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Wide World of Lakes Exhibit and Programs at ECHO

Using a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) New England Office, LakeNet teamed up with ECHO at the Leahy Center for Lake Champlain and the Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP) to create "Wide World of Lakes," an interactive, hands-on exhibit at Lake Champlain’s science center and lake aquarium in Burlington, Vermont.

The results of the cooperative project are a unique collection of educational activities that explore the physical, cultural, and ecological diversity of lakes around the world and demonstrate the critical importance of clean water to life on our planet.

The centerpiece of the new exhibit is a user-friendly workbench designed by Stu McGowan and Paul Henninge of Burlington, Vermont. The prototype includes a video of interviews with people from many nations discussing the economic and sociological importance of lakes in their part of the world. The exhibit highlights the diversity of lakes around the world – including ancient lakes, glacial lakes, salt lakes and alpine lakes.

LakeNet also worked with LCBP staff to enhance the information available about the world’s lakes in the Lake Champlain Resource Room at ECHO. This is in addition to the permanent "Global Connections" exhibit featuring a large, spinning globe and artifacts from LakeNet trips and exchanges. As part of the US EPA-funded project, LakeNet will be working with its partners on Lake Champlain to map out a strategy for future collaboration and international activities.

ECHO contains more than 60 species of live animals, surrounded by more than 100 hands-on exhibits. The nearly 30,000 square-foot facility, situated on the shores of Lake Champlain, has drawn more than 160,000 visitors in its first year of operation. The LCBP is a federal, state and local initiative to restore and protect Lake Champlain and its surrounding watershed for future generations. LakeNet has worked in partnership with the LCBP since 1997 and signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with ECHO in 2003.

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Updates

8/1/2006 - New World Lakes Poster and Student Work Sheets Available: "ECHO'S NEWTon Takes a Spin: Lake Champlain to the World's Lakes!"
Follow ECHO's mascot NEWTon as he visits the world's lakes! NEWTon, a red-spotted newt native to the Lake Champlain Basin, learns a lot about world lakes through his travels. Share in his journey through pictures and activities in four subject areas: science, math, language arts, and social studies. This series was created through a partnership among LakeNet, ECHO at the Leahy Center for Lake Champlain and the LCBP with funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

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Documents

I want to provide feedback on a posted draft document.

ECHO'S NEWTon Takes a Spin: Lake Champlain to the World's Lakes!  Online Resource. LCBP, LakeNet and ECHO. English. 3/1/2006.

News Release - LakeNet Teams with Lake Champlain Partners on New Exhibit at ECHO  News Release. Final. 10/18/2004.

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Participating Lakes

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Participating Organizations

The following organizations are participating in this program:

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