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New Funding Opportunities in the Pacific Northwest, Northeast, and Gulf of Mexico through NOAA’s Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) Program
Posted March 5, 2008

NOTE: The deadline for applications is extended to 5:00 EST on April 18, 2008. The revised Federal Funding Opportunity is posted below and on Grants.gov

Federal Funding Announcement
See the Federal Funding Opportunity (FFO) for details. The FFO is available from http://www.grants.gov (Funding Opportunity Number SEC-OED-2008-2001368).

About B-WET
NOAA B-WET is an environmental education program that promotes locally relevant, experiential learning in the K-12 environment. The primary delivery of B-WET is through competitive funding that promotes Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences (MWEEs). Click here for a document that provides a detailed definition of MWEEs. In this context, a Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience is one that:
• is investigative or project oriented
• is an integral part of the instructional program
• is part of a sustained activity
• considers the watershed as a system
• is enhanced by NOAA products, services, or personnel, where appropriate

The NOAA B-WET program has been highly successful in the three regions where it currently operates: Chesapeake Bay, California, and Hawaii. Links to the B-WET program in these three regions are available here. In 2008, B-WET may expand to include three new regions: New England/Northeast, Gulf of Mexico, and the Pacific Northwest. Funding will be available for projects that promote MWEEs for students, professional development for teachers, and MWEEs that address regional priorities. Typical projects are funded in the range of $50,000-$100,000 per year. The Funding Opportunity will be posted in early March and applications will be due in early April.

NOAA recognizes that knowledge and commitment built from firsthand experience, especially in the context of one’s community and culture, is essential for achieving environmental stewardship. Carefully selected experiences driven by rigorous academic learning standards, engendering discovery and wonder, and nurturing a sense of community will further connect students with their watershed, help reinforce an ethic of responsible citizenship, and promote academic achievement. NOAA B-WET maintains relevance by responding to regional education and environmental priorities through local implementation.

B-WET applicants are encouraged to partner with local NOAA entities. To locate potential NOAA partners in your area, click here.

Priorities for new B-WET Regions
Though education priorities will be refined in subsequent years, for this, the first year of funding, in new regions applicants are required to propose MWEEs that address the following priorities that underpin major existing regional efforts.

In the Northeast
Northeast Regional Oceans Council (NROC)
In August 2005, the New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers established the Northeast Regional Ocean Council to facilitate the development of more coordinated and collaborative regional goals and priorities, and improve responses to regional issues. The primary intent is to link together and cultivate regional ocean management and science institutions and programs for the Gulf of Maine, Long Island Sound, and southeastern New England. NROC is comprised of governor-appointed representatives and volunteer participants. In November, NROC finalized a work plan that identified the following four core ocean management areas where regional coordination is needed:
• Ocean energy resource planning and management
• Ocean and coastal ecosystem health
• Maritime security
• Coastal hazard response and resiliency

In the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico Alliance
The Gulf of Mexico Alliance was created in 2004 to increase collaboration among federal, state, and local agencies to improve environmental conditions in the Gulf of Mexico. The alliance has brought together the U.S. Gulf of Mexico states Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas and federal agencies such as EPA's Gulf of Mexico Program and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The state-federal alliance outlined six priorities for restoring, protecting, and improving the waters of the Gulf of Mexico:
• Improve and protect water quality
• Restore coastal wetlands and estuarine ecosystems
• Reduce pollution and nutrient loading
• Identify and characterize Gulf of Mexico habitats to support coastal management
• Expand environmental education to improve stewardship
• Hazard resilience

In the Pacific Northwest
West Coast Governor's Agreement on Ocean Health
The Governors of Washington, Oregon, and California announced the West Coast Governor's Agreement on Ocean Health in September of 2006, to address critical ecosystem-level ocean and coastal protection and management issues that cross political boundaries and face all three states. The states will work together to identify measures to address ocean health concerns at the West Coast regional level, and to develop a coordinated set of actions in response in the following priority areas:
• Ensuring clean coastal waters and beaches
• Protecting and restoring healthy ocean and coastal habitats
• Promoting the effective implementation of ecosystem-based management of our ocean and coastal resources
• Reducing adverse impacts of offshore development
• Increasing ocean awareness and literacy among our citizens
• Expanding ocean and coastal scientific information, research, and monitoring
• Fostering sustainable economic development throughout our diverse coastal communities

Important Documents
REVISED Federal Funding Opportunity
Budget Template
Meaningful Watershed Education Experience Overview

Contacts for Questions Concerning Proposals
For projects in the Pacific Northwest, please contact Seaberry Nachbar, NOAA National Marine Sanctuary, 299 Foam Street, Monterey, CA 93940, or by phone at 831-647-4201, or via email at seaberry.nachbar@noaa.gov

For projects in the northern Gulf of Mexico, please contact Stephanie Bennett Pacific Services Center, 737 Bishop Street, Suite 1550, Honolulu, HI 96817, or by phone at 808-522-7481, or via email at stephanie.bennett@noaa.gov

For projects in New England, please contact Shannon Sprague, NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office, 410 Severn Avenue, Suite 107A, Annapolis, MD 21403, or by phone at 410-267-5664, or via email at shannon.sprague@noaa.gov

For general program questions, click here to contact the National B-WET Program Coordinator.

For More Information
For more information on B-WET and examples of funded projects,please see the current program websites:
Chesapeake Bay: http://chesapeakebay.noaa.gov/formaleducation.aspx
California: http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/news/bwet/welcome.html
Hawaii: http://www.csc.noaa.gov/psc/bwet.html

Click here to download the NOAA Education Plan