The ‘Get Outdoors’ GO! Program is provided by a grant through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The Bay Watershed Education and Training Program (BWET) is the name of the grant funding provided to CWC and supports hands on outdoor watershed and water quality monitoring programs to students in the Monterey Bay region.

Benefits of the GO! Program include the creation of an integrated, self sustaining program that delivers meaningful outdoor educational experiences designed to teach students about the connectivity between people, watershed health and the ocean. As well, the provision of equipment, materials and curriculum allows teachers and students to engage in watershed activities and water quality monitoring at nearby water sources.

Through hands-on lessons and activities, students gain technical water quality monitoring skills, learn about pressing environmental issues, and become empowered to make a difference in their community. Lessons are designed to provide a progressive and rigorous program that can assist in raising the scientific literacy to students in an underserved population. During the grant cycle at supported schools, teachers and students receive CWC staff support in all lessons, activities, monitoring training and program equipment purchases.

Two schools in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District have already benefited from the program. Valencia Elementary in Aptos was the first recipient of the GO! Program in 2006, followed in 2007 by Landmark Elementary in Watsonville. Since its inception, the program has provided approximately 800 1 st - 6 th grade students with meaningful watershed experiences.

Equipment and materials provided to the schools include water quality monitoring kits, 3D Watershed Models, binoculars for bird studies, microscopes, rubber boots, river tank ecosystems, flora and fauna identification cards, digital cameras, trash grabbers for habitat clean up, program binders with all equipment support and instructions, and curriculum to support various other watershed activities. The GO! Program now operates as a self sustaining, teacher led program at Valencia, while Landmark progresses toward that same goal.

We sincerely thank NOAA for its provision of BWET funding in the State of California, as well as the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary in Monterey for its continued support and participation in the BWET grant funding.

Click on the links below to view student accomplishments at Landmark Elementary during the 2008-2009 school year:

Landmark's Fabulous First Graders

Landmark's Stupendous Second Graders

Landmark's Terrific Third Graders

Landmark's Fantastic Fourth Graders

Landmark's Fantabulous Fifth Graders

Landmark's Amazing Artists!