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OUR MISSION |
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NEW FROM
THE ECHO BLOG |
DISCOVERING ECHO: AN INTERN'S PERSPECTIVE |
POSTED MAY 13 AT 3:28 PM |
The instructions… |
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EXHIBITS |
The unique, multidisciplinary integration of
Ecology, Culture, History, and
Opportunity for stewardship provides our guests with a powerful educational Lake stewardship message. |
It
has been quite a trip for Burlington’s Waterfront. First an
industrial port, then a Navy Reserve Training Center, and
now host to a park, several boating facilities, and
Vermont's premier Lake education resource — ECHO Lake
Aquarium and Science Center, at the Leahy Center for Lake
Champlain. ECHO embodies the vision and dedication of an
entire community, and our exhibits deliver a powerful
experience on the Waterfront every day. Exceeding our
experience goals depends on us continually improving,
updating, and investing in our exhibits.
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We are very clear about our mission: To educate and delight
people about the Ecology, Culture, History and Opportunities
for Stewardship of the Lake Champlain Basin. In fact, we are
so excited about our mission – we put it in our name. The
stewardship message in our exhibits engages our guests in
opportunities to understand and value living in the Basin,
take part in the dialogue about what is most important to
accomplish, and take action to produce a better tomorrow.
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The unique multidisciplinary integration of Ecology,
Culture, and History is a powerful educational approach.
Research demonstrates that we learn best when ideas are
presented with relevant, supporting information and we
employ a host of engagement techniques – including
listening, touching, watching, sharing, and other
strategies. We have extraordinary resources at hand – The
University of Vermont, Saint Michael and Champlain Colleges,
the Lake Champlain Basin Program – along with a host of
sister organizations and state and federal agencies. By
fully developing access to science through our unique
Ecology-Culture-History approach, we engage our guests in
the critical understanding of what science can and cannot do
and its role in helping us all to be better stewards of the
Basin.
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Exhibits are at the core of every Guest’s experience.
Without continual upgrades and new installations, our
presentation becomes stale and uninspiring. Our Guests are
sophisticated, and expect the very best in up-to-date
exhibits and a state-of-the-art, beautiful facility to
educate and delight them. They also expect us to provide the
latest in exciting programs and amenities they have grown
accustomed to in today’s highly competitive leisure-time
market. The ECHO experience is our most powerful asset for
reaching our stewardship goals.
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ECHO is grappling with how best to stay current and serve
the needs of a citizenry immersed in a rapidly changing
scientific environment. Every time we present a seasonal
theme, a new changing exhibit or issues arise in the
community – ECHO is prepared to facilitate a discussion of
both the societal issues raised by the science and the
science itself. Many of these issues are predictable – such
as blue-green algae in August or the sea lamprey in the
fall.
Through the help of our community, we have created a truly
extraordinary experience that delights and educates. But, if
barriers exist, whether they are financial, technological,
cultural, or geographic – and people do not visit or engage
– we have not met the needs of our New York, Quebec, and
Vermont Basin community nor reached our potential. To
address these barriers, we have created the
ECHO Open Door
Program that reduces admission and offers programs that
purposively address audience social and educational needs.
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1.802.864.1848
