Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET)
in the National Marine Sanctuary System

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B-WET is a competitive grants program that provides funding for K-12 STEM education focused on local watershed issues. Program evaluation demonstrates that B-WET empowers partners to deliver high-quality STEM education, strengthens teaching practices, fosters student success, and encourages students to implement environmental solutions in support of NOAA's mission of science, service, and stewardship. For more information about NOAA B-WET, visit the NOAA Office of Education's B-WET national program website.

In FY25, B-WET programs in sanctuary communities:

From Washington state to the Gulf of America and from the Great Lakes to the Pacific Islands, the National Marine Sanctuary System protects 18 underwater parks spanning over 629,000 square miles of ocean and Great Lakes waters. By investing in innovative solutions, we strengthen these iconic places to address 21st-century challenges while supporting America's commerce and tourism. These unique locations inspire people to visit, value, and steward our nation's iconic ocean and Great Lakes waters.

A group of people gathering on a dock next to a calm river. Some individuals are kneeling or sitting on the dock looking at materials, while others stand and talk. The background features a lush green wetland and a dense forest under a clear blue sky.

National B-WET

B-WET is managed by the NOAA Office of Education in collaboration with regional NOAA offices responsible for program implementation.

people standing on rocks in a creek pointing and looking down at the water

California B-WET

The California B-WET program partners with schools and school districts to support opportunities for students to have a direct, meaningful, mutually nurturing relationship with the outdoors and the natural world. Selected projects support environment-based education for teachers and students that advances the California Environmental Principles and Concepts.

a group of people on a boat waving at the camera

Great Lakes B-WET

The Great Lakes B-WET program funds existing environmental K-12 education programs, fosters the growth of new, innovative programs, and encourages capacity building and partnership development for environmental education programs. Funded projects support Great Lakes literacy and stewardship priorities of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

A young girl wearing a red life jacket lies on a wooden dock, looking through a underwater viewing tube into the murky water

Gulf of America B-WET

The Gulf of America B-WET (Gulf B-WET) program supports experience-based learning opportunities to promote stewardship of watersheds of the Gulf of America. Gulf B-WET projects support the priority issues of the Gulf of America Alliance, a regional partnership with the goal of enhancing the ecological and economic health of the Gulf of America.

a group of people working to restore a pond

Hawaii B-WET

The Hawaiʻi B-WET program serves the state of Hawaiʻi (including Papahānaumokuākea) with competitions that focus on priorities like Indigenous knowledge and stewardship science. Hawaiʻi B-WET projects support problem solvers, community leaders, and engaged decision-makers tasked with managing finite island resources across Hawaiʻi.

a group of 4 children stand on the bank of a creek pointing and looking at the water

Pacific Northwest B-WET

The Pacific Northwest B-WET program funds projects that engage K-12 students and teachers in outdoor learning focused around local watershed issues in Oregon and Washington.

B-WET programs in the Chesapeake Bay and New England are managed through NOAA Fisheries. For more information about B-WET, please visit the NOAA Office of Education’s national B-WET program website.