ECHO FACTS

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ECHO NAME

ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center at the Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, formerly the Lake Champlain Basin Science Center, has been renamed as well as rebuilt. The new name reflects the Ecology, Culture, History and Opportunity of the Lake Champlain Basin - the core mission of the new lake aquarium, science center, and community resource - as well as recognizing Senator Patrick Leahy for his longstanding commitment to this project and the stewardship of Lake Champlain and its watershed.

LEED CERTIFIED GREEN BUILDING

The building designed by Smith-Alvarez-Sienkiewycz Architects, a Burlington architecture firm that specializes in public buildings, is an amazing example of sustainable design strategies. Design, construction and operation of the new building follow stringent guidelines of the national LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System™. ECHO is the first building in the state of Vermont to receive LEED Certification by the US Green Building Council located in Washington, DC. The building draws as much as possible on local materials, state-of-the-art energy-saving operations, optimum efficiency equipment, and environmentally friendly materials. Within all areas of operation - from animal care and office management to gift shop products and food services - ECHO follows environmentally-friendly practices. The building utilizes a facility-wide digital control system, fiber optic day lighting, a solar thermal system for water heating, auto dimming fluorescent lights, recycled content materials, with human and lake-friendly products throughout.

EXHIBITS

Boston-based exhibit designer, Amaze Design, Inc. has developed the ECHO experience which interprets the ecological, geological, biological, and cultural history of the Lake Champlain Basin and includes Awesome Forces Theater (800 million years compressed into 6 minutes of crashing, flashing, caving glaciers and continental collision!), a water-play space for kids to build dams and float boats, and an Atlantic tide pool touch tank with periwinkle snails, horseshoe crabs, sea stars, anemones and urchins. Young visitors may enjoy the working miniature lighthouse or pop in on a painted turtle in Discovery Place, while other kids may control a high-tech underwater adventure as they get a glimpse of the replica historic General Butler shipwreck. From Abenaki story-telling to the dynamics of Lake Champlain's underwater wave the ECHO adventure immerses guests in the sights, sounds, smells and feel of past and present life in the Basin. A series of special touring exhibits are showcased in the changing exhibit gallery three times a year.

COMMUNITY RESOURCE

As a community resource, ECHO offers exceptional meeting, conference and recreation spaces. A second story balcony with beautiful views of the lake, a café, gift shop and multiple meeting rooms next to the live animal exhibitions are available for a wide range of public or private social and business functions before, during and after hours. Outdoor spaces, as extensions of the Burlington Waterfront Park, also provide options for community events.

CAPITAL CAMPAIGN

The $14.5 million project has been ten years in the making. Under the leadership of board chair, Sarah Muyskens, and capital campaign co-chairs, George E. Little, Jr. and Daniel Feeney, the organization is approaching the final stages of reaching its goal. Approximately half of the funds came from the federal government through the efforts of Senator Leahy. J. Warren and Lois McClure contributed $2.5 million, two anonymous gifts totaled another $1.5 million, and Bob and Cynthia Hoehl made a substantial gift as well. The remaining funds came from family and business supporters throughout the Basin.

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