Cooperative Agreement G25AC00438

AWARD PURPOSE: PROJECT WET IS AN INTERNATIONAL, INTERDISCIPLINARY WATER SCIENCE EDUCATION PROGRAM FOR FORMAL AND NON-FORMAL EDUCATORS OF KINDERGARTEN THROUGH TWELFTH GRADE STUDENTS. FOUNDED IN 1984 AS A NORTH DAKOTA GROUNDWATER EDUCATION PROGRAM, PROJECT WET PROGRAMS NOW EXIST IN COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD, INCLUDING COLUMBIA, SOUTH KOREA, AND MONGOLIA. THE WATER EDUCATION FOUNDATION SPEARHEADED CALIFORNIAS PROJECT WET PROGRAM IN 1996, AND CONTINUES TO TRAIN HUNDREDS OF EDUCATORS EVERY YEAR. AN ESTIMATED 6 MILLION STUDENTS HAVE BEEN REACHED SINCE THE PROGRAMS INCEPTION, WITH 104,886 STUDENTS BENEFITTING FROM CALIFORNIA PROJECT WET TEACHER TRAINING IN 2024 ALONE (PER WORKSHOP PARTICIPANT EVALUATIONS). ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED: E - NEWSLETTER - CONTINUE TO PRODUCE FOUR CALIFORNIA PROJECT WET E-NEWSLETTERS AND DISTRIBUTE TO CALIFORNIA PROJECT WET PARTICIPANTS, MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WHO HAVE REQUESTED TO BE ADDED TO THE DISTRIBUTION LIST AND MADE AVAILABLE VIA THE WATER EDUCATION FOUNDATION WEBSITE, PUBLIC OUTREACH EVENTS AND EDUCATION CONFERENCES WORKSHOPS, CONFERENCES AND MEETINGS - CALIFORNIA PROJECT WET WILL CONTINUE TO PROMOTE THE PROGRAM AT STATE AND REGIONAL CONFERENCES, INCLUDING STATE AND REGIONAL SCIENCE, ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION, AND WATER EDUCATOR CONFERENCES AND EVENTS PROJECT WET USA - THE CALIFORNIA PROJECT WET COORDINATOR WILL ATTEND AND CONTINUE TO PLAY AN ACTIVE LEAD ROLE IN DEVELOPING NEW AND ADVANCED COORDINATOR TRAINING INTEGRATING USGS MATERIAL AT ANNUAL PROJECT WET USA COORDINATOR CONFERENCES. THE CONFERENCES INCLUDE A SPECIFIC BUSINESS MEETING THAT ALLOWS STATE COORDINATORS TO REVIEW THE NATIONAL PERFORMANCE OF THE PROJECT WET USA PROGRAM, HELP SET PROJECT WET PROGRAM PRIORITIES IN THE FOLLOWING YEAR AND BECOME UPDATED ON CURRENT WATER ISSUES AROUND THE COUNTRY AND USE OF PROJECT WET ACTIVITIES TO INTEGRATE STUDY OF THE ISSUES INTO K-12 EDUCATION PROGRAMS CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES WATER EDUCATION COMMUNITY NETWORK - THE CALIFORNIA PROJECT WET COORDINATOR WILL CONTINUE ATTEND AT LEAST ONE OF TWO MEETINGS ANNUALLY ORGANIZED BY THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES. THESE MEETINGS HIGHLIGHT WATER ISSUES AND PROGRAMS IN SPECIFIC AREAS OF THE STATE. THEY ALSO PROVIDE WATER EDUCATION STAFF FROM WATER AGENCIES A CHANCE TO UPDATE EACH OTHER ON PROGRAMS, INCLUDING PROJECT WET SPECIAL EVENTS CALIFORNIA PROJECT WET WILL CONTINUE TO PROACTIVELY INTEGRATE USGS STAFF INTO PROGRAM ACTIVITIES. THIS WILL INCLUDE SURVEYING INTERESTED USGS RESEARCHER STAFF ABOUT THEIR AVAILABILITY FOR PROJECT WET WORKSHOPS, AND DESIGNING FUTURE WORKSHOPS AROUND THEIR AVAILABILITY AND AREAS OF EXPERTISE. CALIFORNIA PROJECT WET COORDINATOR WILL CONTINUE TO SEEK OPPORTUNITIES TO INTEGRATE USGS STAFF INTO OTHER EDUCATIONAL EVENTS DELIVERABLES AND EXPECTED OUTCOMES: WWW.WATEREDUCATION.ORG - THE WATER EDUCATION FOUNDATION WILL CONTINUE TO PROMOTE PROJECT WET ON ITS WEBSITE, PROVIDING CURRENT INFORMATION TO WATER EDUCATORS IN QUARTERLY E- NEWSLETTERS AND LISTS OF SCHEDULED WORKSHOPS AND INFORMATION ON ACTIVITY CORRELATION TO K-12 EDUCATION STANDARDS. THE WEBSITE WILL CONTINUE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE SPONSORSHIP OF THE U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BY DISPLAYING THE LOGO ON OUR PROJECT WET PAGE AND LINKED TO THE USGS CALIFORNIA WATER SCIENCE CENTER WEB PAGE USGS MATERIALS PERSONNEL -THE WATER EDUCATION FOUNDATION WILL CONTINUE DISTRIBUTING USGS EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS AT ALL PROJECT WET WORKSHOPS. USGS PERSONNEL WILL CONTINUE TO GUIDE THE CALIFORNIA PROJECT WET PROGRAM AS MEMBERS OF THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE. THE CALIFORNIA PROJECT WET PROGRAM WILL ALSO CONTINUE WORKING WITH CALIFORNIA USGS PERSONNEL TO INCORPORATE USGS MATERIALS INTO PROJECT WET ACTIVITIES AND INVITE THEIR PARTICIPATION AS SCIENTIFIC RESOURCE SPEAKERS.INTENDED BENEFICIARIES: USGS, WATER EDUCATION FOUNDATION AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC.