Clean Water Day: A Celebration of VINS Founder, David Laughlin
May 17, 2025 / 10 AM – 5 PM
General Admission

Join us for a day-long celebration on May 17 honoring the environmental legacy of VINS Founder David Laughlin (February 17, 1940 – September 6, 2024). This family-friendly event celebrates all things clean water, beginning with the pivotal water quality efforts, led by Laughlin in the early 1970s, that transformed the Ottauquechee River and set new standards for environmental protection. From interactive wildlife programs and guided nature walks to hands-on water-themed activities, visitors of all ages will discover the incredible impact one person can have on preserving our natural world. Explore raptor programs, engage with stream ecology, and participate in fun games that bring environmental education to life. Come celebrate clean water, local wildlife, and the vision of a true environmental pioneer!

Event Schedule:

All-day activities (10:00AM – 4:00PM)

VINS History Photo Gallery (Neale Pavilion)
A self-guided tour through the history of VINS! Enjoy the stories and photographs posted near the entrance to the Neale Pavilion and learn more about how founder David Laughlin and others helped build the environmental organization we are today. 

Research at VINS (Neale Overhang)
Join VINS Researchers at an activity table with Rudi from the White River Partnership to learn about invasive rusty crayfish and participate in hands-on research.

Water Games (by August Pavilion).
Journey through the water cycle as a water droplet while discovering how much of Earth’s water is actually available for drinking.  Follow the flow of water downhill using our outdoor ramps!

Aquatic Wildlife (Canopy Walk)
Can you collect all the pieces of a healthy stream habitat so that your brook trout can survive?

Pop-up Play with Water! (Pop-up Corner)
Experiment with water, funnels and tubes with our mobile magnet wall.  What path can you design for the water to follow?

Life in the Pond (August Pavilion)
Our youngest visitors will love to get up close with real red-winged blackbird nests, turtle shells, and beaver-chewed sticks! Help complete our pond picture by adding animals to their habitats, then create your own mini pond habitat with natural materials. Learn where pond animals live – in the water or along the edges? Little ones will love our special puppet show and songs about pond friends!

Timed Programs:

10:30AM – 12:00PM: Guided Gorge Walk (Meet at the Nature Store)
Join watershed scientists with Dan “Rudi” Ruddell on a guided walk of the beautiful Ottaquechee Gorge whose waters helped inspire the founding of VINS. Learn all about water and the wildlife that depend on it as well as how we can keep it healthy and clean for generations to come.

11:00AM – 11:30AM: Predators of the Sky (Hawkfly)
Join us as we explore the natural world through the eyes of raptors. 

11:45AM – 12:45PM: Stories of David Laughlin (Neale Pavilion)
Join VINS Executive Director, Alden Smith, and special guests to hear inspiring stories about David Laughlin (February 17, 1940 – September 6, 2024), including his conservation achievement and the founding of VINS.

12:00PM – 3:00PM: Black River Action Team (Neale Overhang)
Meet Kelly Stettner from the Black River Action Team and learn about river macroinvertebrates.

12:30PM – 12:50PM: Songbird Aviary Tour (Songbird Aviary)
Meet the resident songbirds that call the aviary home. Learn all about these backyard species and how you can help their wild counterparts. 

1:00PM – 3:00PM: Exploring River Ecology with our Stream Table (August Pavilion)
Use the VINS Stream Table to model stream ecology and erosion on a fast time-scale. Experiment with water flow and sediment deposition, the safest places for human and animal habitats, where to build roads and culverts, and how to prevent erosion with the strategic planting of trees and sod. 

2:00PM – 2:30PM: Predators of the Sky (Hawkfly)
Join us as we explore the natural world through the eyes of raptors. 

2:30PM – 3:30PM: Guided Nature Walk (Meet by the Snowy Owl enclosures)
Join watershed scientist Dan “Rudi” Ruddell on a guided walk along the VINS trails. View the Ottauquechee River and Dewey’s pond from the observation platform, and learn all about how the land affects water and what ways we can protect our waterways. ADA accessible. 

2:30PM – 3:00PM: Raptor Feeding Time (Raptor Exhibits)
There is always a lot to learn from our resident avian ambassadors! Follow along as our resident raptors are given their dinner. Ask about their wild counterparts, their conservation, or their individual stories. 

3:30PM – 3:45PM: Hawk on the Walk (Canopy Walk)
Follow along as our VINS Staff guide our resident Harris Hawk as they fly between the branches above the canopy walk! (Weather dependent.)

For more information, contact us at 802.359.5000 or info@vinsweb.org.