The NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office recognizes that education and outreach are key components of protecting and restoring the Chesapeake Bay. Therefore, NCBO offers a suite of programming aimed at increasing the environmental literacy of our constituents, including K-12 and university-level programs and community education. NOAA is the lead federal agency for environmental and stewardship education in the Chesapeake Bay Program through their Education Workgroup . Community and general outreach also support key commitments and goals of the Chesapeake Bay Program . NCBO’s K-12 education program focuses on providing quality experiential learning opportunities to K-12 and university students. We accomplish this goal by:

• Funding exemplary education programs through the NOAA Bay Watershed Education & Training Program (B-WET)

• Using NOAA vessels and research facilities to offer student watershed experiences through the NOAA Emerging Scientist Project;
• Offering internship and research opportunities to undergraduate and graduate university students;
• Partnering with local organizations to offer training workshops to formal and informal educators and providing an Education Resource Center at Nauticus to highlight NOAA’s extensive educational resources, and
• Coordinating the activities of the Chesapeake Bay Program’s Education Workgroup to assist in providing the necessary tools and administrative support to integrate watershed education into local classrooms.

Junior Watermen Build Buoys NCBO helped younger attendees build mini-buoys at the 2008 Junior Watermen's Expo in Ocean City, MD. NCBO to Host 2008 Summer Science Camps The NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office will host 2008 summer science camps in Norfolk and Gloucester Point, Virginia (application deadlines for these two camps have already passed), and Edgewater, Maryland. First ESTC Workshop Held The inaugural Environmental Science Training Center workshop, held in June 2007, focused on "Integrating Ecological Forecasting into Environmental Education."