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NEW FROM
THE ECHO BLOG |
ARE THERE FISH IN YOUR BEER? |
POSTED JANUARY 18 AT 5:00 PM |
As a craft beer lover and avid home brewer I was thrilled… |
READ MORE + |
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ABOUT
ECHO |
ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center, at the Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, educates and delights people about the
Ecology, Culture, History, and
Opportunity for stewardship of the Lake Champlain Basin. |
GUIDING PRINCIPLES
We are committed to the highest scientific integrity in
everything we say and do. We are not an advocacy organization,
but rather one that presents facts and ideas from a neutral and
unbiased perspective, allowing individuals to learn and develop
their own positions. The goal is to allow individuals to develop
informed and educated decisions, thereby creating a better
future for the Lake and the Basin.
ECHO NAME
The Lake Champlain Basin Science Center was rebuilt and
renamed in 2003 to ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center, at the
Leahy Center for Lake Champlain. The new name is both an acronym
reflecting our core mission and vision, as well as recognizing
U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy and his wife, Marcelle, for their
longstanding commitment to this project and the stewardship of
Lake Champlain and its watershed.
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ECHO VISION
Ecology
All people, animals, plants, and organisms in the Basin are
interrelated and connected to each other and to their
environments. Environmental science remains at the core of our
exhibits, programs, and activities.
Culture
Human knowledge, beliefs, and behavior are profoundly affected
by the surroundings, and likewise our behaviors affect our
environs. Continued growth and progress in improving our
environment comes from lifelong learning at all levels.
History
We gain knowledge from sharing, recording, and explaining
important events from our past. Decisions today should be made
with the advantage of knowledge of the events and decisions of
the past. What has happened in the past echoes to the present
and to our future.
Opportunity
We have a responsibility to learn from the past and project a
vision of a future that invites us to improve the Basin we live
in through individual and collective environmental stewardship.
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EXHIBITS
Boston-based exhibit designer Amaze Design, Inc. originally
developed the ECHO experience, which interprets the ecological,
geological, biological, and cultural history of the Lake
Champlain Basin. Permanent exhibits include the multimedia
Awesome Forces Theater,
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.
More recent permanent exhibits include Voices
For The Lake, INDIGENOUS
EXPRESSIONS: Native Peoples of the Lake Champlain Basin, Be
a Watershed Basin Reporter TV studio,
FrogWorld, and
the Beluga Whale
Dig. From Abenaki storytelling 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. Major changing
exhibits are showcased in the exhibit space several
times a year. |
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COMMUNITY RESOURCE
As a community resource, ECHO offers exceptional meeting,
conference, and recreation spaces. A second story balcony
with beautiful views of the Lake, multiple meeting rooms next
to the live animal exhibitions, and our ecology-themed ECHO
Café 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.
FOUNDING CAPITAL CAMPAIGN
ECHO was built thanks to a capital
campaign that was 10 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 raised $14.5 million and the current
building opened in 2003. Approximately half of the funds
came from the federal government through the efforts of
Senator Patrick Leahy. Leadership gifts included a $2.5
million gift from J. Warren and Lois McClure, two anonymous
gifts, and a significant donation by Bob and Cynthia Hoehl.
The remaining funds were generously contributed by
individuals, foundations and businesses throughout the
Basin. Check out our donor wall in the ECHO lobby for a
complete list of all of the donors who made this vision a
reality!
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1.802.864.1848
