On 25th and 26th November 2021 in Siemczyno, as part of the Project, workshops “Measures for the protection of the habitat of water-crowfoots rivers implemented in the Drawa basin under LIFE13 NAT/PL/000009, LIFEDrawaPL as an example of good practice in the restoration of gravel-bottom rivers” took place. The workshop was attended by a total of 51 representatives of institutions from all over Poland, including representatives of local governments, PGW WP, PGL LP, universities, parks, NGOs and the private sector. Workshop participants also largely represented other ongoing LIFE projects.
The workshop began with a field trip, during which the participants could see three objects created as part of the project, i.e. the fish pass at MEW Koleśno on the Drawa, a bottom ramp leveling the threshold on the Drawa in Złocieniec and the circulation canal of the weir in Głęboczek. Later in the first day of the meeting, a referee session was held.
The first one to speak was prof. dr hab. eng. Robert Czerniawski (University of Szczecin, Institute of Biology), who explained on many levels what a river is and why we need to care for it. Then, dr hab. eng. Zbigniew Popek (SGGW, Multiconsult Polska) presented a paper discussing good practices in conducting maintenance works. In the next presentation, Artur Furdyna – representative of RDOŚ in Szczecin, discussed various environmental problems identified in the Drawa basin and the effects of remedial actions carried out under the LIFEDrawaPL Project.
After a short coffee break, dr hab. eng. Piotr Dębowski (IRŚ in Olsztyn) explained the need to build a fish pass at the EW Kamienna and presented the results of monitoring studies confirming its functionality. The next speaker, Mr Józef Jeleński, unfortunately did not come to the workshop, so Artur Furdyna spoke on his behalf about the spawning grounds carried out as part of the Project on the rivers: Grabowa, Radew and Drawa, as an example of good practice in the restoration of gravel-bottom rivers. The session ended with a speech by Ilona Biedroń (Multiconsult Polska) entitled “Good condition of waters and ecosystems dependent on them – a common goal and possible paths of cooperation to improve the ecological status of Polish waters”.
After a joint photo, the workshop’s participants could also visit the nearby baroque palace in Siemczyno.
For the second day of the workshop only field sessions were planned. The visit began with a presentation of project activities carried out on the Korytnica River, ie two fish passes built in Sówka and Jaźwiny and rapids built below Jaźwin and at the mouth of the Korytnica to the Drawa in Bogdanka. On the way to the next facility, courtesy of the DNP, we visited the “Water World” exhibition located at the IT point in Głusk.
The next item on the agenda was the Project’s flagship fish pass at EW Kamienna, where the workshop participants also learned about a nationwide innovative barrier directing the smolt flowing down the river to the fish pass entrance. The field session ended with the presentation of the sequence of riffles located on the Drawa below the Sucha estuary.
Despite the relatively low temperatures, the weather was good during the workshops, and during the backstage talks. The participants shared their experience, which was undoubtedly an additional positive effect of the workshops.