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Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Over Half a Million Dollars in Federal Funding for Jobos Bay

WASHINGTON, DC-  The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has awarded Puerto Rico over half a million dollars to operate the Jobos Bay Estuarine Research Reserve, announced Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi.

Jobos Bay was designated in 1981 as one of 27 National Estuarine Research Reserves, a system established by Congress.

The funding will enable the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources to pay the salaries for six park rangers—three to provide security for the maritime area and three to provide security for physical facilities.  It will also enable the Department to pay the salaries of a lawyer responsible for ensuring compliance with all laws and regulations, a maintenence worker, and seven administrative personnel to manage finances, procurement, transportation, human resources and program activities at the Reserve.

“At a recent budget oversight hearing conducted by the House Committee on Natural Resources’ Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans and Insular Affairs, attended by the NOAA Administrator, Dr. Jane Lubchenco, I advocated an increase in the budget for the National Estuarine Research Reserve System.  This program is essential to protect estuaries throughout the nation, including Puerto Rico.  The rich environment of Jobos Bay provides extraordinary educational opportunities for students, teachers and the general public, and serves as a living laboratory for scientists,” said Pierluisi.

Jobos Bay—located between Salinas and Guayama—contains vast mangrove forests, seagrass beds and coral reefs, and is home to eight species of mammals, 106 species of birds, 12 species of reptiles, four species of amphibians, and numerous species of fish, marine invertebrates and plants.

The Reserve is an important habitat for endangered species, such as the West Indian manatee, the brown pelican, the peregrine falcon, the Puerto Rican plain pigeon, the yellow-shouldered blackbird, and the Hawksbill sea turtle. 

After the Caño Tiburones Natural Reserve in Arecibo, Jobos Bay is the second largest estuary in Puerto Rico, covering an area of approximately eight square kilometers, and three times as much shoreline as any other.