"Beluga Whale Dig!" Expands ECHO's Geology Focus- New Exhibit to Open February 25, 2006

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: February 21, 2006
Contact: Steven Leibman
sleibman@echovermont.org
(802) 864-1848 ext. 125

"Beluga Whale Dig!" Expands ECHO's Geology Focus - New Exhibit Opens
February 25, 2005

BURLINGTON, VT -- Beluga whales, right here in the Champlain Basin? ECHO
Lake Aquarium and Science Center visitors can prove it when they become
paleontologists - with goggles, scraper and brush - and unearth recreated
whale bones in ECHO's new dig site. This earthy exhibit is in the expanded
"Before the Basin" geology area.

But how do we know whales once swam where cows now roam? In 1849, a railroad
crew in Charlotte, Vermont, unearthed a beluga whale in 10 feet of blue
clay. Since the discovery of "Charlotte" - who now resides at the University
of Vermont's Perkins Geology Museum - more than 20 beluga skeletons have
been discovered in Vermont, New York, Ontario and Quebec. These
extraordinary creatures lived during the Ice Age in the predecessor to Lake
Champlain, the Champlain Sea.

ECHO admission is $6-$9, children under 3 are free. Winter hours (through
March 31): Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; closed Mondays except for
February 27.

To view and download high resolution photographs related to this exhibit,
please visit Downloadable Photos.


ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center is located at the Leahy Center for
Lake Champlain on the Burlington Waterfront. ECHO features over 60 species
of live fish, amphibians, invertebrates, and reptiles, with more than 100
hands-on exhibits, and hosts traveling exhibits several times a year. The
2.6 acre site is also highlighted by the Lake Champlain Navy Memorial. For
more information on ECHO, please visit our website at www.echovermont.org, call Toll-Free 1-877-ECHOFUN, or write to
ECHO, One College Street, Burlington, VT 05401.