The NOAA Chesapeake Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET Chesapeake) grant program supports hands-on watershed education to students and teachers to foster stewardship of the Bay. Environmentally literate citizens with the skills and knowledge to make well-informed environmental choices are key to sustaining the nation’s ocean and coastal environments.

From November 6-December 20, 2018, educators and students enrolled in this online course will engage in worldwide networking and social learning to understand environmental education foundations and approaches.

Green Apple Day of Service is an opportunity to join schools across the world in celebrating the central role that schools play in preparing the next generation of sustainability leaders. Green Apple Day of Service is kicking off for the 2018/2019 school year, and we wanted to let you know what’s in store.

The Bay Backpack eNewsletter provides resources for teachers and environmental educators searching for grant funding opportunities, professional development, and stewardship events across the Chesapeake Bay Watershed as well as schools in the news recognized for advancing environmental education. eNewsletters are mailed four times per year. To subscribe, visit baybackpack.com and enter an email address at the bottom of the home page.

On October 7, 2018, University of Delaware’s Hugh R. Sharp’s campus in Lewes will host Delaware Coast Day where university scientists, staff, and students will help citizens to better understand ocean environments and learn how to serve coastal communities.

The Roving Ranger is a mobile trailhead designed to serve as a visitor contact and information center within the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Chesapeake Conservancy and National Park Service employees staff the vehicle to provide information about park sites, topics of interest, and park events. Staff also offer unique educational programs developed specifically for the Roving Ranger. Visitors to the Roving Ranger can collect a National Park passport stamp, pick up special junior ranger program books related to the Chesapeake Bay watershed, and participate in an interpretive program.

Maryland’s Big Tree Champions is one of the many innovative ideas by Maryland’s first state forester, Fred W. Besley, whose dedication and vision laid the groundwork for the system of state forests and parks that currently exist in the state. He developed a successful educational campaign about the need for fire suppression and scientific forest management. This unit challenges students to move beyond the foundations of language to a mature application of facets of communication. The Big Tree Curriculum and documentary on Mr. Besley’s Forest are embedded and take a deeper look into forest conservation.

The National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF), with major funding support from Toyota, is offering $100,000 in mini-grants to support restoration and/or resilience-focused volunteer events on public lands. Awarded grantees will be expected to lead service events that either restore public lands and/or make those lands more resilient to future natural disasters. Grant-funded activities will mobilize community volunteers and educate participants about their role in protecting the long-term sustainability of their local public lands.

The Bay Backpack e-Newsletter is a great opportunity to see what events, professional development opportunities, and funding sources are available to environmental educators around the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. New this time around is a section titled “Schools in the News” where we have shared the recently announced Green Ribbon School winners! Subscribe to the e-Newsletter by visiting baybackpack.com and navigating to the bottom of the homepage.

Project Learning Tree’s Teaching with i-Tree Unit includes three hands-on activities that help middle and high school students discover and analyze the many ecosystem services that trees provide. The activities can be used in formal classroom settings or with non-formal groups, such as scouts, students enrolled in after-school programs, and visitors to nature centers and parks. In addition, students can share what they’ve learned with family members to assess the trees around their home.