Kevin Schabow-NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office Josh Falk-Smithsonian Env. Research Center Cat...

Kevin Schabow-NOAA Chesapeake Bay OfficeJosh Falk-Smithsonian Env. Research CenterCat Stylinski-UMCES Appalachian Lab

Innovative Approaches to the

Meaningful Watershed Educational

Experience (MWEE)

Science, Service, & Stewardship

Presentation Outline

• Background to the Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience

• Overview of NOAA B-WET Program• Spotlight MWEE Programs

-Student Training in Aquatic Research (SERC)-Mapping and Monitoring Maryland Streams (UMCES Appalachian Lab)


Chesapeake Bay Program Governor of MD Governor of VA Governor of PA

Executive Council

Mayor of DC

Chair of Chesapeake

Bay Commission

EPA Administrator


Bay Program Education Commitments

Endorsed by Governors of the Bay Watershed and DC Mayor

• Keystone Commitment signed in 2000“Beginning with the class of 2005, provide a meaningful Bay or

stream outdoor experience for every school student in the watershed before graduation from high school.”

• Endorsement of the MWEE (Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience)- January 2005


What is a MWEE?

• Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience• Investigative or Project-oriented• 3 Phases: Preparation, Action, & Reflection• Integral, Sustained Part

of Instructional Program• Studies Watershed as a System –

Projects not always on Bay• External Sharing & Communication


NOAA B-WET• Began in Chesapeake Region in 2002 to support

MWEE implementation

• Has expanded to 5 other regions-California, Hawai’i, Pacific NW, Gulf of Mexico, New England

• Variations on a theme:– All programs focus on

meaningful watershed experiences

– Specific implementation tailored to local needs

– Built upon established NOAA presence


Educational Programming of NCBO

Experiential Learning for K-12 Classrooms

B-WET

In-Depth Studies in High School

Emerging Scientist Project

NOAA Internships College and Early Career

Community EngagementNEMO, Environmental

Science Training Center

Chesapeake Bay Interpretive Buoy System

Curricula, Web-Based Investigations

NOAA @ NauticusExhibits, Lecture Series,

Education Resource CenterStrategic Initiatives

• Summer Camps• Learning through Observations• Collaboration


Chesapeake B-WET Awards

• Priority Areas defined each year by FFO

• 1 to 3 year Cooperative Agreements

• $25,000 - $200,000 grants based upon priority area

• Eligible organizations:- K-12 schools & school divisions, colleges, State & local

agencies, & non-profits

• Examples of Funded Projects: bay grass or riparian forest restoration, storm water management, schoolyard habitat & fisheries research


NOAA B-WET Funding by State

0

1,000,000

2,000,000

3,000,000

4,000,000

5,000,000

6,000,000

Fund

ing

2008 252,631 927,988 407,550 604,777 136,731 0 0 217,328

2007 155,670 722,312 214,715 665,392 0 0 0 185,750

2006 219,600 914,718 342,252 713,686 0 0 16,400 262,525

2005 230,615 824,582 188,879 567,437 90,448 40,463 0 263,750

2004 176,430 956,693 91,325 485,993 86,854 54,066 0 343,915

2003 173,967 711,363 94,375 565,828 13,945 0 0 259,484

2002 135,000 754,981 160,037 178,636 0 0 0 135,000

DC MD PA VA WV DE NY Multi-State


Priority Areas


MWEEs for Students

High-quality projects that provide opportunities for K-12 students to participate in MWEEs when the applicant can demonstrate that it is not possible or in the projects best interest to meet the criteria of an exemplary program.


Teacher Professional Development

•Provide K-12 teachers opportunities for professional development when the applicant can demonstrate that it is not possible or in the projects best interest to meet the criteria of an exemplary program. •Multi-day professional development opportunities with continual support •Reinforces teacher's ability to teach, inspire, and lead young people toward thoughtful stewardship of our natural resources.


Exemplary Programs

Programs combining Teacher Professional Development with long-term classroom-integrated MWEEs for their Students


Proving Success: MWEE Evaluation

• Purpose: Evaluate the effectiveness of the program design

• Goal: To determine if meaningful watershed experiences supported by NOAA B-WET increase the stewardship ethic and/or academic achievement of students

• Partnership Effort: Funded by NOAA, Chesapeake Bay Trust & Keith Campbell Foundation

• Students receiving meaningful experiences increased in environmental stewardship qualities– Intention to Act to protect Chesapeake Bay– Knowledge of issues confronting watershed– Knowledge of actions in which they can engage to protect watershed

• Teachers receiving B-WET training:– Increased confidence in their ability to deliver experiences– Increased likelihood of implementing experiences

• Almost all teachers taught about the Bay after the PD, including large majority of teachers who had not done so before training

• 3/4 of teachers used the outdoors to teach about the watershed• 1/3 implemented complete meaningful watershed experiences

Kevin Schabow-NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office Josh Falk-Smithsonian Env. Research Center Cat...

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