Whether you've done MWEEs before or not, you might wonder:
- Where did the MWEE come from?
- Why is the history of the MWEE important?
In short, the Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience (affectionately known as "MWEE" and pronounced "me-wee") is an educational approach that is being implemented across the Chesapeake Bay watershed—and beyond.
It's a BIG effort that has the support of thousands of teachers, educators, superintendents, partner organizations, higher educational institutions, and state and federal offices across Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington D.C., and West Virginia. YOU are an essential piece of this puzzle, and you're not alone in your efforts. Together we are working toward building a more environmentally literate citizenry.
Watch the video on this page or HERE to get a sense for what a MWEE is about.
Consider watching it once, focusing on the audio, and another time, focusing on the text and visuals.
Document
Here's a bit more background...
Since the Chesapeake Bay Program’s founding in 1983, program partners have used written agreements to guide the restoration of the nation’s largest estuary and its watershed. If you are thinking, "Wait, I don’t live near the Chesapeake Bay, why should this matter to me?," look at a map of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The watershed includes parts of 6 states and Washington, D.C., 64,000 square miles, and 150 major rivers and streams. Any activity that happens on land or in the air within the watershed boundary will impact the health of the Chesapeake Bay. Improving and protecting the nation’s largest estuary can’t just happen along its shorelines—everyone within the watershed must get involved!
The written agreements from the Chesapeake Bay Program set goals and track progress to hold partners accountable for their work, while developing new agreements over time ensures the Program's goals are aligned with the best available science to attain restoration success. The most recent agreement was signed in 2014 and amended in 2020 by the governors of the six states in the watershed and Washington, D.C., the Environmental Protection Agency on the behalf of the federal government, and the Chesapeake Bay Commission.
How does this connect to MWEEs?
The Watershed Agreement includes an Environmental Literacy Goal that commits partners to "Enable students in the region to graduate with the knowledge and skills needed to act responsibly to protect and restore their local watershed." The goal includes three outcomes focused on students, sustainable schools, and environmental literacy planning (see graphic to the right). The goal acknowledges that "the future well-being of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed will soon rest in the hands of its youngest citizens—more than three million students in grades K–12. Establishing a strong, targeted environmental education program now provides a vital foundation for those future watershed stewards." The Agreement recommends that every student have a Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience (MWEE) at least once each in elementary, middle, and high school.
The MWEE has evolved to incorporate best practices for teaching and learning into one comprehensive instructional model. This online course was developed to improve the ability of formal and non-formal educators and their leadership to design and implement effective MWEEs. The course is based on “An Educator's Guide to the Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience.”
