Baby Turtle Headstart Exhibit

A Nursery for Lake Champlain's Turtles

This camera looks directly into the headstart tank at the ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, a science center and aquarium on Burlington's waterfront. The exhibit rears neonate turtles that were removed from their nests as eggs or hatchlings, giving them a protected place to grow through their first vulnerable months.

Two Species of Conservation Concern

The tank holds eastern spiny softshell turtles and northern map turtles, both native to the lake and both of conservation concern in Vermont. Viewers can watch the young turtles bask on the stone-covered platform or glide through the water in their carefully tended enclosure.

A Partnership With Vermont Fish & Wildlife

ECHO runs the program with Vermont Fish & Wildlife, and its Animal Care Team tends the turtles through the colder months. Cohorts raised here are released back into Lake Champlain each June, part of a long-running effort that has returned hundreds of turtles to the wild.

Live Science in Action

The feed offers an up-close look at hands-on wildlife stewardship, letting anyone follow the daily rhythm of an active aquarium exhibit and the small reptiles at the heart of a Vermont headstart success story.