Press Releases

CONTACT:
Seaberry Nachbar
(831) 647-4204

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) Program announced the availability of up to $100,000 for projects that provide meaningful watershed education specifically to adults and communities.  Monterey Bay is within Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and is susceptible to impacts from urban, rural and agricultural sources of pollution.  Projects funded under this program will be outcome-based programs that educate citizens about their role in protecting water quality and demonstrate behavioral changes that improve water quality and promote environmental stewardship. 

Funding is available to institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, state or local government agencies, and Indian tribal governments.  The deadline for applications is April 13 at 5:00 p.m. PST.  An application package is available on the NOAA B-WET Web site.

The B-WET Program was established in 2002 to improve the understanding of environmental stewardship of students, teachers and communities through education.  Recognizing that an educated community is key to understanding and sustaining the nation’s ocean and coastal environments, NOAA has developed B-WET Programs in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, California and the Hawaiian Islands. 

"NOAA's B-WET Program is working together with local businesses and communities to educate citizens about their role in protecting water quality and demonstrate behavioral changes that promote environmental stewardship and support cooperative conservation." said retired Navy Vice Adm. Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr., Ph.D, under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator.

The NOAA National Marine Sanctuary Program 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 coral reef ecosystem reserve that together encompass more than 150,000 square miles of America’s ocean and Great Lakes natural and cultural resources.

NOAA's National Ocean Service manages the NMSP and is an office of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), an agency of the U.S. Commerce Department. NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and providing environmental stewardship of our nation’s coastal and marine resources. Through the emerging Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), NOAA is working with its federal partners and nearly 60 countries to develop a global monitoring network that is as integrated as the planet it observes.

On the Internet:
NOAA - http://www.noaa.gov
National Ocean Service - https://oceanservice.noaa.gov
National Marine Sanctuary Program - http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary - http://montereybay.noaa.gov