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<br />RE'CEp1~'.~'~' <br /> <br />~. c ~ ('j ,I~ 20. , <br />r:. t), \. -:~' ~< DB <br /> <br />U N I V E R SIT y of <br />NORTHERN COLORADO <br /> <br />~ <br /> <br />.cc~oracltl VJf(~ef ('{ rr, s... , ~' _ <br /> <br />January 25, 2008 <br /> <br />Tammie Petrone <br />Colorado Water Conservation Board <br />Water Efficiency Grant .Program <br />1313 Sherman St Room 721 <br />Denver, CO 80203 <br /> <br />Dear Ms. Petrone: <br /> <br />It is a great pleasure to support tIle initiative of the Colorado Project WErr and the <br />Colorado Watershed Networks efforts in seeking a Water Efficiency Grant thrOUgll the <br />Colorado Water Conservatio.n Board. The University of Northern Colorado has been <br />actively involved in environmental education including water educati()n for many years <br />and we have been most pleased with the positive growth this project has experienced in <br />the past year. At UNC we are actively committed to supporting the dissemination of <br />Pr~ject WJ2T thro'ughpre-service teacher education~ facilitator recruitment and training, <br />and networking with other colleges anduniv'ersities in Colorado to bring WET to as <br />.many new teachers as possible. <br /> <br />Project WET is an important source of water-based education forK-12 educators. <br />Through this supplemental curriculum teachers are provided with foundational and <br />comprehensive activities to provide for learning about water as a renewable resource, <br />issues related to water, and the physical properties of water. For our students at lJNC, <br />those who participate in aWEI"' workshop will. often llse this resource to develop water- <br />based units of study for their own classroom. Project WET is useful not only as an <br />instructional resource but motivationally to engage students in learning about their <br />environlnent,. how we impact the environment, and the .positive actions individuals can <br />take to sustain a .healthy environment Teachers who use the Project WET reSOllfces in <br />the classroom find student -conceptual understanding of water related concepts are w~ell <br />developed an.d often reflect a positive attitud,e toward learning overalL And, most <br />significantly, Project WET connects students to the environment that sits right outside <br />their classroom windows. The more the .K-12 students in Colorado know about their <br />environment the better they will be.in making environmental..based decisions and c'hoices <br />throughout their lifetime. <br /> <br />A key element to the success of maximizing the impact of Project WE~r in K-12 <br />education is connecting with teachers" esp~ciaIlynew teachers. lIenee, getting Project <br />WET into teacher education programs is a high priority for UNC.As a result, UNC has <br />involved almost all elementary and secondary majors in at least one environmentally <br />focused supplemental curriculum. Similar efforts exist at Metro State University and it is <br />