Strategic Plan 2030

Home » About ECHO » Strategic Plan 2030

BELOW IS OUR STRATEGIC PLAN 2025-30 OR VIEW PDF VERSION HERE.

Welcome: When you walk through ECHO’s front doors, you aregreeted by a familiar scene — the sounds of exuberant school children weaving their way through the museum, the woosh and whirl of dozens of interactive exhibits, the sight of parent and child sitting in awe before a lake sturgeon or spiny softshell turtle, and above all, the feel of well-loved community space. It can be hard to remember that thirty years ago, this scene was just a community dream. In 1991, a citizen advisory committee tasked with finding the highest and best use of public land on the Burlington Waterfront envisioned a museum where all people could explore science and connect to their local ecosystem. The realization of this dream began with a small pilot museum in space borrowed from the U.S. Naval Reserve. Known then as the Lake Champlain Science Center, we opened in 1995 and welcomed more than 33,000 people that first year. Over the next eight years, ECHO’s Board, in partnership with the City of Burlington and Senator Leahy’s office, went about the hard work of transforming the old Naval Reserve into the science museum and lake aquarium we know today. ECHO’s new home, the Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, jubilantly opened its doors in 2003. Today, our exhibits, programs, and collection of native aquatic animals reach more than 160,000 people annually, including 16,000 members, 7,500 school group visitors, 20,000 reduced-or free-admission guests, and 10,000 students, teachers, and families through our rural outreach program. ECHO has come a long way from our humble roots as a pop-up in the old U.S. Naval Reserve. We have engaged an incredible 3.5 million people over our three decades, operating 360 days per year and traveling all over Vermont. And though much has grown and changed–renovated exhibits and spaces, expanded early childhood programming, an embrace of STEM, a turtle head start program, the addition of an outreach program–our foundational values remain unchanged. We are a public place where all are welcome and belong. We are committed to environmental and institutional sustainability. And we are a non-profit that acts in partnership with and in service to our community. Guided by these values, we chart our next five years. We are delighted and honored to continue this journey with you. DEIA STATEMENT Fundamental to the delivery of our mission and interactions with the world is the celebration of diversity, the drive for equity and accessibility, and the cultivation of belonging.

ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain: Vermont’s Science & Nature Museum on the Burlington Waterfront

Search for:

Plan Your Visit
Events & Programs
Join & Support
Animals & Exhibits
About ECHO
- Mission
- Strategic Plan
- People
- Open Door
- Campus
- News
- Jobs

1-802-864-1848
info@echovt.org
1 College St., Burlington, VT 05401
Lake Temp: / Air:

About Us

ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain is a 501(c) non-profit organization. ECHO’s mission is to inspire and engage families in the joy of scientific discovery, wonder of nature, and care of Lake Champlain.

What are your pronouns? ECHO is dedicated to creating a safe space where equity and diversity are sought and celebrated. All staff wear name tags with their pronouns. All visitors should feel welcome letting ECHO Staff know their pronouns.

Find Us

Address: 1 College St., Burlington, VT 05401
Phone: 1.802.864.1848
Toll-Free: 1.877.324.6386
E-mail: info@echovermont.org
Hours: 10 am-5 pm Daily

Sign up for e-Newsletter

Name
First Last
Email*
Phone
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Home
Jobs
Privacy Policy
Terms of Use

Scroll to Top