NOAA-NOS-ONMS-2025-28878_ 2025.pdf

Table of Contents Executive Summary Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description II. Award Information III. Eligibility Information IV. Application and Submission Information V. Application Review Information VI. Award Administration Information VII. Agency Contacts VIII. Other Information

Executive Summary Federal Agency Name NOS Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS) Funding Opportunity Title 2025 NOAA Hawaii Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) program Announcement Type Competitive Funding Opportunity Number

NOAA-NOS-ONMS-2025-28878

Assistance Listing Number(s) 11.429 Dates Full applications must be received by 6:59 p.m. Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time (HST) on January 31, 2025.

Three informational webinars with the Program Officer will occur on Thursday, November 21, 2024 from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m.

HST; Tuesday, December 17, 2024 from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. HST; and Wednesday, January 8, 2025 from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m.

HST. Webinar links and related teleconference information will be sent to interested applicants who sign up for an information session at https://forms.gle/YwXqGvZth9nUKRQk8.

Funding Opportunity Description The NOAA Hawaii Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) program is an environmental education program that meets NOAA’s mission of science, service, and stewardship. The Hawaii B-WET program supports a vision of a future where societies and ecosystems are healthy and resilient in the face of sudden or prolonged change. The purpose for this funding opportunity is to support our communities by developing well-informed members of society, who are involved in decision-making that positively impacts our coastal, marine, and watershed ecosystems in the Hawaiian Islands. This is a competitive opportunity for grants to assist in the development of new programs, encourage innovative partnerships among environmental education programs, and support geographically targeted programs to advance environmental education efforts that complement national and state school requirements. The Hawaii B-WET program plays a foundational role as an environmental education program that promotes locally relevant, experiential learning in the K-12 environment on Priority Content Areas such as Science with an emphasis on climate and Indigenous Knowledge (IK). Funded projects provide Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences (MWEEs) for students and professional development for teachers that support regional education and environmental priorities. More information about the B-WET program is online at https://www.noaa.gov/office-education/bwet.

Applicant organizations must complete and maintain three registrations to be eligible to apply for or receive an award.

These registrations include SAM.gov, Grants.gov, and eRA Commons. All registrations must be completed prior to the application being submitted. The complete registration process for all three systems can take 4 to 6 weeks, so applicants should begin this activity as soon as possible. If an eligible applicant does not have access to the internet, please contact the Agency Contacts listed in Section VII for submission instructions.

Prior to registering with eRA Commons, applicant organizations must first obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) from SAM.gov, if needed (refer to Section IV. Applications and Submission Information, Section C). Organizations can register with eRA Commons in tandem with completing their full SAM and Grants.gov registrations; however, all registrations must be in place by time of application submission. eRA Commons requires organizations to identify at least one Signing Official (SO) and at least one Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) account in order to submit an application.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description A. Program Objective The NOAA Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) program was established in 2002 to create environmentally literate students and teachers through education. Recognizing that an informed community is the key to sustaining the Nation’s watersheds, in addition to both coastal and ocean environments, NOAA has developed B-WET programs in seven regions: California, Chesapeake Bay, Hawaii, Gulf of Mexico, New England, Pacific Northwest, and Great Lakes. The NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS) administers the Hawaii B-WET program on behalf of the NOAA Office of Education and in partnership with the Office of Coastal Management- Pacific Islands in Honolulu.

The goal of the Hawaii B-WET program is to support K-12 environmental literacy programs that provide students with Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences (MWEEs) in Hawaii’s ahupua’a (definitions are included in Section I.A.2) and related professional development for in-service teachers, administrators, or other educators serving K-12 students.

Individuals that have been educated about earth’s processes and long-term environmental trends can become effective problem solvers, informed future community leaders, and engaged decision-makers charged with managing Hawaii’s limited island resources. Experiential learning techniques, such as those supported by the B-WET program, have been shown to increase students' interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math), thus contributing to NOAA’s obligations under the America COMPETES Act (33 USC 893a).

The NOAA B-WET program recognizes the need for support to bridge the gap created by the loss of revenue, the cancellation of programs, the inequities and continuing effects that were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, in addition to natural disasters such as the Maui wildfires. As a major contributor to environmental education programs, the NOAA B-WET program is committed to responding to the effects of the pandemic and natural disasters by supporting these critical institutions that provide meaningful experiences for youth at all levels. While writing the grant application, ensure that all current federal, state (Department of Education), city, and county guidelines regarding COVID safety are followed during the time of project implementation.

B. Program Priorities The MWEE framework is the backbone of all B-WET funded projects and, regardless of the priority, proposed projects must incorporate all MWEE Essential Elements and Supporting Practices in order to be successful. The definition of the MWEE that follows was created by the NOAA National B-WET program and is used by all seven B-WET regions throughout the country.

1. Defining the NOAA Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience

The Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience (MWEE) is a learner-centered framework that focuses on investigations into local environmental issues and leads to informed action. MWEEs are made up of multiple components that include learning both outdoors and in the classroom and are designed to increase environmental literacy by actively engaging students in building knowledge and meaning through hands-on experiences. In these experiences, the core ideas and practices of multiple disciplines are applied to make sense of the relationships among the natural world, Indigenous communities, and society as a whole. MWEEs help connect students with their local environment and equip them to make decisions and take actions that contribute to stronger, sustainable, and equitable communities.

The MWEE consists of four essential elements and four supporting practices that build upon each other to create a comprehensive, student-centered learning experience. Throughout the MWEE, teachers provide structure, support, and encouragement as students use their curiosity and creativity to investigate and take action to address a local environmental issue. To support teacher implementation of MWEEs, B-WET has also included six characteristics that are recommended to be included in teacher professional development activities.

MWEEs are appropriate for all grade levels with content and practices growing in complexity and sophistication across the grades — starting with teacher-guided investigations and progressing to student-led inquiry. Using the MWEE framework helps educators create an engaging program to achieve their learning objectives (i.e. the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that students should be able to exhibit following instruction). Learning objectives should address academic standards, but might also include other objectives, such as teamwork, socio-emotional learning, and civic responsibility.

a. MWEE Essential Elements The MWEE consists of four essential elements that describe “what students do:” Issue Definition, Outdoor Field Experiences, Synthesis and Conclusions, and Environmental Action Projects. These elements, together with the supporting practices, create a learner-centered framework that emphasizes the role of the student in actively constructing meaning from the learning experiences. The essential elements are not meant to be linear. In fact, some elements, such as Synthesis and Conclusions, occur repeatedly throughout the MWEE.

i. Issue Definition During Issue Definition, students learn about an environmental issue by planning and conducting background research and investigations. An environmental issue is an environmental problem, often with observable phenomena, to which community members bring a variety of perspectives. To provide structure for their exploration of the issue, students focus on a driving question that is defined by the teacher. This question is the “big picture” question that sparks curiosity and organizes student inquiry and investigations, which ultimately informs environmental actions. It should be open-ended, relevant to students’ lived experiences, and meet learning objectives. To support youth voices and deepen the learning, students are actively involved in co-developing supporting questions with teachers to better understand the driving question and environmental issue.

To explore the driving and supporting questions, students gather information by making observations, finding and reading credible sources, talking to experts, and carrying out field investigations. Students also consider environmental policies and community practices and reflect on personal, stakeholder, and societal values and perspectives to develop a comprehensive picture of the root causes of the environmental issue.

ii. Outdoor Field Experiences Students participate in multiple Outdoor Field Experiences to explore the driving question and strengthen their connection to the natural world. Within appropriate safety guidelines, students are actively involved in planning and conducting the field investigations, including developing supporting questions to explore the driving question in the field. Field experiences allow students to interact with their local environment and contribute to learning in ways that traditional classroom or laboratory settings may not. During field experiences, students can use their senses, scientific equipment, and technology to make observations, collect data or measurements, and conduct experiments necessary to answer their supporting questions and inform environmental action. Students who have opportunities to learn in, thrive in, and appreciate the outdoors can become informed and engaged champions for our natural resources.

Outdoor Field Experiences can take place on school grounds or at locations close to schools, such as streams or local parks. They can also take place at off-site locations such as state or national parks, wildlife refuges, marine protected areas, or nature centers that are often staffed by experts and may provide access to field equipment and facilities. A range of partners, including environmental educators, natural resource professionals, or trained volunteers, can help facilitate field experiences; however, they should be co-developed and co-taught with teachers so that field experiences support learning objectives. Teachers and partners should ensure an accessible outdoor learning environment for all participants, including students with a range of physical, cognitive, emotional, and social abilities. They should also prepare students by providing information and discussing what students can expect to see, feel, or experience during their time outdoors to ensure students feel safe and comfortable during their field experiences.

iii. Synthesis and Conclusions During Synthesis and Conclusions, students reflect on each experience and investigation in relation to the issue, and share their claims and conclusions with each other. Teachers should plan for this to occur regularly throughout the MWEE. This learning and frequent reflection provide the foundation for the development of claims and environmental action that address the driving question and connect to the environmental issue. Throughout this process, students should demonstrate understanding of their investigations and conclusions with their peers or the school community. This could involve multiple disciplines and a variety of formats including discussion, journaling, presentations, graphing, performing skits or songs, or creating art.

iv. Environmental Action Projects As a result of their investigations, students identify solutions and develop Environmental Action Projects that directly address the issue within their school, neighborhood, or community. Students are actively engaged in and, to the extent possible, drive the decision-making, planning, and implementation of the action project. Teachers facilitate this process by forming groups, moderating, and answering questions. Students reflect on the value of the action and determine the extent to which it successfully addressed the issue.

This essential element allows students to understand that they personally have the power to bring about change by taking action to address environmental issues at the personal, community, or societal level. Taking action instills confidence in students and can contribute to students becoming environmental stewards in their communities.

Environmental Action Projects can take many forms and may fall into the following types:

Restoration or Protection: actions that assist in the recovery or preservation of a watershed or related ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, or destroyed. Examples include: plant or restore protective vegetation/trees; restore a local habitat; remove invasive plants; clean up litter at local beaches, parks, or school grounds; develop a school garden, natural history area, community garden, or other sustainable green space; install rain gardens to help manage stormwater.

Everyday Choices: actions that reduce human impacts on watersheds and related ecosystems and offer ways to live more sustainably. Examples include: refuse/reduce/reuse/recycle; monitor and save water in the face of potential drought or reduction in water availability; compost food or yard waste; research and implement energy efficient strategies or energy alternatives at school and/or at home.

Community Engagement: actions that inform others about how to address community-level environmental issues. Examples include: give presentations to local organizations; organize community events; record or broadcast public service announcements; share information on social media; post flyers in community; share posters at community events/fairs/festivals; mentoring.

Civic Engagement: actions that identify and address issues of public concern. Students acting alone or together to protect societal values or make a change or difference in a student’s school, neighborhood, or community. Examples include: present to school principal or school board; attend, speak, or present at town meetings; write to local or state decision makers or elected officials.

b. MWEE Supporting Practices The MWEE also includes four supporting practices that describe “what teachers do,” along with their partners, to ensure successful implementation with students. The supporting practices are Teacher Facilitation, Learning Integration, Sustained Experiences, and Local Context.

i. Teacher Facilitation MWEEs require that teachers support student learning for the duration of the MWEE, both inside and outside the classroom. Teachers balance roles of facilitation, direct instruction, and coaching to create a student-centered learning experience where the essential elements of the MWEE come together to support goals for learning and create opportunities for students to take active roles in the learning process. Teachers provide space for student choice and voice by creating learning experiences that center on what students value. Even when activities or lessons occur at partner sites or are primarily led by partners at the school, teachers should be actively engaged.

Teachers should connect these experiences to prior learning, foster critical thinking, and lead reflection after the experience so, regardless of the facilitator, the entire MWEE experience feels cohesive to the students.

To support this level of engagement, teachers should have access to professional development opportunities that support their content knowledge, understanding of the MWEE framework, and confidence and intention to implement MWEEs independently (Refer to c. Teacher MWEE Professional Development Characteristics later in this section for specifics).

ii. Learning Integration The MWEE is an educational framework that helps teachers meet their learning objectives in an engaging way.

MWEEs are not meant to be something “extra”, but rather a means of enriching lessons for deeper student learning while meeting academic standards. To achieve this vision, MWEEs should be embedded into the school curriculum to support goals for learning and student achievement. They can also provide authentic, engaging interdisciplinary learning that crosses traditional boundaries between disciplines. Finally, the MWEE essential elements can also be used by educators in out-of-school settings (for example, after school programs, clubs, or summer camps) to enrich activities and complement school-based programming.

iii. Sustained Experience MWEEs rely on teachers to plan and implement a series of rich and connected learning opportunities where each essential element — from asking questions during Issue Definition through implementing Environmental Action Projects — builds upon and reinforces the others. To accomplish this, MWEEs are incorporated into a unit or multiple units, where learning happens both in and out of the classroom. This provides adequate time for students to not only reflect on the individual lessons and experiences, but also on how all of the elements cohesively come together. While an individual lesson may occur in one class period or field experience, that lesson or experience should be explicitly connected to the larger learning sequence of the MWEE.

iv. Local Context MWEEs have teachers use the local environment and community as a context for learning that is relevant to students’ lives. Situating the MWEE within local contexts promotes learning that is rooted in the unique culture, history, environment, economy, literature, and art of a students’ school, neighborhood, or community. To enrich MWEEs, local resources (e.g. partners, expertise, field sites) should be incorporated. Partnerships, such as those with local community-based organizations, create opportunities for students to engage with members of their community of diverse cultures, values, and expertise that can create a more equitable and inclusive experience.

Emphasizing the local context enables students and teachers to develop stronger connections to, and appreciation for, their local environments and communities. This also enables students and teachers to explore how their individual and collective decisions affect their immediate surroundings and in turn affect larger ecosystems and watersheds.

c. Teacher MWEE Professional Development Characteristics Professional development providers play a crucial role in preparing teachers to implement successful MWEEs with their students. Professional development that includes characteristics such as: relevant content; explicit modeling of educational frameworks; collaboration, feedback and modeling instruction such as student-centered teaching;

adequate time for professional development including time for ongoing support; and offering participation incentives that teachers value leads to a variety of positive outcomes. Professional development should empower teachers to confidently and competently use the MWEE framework to support standards-based learning that aligns with local education agency initiatives. Teachers should gain confidence in the value of MWEEs and strategies for conducting them so that they will be able to implement MWEEs after the professional development has ended. To set teachers up for success, the following six overarching characteristics are recommended for inclusion in the professional development to support teachers implementing MWEEs. These characteristics were determined by research on successful teacher development programs and evaluation results from teachers.

i. Increases teachers’ knowledge and awareness of environmental issues Professional development facilitators should ensure that teachers have an adequate level of content knowledge in science and specific to their grade level and discipline to support their MWEE. The content knowledge should also be connected to the interactions between natural systems and social systems, including human impacts on local watersheds and larger earth systems. Recognizing that environmental issues often include different perspectives and opinions about the environment, teachers must also experience and build skills that enable them to address these traditionally non-academic factors in their classrooms. When combined, this knowledge and these experiences often result in teachers who are more aware of, and more prepared for, the complexity of implementing MWEEs.

ii. Models MWEE framework Professional development should also provide opportunities for teachers to understand the goals and rationale behind the MWEE as a framework for fostering learning and environmental stewardship. Facilitators of teacher professional development should utilize the same techniques and experiences that teachers are expected to use with their students, such as hands-on Outdoor Field Experiences, critical thinking about environmental issues, and Environmental Action Projects.

iii. Includes collaboration, feedback, and models high-quality instruction Effective professional development includes peer collaboration, time for teachers to experience, plan for, and practice model activities and lesson plans, and opportunities for reflection and feedback. Collaborative opportunities that include observing effective teaching practices and replicating these practices with expert instruction and feedback, can result in higher likelihood that teachers will apply these practices when implementing MWEEs. Such opportunities also foster exchanging ideas and create a collaborative atmosphere for changing the culture around adopting new teaching practices at multiple levels within a school system. In addition, when teachers experience high-quality instruction, such as active learning and student-centered inquiry, they are more likely to use high-quality instruction when implementing MWEEs with their own students.

iv. Allows for adequate instructional time and ongoing support Professional development should be multi-day, occurring consecutively or over the course of several weeks or months and include time for ongoing support for teachers. Professional development facilitators should build in adequate time for the types of experience described above, including time to learn, practice, reflect upon, and design practices they learn during the professional development. Even in cases where teachers participate in robust multi-day workshops, such as summer or weekend courses, it is still essential that professional development providers have structures and opportunities in place for ongoing teaching support and enrichment.

This can take the form of follow up meetings, web-based forums for communication and feedback, mentor teachers who can serve as points of contact, or teams of teachers from one particular school.

v. Offers appropriate incentives Having appropriate incentives can increase participation in professional development programs. For example, teachers who participated in B-WET-funded professional development programs in the past reported that receiving a stipend or continuing education credits were the “most valuable” incentives enabling them to participate in those programs. While a variety of incentives can be offered to professional development program participants, it is clear that continuing education credits and stipends can enable participation in ways that other incentives might not.

vi. Meets jurisdictional guidelines and engages leadership Each jurisdiction has established guidance and recommendations relevant to all forms of teacher professional development. When possible, professional development opportunities for MWEEs should adhere to guidelines set forth by state and/or local education agencies. Outreach and training opportunities for school administrators will also help ensure jurisdictional alignment and increase high level support for both environmental education and continuing teacher professional development for teachers.

d. Additional Required Components

i. NOAA place-based watershed framework: The project must describe and address the direct connection to the specific ahupuaa (definitions are included in to Section I.A.B) where activities will be conducted (Resource to identify the name of an ahupuaa- https://www.kipukadatabase.com/). The Hawaiian Islands are an excellent resource for environmental education and provide a multitude of “hands-on” laboratories where students can see, touch, hear, feel, and learn about the earth processes and the dynamic interactions of different ecosystems within an ahupuaa. The islands’ complex, diverse, and unique ecosystems can be brought to life in the classroom through MWEEs. Refer to above in Section I.A.B for the MWEE definition.

a) Ahupuaa knowledge: Native Hawaiian cultural knowledge (traditional place names, stories of place, chants, etc.)

should be incorporated into the student's educational experiences and professional development to enhance the participant’s understanding that nature and culture are interconnected. Experiences should demonstrate to participants that they play a role in supporting local action to care for their environment through community-based ahupuaa stewardship initiatives.

b) Ahupuaa stewardship: For many place-based community organizations and families, ahupuaa stewardship is a daily practice of restoration for future generations. Projects should include a plan for growing long-term partnerships with community organizations/networks to provide hands-on learning experiences for participants that deepen their understanding of contemporary ahupuaa management. Projects can focus on a specific environment within an ahupuaa (including marine environments), but applicants should demonstrate how the focus area fits within the greater concept of ahupuaa and broader community stewardship initiatives. These stewardship efforts should be sustainable to ensure continuity after the B-WET funding is completed. Please refer to Section I.A.1.d.iv.

Partnerships for more information.

ii. NOAA Priority Content Areas: NOAA has identified two areas of interest for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 projects. Projects must include at least 1 of the 2 Priority Content Areas described below, and may include both options. In FY2025, NOAA is particularly interested in projects that highlight the Indigenous Knowledge (IK) and science with an emphasis on climate areas:

a) Indigenous Knowledge (IK): The Hawaii B-WET program seeks applications for projects that provide opportunities for students and educators to immerse in Indigenous, local, and traditional knowledge (e.g.

ecological, social, and historical). These projects will use IK as the foundation of program design, structure, content, and implementation. Projects should clearly state how these foundations are supplemented within a Western science framework and should include an explanation of how STEM and science tools will be incorporated. The goal is to teach science that aligns with their IK, which may also include, but not limited to, the use of the Indigenous language. Projects should support systemic and structural changes in education programs by creating quality IK frameworks as models that can be generalized and implemented across the state. Examples of project deliverables as resources or curricula that support the use of IK could include, but are not limited to, a MWEE framework that is based on Indigenous knowledge and methodologies, creating then implementing a Hawaiian pedagogy, and/or designing a holistic evaluation inclusive of cultural perspectives. Cultural knowledge and understanding should be incorporated into the student (K-12) educational experiences or teacher professional development to enhance the participants' interaction and connection with their environment. Program pedagogy and methodology will include a detailed description of the cultural practices and processes that are incorporated into the lesson plans for students and/or teachers, as well as the appropriate education standards.

b) Science with an emphasis on climate: The Hawaii B-WET program seeks applications for projects that incorporate elements of climate science into programming that provide opportunities for students and educators to understand why climate studies are important and how learning climate science provides a basis for understanding climate change. The MWEE framework can be a direct means for students to develop climate knowledge, skills, and competencies to address climate change and climate impacts in their own communities. The K-12 education system is a well-positioned venue for instilling comprehensive knowledge, skills, competencies, and resilience around climate change, the most pressing economic, social and environmental issue of today. According to the 2021 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report and the most recent National Climate Assessment (NCA, 2018), communities in the U.S. are experiencing changes in climate that are resulting in severe storms, flooding, hurricanes, extended drought, changes in ocean chemistry and sea level rise, presenting growing challenges to human health and safety, quality of life, and the rate of economic growth. Currently, educational institutions, researchers and policy makers are calling for climate science education that goes beyond knowledge acquisition and formal classroom teaching to efforts that reach audiences of all demographics and incorporate the social, political, economic, and justice elements of climate change. From a global scale to the local level, this priority area should also include projects that provide opportunities for students and educators to learn more about dynamic earth, ocean, and atmospheric systems and processes to better understand the impacts of climate change and adaptation efforts today. Education has the power to help students develop meaningful personal connections to climate solutions, a sense of personal urgency and empowerment, and ultimately impact their behaviors and decision-making in relation to climate (Kwauk, 2021; K12 Climate Action Commission, 2021).

Projects should incorporate age-appropriate elements of climate change into programming. The MWEE educational framework can directly foster climate knowledge, skills, and competencies to address climate change, climate impacts, and the opportunities to contribute to climate solutions in their own communities. Projects should reflect a multi-disciplinary approach in the study of NOAA related sciences and the interaction of different ecosystems within an island ahupuaa, as well as long-term trends in average environmental conditions to support appropriate resource management, long-term sustainability, and local economies in both water-based and terrestrial-based activities.

iii. Experiences for all students/teachers: The Hawaii B-WET program is strongly committed to expanding the knowledge and participation of students from low income, historically marginalized, underrepresented, and underserved populations in environmental education. It is crucial for all participants to have an understanding of and connection with their own environment, therefore all students should be provided an outdoor experience regardless of where they live or go to school. The Hawaii B-WET program anticipates that a substantial portion of the target audience served by funded projects will represent minority and underserved communities. Projects are strongly encouraged to develop meaningful and mutually-beneficial partnerships that honor the strengths of community organizations to directly address equity and inclusion.

iv. Partnerships: In order to be effective, sustainable, and equitable, environmental education must be integrated within organizations that understand and support the needs of their community. Project applications must include partnerships with Hawaii-based communities, organizations, schools, and/or school systems that will directly benefit from or contribute to the project. Applicants are strongly encouraged to develop meaningful and mutually-beneficial partnerships that honor the strengths of community organizations, which includes partnerships with cultural and/or community experts that will enhance the connection to the environment. In successful partnerships, organizations have shared goals and work together to share resources, communicate effectively, collaborate on decision-making, and competently engage members of diverse cultures and expertise. Adequate compensation must be provided for community-based organization partners and community members for the effort they are contributing to the project.

Signed letters of collaboration from each partner must be submitted with the application package to demonstrate the level of commitment and involvement. Moreover, projects based on a NOAA-designated focus area must include a letter of collaboration from a NOAA office or lead site manager associated with the location.

v. Academic standards and frameworks: Projects must be aligned to academic standards and should indicate how the project will align with these three types of education benchmarks.

Conventional Student Academic Standards: The State of Hawaii has adopted the Next Generation Science Standards and the Hawaii Common Core standards as the benchmarks of quality and excellence in education. In addition, key national educational guidelines on information individuals and communities should understand regarding earth systems include ocean literacy principles (https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/literacy.html;

https://nautiluslive.org/blog/2023/06/14/animating-ocean-literacy-principles), climate literacy principles, (https://www.climate.gov/teaching/climate), and energy literacy principles (https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/energy-literacy-essential-principles-energy-education).

Indigenous Pedagogical Frameworks: The Hawaii State Department of Education also has a department-wide framework called Na Hopena Ao, which is used to develop the skills, behaviors, and dispositions that are reminiscent of Hawaii’s unique context, that honors the qualities and values of the Indigenous language and culture of Hawaii (https://www.hawaiipublicschools.org/TeachingAndLearning/StudentLearning/HawaiianEducation/Pages/HA.aspx). The Native Hawaiian Education Council, which was created under the Native Hawaiian Education Act, along with a committee of other Hawaiian education institutions, created Na Honua Mauli Ola - Cultural Pathways for Culturally Healthy and Responsive Learning Environments. This is one example of a Hawaiian pedagogy that can be utilized for the NOAA Priority Content Area focusing on IK. For more information, please see Research Supports Na Honua Mauli Ola (http://www.olelo.hawaii.edu/olelo/documents/pdf/NHMO2_ResearchSupports.pdf), Na Honua Mauli Ola- Hawaii Guidelines for Culturally Healthy and Responsive Learning Environments (http://www.olelo.hawaii.edu/olelo/documents/pub/NHMO.pdf), and Na Ala Ike- The Cultural Pathways (http://www.olelo.hawaii.edu/olelo/documents/pdf/NHMO-2014-Poster-Pelaha.pdf).

Teacher Professional Development Standards: The State Department of Hawaii Education has Teacher Performance Standards that define professional practice for all teachers (https://hawaiiteacherstandardsboard.org/content/teacher-performance-standards/). In addition, the nationally recognized Standards for Professional Learning (https://standards.learningforward.org/standards-for-professional-learning/) provide a framework to support educators to develop the knowledge, skills, practices, and dispositions they need to help students perform at higher levels.

vi. Includes NOAA assets, including personnel and resources: MWEEs use NOAA assets, such as data, resources, expertise, or places. NOAA has a wealth of applicable products, data, and services, as well as a cadre of scientific and professional experts who can enhance student experiences both in the classroom and in the field. These resources complement the educator’s strengths and augment the educational resources. Additionally, NOAA personnel can serve as important role models for career choices and stewardship. For more on NOAA assets for education please see:

NOAA Resource Collections (https://www.noaa.gov/education/resource-collections), NOAA in your state (https://www.noaa.gov/legislative-and-intergovernmental-affairs/noaa-in-your-state-territory), NOAA in your backyard (https://www.noaa.gov/education/noaa-in-your-backyard), and NOAA Environmental Literacy Program's resilience assets (https://www.noaa.gov/office-education/elp/resilience-hub/resilience-assets).

NOAA has identified several environments in Hawaii as special places for place-based management. Projects are encouraged to be connected to or based on conservation efforts at one of the following locations: Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary; Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument; Heeia National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR); or West Maui or South Kohala Coral Priority Areas.

2. Definitions: The terms used throughout this announcement are thus defined:

a. Ahupuaa: An ahupuaa is a division of land, which is often oriented vertically extending from the uplands and usually includes portions of the sea, that is part of a larger traditional resource management system established by ancient Hawaiians to sustainably utilize the resources throughout the islands. The ahupuaa was developed and maintained as a practical approach for environmental stewardship and management of human-nature relationships. The ahupuaa encompasses an intimate understanding of the holistic connections, functions, and interactions between the lewa (sky), honua (Earth), wai (freshwater sources), and kai (sea). Within the ahupuaa, human interactions and the use of biocultural resources were strictly managed through laws and social norms that were passed from generation to generation. This was a prominent practice and significant accomplishment in the history of traditional Hawaiian society.

Today, ahupuaa management weaves Native Hawaiian knowledge systems, values, and practices with contemporary tools through community partnerships working towards biocultural restoration.

b. Aina: land, ocean, communities; a source of sustenance that feeds one’s physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being.

c. Aina Momona: healthy, productive and thriving communities of people and place.

d. Biocultural: weaving knowledge systems to understand the link between nature and culture and the interrelationships between humans and the environment. Defined in conservation fields as “conservation actions made in the service of sustaining the biophysical and sociocultural components of dynamic, interacting, and interdependent social-ecological systems” (Maffi and Woodley, 2012).

e. Climate Science: The term for sciences related to any of the studies that deal with the long-term average of conditions in the atmosphere, ocean, ice sheets, and sea ice. These long term patterns of oceanic and atmospheric conditions at a location can be described by statistics, such as means and extremes, and/or Indigenous histories and observations embedded in local traditional communities.

f. Curriculum: Refers to the lessons and academic content taught in a school or in a formal course or program which demonstrates a scope and sequence of learning objectives and assessments that build upon each topic. An individual teacher's curriculum, for example, would be the specific learning standards, lessons, assignments, and materials used to organize, teach, and assess students' proficiency of a particular course.

g. Earth Science: The term for sciences related to any of the studies that deal with the Earth or with one or more of its parts. Many scientists use the earth systems science approach which treats the entire earth as a system. Earth sciences include but are not limited to: meteorology; climatology; atmospheric chemistry; geology; geodesy;

geophysics; soil science; oceanography; hydrology; marine biology; glaciology; and marine, coastal, and atmospheric sciences.

h. Environmental Stewardship: The responsible use and protection of the natural environment through conservation and sustainable practices to enhance ecosystem resilience and human well-being.

i. Equity: the consistent and systematic fair, just, and impartial treatment of all individuals, including individuals who belong to historically underserved or historically underrepresented communities that have been denied such treatment.

j. Hawaii: The islands of Hawaii, Maui, Kahoolawe, Lanai, Molokai, Oahu, Kauai, Niihau, and the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.

k. Inclusion: the practice or policy of providing equal access to opportunities and resources for people who might otherwise be excluded or marginalized. For applicants that means, the practice to incorporate any relevant traditional and/or community knowledge into project activities to represent the diverse perspectives and values of their target community(ies).

l. Indigenous: originating or occurring naturally in a particular place.

m. Indigenous Knowledge: refers to a cumulative body of knowledge, skills, observations, and systems developed, maintained, and practiced by “peoples with extended histories of interaction with the natural environment” and which are embedded in the cultural traditions of regional, Indigenous, and/or local communities.

n. Kupuna: Hawaiian word for ancestor, grandparent, elder, or source (of knowledge).

o. Malama aina: taking care of the land, ocean, and communities that take care of you through recognizing individual and collective kuleana (responsibility).

p. Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences (MWEEs): Details above in Section I.A.B of this announcement.

q. Pedagogy: the method and practice of teaching, especially as an academic subject or theoretical concept.

r. Pilina: association, relationship, connection.

s. Resilience: A capability to anticipate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from significant multi-hazard threats with minimum damage to social well-being, the economy, and the environment (USGCRP 2018). While this definition is limited to a concept of “bouncing back” to a previous state that may be fundamentally unstable and unjust, ultimately, resilience should mean transforming to a more equitable and sustainable future state (Bey et al. 2020).

t. Stewardship: Behaviors and decisions that conserve, restore, and protect natural and cultural resources.

u. Students: Kindergarten through high school (K-12) youth.

v. Teachers/Educators: Formal educators for K-12 and informal educators for all audiences.

w. Watershed: Land area from which water drains toward a common watercourse in a natural basin. For the Hawaii B- WET grant program, projects should incorporate the broader concept of ahupuaa.

B. Program Priorities Native Hawaiians are well-known for their integrated and sustainable resource management practices, along with their ability to perpetuate environmental and cultural values from generation to generation. Hawaiian culture is founded on keen observations of earth’s processes and applying that knowledge to shape sustainable practices that support Aina Momona.

Intimate knowledge and expertise of the local environment and observing changes over time allowed Native Hawaiians to thrive through sustainable relationships with finite resources, supporting a population of nearly one million Hawaiians prior to European contact. Native Hawaiian worldview recognizes humans as part of a genealogical connection to the environment, not as a separate entity. Reciprocity in pilina to aina was premised on caring for aina in the way that it cares for you.

Today’s conservation challenges require multi-disciplinary solutions that weave multiple knowledge systems supporting Aina Momona. Ahupuaa management includes engagement with local community partners who are active contributors to the social, cultural, biological, and spiritual components of biocultural stewardship in Hawaii. Long-term community partnerships include a multi-generational vision of biocultural stewardship of the aina. It provides opportunities to promote diverse community engagement, especially with Native Hawaiian organizations that are actively involved in place-based knowledge, to take an active part in decisions about the management of the ahupuaa to support community resilience. Part of community resilience is balancing the use of environmental resources with social and economic needs, assessing research needs, integrating earth sciences, and developing solutions for land-use planning and coastal hazard resiliency.

Long-term community partnerships provide a powerful example and management mechanism to integrate earth sciences and community resilience to hazards in contemporary land-use planning, which also assists with decision-making processes. Refer to Section I.A.1.d.iv. Partnerships for more information.

The Hawaii B-WET program provides a venue for students and teachers to weave traditional knowledge systems, values, and practices with Western science tools into contemporary ahupuaa management practices. Ahupuaa throughout the Hawaiian Islands provide a locally relevant opportunity through broader community stewardship initiatives for engaging local students in MWEEs through meaningful science-based learning experiences that advance learning skills and problem-solving abilities through a biocultural lens with the general school curriculum.

All B-WET projects under this funding announcement should support the direct implementation of the MWEE and apply the concept of ahupuaa. All applications should follow the MWEE guidance and additional required components to be successful. In addition, an application must select one of the following priorities (and corresponding details that follow):

1. PRIORITY 1: Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences for Students The NOAA Hawaii B-WET program seeks applications for projects that provide opportunities for K-12 students to participate in meaningful place-based outdoor experiences that empower students’ learning. Projects submitted under this priority should be learner-centered and focused on the four MWEE Essential Elements: Issue Definition, Outdoor Field Experiences, Synthesis and Conclusions, and Environmental Action Projects. These activities that are grounded in best practices and include the concept of ahupuaa, increase student interest and engagement in learning, support student achievement, advance 21st Century skills, and advance environmental stewardship and civic responsibility. As a result of the MWEEs, students should have an understanding of basic watershed concepts, as well as the interaction between natural and social systems, highlighting the connection between human activity and environmental conditions.

Applications submitted under this area should address the NOAA MWEE components in the previous Sections I.A.1a-c.

2. PRIORITY 2: Teacher Professional Development for Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences The NOAA Hawaii B-WET program seeks applications for projects that provide teachers opportunities for professional development in implementing MWEEs. Educators should ultimately provide MWEEs for their students by weaving together classroom and field activities, within the context of their instructional coursework and current critical issues that impact the Hawaiian Islands. Systematic, long-term education programs, and professional development opportunities will reinforce an educator’s ability to teach, inspire, and lead young people toward thoughtful stewardship of our natural and cultural resources, as well as develop the next generation of decision-makers.

Based on current education research and B-WET evaluation results, we recommend professional development (PD) providers consider the following in the design of professional development to support change in teacher practice and the implementation of impactful MWEEs.

According to evaluation data on teacher PD, between 24-30% teachers are not participating in environmental action projects, one of the MWEE essential elements, during PD. Research suggests teachers are more likely to engage their students in activities they experience themselves during professional development programs.