Dear Mr. and Mrs. Svitek,

I would like to take this moment to thank you very much for the opportunity to put so much time into this internship. During the Spring of ’05 I was looking into applying for several internships for this past summer. After applying for and receiving the Kate Svitek Memorial Scholarship, I realized that my hope of doing a great internship had become a reality. ECHO at the Leahy Center for Lake Champlain is a non-profit, premier museum and science center which focuses on the Ecology, Culture, History and Opportunities for Stewardship (ECHO) in the Lake Champlain Basin. Located on the Burlington Waterfront, on the shores of Lake Champlain, it was the perfect place to continue my studies in environmental education and wildlife conservation.

At ECHO, I was one of three education interns who had a plethora of tasks and goals set before us for this summer. Working in the education department I was involved in the first ever ECHO “Eyes on Earth” Summer Day Camp, which partnered with the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts. The camp had two separate sections, week 1 was 6-8 year olds, and week 2 was 8-10 year olds. These two weeks were full of fun and science exploration.

The rest of my summer was spent educating the public on some of the threatened species that live in the Lake Champlain Basin. I presented daily animal demos using our animal ambassadors, mainly the painted turtle and the wood turtle. I also helped to interpret and present exhibits to the public and summer camp groups. These exhibits included the Champlain Sea saltwater touch tank and other various exhibits around the museum. I also worked to develop and implement ECHO Encounters which are educational and fun activities for kids to do while at ECHO.

My main project for the summer was to develop a new set of "ECHO Treks." These are scavenger hunts that school children use to explore the museum by finding the answers. I wrote twelve ECHO Treks in total, 4 for each of the grade ranges (2-4, 4-6, 6-8). Each trek had a theme which goes along with ECHO’s slogan; Ecology, Culture, History and Opportunities for Stewardship.

I want to thank you again for this amazing opportunity. I feel that I have made a positive impact on the visitors and shown them what positive things they can do to make the Lake Champlain Basin a better place for all living creatures.

Sincerely,
Gwendolyn Lyons