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Awards Santa Barbara Area Environmental Education Grants
NOAA Awards Santa Barbara Area Environmental
Education Grants
September 4, 2008
NOAA
has announced the presentation of seven education grants totaling
nearly $374,000 to Santa Barbara Channel area schools and
non-profit groups. The grants, part of NOAA’s
Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) program,
will support environmental education projects focused on NOAA’s
Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary.
Funding
was awarded to school districts and nonprofit organizations,
many benefiting underprivileged students. Programs will take
place in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties and focus on two
areas: meaningful watershed educational experiences for students;
and professional development for educators. Several projects
received funding up to $60,000.
Among
the seven grantees are:
Oak Grove School (Ojai): Students from three schools learn
about community stewardship through restoration activities
such as soil sampling, invasive plant removal, seed collecting
and native planting of the historic Ojai Meadows Preserve,
located directly adjacent to the schools.
Ventura County Office of Education (Ventura County): Students
explore a diverse marine environment through active participation
in monitoring and data collection on their local Channel
Islands and live interaction with researchers and scientists.
University of California, Santa Barbara (Santa Barbara
and Ventura counties): Teachers are provided with instruction
on how to integrate watershed studies into their ongoing
curricula, how to select watershed curriculum materials,
and how to provide hands-on, inquiry-based field experiences
to their students.
“This
area is a natural learning laboratory to be used by our teachers
to teach about the value of the coastal environment and the
connection between land and sea,” said Channel Islands
National Marine Sanctuary Superintendent Chris Mobley. “These
grants will provide an opportunity for students to see, touch
and learn about our national marine sanctuaries and the watersheds
that lead to them.”
The
NOAA B-WET Program was established in 2002 to enhance environmental
stewardship among students, teachers and communities through
education. Recognizing that an educated community is the key
to understanding and sustaining the nation’s ocean and
coastal environments, NOAA has developed B-WET programs across
the United States.
NOAA’s
Office of National Marine Sanctuaries seeks to increase the
public awareness of America’s marine resources and maritime
heritage by conducting scientific research, monitoring, exploration
and educational programs. Today, the sanctuary program manages
13 national marine sanctuaries and one marine
national monument that together encompass more than 150,000
square miles of America’s ocean and Great Lakes natural
and cultural resources.
NOAA understands and predicts changes in the Earth's environment,
from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and
conserves and manages our coastal and marine resources.
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