DCR Awards Watershed Education Grants

Nine Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience projects have received grants from the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation for the 2025-26 school year. 

The annual state program, administered by DCR’s Office of Environmental Education, awarded $250,000 in funding. 

Selected projects: 

• Culpeper Soil and Water Conservation District
  • Middle school students, educators in Culpeper, Greene, Madison, Orange  and Rappahannock County Public Schools 
• Henrico County Public Schools
  • Henrico County Public School students, educators 
• Horizons
  • Portsmouth Virginia students 
• James River Association
  • Hampton City Public School students, educators 
• Maymont
  • Richmond City Public School elementary students, educators 
• Old Dominion University
  • Prince William County Public School students, educators 
• Prince William Soil and Water Conservation District
  • Prince William County Public School educators 
• Reston Association
  • Reston Virginia youth, educators 
• The Clifton Institute
  • Fauquier County Public School students 

These MWEE projects are intended to encourage K-12 students to think critically about Virginia’s Chesapeake Bay watershed and cultivate their environmental literacy. They are learner-centered field investigations and action projects aligned with grade-level standards and focused on local watershed health.   

As a signatory to the Chesapeake Bay Agreement, Virginia is committed to increasing “understanding of the watershed through participation in teacher-supported, meaningful watershed educational experiences and rigorous, inquiry-based instruction.”