The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) is pleased to announce the Wetland Education Teacher Workshop (WETshop) 2025, a coastal awareness workshop for science, history, and social studies educators. The workshop is scheduled for July 13-18, 2025 at the LDWF Grand Isle Fisheries Research Lab. The application deadline is April 25, 2025.

The focus of this 6-day workshop is to provide educators with an in-depth look at issues related to wetland ecology and coastal land loss in Louisiana. Participating educators can accrue over 50 hours of instruction, led by LDWF and numerous local, state, and federal partners, covering a wide variety of topics, including wetland ecology, fisheries management, and coastal restoration. Educators will also spend a portion of each day in the field learning about maritime forests, barrier island beach ecology, coastal restoration projects, marsh and swamp habitats, and marine organisms. Workshop experiences provide ideas to incorporate Louisiana phenomena-based learning in various classroom settings at all grade levels. 

All participating educators will receive wetland lessons correlated to Louisiana Science Standards and many other educational resources from numerous sponsoring agencies and organizations.  Lodging and meals are provided once participants reach the workshop site.  Upon completion of the workshop, each participant will receive a stipend; additionally, participants will receive a second stipend upon completion of a wetland project during the following academic year.

WETshop is sponsored by LDWF in partnership with several state, federal, and non-governmental organizations along with the assistance of multiple volunteers. Since 1995, over 475 educators from 123 cities in 48 parishes and 4 other states have attended WETshop. Roughly 700,000 students, teachers, and communities have been educated about Louisiana coastal values and issues as a result of this unique collaboration.

Formal and non-formal educators interested in WETshop 2025 can visit https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/page/for-teachers or contact Lindsay Seely at [email protected] with questions.

WETshop is hosted in conjunction with the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Foundation. The LWFF was formed to provide a means for individuals and corporations to become partners with the Department and Commission in the challenge of conserving Louisiana’s wildlife and fisheries resources.