The East Rift Valley National Scenic Area Administration under the Tourism Bureau, Ministry of Transportation and Communications received a stunning 3,000 registrations for the East Rift Valley Butterfly and Firefly Ecological Tours held between April 1 and May 6, 2017. The number of fireflies also reached a peak during this time, adorning the sky with their sparkling lights. Hung Tung-Tao, Acting Director of the Administration, invited the public to join the upcoming “East Rift Valley Firefly Party” at Liyu Lake and spend some wonderful time with the little insects.
The children and parents of the graduation classes from Angels Kindergarten, Grace Kindergarten, and Sanlifang Kindergarten attended the Administration's ecological tours, making this year's firefly season more special. Principal of Angels Kindergarten Liu Chu-Kuan said that in the West, children often learn to appreciate nature through everyday life. It is wonderful that volunteers took children to learn about the lake's ecology and what they can do to protect the environment. The other participants also acknowledged the quality of the tours. “The volunteers did a good job explaining the area's ecology.” “Press on! I look forward to seeing more such tours held!” “It was wonderful. I will come here again next year.” “Thank you for the good conservation work.” Much encouragement and acknowledgment was received.
Director Hung said that the Liyu Lake Environmental Education Center acquired government certification on December 2, 2016. This allows it to hold a nighttime observation class this year. The class is highly popular because civil servants can earn learning credits in environmental education by attending it. From April 1 to 18, 2017, 301 people already attended the class, and 83 of them earned the learning credits. As many as 2,879 people also attended the firefly-watching tours. The volunteer guides gave such detailed, professional introductions to the insects and the surroundings that many participants said they wanted to cherish nature more after the tours, beyond learning about the local ecology. Again, members of the public, young and old, are cordially invited to appreciate the dazzling lights of fireflies by the lake at night soon.
For many years, the Administration has been devoted to preserving the environment around the Liyu Lake Trail. The trail is not just beautiful during the day. At night, visitors can hear the sounds of croaking frogs and buzzing insects. At the turn of spring and summer, why not join our unique “East Rift Valley Firefly Party” to learn more about ecological conservation!