September 29, 2022

Credit: Fox 45, Sinéad Hawkins

On Wednesday, The Maryland Congressional Delegation announced nearly $700,000 in federal funding to help students to learn about the significance of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed in indoor and outdoor classroom settings.

Maryland Democratic U.S. Senators, Chris Van Hollen, and Ben Cardin and Congressmen Steny H. Hoyer, Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes, Kweisi Mfume, Anthony G. Brown, Jamie B. Raskin, and David Trone declared the $692,918 in support of the program through the NOAA Chesapeake Bay-Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) grant program.

The lawmakers released a collective statement:

“Young Americans hold the keys to a better future for our planet. That’s why providing hands-on experiences for students to learn about our environment and its stewardship is so important. Through these environmental education programs, students will also have the opportunity to explore one of Maryland’s greatest natural treasures – the Chesapeake Bay. Team Maryland will continue to support these projects that help students get outdoors to investigate and see firsthand the environmental stresses our planet is facing,”

Awards include:

• $299,468 for the Paleontological Research Institution to support its initiative titled, “A Watershed of Trees: A MWEE to Engage Students at the Intersection of Forest, Water, Climate, and Environmental Stewardship”
• $200,000 for the Maryland Association of Environmental and Outdoor Educators to support the Maryland Environmental Literacy Advisory Network
• $193,450 for the National Career Technical Education Foundation to support its project titled, “Developing a Statewide Framework for Incorporating Environmental Literacy in Career Technical Education”

The lawmakers worked to increase federal funds for the B-WET program through the fiscal year 2022 to help school districts train teachers and assist students with outdoor and classroom learning experiences on Maryland environmental issues.