Lamprey Day: getting to know the natural values of the Salaca

On 10 October, Salacgrīva and Svētciems celebrated the traditional Lamprey Day, honouring the craft of lamprey fishing, its masters and, of course, the lampreys themselves. During the festival, the LIFE IS SALACA project team of the Nature Conservation Agency, together with representatives of the North Vidzeme Biosphere Reserve, could be found in Svētciems by the lamprey weir, offering visitors educational activities about the Salaca River and the natural values of the “Salacas ieleja” (Salaca Valley) Nature Park.

Festival visitors could test their knowledge and discover something new about the inhabitants of the Salaca River and its banks by taking part in various educational games. Visitors found out in which habitats different plants, birds, mammals, fish and invertebrates live, and learned to tell apart the aquatic plants growing in the shallower and deeper parts of the river. There was an opportunity to get to know the aquatic plants found in the Salaca, to locate the river’s tributaries and notable sights in the Salaca River basin on a map, and to learn about the life cycle of the mayfly. Particular attention was paid to water quality – participants found out which aquatic organisms indicate good water quality and which point to its deterioration. Participants could test their attentiveness and memory by playing a themed memory game, and their dexterity by correctly assembling fish figurines.