Press Releases

CONTACT:
Seaberry Nachbar
National Marine Sanctuary Program 
(831) 647-4204

Mary Jane Schramm                       
Gulf of Farallones National Marine Sanctuary
(415) 561-6622

NOAA has announced the award of 17 education grants totaling nearly $700,000 to San Francisco 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 on NOAA’s Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank national marine sanctuaries, which are located off the central California coast.

Funding was awarded to school districts and nonprofit organizations, many benefiting underprivileged students. Programs will take place in San Francisco, Marin, and Alameda counties and focus on two areas: meaningful watershed experiences for students; and professional development for educators. Several projects received funding of up to $50,000.

Among the grantees are:

• Marine Science Institute (Redwood City): 720 students in San Francisco and Alameda counties will benefit from vessel and land-based hands-on research activities, and learn to use scientific equipment and methods.
• Headlands Institute Field Science Program (Sausalito): Underserved students from 10 public schools in San Francisco and Alameda counties will live and work in the Marin Headlands, and participate in NOAA’s LiMPET (Long-term Monitoring Program and Experiential Training for Students).
• Bay Model Association (Sausalito): Ten underserved middle and high school classes serving 350 students and 20 teachers will participate in Bay Quest, a full day field investigation that includes a three-and-one-half hour research voyage, along with classroom sessions before and after.
• Conservation Connection/San Francisco Unified School District (San Francisco): Students in grades 3 through 5 from the southeast neighborhoods of San Francisco, including Hunter’s Point, will engage in hands-on activities including monitoring water quality, restoration projects, and enjoying field studies at Ft. Funston.
• California Academy of Sciences/WildCity! (San Francisco): 700 students and 28 educators will carry out wetlands habitat projects and take field classes at Crissy Field wetlands in the San Francisco Presidio.

 “These grants will support learning experiences that will inspire an ocean conservation ethic in our children that is critical to protecting our local national marine sanctuaries and the greater ocean environment,” said Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary superintendent Maria Brown.

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 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 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 marine national monument that together encompass more than 150,000 square miles of America’s ocean and Great Lakes natural and cultural resources.

In 2007 NOAA, an agency of the U.S. Commerce Department, celebrates 200 years of science and service to the nation. Starting with the establishment of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey in 1807 by Thomas Jefferson much of America's scientific heritage is rooted in NOAA. The agency is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and information service delivery for transportation, and by 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, more than 60 countries and the European Commission to develop a global monitoring network that is as integrated as the planet it observes, predicts, and protects.

On the Web:
NOAA - http://www.noaa.gov
NOAA - National Marine Sanctuary Program – http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov

Bay Watershed Education and Training Program - http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/news/bwet
NOAA Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary – http://farallones.noaa.gov
NOAA Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary – http://cordellbank.noaa.gov