Ken & I were proud to attend the International Firefly Symposium in Gaia, Portugal in June 2022, sponsored by Fireflyers International Network (FIN). We had been waiting for 2 years for the opportunity which was delayed during the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns and travel restrictions. Since 2012, we have learned more about fireflies than we ever thought we would need to know. We've learned about the biology of fireflies, ecology, conservation, and the issues concerning ecotourism thanks to the help of firefly researchers and expert authors like Lynn Faust, Sarah Lower, Avalon Owens, and of course Sara Lewis. So, we were honored to be asked to present at this year's IFS about firefly tourism in Pennsylvania.
Portugal as a country is very special. The cities of Porto and Villa Nova de Gaia are beautiful and historic. The terraced landscapes along the Duro river were breathtaking. We enjoyed meeting the people, eating the food, especially the seafood, and drinking the vinho.
The FIN/IFS held at the Parque Biologico de Gaia was three days of presentations and exhibits on firefly ecology, behavior, taxonomy, phylogeny, genetics, conservation, citizen science, art, and society. It sounds very heavy and scientific, but surprisingly inspirational and enlightening!
The IFS was mainly a chance for us to meet other researchers and firefly experts from around the world that we couldn't pass up. Our presentation titled "Pennsylvania Firefly Tourism: Be Careful What You Wish For" was well received by the audience, but we took away much more than we gave. We met over 70 people from across the US, North, Central and South America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Most impressive were the young students who presented and exhibited posters. PAFF was among the sponsors that helped the students with travel stipends so they could attend the IFS. The most amazing thing that stood out for us was that even though we had just met most of these people for the first time in person (many we knew by name or from virtual meetings), we became fast friends all because of a little lightning bug. We will have many fond memories to look back on, but now we look forward to Mexico City in 2025!
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