Chesapeake Bay Program
The Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) is a unique regional partnership that has led and directed the restoration of the Chesapeake Bay since 1983. CBP’s Education Workgroup is comprised of educational professionals from federal and state government agencies, non-profit organizations, universities, and local school divisions from throughout the watershed. On June 16, 2014, the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement was signed. The agreement contains 10 goals and related outcomes that will advance the restoration and protection of the Bay watershed, each goal linked to a set of outcomes, or time-bound and measurable targets that will directly contribute to its achievement. One of these ten goals was Environmental Literacy, which has outcomes for Students, Sustainable Schools, and Environmental Literacy Planning. The Education Workgroup is tasked with coordinating state actions to meet these outcomes, as well as tracking and evaluating progress toward them. The Workgroup maintains the Bay Backpack website with resources for Bay watershed education. It also convenes annual meetings for leadership from state education and resource management agencies to inform policy around environmental education. The workgroup is chaired and coordinated by staff from the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office
