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Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET)
Marine Science Institute
NOAA brings thousands of K-12 teachers and students around the country outside for hands-on environmental education opportunities as part of Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) projects. In fiscal year 2023, 187 new and continuing projects benefitted from a total of more than $8 million in funding from the NOAA Office of Education’s B-WET program.
Students from Central Manor Elementary School in Pennsylvania paint messaging onto a storm drain as part of Millersville University's B-WET project. (Image credit: Liz Fulton, Millersville University)
B-WET currently serves seven areas of the country: California, Chesapeake, Great Lakes, Gulf of Mexico, Hawaii, New England, and Pacific Northwest. Grantees were selected through a rigorous peer review process administered by a NOAA program office in their region. All B-WET applicants are encouraged to partner with local NOAA offices, and/or utilize local NOAA field sites and data where appropriate. Awards in the Great Lakes region are made possible by funds from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.
2023 B-WET awards, by region, are:
California
| Recipient | Project | LOCATION | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Coast Salmon Enhancement | Central Coast Youth Environmental Stewardship Capacity Building Program | Arroyo Grande, CA | $203,312 |
| Marin County Office of Education | Climate Change Across the Curriculum | San Rafael, CA | $275,000 |
| One Cool Earth | San Luis Obispo County Climate Education Capacity Building | San Luis Obispo, CA | $181,060 |
| Sequoia Riverlands Trust | S.E.E.D Capacity Building for Climate Literacy in Tulare County | Visalia, CA | $275,245 |
Learn more about the California B-WET projects.
Chesapeake
| Recipient | Project | LOCATION | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anacostia Watershed Society | Mussel Power | Bladensburg, MD | $114,546 |
| Chesapeake Bay Trust | Environmental Literacy Capacity Building in the Chesapeake Region: A Regional Outdoor Learning Network Initiative and Equitable Youth Environmental Education program in Partnership with NOAA | Annapolis, MD | $750,000 |
| Elizabeth River Project | Our Elizabeth River, Our Responsibility | Norfolk, VA | $225,000 |
| Essex County School Board | Essex Environmental Literacy Collaborative | Tappahannock, VA | $117,910 |
| Friends of Rappahannock | Northern Neck MWEE Program | Fredericksburg, VA | $262,924 |
| Otsego County Conservation Association | Upper Susquehanna Watershed Project | Cooperstown, NY | $60,363 |
| Phillips Wharf Environmental Center | Oysters as a Keystone Species in the Chesapeake Bay | Easton, MD | $88,456 |
| University of Maryland | Thirteen Moons: Indigenous Knowledge and Culturally Responsive Pedagogies for Conservation, Sustainability, and Stewardship | College Park, MD | $149,387 |
| Williams Valley School District | Williams Valley School District Environmental Literacy & Sustainability Project | Tower City, PA | $298,411 |
Learn more about the Chesapeake B-WET projects.
Great Lakes
| Recipient | Project | LOCATION | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Board of Education of City of Chicago | Environmental Literacy for Environmental Justice | Chicago, IL | $75,000 |
| Central Michigan University | Building Flood Resilience by Connecting Students to their Watershed | Mount Pleasant, MI | $159,400 |
| Eastern Michigan University | Coalition Connections: Building Watershed and Climate Literacy | Ypsilanti, MI | $160,000 |
| Inter-Tribal Council of Michigan | Creating Meaningful and Cultural Watershed Educational Experiences for the Students of Ojibwe Charter School | Sault Ste. Marie, MI | $99,578 |
| Lake Superior State University | Supporting Data-Centered 3-P Student Learning through Teacher and Student Scaffolded Experiences Using MiWaterNet Stream Monitoring | Sault Ste. Marie, MI | $86,687 |
| Michigan Technological University | Inawendiwin: Connection, Observation, & Learning Together | Houghton, MI | $99,506 |
| Paul Smiths College of Arts and Sciences | Youth for Climate and Water Action: MWEEs for Rural Schools in the Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Basin | Paul Smiths, NY | $160,000 |
| Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe | Ninkchiwaawenindimin – "We honor each other" | Mount Pleasant, MI | $94,982 |
| University of Toledo | Engaging K-12 Students in Authentic Watershed Experiences, Science and Stewardship: Reconnecting to the Land at Earth Heart Farms | Toledo, OH | $146,052 |
| University of Wisconsin System | Nibi gaa-gikinoo’amaage, Nibi gaa-bimaaji'iwemagak (Water will Teach, Water Will Give Life) II | Madison, WI | $73,628 |
| University of Wisconsin System | Rivers2Lake: Activating a Community of Lake Superior Educators | Madison, WI | $153,961 |
Learn more about the Great Lakes B-WET projects.
Gulf of Mexico
| Recipient | Project | LOCATION | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eckerd College | Reduce Single-Use: Elementary Kids Turn Off the Tap for Marine Debris | St. Petersburg, FL | $99,954 |
| Florida Aquarium | Molluscs and Microplastics: Examining Plastic Pollution Trends in Tampa Bay Oysters | Tampa, FL | $99,840 |
| Flour Bluff Independent School District | Solution to Pollution | Corpus Christi, TX | $148,906 |
| Mississippi State University | Resilient Rhodes Bayou: Making Connections in Moss Point through Watershed Education | Mississippi State, MS | $96,037 |
| National Wildlife Federation | Bayous to Bays: Teachers & Youth Digging into Watershed Stewardship | Austin, TX | $100,000 |
| Seacamp | Everglades Watershed Education using Index of Biotic Integrity to Evaluate Impacts of Florida Keys Ecosystems | Big Pine Key, FL | $100,000 |
| University of Florida | Exploration of Coastal Shoreline Protection and Habitat Improvement Strategies in a Changing Climate | Gainesville, FL | $76,600 |
| University of Texas at Austin | Mission to the Sea: Making the Connection through Problem-Based Learning | Austin, TX | $76,787 |
Learn more about the Gulf of Mexico B-WET projects.
Hawaii
| Recipient | Project | LOCATION | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Halau Ku Mana New Century Public Charter School | Aloha Aina Education: Mauka to Makai | Honolulu, HI | $80,000 |
| ISIS HAWAII (dba HI FusionED) | Examining Ahupuaa Health: The Watershed, Our Oceans, and Aquifers | Honolulu, HI | $141,966 |
| Ke Kula Nui o Waimanalo | KAMA KAI OLA Waimanalo | Waimanalo, HI | $150,000 |
| Kipahulu Ohana | Maui Hikina Malama Aina Science Stewards | Hana, HI | $146,361 |
| Learning Endeavors | Kokua Molokai: Expeditions for Youth | Kihei, HI | $150,000 |
| Malama Kai Foundation | Ridge to Reef Ahupuaa/Watershed Education Program in South Kohala and North Kona, West Hawaii | Kamuela, HI | $149,787 |
| North Kohala Community Resource Center | Kohala Unupaa Mauka to Makai Watchers and Caretakers | Hawi, HI | $120,956 |
| University of Hawaii (Manoa) | Summer Marine Mammal Intensive Learning Experience (SMMILE) | Honolulu, HI | $109,200 |
New England
| Recipient | Project | LOCATION | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bridgeport City School District | Rooster River Watershed Warriors: Local Watershed Experience and Education for Bridgeport's Youth | Bridgeport, CT | $73,966 |
| Buzzards Bay Coalition | Harvesting Hope in Buzzards Bay: Empowering Wareham Youth through Aquaculture-Focused MWEEs | New Bedford, MA | $149,134 |
| Hitchcock Center | Inspiring Creative Problem-Solving in Our Watershed | Amherst, MA | $58,510 |
| Maine Audubon Society | Penobscot Classrooms: An Integrated Approach to Community Science | Falmouth, ME | $127,126 |
| Sunrise County Economic Council | Reconnecting Downeast Maine's Watersheds and Communities | Machias, ME | $145,382 |
| University System of New Hampshire | New Hampshire Schools Saltmarsh Ecosystem Exploration (NH Schools SEE) | Durham, NH | $149,514 |
Learn more about the New England B-WET projects.
Pacific Northwest
| Recipient | Project | LOCATION | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cascade Fisheries | North Central Washington MWEEs and Teacher Empowerment | Wenatchee, WA | $132,463 |
| Lummi Indian Business Council | S'NEP: Schtengexwen Native Ecosystems Project | Bellingham, WA | $97,657 |
| Mid-Columbia Fisheries Enhancement Group | Central Washington Watershed Connections | White Salmon, WA | $149,766 |
| National Wildlife Federation | Fish Eggs to Fry: Eco-School USA Salmon Stewards | Milwaukie, OR | $106,665 |
| Port Townsend School District | Climate Resilience Education Project | Port Townsend, WA | $138,477 |
| Vashon-Maury Island Nature Center | Scientists In Schools: Addressing Climate Change through Hands-On Watershed Education | Vashon, WA | $75,000 |
Learn more about the Pacific Northwest B-WET projects.
Funding amounts listed above are full federal award amounts for all years of the award. In addition to the awards listed above, NOAA supported 135 continuing awards. For more details about B-WET awards, please visit the regional program websites. Learn more about the impacts of this program.