For Nature invited the public to participate, on Saturday, April 18, in the 33rd edition of the Nature Fairunder the motto “What the river brings”, a meeting focused on rivers and their hydrographic basins that brings together educational experiences, artistic expressions and spaces for cultural exchange, in the Old Piedras River Aqueduct.
The event, according to the organization, proposes an approach to ecosystems from learning and collaboration.
The activity will have talks, workshops, presentations, artistic interventions and poetry readings. Also, it integrates a market with local farmers, artisans, food kiosks, second-hand stores and projects that promote sustainable ways of production and life. The hours will be from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Through a press release, Para la Naturaleza reported that Puerto Rico has more than 224 rivers and 553 streams. The majority originates in the Central Mountain Range and flows towards the coast, emptying into the Atlantic Ocean or the Caribbean Sea. Rivers transport sediments, nutrients and organic matter, connect forests, urban areas, wetlands and coasts, and provide water for different uses. Processes such as urbanization, canalization and pollution affect their dynamics and quality, raising the urgent need to protect these natural systems.
The Fair promotes spaces for learning, exchange and collaboration with groups and communities linked to conservation. In a context of urban, economic and climatic pressures, it proposes the transformation of the forms of relationship and coexistence as part of the care of rivers.
The event will be held at the Old Aqueduct of the Piedras River, a site that functioned as the first source of drinking water for the capital city and that today operates as an urban forest in the last existing natural bend of the Piedras River. This space preserves structures built between the 19th and 20th centuries that provided drinking water for more than 80 years to San Juan.
The place integrates historical and ecological value and incorporated technologies such as hydraulic and steam pumps for the production of drinking water. Among its elements, the 1894 dam stands out, the only one of its type from the Spanish colonial period that remains in the country. Currently, proposals such as channeling the river could affect this space, the entity warned.
Para la Naturaleza recommended attending with a reusable bottle and closed shoes, comfortable for walking, as well as the use of public transportation or the use of a bicycle or walk, due to limited parking spaces.
Participants must register at www.pln.org/fairwhere you will also find event information, itinerary, list of concessionaires, parking options and recommendations. Green Contact hours will be validated.