THE PIEDMONT CONSERVATION COUNCIL, INC. (PCC) SEEKS FUNDING TO EXPAND THE BIONOMIC EDUCATION TRAINING CENTER (BETC) PROGRAM AND OFFER TRAINING FOR SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS AND SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT (SWCD) EDUCATIONAL PROFESSIONALS IN TEN COUNTIES IN THE PIEDMONT REGION OF THE STATE. IN THE INITIAL YEAR AND A HALF OF PROGRAM FUNDING, THE FOCUS WILL BE ON IMPLEMENTING A PILOTED AND VETTED FOUR-DAY RAIN GARDEN CURRICULUM CREATED IN 2016-17 BY THE PROGRAM. THE FINAL YEAR AND A HALF OF THE GRANT WILL FOCUS ON SUSTAINING TEACHER TRAINING EFFORTS IN THE COUNTIES AND INTRODUCING TEACHERS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO OTHER BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES (BMPS) RELATED TO WATER QUALITY SUCH AS CISTERN AND RETENTION POND INSTALLATION.THE BETC PROGRAM WAS CREATED IN 2010 AS A PILOT PROJECT IN DURHAM COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA. OVER THE PAST EIGHT YEARS, THE PROGRAM HAS PROVIDED MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN DURHAM WITH COMPREHENSIVE E-STEM (ENVIRONMENT, SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATH) LEARNING VIA LESSONS IN THE CLASSROOM, COMMUNITY PROJECTS, WORK EXPERIENCES FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS, AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS TO DEVELOP GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE JOB SKILLS.