CWN ProjectWET Final Report

• Water Efficiency Grant Type: Public Education & Outreach Grant
• Applicant: Colorado Watershed Network
• Project Name: Project WET
• Title: Final Project WET Grant Report
• Date: 12/5/2008
• County: Statewide
• Water Efficiency - Doc Type: Final Report

Water Efficiency Grant Program Final Project WET Grant Report (CWN)
CWN relies on the Project WET International Foundation to supply the curricula materials
needed for teachers. The Project WET International Foundation also supports a network of state
coordinators in the United States as well as connecting coordinators around the world who are
implementing the program in their countries. This network provides opportunities for Colorado
to learn from the success of other states and to keep up to date with federal education legislation
that affects water resource education and other potential funding opportunities. The Colorado
Project WET Coordinator participates in a listserv and annual national leadership conference for
Project WET state coordinators.
The Colorado Project WET Coordinator is also responsible for training, engaging, and
supporting a corps of highly-qualified and certified volunteer facilitators. The successful training
model for Project WET hinges on these facilitators to conduct Project WET workshops for
teachers in their communities. These Project WET workshops highlight local water issues and
connect teachers with regionally specific water education
resources. The volunteer facilitators are the on-the-ground face for ~~~-~~,,
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Project WET and enable CWN to have direct contact with
hundreds of people in the community each year with limited staff q¢t~6 p; '~"''
and funds.
One volunteer facilitator may train 30 teachers in a Project
~XIET workshop; those teachers in turn have the potential to reach ~~`~`~
close to 3,000 students each year, and ever year thereafter. That
number expands to include 6,000 adults in the community when Fas,°°~~
children are engaged with their learning. By spending eight hours
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working with 3o teachers, one volunteer facilitator maybe able to
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reach almost 9,000 people in the community on a personal basis, ~'~~ ~`
in dust the first year alone. That number compounds each year as ~ ~"
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teachers continue to use the power of the hands-on Project WET
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lessons to engage students in watershed stewardship and water
conservation.
III. Results
A. Overview of Results
Thanks to CWCB sponsorship, CWN was able to grow Colorado Project WET enormously in
both qualitative and quantitative measures. Historically, (FY 2000-FY 2006) Project WET has
reached an average of 349 educators per year. In Fiscal Year 2008, Colorado Project WET trained
630 educators. This is an 87% increase in the number of educators trained over past years. We
provided workshops and advanced training opportunities in Project WET for 891 educators in
Colorado during the grant period (February 2007 to June 2008). Additionally we increased the
number of Project WET workshops that were offered throughout the state by 69% in Fiscal year
2008 compared to historical levels. A total of 27 Project WET educator workshops were offered
during the last fiscal year, in addition to three New Facilitator Trainings and Leadership
Conference events for facilitators.
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