Explore Ecology has received a $50,000 grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) to offer its Flows to the Ocean (FTO) program to 18 fifth- and sixth-grade classes in Santa Barbara County.
FTO is a comprehensive, hands-on program where students participate in two in-class lessons, two immersive field experiences, and a minimum of five beach or campus clean ups. FTO teaches students about current watershed issues and empowers them to be environmental stewards in their community.
The program culminates with a student-led campus cleanup at schools and a final call-to-action project put together by the participating classes. One of the most exciting aspects of the FTO program is the Coastal Watershed Experience, a half-day educational boat trip aboard the Condor Express.
On the boat trip students have the opportunity to observe local watersheds from the ocean, conduct water-quality tests, measure turbidity with a secchi disk, and perform plankton net tows.
Explore Ecology staff guide students through activities while making connections to the topics discussed during the lessons, including how pollution moves in watersheds and the impacts of marine debris. Students get to experience the excitement and wonder of seeing marine wildlife, including dolphins, whales and sea lions in their natural habitat.
“We are incredibly honored to be a recipient of NOAA’s B-WET grant,” said Jenny Davis, Explore Ecology education manager.
“Seeing students’ eyes light up with understanding as they apply what we discussed in their classroom to the real world, such as when they view a watershed from the ocean for the first time and truly understand how connected the land and water are, and hearing their excitement at seeing kelp forests and the marine mammals in our channel, the very things they are trying to protect, is heartwarming,” she said.
“The FTO program not only educates students, but also empowers them to become leaders of the next generation, and we are deeply grateful to NOAA for their support in making this happen,” she said.
Explore Ecology offers environmental, art, and garden education to 38,000 children a year on field trips, in school gardens, and at Art From Scrap and the Watershed Resource Center.
The B-WET program currently serves seven parts of the U.S.: California, Chesapeake Bay, Great Lakes, Gulf of Mexico, Hawaii, New England, and the Pacific Northwest. Since 2002, through competitive funding, NOAA has awarded some $90 million to support more than 700 B-WET projects.
To read more about the NOAA B-WET program, visit http://www.noaa.gov/office-education/bwet. More about Explore Ecology is at ExploreEcology.org.
Explore Ecology thanks NOAA and the Condor Express for making Flows to the Ocean possible.