Education and Interpretation

Bay Program partners, led by the National Park Service (NPS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), are developing strategies to enhance formal and informal Bay education across the watershed.

These Bay education and interpretation opportunities provide:

• People of all ages with rich natural, cultural, historical and recreational experiences across the Bay watershed.
• A meaningful Bay or stream outdoor experience for every student in the watershed before he or she graduates from high school (called a Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience, or MWEE).
• In-depth investigation and analysis of ecological concepts, environmental interrelationships and human implications to heighten understanding of Bay-related issues.

Curriculum-based Education

Bay Program partners are coordinating the effort to support, provide and improve curriculum-based environmental education programming (both class and field experiences) in elementary, middle and high schools throughout the Bay watershed.

This effort consists of three actions:

• Providing environmental education organizations and professionals with technical and financial assistance, including:
  • B-WET grants
  • Grants to Chesapeake Bay Gateways to develop curriculum-based materials for MWEEs
  • The Schoolyard Habitat program
  • Chesapeake Academic Resources for Teachers (ChART)
  • Education resource centers for classroom materials (such as the Nauticus Education Resource Center)
  • Professional development and training opportunities
• Ensuring that schools utilize the extensive expertise and resources of federal and state Bay Program partners for their MWEEs. Some of these resources include:
  • The Emerging Scientist Project
  • Chesapeake Views, a NPS multimedia education program about Bay history, culture and resources
  • Chesapeake Bay Interpretive Buoy System (CBIBS)
  • Summer internships at the Chesapeake Bay Program
  • Summer camps highlighting NOAA science
• Increasing the extent and improving the effect of MWEEs through increased use of technology and biennial Chesapeake Bay education summits

Informal Education

Informal education opportunities provide Bay watershed citizens with life-long environmental learning opportunities. Place-based interpretation at Bay Program partner sites— such as Bay Gateways, CBIBS and the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail—provide visitors with first-hand experiences that reveal the meaning of the Bay watershed's many resources by connecting with peoples' personal interests and values.

To promote informal Bay education opportunities, Bay Program partners are:

• Increasing and improving opportunities for informal education and life-long learning through educational programming for adults and school-aged organizations.
• Providing assistance, including grants, conferences, workshops and information kiosks, to partner sites to develop and enhance interpretive programs and materials.
• Developing joint strategies to inspire stewardship by enhancing and coordinating visitor experiences and communicating the values of the Chesapeake.