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Water Efficiency Grant Program Final Project WET Grant Report (CWN) <br />number of participants has greatly increased (14 workshops, 393 Participants, 2 outside Front <br />Range). <br />Table 2. <br />Workshop Place Grant Term <br /># Participants Grant Term <br /># Workshops FY 2008 <br /># Participants FY 2008 <br /># Workshops <br />West Slope 183 8 183 8 <br />South Platte Front Range 459 21 373 17 <br />Arkansas Basin 202 6 34 3 <br />Republican Basin 7 1 0 0 <br />Rio Grande Basin 40 2 40 2 <br />Total 891 38 630 30 <br />B. Facilitator Training and Support <br />The Colorado Project ~XIET Coordinator is responsible for recruiting, training and providing <br />short and long term support for the 191 volunteer facilitators located around the state. In <br />partnership with Colorado Projects ~XIILD and Learning Tree, Project ~XIET hosted two annual <br />Facilitator Leadership Conferences during the grant term, in La Junta and Snowmass. These <br />leadership conferences offered advanced professional development opportunities for our volunteer <br />facilitators who are currently leading workshops in their communities. This is our opportunity to <br />share any programmatic updates with our volunteers, honor and award outstanding volunteers, <br />offer networking time to encourage the exchange of workshop ideas, and provide advanced <br />training to increase facilitation skills. Just over 200 volunteer facilitators participated in these two <br />conferences, each offering over 16 hours of professional development and continued support. <br />During the grant term, three New Facilitator Training events were conducted in various <br />locations around the state; La Junta, Gunnison and Aurora. These multi-day trainings brought 7 2 <br />new volunteers facilitators to our team. These volunteer facilitators represent the broad spectrum <br />of natural resource education including classroom teachers, non-formal educators, natural resource <br />prOfeSS1011a1S, L1111VerSlty faCUlty, and dlrectorS Of 11011prOflt Orga111Zat10nS. Each neW faClhtator <br />recelVed at least 16 hours Of lntellslve tra111111g COVer111g Protect ~XIET 111aterlalS, faCllltatloll Sk111S, <br />marketing strategies, and techniques for teaching the adult audience. Evaluations from these New <br />Facilitator Trainings show exceptional success in preparing our new volunteers for their role in <br />leading Project ~XIET workshops in the coming months and years. <br />C. Partnerships <br />Colorado Project `XIET is building partnerships with water utilities and other interested <br />agencies to offer sponsored Project ~1ET workshops. Sponsors include municipalities, water <br />providers, alld 11011pY0flt Orga111Zat1011S that have all 111terest 111 reachlllg a local audlenCe Of <br />educators with a locally relevant water message and information. These sponsored workshops give <br />teachers an in-depth look at their local water system and highlight regional water issues. The <br />sponsor covers all expenses for participating educators, including professional development credit. <br />111 add1t1011, sponsored workshops are enhanced by field trips to explore water treatment plants, <br />reservoirs, Xeriscape gardens and other opportunities to engage students as stewards of their <br />watershed. Educators learn from experts and guest speakers about topics ranging from water supply <br />systems and water quality to water law and conservation programs. Educators also engage through <br />Page 5 <br />