The San Juan Bay Estuary Partnership will hold two field sessions at Laguna del Condado as part of its Citizen Scientist Certification program.
A Condado Lagoon citizen science program will send residents into the water Saturday to evaluate two of the lagoon’s most important marine ecosystems: coral reefs and seagrass beds.
The San Juan Bay Estuary Partnership has scheduled an ecological assessment of coral reefs at 8:00 a.m. Saturday, August 15, followed by an ecological assessment of seagrasses at noon, both at Laguna del Condado.
The field sessions are part of the organization’s Citizen Scientist Certification program, which provides residents with training and hands-on experience monitoring environmental conditions throughout the San Juan Bay Estuary system.
Participants received online training Wednesday evening on ecological assessment methods for coral reefs and seagrasses before taking those skills into the field Saturday.
The work comes during an active period of environmental monitoring at the lagoon.
On Thursday, citizen scientists also participated in bacteriological water-quality monitoring at Laguna del Condado, while another recent field activity involved planting coastal vegetation as part of the program’s coastal-resilience work.
Seagrass beds and coral communities play important roles in coastal ecosystems, providing habitat for marine life and contributing to the health and resilience of shallow coastal waters.
The Condado Lagoon is part of the larger San Juan Bay Estuary system and is one of the most heavily used recreational waterways in metropolitan San Juan, attracting swimmers, paddleboarders, kayakers and visitors throughout the year.
The Citizen Scientist Certification program is intended to expand community participation in monitoring those ecosystems rather than leaving environmental observation solely to government agencies and professional researchers.
Estuario says its workshops and field experiences may also count toward Contacto Verde or community-service hours. Minors participating in the activities must be accompanied by an adult who registers separately.
Saturday’s coral assessment begins at 8:00 a.m., with the seagrass assessment scheduled for noon.
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Source: San Juan Bay Estuary Partnership / Estuario weekly program update.
