The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) recently awarded seven U. S. Coral Reef Task Force Partnership Initiative grants to organizations for work in the Guánica watershed. The Guánica Bay/Rio Loco Watershed is approximately 151 square miles and traverses the municipalities of Guánica, Yauco and a portion of the Lajas Valley, in the south coast of Puerto Rico. Current land uses in the watershed are agricultural (43%, mostly in coffee, citrus, bananas, plantains, vegetables, and pasture land), forests (48%), and urban development (9%). Threats in the watershed include excessive nutrient loading to water bodies, soil erosion, sediment deposition, flooding, and habitat fragmentation. The cumulative impact of these threats over the last 50 years is a steady decline in near shore reef quality (Warne et. al., 2005).
Three projects are addressing agricultural practices in the watershed. Puerto Rico is largely composed of mountainous and hilly terrain, with nearly one-fourth of the island covered by steep slopes. The mountains are the easternmost extension of a tightly folded and faulted ridge that extends from the Central American mainland across the northern Caribbean to the Lesser Antilles. High amounts of agriculture on steep slopes can increase the amount of soil erosion leading to increased sediment in surface water. Farms also export nutrients to water bodies from inorganic fertilizers and non-stable organic residues.
The University of Puerto Rico, Agricultural Extension Service was awarded $24,918 to develop a capacity building program on conservation buffers for farmers, NGOs and elected officials in the Rio Loco Watershed. Conservation buffers are permanently vegetated areas or strips of land, designed to intercept pollutants and manage other environmental concerns. Strategically placed buffer strips in the agricultural landscape can effectively mitigate the movement of sediment, nutrients, and pesticides within farm fields and from farm fields. The project goal is to improve the water quality of the Rio Loco through capacity building and the implementation of conservation buffers in the farms lands of the watershed.
The University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez was awarded $50,000 and is contributing $29,843 to work in coordination with a local community group, Frente Unido Pro-Defensa del Valle de Lajas, and the University of Puerto Rico Agricultural Extension Service, to use soil testing to assess the current nutrient status of soils in farms and to provide alternative crop nutrient recommendations. The use of soil testing can result in substantial economic and environmental benefits. Previous experience working with farmers in both the Lajas Valley Agricultural Reserve and the upland parts of watershed shows that farmers rarely use soil testing to guide and modify nutrient management recommendations, that will reduce potential nutrient and sediment loads to coral reefs in Guánica Bay.
Joaquin Chong was awarded $25,000 for a project to work with farmers to implement coffee pulp stabilization, emphasizing compost use on a selected crop. This project intends to reduce overall nutrient export from farms by teaching farmers how to properly compost coffee pulp and then working with the farmers to compost coffee pulp and use it at their farms. Properly composted coffee pulp locks nutrients into humus substances, which in turn increase water-holding capacity. There is also an increase in cation exchange capacity (ability of the compost to provide nutrients to the plant) hence less inorganic fertilizers are required.
The University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez was awarded $16,432 and is contributing $21,741 to study the hydrodynamics of Guánica Bay. This project will carry out the first Lagrangean and Eulerian velocity measurements and numerical simulations of the hydrodynamics of Guánica. Lagrangean techniques follow a water particle, while Eulerian techniques measure the velocity of water at a fixed position. To successfully improve water quality, it is necessary to understand the hydrodynamics responsible for the mixing of pollutants in the Bay.
The Center for Watershed Protection (CWP) was awarded $35,000 and is contributing $15,000 to address several initiatives in the Guánica/Rio Loco watershed that require sustained local effort and outreach and communication with the community. CWP will 1) advance the conceptual design of the treatment wetlands to a design that can be submitted for full funding; 2) solicit the support of local leaders of the farming community to assist with the outreach on a part-time basis in the Lajas Valley – particularly in areas that may be affected by the restoration of the lagoon; and 3) reduce farmers’ upfront burden of cost share requirements for NRCS and FWS conservation programs through incentive payments or support in developing a market for conservation farmed coffee that protects habitat and coral reefs from sediment pollution.
The Caribbean Maritime Educational Center, Inc. (CAMARED) was awarded $25,000 and is contributing $10,000 to promote educational activities and opportunities for positive interactions with the Guánica watershed including kayaking, snorkeling and cleanup activities. The activities with the development community will focus on proper erosion and sediment control education and outreach directly to land disturbance activities and contractors in the watershed.
The Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico was awarded $24,998 and will contribute an additional $68,544 to perform twelve educational training and seventeen project site cleanup activities at Punta Ballenas, Puerto Rico. The ecological objective is to create stewards of the Guánica/Rio Loco watershed and its coral reef through educational training and hands-on project site cleanup activities. Target audiences include elementary school, middle school and high school students and teachers from the Island’s southern and western areas; potential sources and source communities include project site visitors, the private business sector, local environmental educators, community leaders, universities, environmental groups, and organized groups. The Trust will also partner with Scuba Dogs Society to coordinate a massive Punta Ballenas beach cleanup activity.
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Personnel Updates
Edwin Almodovar is the new USDA NRCS Caribbean Director, replacing Angel Figueroa