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 2020, one hundred and sixty new and continuing projects benefitted from a total of over $7 million in funding from the NOAA Office of Education’s B-WET program.
B-WET currently serves seven areas of the country: California, Chesapeake Bay, Great Lakes, Gulf of Mexico, Hawaiʻi, 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.
2020 B-WET awards, by region, are:
California
| Recipient | Project | State | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| California State University, Channel Islands | Crossing the Channel | Camarillo, CA | $59,031 |
| Coastal Watershed Council | Watershed Rangers | Santa Cruz, CA | $32,210 |
| Explore Ecology | Flows to the Ocean Project | Santa Barbara, CA | $59,946 |
| Greater Farallones Association | LiMPETS Climate Literacy Project | San Francisco, CA | $45,375 |
| Local Earth Action Forum (Sonoma Ecology Center) | Inspiring Water Wonders and Creating Climate Champions | Sonoma, CA | $39,986 |
| Marin County Office of Education | Marin's Ocean and Bay Backyard | San Rafael, CA | $100,000 |
| Marine Science Institute | Redwood Creek Watershed Investigators and Sea Level Rise Heroes | Redwood City, CA | $55,701 |
| MERITO Foundation | Energy Efficiency to Mitigate Climate Change and Ocean Acidification | Ventura, CA | $69,979 |
| Napa County Resource Conservation District | LandSmart Youth Stewards: Salmon to Sanctuary | Napa, CA | $59,963 |
| One Cool Earth | San Luis Obispo County Watershed Project | San Luis Obispo, CA | $60,000 |
| Strategic Energy Innovations | Discovering Watersheds through Experiential Learning | San Rafael, CA | $59,629 |
| Ventana Wildlife Society | MBNMS Watershed Exploration Program for Teens | Salinas, CA | $59,983 |
| Watsonville Wetlands Watch | Building Capacity in Environmental Literacy in the Pajaro Valley | Watsonville, CA | $60,000 |
Chesapeake Bay
| Recipient | Project | State | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chesapeake Bay Trust | Environmental Education Capacity Building in the Region: A Regional Outdoor Learning Network Initiative and Mini-Grants Program | Annapolis, MD | $641,858 |
| Otsego County Conservation Association | Chesapeake Bay Headwaters Educational Ecosystem | Cooperstown, NY | $226,273 |
| Stroud Water Research Center | Expanding Environmental Literacy and MWEE Implementation Capacity Across Pennsylvania | Avondale, PA | $170,000 |
| Virginia Institute of Marine Science | Virginia Teachers Innovating and Designing Experiential Science | Gloucester Point, VA | $167,945 |
Great Lakes
| Recipient | Project | State | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Board of Education of City of Chicago | Calumet Is My Back Yard: Burnham Park Expansion | Chicago, IL | $79,549 |
| Eastern Michigan University | Stormwater Stewards: Youth-Led Responses to Community Watershed Challenges | Ypsilanti, MI | $80,000 |
| Flint River Watershed Coalition | Flint River Bridges | Flint, MI | $72,851 |
| Friends of the Rouge | The Rouge Education Project | Plymouth, MI | $80,000 |
| Grand Valley State University | Deer Creek GEEKS | Allendale, MI | $79,931 |
| Hope College | Prep for Day 1: K-12 Students Jump into West Michigan Watershed | Holland, MI | $79,971 |
| Huron Pines | Terrestrial Systems Today for Healthy Waters Tomorrow | Gaylord, MI | $80,000 |
| Lake Superior State University | Developing Great Lakes Stewards through Place-making In Urban and Rural Classrooms | Sault Ste. Marie, MI | $76,575 |
| Muskegon Area Intermediate School District | The Power of Place: Connecting Students to Their Watershed | Muskegon, MI | $78,170 |
| St. John Fisher College | Our Lakes, Streams, and Rivers: Experiential Education and Stewardship in the Lake Ontario Watershed | Rochester, NY | $79,972 |
| University of Toledo | Great Lakes Student Research Campaign | Toledo, OH | $79,467 |
Gulf of Mexico
| Recipient | Project | State | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baylor University | Matagorda Bay B-WET | Waco, TX | $84,176 |
| Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation | Facilitating Learning in Our Watershed (FLOW): St. Bernard Parish | New Orleans, LA | $149,996 |
| Mississippi State University | Magnolia Bayou Watershed from Schoolyard to the Northern Gulf | Stennis Space Center, MS | $83,627 |
| Southeastern Louisiana University | Project CREATES | Hammond, LA | $149,417 |
| University of New Orleans | Hydrosphere and Estuary Investigations | New Orleans, LA | $99,399 |
Hawaiʻi
| Recipient | Project | State | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Akaka Foundation for Tropical Forests | Immersive Professional Development in Watershed Science to Support Peer-to-Peer STEM Learning Among Public School Educators on Hawaiʻi Island | Hilo, HI | $119,057 |
| Kīpahulu ʻOhana | Maui Hikina ʻŌpio Stewardship Development Project | Hāna, HI | $131,830 |
| Learning Endeavors | Champions of Coastal Resilience: A Coastal Field Ecology Professional Development Program for Teachers | Wailuku, HI | $149,700 |
| Mālama Maunalua | Instilling Community Kuleana Through Experiential Learning | Honolulu, HI | $149,326 |
| Mālama Pūpūkea-Waimea | Ka Papa Kai: Kids Making the Connection Between the Pūpūkea MLCD and the Pae ʻĀina | Haleʻiwa, HI | $77,060 |
| Pacific American Foundation | Wisdom of the Watershed Phase I for K-12 students | Kāneʻohe, HI | $150,000 |
| Polynesian Voyaging Society | Kapālama Ahupuaʻa Bioremediation | Honolulu, HI | $130,000 |
| University of Hawaiʻi Systems | Providing Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences for High School Teachers Through Nā Kilo ʻĀina | Kīlauea, HI | $149,691 |
New England
| Recipient | Project | State | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gulf of Maine Institute | Bringing Community-Based Steward to the Gulf of Maine | West Newbury, MA | $220,500 |
Pacific Northwest
| Recipient | Project | State | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discover Your Northwest (Cascade Head Biosphere Reserve) | Story of Life as Told by Water | Otis, OR | $59,782 |
| Dungeness River Audubon Center | North Olympic Watershed Science: Schools Supporting Salmon | Sequim, WA | $53,272 |
| Environmental Science Center | Salmon Heroes: Understanding Watershed Health in Diverse Communities Through Salmon Field Studies, Water Quality Training, and Stewardship Action Projects | Burien, WA | $49,383 |
| Lummi Indian Business Council | Outreach and Education on Marine Resources for Native American Youth | Bellingham, WA | $59,948 |
| Mid-Columbia Fisheries Enhancement Group | Central Washington Watershed Connections | White Salmon, WA | $59,984 |
| National Wildlife Federation | Fish Eggs to Fry; Eco-School USA Stewards | Milwaukie, OR | $52,615 |
| Nisqually River Foundation | Climate Literacy, Action, and Monitoring in South Sound | Olympia, WA | $59,715 |
| Northwest Maritime Center | Salish Sea Stewards Program: Integrating Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences into the South Whidbey Public School District | Port Townsend, WA | $60,000 |
| Port Townsend School District | Developing Understanding of Ocean Acidification and Building Solutions in Coastal Communities | Port Townsend, WA | $59,968 |
Funding amounts listed above are full federal award amounts for all years of the award. In addition to the awards listed above, NOAA supported 118 continuing awards. For more details about B-WET awards, please visit the regional program websites.