Specifications include, but are not limited to: Through this Request for Applications, the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) seeks qualified applicants to provide exemplary “meaningful watershed educational experiences” (MWEE) within Virginia’s Chesapeake Bay watershed. Applications received in response to this request will be considered for funding for project work beginning July 1, 2024. These funds are intended to be utilized during the 2024-2025 school year. The anticipated state funding available is $250,000. There is no minimum funding request required. The maximum request allowed is $85,000. As one of the signatories to the Chesapeake Bay 2014 Agreement (as amended), Virginia is committed to increasing “students age-appropriate understanding of the watershed through participation in teacher-supported, meaningful watershed educational experiences and rigorous, inquiry-based instruction, with a target of at least one meaningful watershed educational experience in elementary, middle and high school depending on available resources.” MWEEs are learner-centered experiences that focus on investigations into local environmental issues and lead to informed action and civic engagement. MWEEs provide opportunities for students to apply discipline practices and conceptual understanding of grade level standards to relevant community issues as they complete either group or individually designed action projects. MWEEs are not a one-day learning experience; they are robust multi-day learning experiences that include field investigations aligned to content and action projects that serve as a springboard for developing environmentally literate graduates. Additional, detailed information about MWEEs is available at https://www.chesapeakebay.net/documents/Revised_MWEE_definition_-_FINAL.pdf. Successful applications will include programs that emphasize the use of field experiences, action projects, and other watershed educational services that contribute in measurable ways toward meeting Virginia’s goal to provide all students with this experience. Applications should demonstrate the need for resources to establish or support the successful implementation of MWEEs aligned to the Virginia Standards of Learning. Schools or school districts that do not currently have MWEEs being implemented or that lack dedicated personnel to develop and provide MWEEs are strongly encouraged to apply. Demographic information for the school or school district such as the number of students that receive free or reduced lunch; whether the school is designated as a “Title 1” school; whether the school or school districts serves students of color or other underrepresented populations; and other related information may also demonstrate the need for resources. On January 24, 2020, the Principals Staff Committee approved modifications to the Chesapeake Bay 2014 Agreement addressing diversity by “develop[ing] long-term relationships, partnerships and increased collaborative planning with organizations led by and primarily serving communities of color and other underrepresented populations that result in informed and mutually beneficial decisions and outcomes.” DCR will review and evaluate applications with this commitment in mind.
