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!!

Proposals received for the Condado Lagoon restoration; SJBEP at the EPA BOLD; Mangrove planting; Anti-littering campaign

Pictures: Our Citizen Advisory Committee's President, Gretchen Guzmán, offering a Red mangrove planting workshop near the Cucharillas Wetland at the Cataño Municipality; Volunteers planting at one of the selected sites; and a new cigarette butts anti-littering campaign that includes the SJBEP's logo as part of the initiative.

Our weekly update for November 21, 2010 to November 27, 2010 includes the following activities:


1) Another step closer towards the benthic restoration of the Condado Lagoon: A total of seven (7) proposals were submitted for the project “Water Quality Improvement and Seagrass Restoration at the Condado Lagoon”. The proposals were submitted by the following consultant firms: TetraTech, URS, UNIPRO, CMA Architect s & Engineers LLP, AG Environmental PSC, Pedro Panzardi & Associates, and Integrated Global Solutions. A proposal package including the proposal evaluation form was sent to the proposal evaluation committee. The proposal evaluation committee is composed by the following members: Ernesto Diaz, DRNA; Jorge Tous, USACE; Evelyn Huertas, USEPA; Craig Lyllistron, DRNA; and Jorge Bauzá, SJBEP. On December 13, 2010 the committee will meet in the SJBEP’s office to discuss the proposals and to select the contactor for the first phase of what will be one of the main seagrass restoration projects of the island.

2) The San Juan Municipality begins outreach campaign to control dog waste: The Municipality published a full color brochure geared to dog owners with recommendations to keep clean the stormwater system of San Juan from pet feces. The brochure is being distributed to pet owners through a network of veterinary offices, pet shops and related locations. The pollution generated by this kind of waste on the bodies of water is of great concern to the San Juan Bay Estuary Program and to all the organizations of the National Estuary Program.

One of the main outreach initiatives on this topic is the coordinated by the Tampa Bay National Estuary Program. For additional information please follow the link:

http://www.tbep.org/help/scoop.html

3) SJBEP at the Ocean Survey Vessel BOLD: The San Juan Bay Estuary Program's Coordinator of Water Quality Monitoring, Ernesto M. Olivares, participated in a survey conducted by EPA using sediment bioassays, chemical analysis, SPI and side scan sonar survey technology to asses sediments at the boundary of the common outfall of the Bayamón Regional Waste water Treatment Plant (RWTP), Puerto Nuevo RWTP and the Bacardi Corporation Distillery. Doug Pabst was the chief scientist and team leader of the survey. More information on the BOLD can be accessed through the following site:

http://water.epa.gov/type/oceb/assessmonitor/osvbold_index.cfm

4) SJBEP’s first water quality monitoring event at the Isla del Diablo creeks completed: The first water monitoring collection activity at Capetillo's Isla del Diablo creeks was completed thanks to the participation of members of this key community effort. The Capetillo community in coordination with the University of Puerto Rico and CAUCE are cleaning and planting over 2 acres of what used to be a giant illegal dump/ drug trade and smuggling site (from there its name of Isla del Diablo or Devil’s Island). The first signs of a healthy urban forest are already visible. Our organization is collaborating in the restoration of two small creeks that run through the forest.

5) Water Quality Monitoring completed for November: Ernesto M. Olivares and Dr. Jorge Bauzá finished monitoring all stations assigned for November.

6) Communications contract interviews: Javier Laureano interviewed five (5) excellent potential candidates for the communications contract during November 23 and 24, 2010. A final decision must be made by the first weeks of December.

7) The Puerto Rico Water and Environment Association (PRWEA) pledged $2,000 for the PR Water Quality Monitoring Day: As part of an alliance between the PRWEA and the SJBEP, the President of the first entity, Mr. Jaime López, pledged $2,000 for this key annual event in a meeting with Javier Laureano. The PRWEA also offered a free membership to the SJBEP at the Water Environment Federation:

http://www.wef.org/

8) SJBEP’s logo at billboard as part of Cigarette Butts Anti-Littering Campaign- The SJBE is collaborating with the local chapter of Keep America Beautiful (Conserva el Encanto de Mi Isla Preciosa) and the PR Tourism Company in a campaign to educate consumers on the harm to the water environment that cigarette litter produces. This week a new billboard was placed at the Baldorioty de Castro Ave and permanent ashtrays were placed at he Escambrón Beach area. Next Saturday, December 4, 2010 volunteers from the San Juan Bay Estuary Program, Scuba Dogs and the Caribe Hilton Hotel will distribute educational materials and portable ashtrays at the Escambrón Beach.

9) SJBEP’s volunteers on mangrove planting event – Our Citizens Advisory Committee President, Gretchen Guzmán, from G Works Inc., and the Corredor del Yaguazo community group, with the support and help of the volunteers of the San Juan Bay Estuary Program planted 1,600 Red Mangrove seeds covering 0.9 lineal mile. For this activity the volunteers used Dr. Jorge Bauzá Technique as the areas impacted are considered low energy coastal zones. Residents were instructed on the whys and benefits of these planting activities since on past events some of the seedlings were torn apart. Water was sampled and analyzed for PH, Dissolved Oxygen and temperature. We thank our Estuary Guardians from the Congregación Mita School for their full support to the event.

10) Estuary’s Green Cinema: The movie "The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas" was screened at the Condado Lagoon Park on November 27, 2010 at the Condado Lagoon Jaime Benítez Park. The trailer can be found at the following site: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkzIC_bwxT8


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 8am 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

Save the Date-Mangrove Planting this Saturday-!! This Saturday, November 20, 2010 the SJBEP joins Corredor de Yaguazo community organization and Gworks in the continuation of an ongoing collaborative restoration effort to plant red, white and black mangroves at the La Esperanza barrier island in the San Juan Bay. The activity begins at 8:30am For additional information please contact Gladys Rivera at voluntarios@estuario.org

Stormwater Sampling/ RAE/ TMDL/ Climate Change/ Jueves de Río Piedras/ Planting events

Pictures: Caroline White explains the components of the Harris County Flood Control District, TX; Solar-powered stormwater monitoring station at Harris County; and wetland planting nursery at Armand Bayou Nature Center, TX.

Our weekly update for November 14, 2010 to November 20, 2010 is as follow:

1) SJBEP visited an automatic stormwater sampling station: As part of the Restore America’s Estuaries (RAE) 2010 Conference in Galveston, TX, Javier Laureano participated on a key technical field trip in the Harris County Flood Control District where environmental officials installed two Automatic Stormwater Sampling Stations through a contract with PBS&J. The stations are enclosed on a tailor-made structure, and use solar energy to activate it on pluvial events. The samplings include several parameters, including bacteria, and are part of a water quality enhancement wetland project. Attached please find two pictures of the stations. More info: Carolyn White, Project Manager, Stormwater Quality, Harris County Flood Control District: carolyn.white@hcfcd.org

2) New technique for wetland planting: Also as part of the Restore America’s Estuaries (RAE) Conference, the organization representative visited the Armand Bayou Nature Reserve to study the marsh restoration techniques being implemented on the wetlands prairie by volunteers. Mark Kramer, one of the two employees in charge of the restoration and maintenance of the wetlands prairie, presented the Bulrush Baskets Restoration Technique. The technique consists of the planting of wetland vegetation on an enclosed fiber and metal basket, nurtured in a nursery, and then deployed and monitored by volunteers on strategic zones of the wetland associated to the Armand Bayou. For more information please follow the link: http://www.abnc.org/ Attached please find a picture of the Bulrush Basket. For information on RAE’s Conference: http://www.estuaries.org/conference/

3) Creation of the “Puerto Rico Watershed Partnership” proposed at RAE: On a Tropical and Sub-Tropical Restoration conference at RAE, Javier Laureano proposed to several federal agencies and Puerto Rico representatives the creation of a new entity where the four federally-sponsored organizations working on watershed restoration on the island can discuss and share their achievements, challenges, and experiences. The main annual output of the Partnership will be the coordination of a workshop or seminar where the partners can offer a presentation and share their knowledge following their experiences on the implementation of their respective organization’s master plan. The four programs to be invited to the Partnership are: Jobos Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (JOBANERR): http://www.nerrs.noaa.gov/Reserve.aspx?ResID=JOB (NOAA); Sea Grant at Mayaguez Bay; San Juan Bay Estuary Program: www.estuario.org (EPA) and the Río Loco Watershed Project that has as leading agency the USDA’s National Resources Conservation Service: http://www.pr.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/Guanica.html The creation of the initiative’s logo is already on its way. A conference call with the four organizations, NOAA, EPA, and NRCS is being coordinated for the second week of December. Suggestions of additional partners are more than welcomed!

4) SJBEP at TMDL Conference: Dr. Jorge Bauzá is participating this week on the “TMDL 2010: Watershed Management to Improve Water Quality” on Baltimore, Maryland. For more information please follow the link: http://www.asabe.org/meetings/tmdl2010/

5) Pedro A. Gelabert on Climate Change Panel: President Pedro A. Gelabert offered the conference “The Geological Cycle of Climate Change” on November 16, 2010 as part of the “Climate Change and Biodiversity Symposium” organized by the DNER’s Coastal Zone Management Program and NOAA. The presentation will be available on our website’s Scientific Area as of tomorrow.

6) Status of bill PC 1676: Jorge Fernández Porto, Executive Director of the Senate’s Natural Resources Commission, informed Javier Laureano that the bill obtained a positive report with amendments on November 16, 2010. It was submitted to the PR House of Representatives for revision and final vote on the next legislative session that begins on January 2011. For a full tracking of the bill follow this link: http://www.oslpr.org/buscar/ and type "PC 1676" at Núm. Medida" field.

7) Estuary’s Green Cinema: The movie "Oceans" was screened at the Condado Lagoon Park on November 13, 2010 with the participation of over 200 attendees. Trailer at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXLbQrK6cXw Before the screening a short film produced by the Puerto Rico Waterkeeper was presented and several Girls Scouts groups enjoyed a guided pedal boat trip on the Lagoon as well as an educational workshop with Gladys Rivera, our Outreach Coordinator.

8) SJBEP will participate at EPA’s 40th Anniversary: Carl A. Soderberg invited Javier Laureano to offer a presentation about the importance of the Martín Peña Channel for our CCMP implementation and ecosystem improvement at EPA’s 40th Anniversary. This very special activity will take place at the Inter American University next December 10, 2010.

9) Planting at Finca Virgina Wetland Creation and Mangrove Restoration Project- Last Monday the PR Ports Authority celebrated a mangrove and native species planting event at Finca Virginia. The SBJEP coordinated the participation of a volunteer group of 60 students from the Puerto Rico Music Conservatory (Conservatorio de Música) that joined other groups. The target 1,000 trees planting target was achieved, this in addition to 4,000 mangroves planted last April 7, 2010. This is a 9-million dollars mitigation project being coordinated by PBS&J following our CCMP recommendations.

10) Community Vegetable Garden Creation Workshop- The SJBEP and Huerto, Vivero y Bosque Urbano de Capetillo community group are planning a community vegetable garden workshop at their facilities targeted to our volunteers, stakeholders and community leaders. We are coordinating the date and preparing a list of interested parties and already have 10 persons in it. To join us in this marvelous community-based experience, please contact Gladys Rivera at: voluntarios@estuario.org

TODAY “JUEVES DE RIO PIEDRAS”: We are proud sponsors of the “Jueves de Río Piedras” community event. As part of this monthly activity, several cultural, environmental and business organizations open their doors at night at the Río Piedras inner city neighborhood with a substantial offering of all sort of activities, including book readings, theater, activities for children, culinary expos, environmental workshops, and many others. Our Estuary’s Green Cinema will present the cartoons short film “Guardianes del Estuario” as well as several short films from young local film producers and directors beginning at 7:00pm on Plaza Robles, just in front of the Río Piedras Metro Station. We congratulate our very appreciated partner Jessabet Vivas, Esq. for the community leadership demonstrated through the organization of the monthly event.

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 8am 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

SAVE THE DATE-Mangrove Planting this Saturday-!! This Saturday, November 20, 2010 the SJBEP joins Corredor de Yaguazo community organization and Gworks in the continuation of an ongoing collaborative restoration effort to plant red, white and black mangroves at the La Esperanza barrier island in the San Juan Bay. The activity begins at 8:30am For additional information please contact Gladys Rivera at voluntarios@estuario.org