Education Workgroup
The Education Workgroup’s goal is to enable students in the region to graduate with the knowledge and skills to act responsibly to protect and restore their local watershed.
Meetings
Education Workgroup Meeting - July 2025
Education Workgroup Meeting - October 2025
Education Workgroup Meeting - Jan 2026
Education Workgroup Meeting - April 2025
Education Workgroup Meeting - January 2025
Education Workgroup Meeting - October 2024
About
The goal of the Education Workgroup is to have every student in the region graduate environmentally literate having participated in meaningful watershed educational experiences in elementary, middle, and high school that were supported by teachers who have received professional development in environmental education and schools that are models of environmental sustainability. The Education Workgroup provides a forum for cross-jurisdictional coordination and support on all aspects of environmental education with an emphasis on:
- Increasing Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences (MWEE) and other place-based, outdoor education
- Supporting training for teachers and environmental education professionals in content, pedagogy, and outdoor-learning techniques related to environmental topics
- Encouraging green infrastructure and operations on school grounds
- Supporting federal, state, and regional environmental literacy planning, including providing an ongoing forum to collaborate on the goals and objectives of the federal Executive Order and the nonprofit community Regional Roundtable.
The Education Workgroup is tasked with evaluating and recommending policies related to PK-12 bay education, maintaining the Bay Backpack website, and tracking state implementation of the MWEE in elementary, middle, and high school. The NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office also convenes a biennial Environmental Literacy Summit on behalf of the Workgroup to advance environmental literacy activities in the region.
The 2014 Watershed Agreement outlines the Environmental Literacy Goal and three Outcomes: Student, Sustainable Schools, and Environmental Literacy Planning.
Projects
Environmental Literacy Indicator Tool (ELIT)
Environmental Literacy Summit
Environmental Literacy Forum
Publications
Chesapeake Bay Region 2024 Environmental Literacy Report
Published on April 4, 2025This report presents watershed-wide results from the 2024 Environmental Literacy Indicator Tool.
Chesapeake Bay Watershed 2024 Environmental Literacy Report - Delaware
Published on April 4, 2025This report presents Delaware-specific results from the 2024 Environmental Literacy Indicator Tool.
Chesapeake Bay Watershed 2024 Environmental Literacy Report - District of Columbia
Published on April 4, 2025This report presents District of Columbia-specific results from the 2024 Environmental Literacy Indicator Tool.
Chesapeake Bay Watershed 2024 Environmental Literacy Report - Maryland
Published on April 4, 2025This report presents Maryland-specific results from the 2024 Environmental Literacy Indicator Tool.
Chesapeake Bay Watershed 2024 Environmental Literacy Report - Pennsylvania
Published on April 4, 2025This report presents Pennsylvania-specific results from the 2024 Environmental Literacy Indicator Tool.
Related Resources
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Bay Backpack
The Education Workgroup's teacher resource website is THE source for Chesapeake Bay and environmental education resources, lesson plans, field studies, trainings, and funding information
Contact
- Elise Trelegan (Coordinator)
elise.trelegan@noaa.gov - Meredith Lemke (Staffer)
lemkem@chesapeake.org
Our Watershed Agreement Goals & Outcomes
Environmental Literacy Goal
Members
- Shannon Sprague (Chair)
NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office shannon.sprague@noaa.gov - Elise Trelegan (Coordinator)
elise.trelegan@noaa.gov - Britt Slattery (Coordinator)
Britt_Slattery@nps.gov - Meredith Lemke (Staffer)
lemkem@chesapeake.org - Adrienne Farfalla
adrienne.farfalla1@dc.gov - Alexandra Konsur-Grush
akonsur@iu19.org - Amy Wyant
director@occainfo.org - Angel Burns
Angel.Burns@delaware.gov - Anna Davis
davisam@si.edu - BeKura Shabazz
firstallianceconsutling@gmail.com - Betsy Ukeritis
Betsy.ukeritis@dec.ny.gov - Brianne Studer
dceecnaturally@gmail.org - Candace Lutzow-Felling
lutzow-felling@virginia.edu - Carrie Evick
carrie.evick@doe.k12.de.us - Cassi Camara
Cassi.Camara@dcr.virginia.gov - Chelsea McClure
cmcclure@towson.edu - Christen Miller
Christen.Miller@dcr.virginia.gov - Christopher Kemmerer
chkemmerer@pa.gov - Coreen Weilminster
coreen.weilminster@maryland.gov - Courtney Hallacher
courtney.hallacher@dwr.virginia.gov - David Pragoff
davidp@delnature.org - Elise Trelegan
elise.trelegan@noaa.gov - Ellen Powell
ellen.powell@dof.virginia.gov - Emily Stransky
estransky@cbtrust.org - Erin Sullivan
Sullivan.ErinC@epa.gov - Grace Manubay
grace.manubay@DC.GOV - Jeff Chandler
jeff.chandler@natureforward.org - Jemima Clark
jclark5@washcoll.edu - Julie Travaglini
julie@alleghenylandtrust.org - Kathleen Banski
kbanski@pa.gov - Kendall Tyree
kendall.tyree@vaswcd.org - Kendra Bierman
kbierman@anacostiaws.org - Kim Hanson
khanson@naturebridge.org - Laura Casdorph
Laura.Casdorph@doe.virginia.gov - Laura Johnson Collard
director@MAEOE.org - Lindsey Walker
walkerl@nwf.org - Melinda Brooks
mbrooks@experience-learning.org - Olivia Wisner
olivia.wisner1@maryland.gov - Payton Hesse
payton.hesse@maryland.gov - Rachel Eades
reades@k12.wv.us - Sarah McGuire
mcguire@vims.edu - Stephanie Banik
sbanik@cacaponinstitute.org - Stephanie Tuckfield
stephanie.tuckfield1@maryland.gov - Susan Cox
susan.m.cox@usda.gov - Tamara Peffer
tpeffer@pa.gov - Todd Klawinski
todd.klawinski@cr.k12.de.us - Tom Ackerman
TAckerman@savethebay.cbf.org - Trena Ferrell
trena.m.ferrell@nasa.gov - Vince Meldrum
vmeldrum@earthforce.org