterian Ashford Medical Hospital on Washington Street in the Condado in San Juan, right in front of the Atlantic Ocean. According to employees of the Hospital, the lights were placed as crime prevention, due to a local myth that links excessive light with security. This particular zone is known as a spawning zone for leatherback turtles, an endangered species guided by lunar cycles and highly affected by this kind of pollution. The Presbyterian Hospital promised to at least change the direction of the lamps that are illuminating the ocean and the sand. Attached please find some pictures.

2) New logo and first meeting set for the Puerto Rico Watershed Partnership: The first meeting of this initiative, coordinated by the San Juan Bay Estuary Program, will take place at the Sea Grant Program of the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus, on January 13, 2011, from 1:00pm to 3:30pm. Attached please find the new logo.

3) Guided tour to graduate students: Javier Laureano offered a guided boat tour to graduate students with professor Carmen Concepción, from the Graduate School of Urban Planning of the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus, on Wednesday, December 1, 2011. The course explores the interaction between ecology and urban planning.

4) DNER enhances habitat of the Malaria Canal: Dr. Jorge Bauzá reported that our partner, the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, is performing key maintenance work at the Malaria Canal through the mechanical removal of nuisance aquatic vegetation and floating debris. The agency is also upgrading the pump stations that control the hydrologic level of the Cucharillas Wetland.

5) SJBEP joined Administrator Jackson in the celebrations of EPA’s 40th Anniversary: On Wednesday, December 1, 2010, Administrator Jackson traveled to New York, where she held an event with students from the New York Harbor School, who shared their environmental work with the administrator and employees from EPA’s regional office, including the New York/ New Jersey National Estuary Program. Thanks to the invitation of Carl Soderberg, the staff of the SJBEP joined this special occasion through teleconference and was able to communicate with the administrator and the students.

6) University of Puerto Rico’s High School field trip through the Estuary: Eighty-five students took a field trip to the site where the Río Piedras begins, and followed the river’s course through the city, visiting areas adjacent to the Martín Peña Channel and the San Juan Central Park. The field trip was aimed at educating the students on the impacts of an unplanned city on this particular river. To finish the field trip, the group visited Corporación Piñones se Integra, and received information about the Piñones area. Other activities for the students – coordinated by Gladys Rivera, our Outreach Coordinator - included a kayak visit to Torrecillas Lagoon and a bicycle ride following the Piñones coastal zone.

7) Water Quality Monitoring Program: New watershed sites were sampled as part of the water quality monitoring program. These stations are crucial for identifying the sources of watershed pollution in the San Juan Bay Estuary system. Past data reveals that the main focus of contamination entering the estuary can be linked to non-point sources in the watershed. These observations will be the basis for the future development of Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) for fecal coliforms, oil & grease, and nutrients.

8) Novel water toxicity test used in the San Juan Bay Estuary: Dr. Jorge Bauzá, Scientific Advisor of the SJBEP, is working in collaboration with Dr. Carlos Rodriguez from the Medical Sciences Campus of the University of Puerto Rico on the implementation of a novel toxicity test based on bacterial responses to water contaminants. This method provides a fast, efficient, and cost-effective alternative for measure water toxicity, in relation to conventional bioassay techniques. The first sampling event was conducted with the participation of graduate students last Thursday. The SJBE is providing technical support, field instrumentation, logistical support, and a general sampling platform. The goal of the initiative is to incorporate this toxicity test as one of the environmental indicators for the SJBE.

9) Condado Lagoon Restoration’s RFP has a New Proposal Evaluator: Mark Reiss from the USEPA (DEPP/CWRB), New York offices, will provide assistance in evaluating the proposals submitted for benthic and seagrass restoration in the Condado Lagoon. Mr. Reis is an expert in benthic restoration projects and will be an asset in the selection of the proposal.

10) Puerto Rico Water Monitoring Day 2011: The first meeting of the organization committee was held in the SJBEP; all parties agreed to celebrate 2011 WWMD on Saturday, April 30th. Volunteer recruitment has already begun. The next meeting will be held on January 20th, 2011.

11) Increased number of visitors at our new location: We are glad to announce that since our move to the new office at the Parada 18 of Santurce, we are experiencing an increased volume of visitors and students, that are using the resources of the Pedro Antonio Gelabert Estuarine Library.

IMPORTANT WORKSHOP - Community Vegetable Garden Creation Workshop: The SJBEP and the Huerto, Vivero y Bosque Urbano de Capetillo community group will offer a community vegetable garden creation workshop to our volunteers, stakeholders, and community leaders. The activity will take place on December 18, 2010, from 8:30am to 5:00pm. To join this marvelous community-based experience, please contact Gladys Rivera at: voluntarios@estuario.org

Save the Date - EPA’s 40th Anniversary!! December 10th, 2010: The event will take place at the Inter American University on December 10, 2010, from 8:00am to 5:30pm. Judith Enck, EPA Regional Administrator, will highlight EPA’s priorities for the island. For reservations please call Mrs. Brenda Reyes at 787-977-5869

OFFICE WILL BE CLOSED FOR CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS ON THE WEEKS OF DECEMBER 20, 2010 AND DECEMBER 27, 2010!!