Fiscal Year 2020 NOAA Gulf of Mexico Bay-Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) Program

The National Marine Fisheries Service Southeast Regional Office (Southeast Regional Office) is seeking proposals under the Gulf of Mexico B-WET program (https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/grant/noaa-gulf-mexico-bay-watershed-education-and-training-gulf-b-wet-program). Gulf of Mexico B-WET funds locally relevant, authentic experiential learning for K-12 audiences through Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences (MWEEs) in Gulf of Mexico coastal communities. MWEEs involve learning both outdoors and in the classroom as students engage in issue definition, outdoor field experiences, synthesis and conclusions, and action projects. The goal is to increase understanding and stewardship of the Gulf of Mexico and its local watersheds. Projects advance the environmental education goal of the Gulf of Mexico Alliance (https://gulfofmexicoalliance.org/). This program addresses NOAA's Long Term Goal of "Healthy Oceans: Marine fisheries, habitats, and biodiversity are sustained within healthy and productive ecosystems" and NOAA's Engagement Enterprise Objective for “An engaged and educated public with an improved capacity to make scientifically informed environmental decisions". Applicants may be physically located in any U.S. state; however, education projects must target teachers and/or students in Gulf of Mexico coastal counties. For the purposes of this solicitation, the coastal counties of Gulf of Mexico states (Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas) are defined and listed on page 48-49 of the following document: National Ocean Service, NOAA. 2011. The Gulf of Mexico at a Glance: A Second Glance. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Commerce, ftp://ftp.library.noaa.gov/noaa_documents.lib/NOS/state_of_coast/Gulf_of_Mexico_2011.pdf.  This year’s funding announcement focuses on priority areas including: Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences for Students, Professional Development for Teachers related to Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences, Exemplary Programs combining Teacher Professional Development with long-term classroom-integrated Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences for their students; and adds a new priority area: Systemic Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience Implementation

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