[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 139 (Wednesday, August 5, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4936-S4937]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   RECOGNIZING THE STAFF OF ECHO, THE LEAHY CENTER FOR LAKE CHAMPLAIN

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, as the coronavirus pandemic continues and 
in some places worsens, every business and public institution faces 
significant challenges. These entities must make hard choices, adapt 
quickly, and ultimately find the balance between the safety of their 
employees and those they serve and their ability to keep their doors 
open. The leadership and staff of one Vermont nonprofit, ECHO, Leahy 
Center for Lake Champlain, has been a model of perseverance, 
creativity, and commitment to serving

[[Page S4937]]

the community during the COVID-19 pandemic, finding creative ways to 
bring their important programing and resources to the public.
  The center, located in Burlington, VT is dedicated to educating 
people of all ages and abilities about science, the natural 
environment, and the importance of protecting the Lake Champlain 
watershed and others like it. Recognizing the importance of equitable 
access to achieving this mission, the center utilizes several programs 
that break down financial barriers to its facilities and ensures that 
these educational opportunities are available to all. Most years see 
more than 167,000 visitors to this award-winning, LEED-certified 
facility on the Burlington shores of Lake Champlain. Visitors of all 
ages come to experience over 100 interactive exhibits and 70 different 
species of fish, amphibians, and reptiles that inhabit the ecosystem we 
call home.
  When COVID-19 began to spread throughout the northeast, the center, 
like so many businesses and facilities, was forced to close its doors 
to the public. But though they were unable to welcome visitors into the 
physical location, the center's dedicated staff were undeterred. After 
closing their doors on March 14, the staff drew on their considerable 
skills to quickly adapt to the new remote environment, offering a range 
of online learning tools, including educational videos, instructions 
for at-home science experiments, and live video feeds of animal 
exhibits in order to support local schools and families. They even 
continued remote programming for adults. including legislative updates 
on water quality work through the Clean Water Network and an LGBTQIA 
panel discussion during Pride Week. Some staff took it upon themselves, 
wearing masks of course, to stealthily clean out the shelves of the 
gift shop and set up remote centers of commerce from their own homes. 
Animal care staff reported to work without interruption, and the 
turtles and fish and frogs that call ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake 
Champlain home, thrived, all while missing their human visitors.
  Having helped with our State's great success in curtailing the spread 
of the virus, ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain reopened to members 
on June 29 and to all guests on July 4, with extensive health and 
sanitary guidelines in place. Just as they were reopening, the center 
even hosted a wedding on just a few minutes notice, after staff spotted 
a well-dressed couple looking for a spot on the Burlington waterfront 
and invited them in for the ceremony.
  Lake Champlain is one of Vermont's greatest natural treasures, and it 
has always been a priority of mine to preserve its beauty and the 
ecosystem it supports, which in turn provides an irreplaceable 
foundation for our state's economy. I am proud that all Vermonters can 
look to ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain for opportunities to 
instill a passion for scientific discovery, preservation of natural 
resources, and stewardship of the Lake Champlain basin in the hearts 
and minds people young and old, even during a pandemic. I especially 
thank the staff at the center for their resilience, adaptability, 
innovation, and unwavering commitment to continuing this important 
work.

                          ____________________