New England B-WET recognizes the unique cultural, economic, and environmental issues New England communities face and seeks to fund projects that build capacity for environmental literacy in K-12 schools using the Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences (MWEE) framework. Current projects engage teachers in professional development, while providing students with outdoor experiential learning opportunities.
New! 2024 Award Recipients
Maine
Gulf of Maine Research Institute. Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences for Future Generations of Ash and Ash Stewards. This project seeks to empower youth in Maine to contribute to collaborative efforts by indigenous and non-indigenous scientists, land managers, Wabanaki basket makers, and community members to preserve ash trees for future generations. Project partners include: Ash Protection Collaboration Across Wabanakik (APCAW), Wild Seed Project, the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry, and Mi'kmaq tribal leaders.
Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance. Teach ME Outside: Building Capacity for Environmental Literacy in Maine. This project will build capacity for K-12 environmental literacy across the state of Maine by supporting the implementation of Maine’s current Environmental Literacy Plan across K-12 school districts, and updating the plan to meet emerging environmental needs. This project will also develop a unique community of practice devoted to environmental education program evaluation. Project partners include: Maine Environmental Education Association, Nature-Based Education Consortium.
Massachusetts
Manomet Conservation Sciences. Brockton Leads the Way: Teachers for Resilience and Environmental Education in Brockton. This project will support a long-term educator community of practice for teachers within the Brockton Public School system and the design and building of outdoor learning infrastructure for school properties. This project will also take steps to increase the dissemination of environmental literacy resources statewide and work to update the Massachusetts Environmental Literacy Plan. Project partners include Wildlands Trust and Massachusetts Environmental Education Society, Brockton Public Schools.
Whale and Dolphin Conservation. MWEEs to Whales: Empowering Meaningful Environmental Action Program. Teachers and students from Milford, MA will engage in community environmental action plans that draw on connections and issues that span the entire watershed. Project partners include: Earth Rangers.
Connecticut
Project Oceanology. Sampling the Sound: Exploring New England Fisheries. This project will engage students and teachers in Groton and New London, CT, exploring perspectives, traditional and local knowledge of fisheries, learning about local fishers, ocean farmers and managers to gain new perspectives about the tradition of fishing in the region. Partners include Mashantucket Pequot Museum, CT Seagrant, Groton Shellfish Commission, and Mystic Oysters.
Southern Connecticut State University. An Interdisciplinary Middle & High School Education Collaborative Furthering the Coastal Resiliency of Long Island Sound. This project will teach teachers and students from New Haven, CT fundamental field-survey techniques for monitoring environmental changes in Long Island Sound coastal communities. This project will allow students to explore resiliency planning and build skills needed to help support local blue economy needs. Partners include: New Haven Sound School.
Continuing Projects
The following projects are still underway.
2023
- Maine Audubon Society. Bangor, ME. Penobscot Classrooms: An Integrated Approach to Community Science.
- Sunrise County Economic Council and the Downeast Fishing Partnership. Multiple communities Downeast, ME. Reconnecting Downeast Maine's Watersheds and Communities.
- University of New Hampshire. Seabrook, NH. New Hampshire Schools Saltmarsh Ecosystem Exploration (NH Schools SEE).
- Buzzards Bay Coalition. Wareham, MA. Harvesting Hope in Buzzards Bay: Empowering Wareham Youth through Aquaculture-focused MWEEs.
- Hitchcock Center for the Environment. Multiple communities in rural Western, MA. Inspiring Creative Problem-Solving in Our Watershed.
- Bridgeport City School District. Bridgeport, CT. Rooster River Watershed Warriors: Local Watershed Experience and Education for Bridgeport's Youth.
2022
- Massachusetts Audubon. Lincoln, MA. Rivers to Sea Anywhere, Anytime Watershed Education
- Lake Champlain Maritime Museum at Basin Harbor. Vergennes, VT. Learning from the Lake
2021
- Cohasset Center for Student Coastal Research, Cohasset, MA, Moving MWEE to the Summer Months
Past Projects
2021
- Interdistrict Committee for Project Oceanology, Groton, CT, Project Oceanology Outdoor Learning Alliance
- EdAdvance, Litchfield, CT, Blue Science
- New England Science & Sailing Foundation, Stonington, CT, Ocean Experiential Learning Program
2020
- Gulf of Maine Institute, West Newbury, MA, Bringing Community-Based Stewardship to the Gulf of Maine
2019
- Save the Bay, Providence, RI, Salt Marsh Nursery Program: How Do You Enhance Coastal Resilience in Narragansett Bay
- Western Connecticut State University, Danbury, CT, Finding Our Way: Building a College-Ready STEM Pipeline for At-Risk High School Youth Through Watershed Stewardship
- Buzzards Bay Coalition, New Bedford, MA, Discover Buzzards Bay: Providing Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences for New Bedford Youth
- Sound Waters, Inc., Stamford, CT, One Million Bottle Caps: Meaningful Environmental Education and Stewardship for Middle School Students and Teachers
- Project Oceanology, Groton, CT, Rising Waters: The Thames River Resilience Project - To Engage Students, Teachers, and Community Members to Promote Environmental Stewardship and Improve Community Resilience in the Thames River Basin
- University of New Hampshire. Seabrook, NH. New Hampshire American Eel Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience (MWEE) Program
2017
- Save the Bay. Narragansett bay field studies: how healthy is your local urban system?
- Gulf of Maine Research Institute. Building sustainable regional capacity to advance environmental literacy
- Massachusetts Audubon. Delivering meaningful watershed and fish experiences through science for solution
- Soundwaters, Inc. Long Island Sound Oyster Investigation
2016
- Bridgewater State University. Stormwater stewards: protecting and restoring fisheries through watershed stewardship
- Western Connecticut State University. Finding our way: an experiential watershed learning program for middle school children and families
- EdAdvance. Blue Science: Monitoring Sea and sky at long island sound and in Housatonic River Watershed
2015
- Gulf of Maine Institute. Learning to steward the Gulf
- Salem Sound Coastwatch. School to Sea in Salem
2013
- Lake Champlain Maritime Heritage Museum. The Lake Champlain Maritime Museums on the water ecology teacher education program
- University of RI. The Smile program watershed monitoring and stewardship project
- Save the Bay. Discover the Narragansett Bay Watershed: A pilot marine science program for providence 4th grade teachers and their students
- University of Maine. Future of four seasons in Maine: a scientist-teacher-student partnership to investigate climate change in seasonally snow-covered watersheds
- Gloucester Maritime Heritage. Cape Anne Explorers
- Strugis Charter Public School. Waquoit Bay as a National Lab: training the next generation of environmental stewards of Cape Cod
- Salem Sound Coastwatch. School to Sea
- EdAdvance. Project Periphyton
2012
- Westport River Watershed Alliance. Dune Restoration Project
- Center for Coastal Studies. Cape Cod Watershed Experience
2010
- Friends of Casco Bay. Casco Bay Curriculum
- Acadia Partners for Science and Learning. Acadia BWET
- New England Aquarium. Get Wet in New England: Ocean literacy through watershed education and training
- Cohasset Center for Student Coastal Research. Finding the nexus of school, community, government in the watershed
- EdAdvance. Project Periphyton
- Soundwaters Inc. Long Island sound watershed educational experience
2009
- Gloucester Maritime Heritage. Watershed Investigation Program
- Sturgis Charter Public School. Estuary is a natural laboratory
- Soundwaters Inc. Long Island sound watershed educational experience
2008
- Gulf of Maine Research Institute. Vital Venture: Immersing Middle School Learners in authentic aquatic science investigations
- Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve. Teachers on the Estuary (TOTE)
- Quebec-Labrador Foundation. Muscongus Bay Watershed Questing Program
- New Haven Urban Resource Initiative. UWET Urban Watershed Educators Training
- Project Oceanology. Building New England connections
