Michigan Project WET¿Water Education for Teachers¿has found a new home at the Annis Water Resources Institute at Grand Valley State University. As the official coordinator of Michigan Project WET, AWRI joins 47 states, Canada, and Mexico as a WET sponsor. WET is an interdisciplinary water education program intended to supplement a school's existing curriculum. The original WET Program was developed in 1984 by the North Dakota State Water Commission and was updated by Montana State University. It joins Project Learning Tree (PLT) and Project Wild as the premier environmental education programs.
The core of the program is the Project WET Curriculum and Activity Guide (Grades K-12), a collection of water-related, fun, hands-on, and easy-to-use activities. The 90+ activities incorporate a variety of formats, such as large and small group learning, laboratory investigations, and community service projects. The Michigan Alliance undertook alignment of WET with the Michigan Content Standards for Environmental and Outdoor Education (MAEOE). AWRI will be coordinating Project WET teacher and facilitator training workshops. Dialogue is underway with Michigan Project Learning Tree and Project Wild to better integrate the three programs.
To celebrate Project WET, states throughout the nation will be holding water festivals on September 22, 2000. This is the day before the annual coastal beach clean up. AWRI will host the Michigan Project WET Water Festival at Heritage Landing in Muskegon. Students are especially invited to join the festivities, which will include water testing, displays from groups interested in water issues, and Project WET activities. For more information, call (231) 728-3285.
