Project: Baby Turtles Exhibit and Wildlife Kayak Exhibit
Client: ECHO, Leahy Center Lake Champlain
Role: Art director and designer on exhibit design layout and environmental graphics
As Creative Director for ECHO, a science and nature museum in downtown Burlington, Vermont, I am part of the in-house exhibits team. We wanted to create a new area for our baby soft-shell turtle display where people could find them more easily and make it a highlight to our Animal Care area. ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain is proud to partner with the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department to give spiny softshell turtles a “headstart” on life in Lake Champlain. ECHO provides care over the winter for neonate turtles that were ‘extracted’ from their nests prematurely by predators, or neonates that were extracted or naturally emerged late in the fall when cold temperatures put them at grave risk if left on the beaches. Visitors can see the turtles in our viewing tank as well as see the turtles hatch in the incubation area during certain times throughout the year.
For the Kayak Adventure, we wanted to create a new interactive that felt like an immersive kayaking adventure through the Missisquoi Wildlife Refuge. Visitors can paddle their way down the river — 6,700 acres of protected wetland and wildlife habitat. The interactive notebook asks guest to play the role of citizen scientist and count how many birds and turtles they see and observe their behavior.
