 |
| The new generation of environmentalists in action! |
 |
| Community leader Pedro Carrión (white t-shirt) was in charge of the planting component of the event. |
 |
| We use flora species to help prevent and mitigate coastal erosion. |
 |
| Volunteers crossing a small channel to get to the Esperanza Island. |
 |
| Father and daughter performing water quality monitoring tests. |
 |
| Refurbished educational exhibit at the Enrique Martí Park, part of the Martín Peña Channel. |
 |
| Alexis Milinares offering an interpretative tour using our educational exhibit. |
 |
| Children participated on the educational exhibit inauguration. |
The
San Juan Bay Estuary Program’s highlights for September 17th to
November 1st, 2012, are as follow:
1) SJBEP draws attention to multiple deforestation
incidents: Our Executive Director
raised concerns through the local media about several deforestation incidents that
are taking place along the watershed’s very limited green areas. In an article written
by journalist Gerardo Alvarado León, the organization called attention to the
more than 150 trees that have been cut down from the shores of the Condado
Lagoon, as well as other urban deforestation incidents such as those along the Margarita
Canal, the mangrove forests along Kennedy Avenue, Baldorioty Avenue near the
airport, and Stop 18 in Santurce.
Dr. Laureano
highlighted the fact that some of these trees were between 60 and 70 years old,
served to mitigate floods, and acted as natural biofilters that help keep our
waters clean. Below is a link to the article:
2) Isla
Verde Reef Island Becomes a Marine Reserve!: After years of hard work by community leader Paco López, the Isla
Verde Reef Island has become a Marine Reserve. López collected thousands of
signatures, visited elected officials, made presentations, and founded a
nonprofit organization to make his community’s dream a reality. Click on the
links below for more information:
http://www.miprv.com/el-incansable-disenador-que-logro-la-reserva-marina-del-arrecife-de-isla-verde/
3) Permanent
environmental exhibit inaugurated at the Enrique Martí Coll Linear Park: On October 27, 2012, as part of the reopening
of the 1.5-mile Enrique Martí Coll Linear Park, the SJBEP unveiled its newest
educational exhibit. The display consists of six educational modules and three
wooden platforms showcasing the Estuary’s hydrological basin, estuarine fauna
and flora, and ways in which the public can help protect the ecosystems. An
interpretative trail containing 30 illustrations designed by Adriana Ocaña is
yet to be installed along the 1.5 miles of the Lineal Park.
We thank the Department of Natural and
Environmental Resources and the PR Parks Company for their support of this
educational initiative.
4) Habitat
restoration activity at La Esperanza Islet: 850 pounds of debris recovered: As part of Banco Popular’s Make the
Difference Day, on October 27, 2012, a group of 53 volunteers gathered at La
Esperanza Islet, located in the San Juan Bay-Cataño Municipality, to perform a
series of habitat restoration activities.
The group retrieved 850 pounds of trash from the
ecosystem. Other volunteers planted 50 icaco
plants on the Islet to help minimize the effects of coastal erosion. Another
group performed water quality monitoring tests with our Water Quality
Monitoring Coordinator, Ernesto Olivares.
We thank Ramón Lloveras San Miguel, Board- and
Founding Member of the SJBEP, and the Department of Natural Resources, the
Environmental Protection Agency, Crowley Maritime Corporation, and the Corredor
del Yaguazo community organization, for their support of this ongoing initiative.
5) Javier
Laureano delivers a presentation at the Caribbean Landscape Conservation
Cooperative Conference: On
Thursday, November 1st, Dr. Javier Laureano, SJBEP’s Executive
Director, offered a conference to a group of 150 environmental professionals
and students, centering on our organization’s ecological
conservation projects. The activity was organized by the US Department of
Agriculture, as well as several other federal agencies.
6) SJBEP’s
new public service campaign begins with strong newspaper support; SJBEP thanks
GFR Media Group: In October of
2012, the organization’s new environmental literacy public service campaign went
public via two of Puerto Rico’s leading newspapers, El Nuevo Día and Primera
Hora. Designed by Marina Rivón, the new campaign features Adriana Ocaña’s
scientific illustrations of some the Estuary’s most recognized species such as
the fiddler crab, the leatherback turtle, and the fishing bat. We thank the GFR
Media Group for their support of our organization and of environmental
education in Puerto Rico.
7) Water
Quality Monitoring Training: On
October 31st, 2012, the SJBEP offered an introductory workshop to a
group of 17 volunteers interested in participating in our Water Quality
Monitoring Program. After completing a total of 48 hours of fieldwork the
volunteers will receive certification from our Estuary’s Program. Gladys Rivera
and Ernesto Olivares coordinated the activity.
8) The
SJBEP participates in the Association of National Estuaries Program (ANEP) and
Restore America’s Estuaries (RAE) meetings: From October 19th to the 25th, Gladys Rivera and
Jorge Bauzá attended the RAE biennial conference, and Javier Laureano the NEP
annual meeting. Both events were held in Tampa, Florida, and they shed light on
different restoration initiatives that are being implemented in estuary systems
across the United States.
As part of the RAE meeting Dr. Jorge Bauzá
presented a poster about the restoration initiatives of the San Juan Bay
Estuary Program.
9) SJBEP’s
new hires: During the month of
October, 2012, our organization contracted several new persons who will support
the implementation of our Comprehensive
Conservation and Management Plan.
We want to welcome:
Javier Cardona – Education
Manager: We are pleased to announce that Cardona has joined the San Juan
Bay Estuary Program after spending seven years in New York City, where he
worked for the rehabilitation of maximum-security prisoners, and as an
Education professor at New York University. Javier Cardona is also a known
performer, dancer, and artist. He has integrated environmental issues, such as the
importance of Red mangroves, into his artistic endeavors. Cardona is a member of the Board of
Directors of the environmental group I-Land.
Eliván Martínez – Communications
and public relations: One of the leading investigative reporters on the
Island, Martínez will support our communications efforts to convey the urgent
need of restoring water quality and our urban ecosystems. Martínez recently won
a grant from the Center for Investigative Journalism to do research on Puerto
Rico’s “green taxes.” As part of his complex and extensive career, Eliván
Martínez has covered a wide range of environmental issues, from front-page news
to travel and ecotourism.
Isabel Rosa – Grant writer: Rosa is a
lawyer and economist with lots of enthusiasm for grant writing – work wich she has
been successfully performing for nearly ten years. Her grant writing experience
includes a working relationship with several federal agencies, including the
Housing and Urban Development.
Ángel Guevares – Capetillo
Urban Forest and Vegetable Garden Coordinator: Guevares is a young
community and environmental leader. He organized his environmental justice
community, Capetillo, to clean up a massive illegal dump atop two creeks. What began as only a cleanup turned
into a true environmental success in his community. Guevares went to the University of Puerto Rico and established
an alliance that helped the community to transform the 2-acre illegal dump
known as Isla del Diablo (Devil’s Island) into an urban forest and vegetable
garden. He will work with us to keep transforming Isla del Diablo into an urban
forest and improve the water quality of the two creeks. We are proud to have
Ángel Guevares (“Gelo”) as part of our team!
10) Successful
Second Estuarine Short-Film Festival: As part of The Estuary’s Cinema initiative, this September the SJBEP
held its Second Estuarine Short-Film Festival. The festival promotes local
productions concerned with environmental issues. This year’s first prize went
to David Moscoso, who documented a public art installation and performance
directed by artist Dhara Rivera. Other prizes were awarded to “Piedras:
Memorias de un río urbano” and “Tierra de la buena.” The first is an oral history
account of the transformation of the Río Piedras, and the second a piece based
on a compost workshop prepared by university students for a group of elementary
school children.
11) The
SJBEP raises concern regarding wetland filling and destruction plans near the Luis
Muñoz Marín International Airport: Javier Laureano presented the SJBEP’s concerns regarding the
elimination of 24.5 acres of wetland and other green areas at La Marina zone to
develop an industrial park. In a letter submitted to Rubén Flores Marzán, head
of Puerto Rico’s Planning Board, the organization commented on consult 2012-20-0076-JGT-MA.
As the letter points out, these wetlands, located minutes from the Airport, are
necessary to help mitigate floods by absorbing vast quantities of rainfall.
These plans go against strategies HW-5, HW-16,
WS-9, and WS-12, concerning water quality and habitat restoration, contained in
our Comprehensive Conservation and Management
Plan.
After Tropical Storm Sandy’s flooding of John
F. Kennedy Airport, we hope that local authorities in the United States and
Puerto Rico begin to understand the importance of wetlands to our cities.
