NOAA Gulf of America (formerly Gulf of Mexico) Watershed Education and Training (Gulf B-WET) Program

Gulf B-WET promotes locally relevant, experiential learning via Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences for students & teachers.

Education |

Southeast

About

Student with protective goggles conduct water quality tests with equipment on a table outside near the Pontchartrain Beach in New Orleans, Louisiana. — Lake Forest (New Orleans, LA) students measure dissolved oxygen at Pontchartrain Beach as part of the Pontchartrain Conservancy's Gulf B-WET project.

Watch a short Gulf B-WET highlight video.

The Gulf B-WET program is an environmental education program that promotes place-based experiential learning for K–12 students and related professional development for teachers in the five states along the Gulf of America (formerly Gulf of Mexico). Projects supported by this funding opportunity will develop and promote Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences (MWEEs). The MWEE is a learner-centered framework that focuses on investigations into local environmental issues, leads to informed action, and increases environmental literacy. MWEEs are composed of multiple components that include learning both outdoors and in the classroom, and are designed to increase the environmental literacy of all participants by actively engaging students in building knowledge and meaning through hands-on experiences.

Gulf B-WET projects support the priority issues of the Gulf of America (formerly Gulf of Mexico) Alliance, a partnership of the states of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas, with the goal of significantly increasing regional collaboration to enhance the ecological and economic health of the Gulf.

The Gulf B-WET Program is one of six other B-WET regional programs across the country including California, Chesapeake Bay, Hawai'i, New England, Great Lakes and the Pacific Northwest. These seven programs make up the National NOAA B-WET Program.

B-WET Funding Opportunities

The B-WET program anticipates a funding opportunity will be available in 2026, please visit the National B-WET website for more information.

For more information contact Marlies Tumolo, Gulf B-WET Coordinator at marlies.tumolo@noaa.gov.

Application Process

The B-WET program anticipates a funding opportunity will be available in 2026. Please visit the National B-WET Apply webpage for more information.

Last updated by Southeast Regional Office on 03/18/2026