i forgot to mention stringy algae only grows in still water a solar pump make rock river on slope and waterfall enough to give movement to water surface will make a massive difference and airate water so it won't stink etc
ALGAE: 1st choice: A solar powered air pump to aerate the water will significantly reduce fresh water algae. 2nd choice: mechanical agitation of the water. You can find videos on how Thailand does it. COOLING: I think that NE Portugal has dry hot seasons, and a solar powered "swamp" (evaporation) cooler will work well. I had one on my last house. It does cool really well, but creates high humidity in the room. WATER: My house uses a solar water system. It is simple: a tank up high, a solar panel, a pump (I use an RO water filter pump), and a float switch in the tank. It runs for years without maintenance. I have an old video on it. Contact me if you have questions. DRINKING WATER: I have built solar powered drinking water systems with off the shelf parts. I also have some demos on the result. Write if you want details.
Just a tip from the home of the Eucalypts- every vehicle needs a large, thick, 100% wool blanket. If you are overrun by the bushfire while evacuating, use the blanket to shield the occupants from the radiant heat, for a greatly increased chance of survival. Also, no synthetic clothing in fire season, because "shrink wrap".
I feel like they have the resources to go and buy some actual wildfire shelters, which would increase their likelihood of survival greatly compared to a wool blanket when properly deployed.
Also, you keep going to high places to look at the fire. Please remember a fire will burn faster uphill. This is because the flames can easily reach more unburnt fuel in front of the fire. Radiant heat pre-heats the fuel in front of the fire, making the fuel even more flammable. For every 10˚ slope, the fire will double its speed. If you need to escape a wild fire do not go higher.
Fellow Aussie here, Eucalypts isn't native to the EU region but we all know how quick and unpredictable our bushfire can be. It's 100% worth looking up some of our bushfire safety guide Post-2019/2020 Black Summer bushfire. It might be a good idea to form a clearing around the land/roads to prevent cinders/falling branches from blocking the roads?
Wool is awesome! I volunteer for a local art supply reuse charity as a specialty fabric expert. The way we tell real wool from plastic fakes is to try to light it on fire (yes, really. There's a fire extinguisher on stand by). Real wool almost never ignites (though I've seen a few wool/cotton blends do it, as cotton is an ideal wick) it just sorta smoulders and turns black. It's really easy to get in Europe, as it's almost a waste product now. That's because even though lamb meat has stayed popular, wool has gone mostly out of fashion, but the sheep still need to be sheared (they can get tangles, matts, skin tears, infections, and even maggots living in their skin if they don't get their haircuts on time). It's really easy to get wool insulation now for not a lot of money, which helps fireproof buildings and cars in areas like Portugal. Plus, it's 100% natural and often organic, so it simply biodegrades over time, returning to the Earth. If possible, try to get alpaca wool, though I know sheep is a lot more common in your part of the world. Alpaca wool is even more fire-resistant than sheep wool, plus it's warmer and softer. We have a lot of it here in North America where I live (Alpacas are from South America, but domesticated alpacas are common here. Along with wool production, they protect other livestock from predators, and have been known to actually kick coyotes and coy-wolves to death)
For the lagoon, just add plants. Floating plants; jacints,water lettuce, lotus... river plants; rush, water lilies cattails. Just 1/3 or of the pond for them to live..... They will consume all the nutrients on the water and starve the algae. (Root plants are much better at absorving nitrates than algae)
Jacints are invasive plants. They should not be brought in. Its a river, not an artificial lake. Guadiana river and Vouga river all damaged beyhond repair.
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algae_eater#:~:text=Some%20of%20the%20known%20types,algae%2C%20detritus%2C%20and%20microalgae. Could be another way... Of course using local animals.
@@trevorfletcher1315 Adding fish will make things more complex, they add nitrates to the water (poop), so really they would make the problem worst. Not thay they will live in there, as it is now, they will die from lack of oxigen.
Hi, guys. I live close by (on the other side of the river) and I was waiting for this video as soon as the fire started. It was a miracle ❤ I'm glad you are ok. I felt it so fuckin close this time and it was like this all my life. 2005, 2012, 2017, well... It will always be complicated. For the people that are watching fron outside: we have too many mimosas and eucaliptus. Not only in Project Camp but in the whole area and country. It's a big business here and there is no interest in cleaning the forest, have enough firefighters or buy planes (yes, we rented it to Spain or borrow from others contries 😅) . We can only keep planting some trees and try to join some neighbors forces - they will save us. It's everything that portuguese people are doing for years. About the mold: I would love to have better news but the it's our best friend in the area. There's too much humidity in the winter and i never saw anything that could resist more than granite. As you see in the village, the older buildings are granite for a reason. Keep investing in the ruins. The licence process it's a mess but worth it in the long term. I would love to visit you one day. Be safe!
Underrated comment from someone so close to the Project. I hope you find ways of implementing better forestry practices. If the land were managed with thought towards common interest, proper forests would be cultivated in place of timber plantations.
It's not underrated. It's the true about Portugal. The people in the land can transform it in many ways but there is still a lot of mimosas around. Have you check the road on the video, where they tell us how full of vegetation are? It's much more difficult to control that people think.
Best management trick I can share from 15 years in software development; keep people up and running, but swap out their projects. If video makers are struggling with burnout, find something else for them to do and alternate weeks on and off video making. Hiving time off and something to do during that time off can help renew the energy without having to onboard entirely new people.
@@inMuro I agree! It might mean installing an additional solar array, but so worthwhile for morale. A mini-split would also be a great investment for year-round livability.
@@daylen577 a small aircon just to reduce humidity and dust will also assist the tech to have longer life. Even in deployed militaries this is normal. A dc directly solar powered aircon run from panels on the office roof would go a long way
I appreciate the transparency and honesty in regards to safety. It was never my intention to dogpile you guys with my previous chainsaw comment, and despite that y’all took it in stride and are seeking to improve standards. It’s very refreshing! You guys are great, keep going! And just one more thing, I’m not sure how litigious Portugal is, but speaking as an American it worries me a bit you don’t consider volunteer campers using your equipment on your property for your projects ‘your responsibility’ if they get injured. I just want to point that out because from my understanding that warrants suing your organization for negligence. I really don’t want this project to be cut short because of something like that, that would be genuinely terrible 😭 I actually love y’all 🫶
i have zero knowledge of litigation, nor chainsaws, but just wanted to point out to you and others americans watching: suing for negligence doesn't really happen in europe. it's more something we see in american movies! doesn't prove you wrong at all, but just wanted to give this cultural background to what you're seeing
@@inMuro Yes. You're less likely to sue but a company will at the very least be given a fine. And be forced to prove that they fixed the mistake before they can resume operations. Not to mention the bad publicity any kind of an accident would cause... And suits do happen occasionally (companies are usually insured for this reason), not saying they are won like in the us. But it can be costly either way.
They talk about being "more" safe - but the consistent feedback was for anyone using a chainsaw, to wear safety pants/chaps - in order to avoid an injury that could cause death. Death. And yet I have not seen anyone wearing this particular safety gear ever. And then the casual question "Should we be more strict?" The answer - Yes, you should be more strict. But it seems that they won't be. I guess we'll see if someone dies.
@@inMuro in the UK if someone on project kamp died in a chainsaw accident they would be looking at corporate manslaughter charges, they are an organisation that have volunteers working on their land/project and have no risk assessments (or no valid risk assesments if they allow chainsaw use like that). Saying they cannot force people to use the gear is incorrect and again in the uk she would risk personal charges if that was used as evidence of her lax attitude towards safety.
Project kamp, when the fires are down start a tree nursery with more fire resilient trees. The more trees you plant now the faster you guys can chop down the last mimosa trees. Technically you can already chop down all the mimosas but you wouldn’t have any shade left. It easily takes at least 15 years before a tree gives some (useful) shades. If you do it the natural way it will take even longer. You can buy trees, but with the size of the land buying that many trees is very expensive. Because u easily need a couple of thousands of trees. When you chop down a mimosa tree and turn it into mulch, mix it well with dirt, otherwise you have nice flammable pathways with mimosa trees laying on the ground, connecting all the important stuff around the kamp. In the meantime i hope everything is going well with you guys.
I've also been thinking that a (native, fire resistant) tree nursery would be a good idea. Perhaps it could become a long-term revenue stream once you have your land planted with them, or you could offer them to neighbors to create more buffer around your land.
Glad to see Dave back! I remember the first few videos when it rained for weeks and it was just Dave on the land in his van, wondering what the hell he had got into, then Rita arrived and everyone else!
@@stellaweaver79 good point! We don’t see her much. I think she lives in the middle land with Dave. They are original members and I think they let the newer group be in the videos more!
Algae is all about excess nutrients and light. An easy fix is often to add additional things that take in nutrients. The easy way to do this could be to add loads of plants! Local pond plants planted around the edges of the lagoon. You could just add a floating duckweed (something locally native of course) and then let it take over, because it sucks up so much nutrients if you remove it semi-regularly you can dry it in the sun a bit and add it to your compost heap to make nutrient rich compost. Duckweed also cuts the light to the bottom of the lagoon preventing algae growth. Warning though, once you add duckweed it is very hard to get rid of completely.
Duckweed is a terrible idea. It will multiply like crazy in those conditions and the lagoon will be unusable. Better option is pond plants and a native fish that eats string algae.
@@derrickaustin8273 correct but if not native they will wreck the native populations down stream. In Australia they are considered a pest and you can't have them at all.
In regards to the Lagoon growing Algea. If you pump the water through a grow bed where you grow vegetables, the vegetable plants will use the nutrients in the water which might decrease the amounts of nutrients in the water and the Algea will not be able to flurish as there is not enough nutrients for them to be able to grow. I have been looking at an Aquaponics system to build at home where I get fish to add the nutrients in the water column but that might not be needed in your lagoon as you get the nutrients upstream.
This will only work if you are growing hydroponically though - don't pump it through soil or compost as it will have the opposite effect and the nutrients will be washed out of the bed, into the lagoon, causing more algae
Yeah... could also use floating rafts from aquaponics in the lagoon directly, though it'd take up surface area. I've seen it used with rice plants on lakes in china and other non-western places that have problems with agricultural run-off.
Absolutely. Algae blooms are due to an excess of nutrients in the water. A veg bed or hydroponics system would be brilliant. Additionally some plants around less used areas to help in situ would help
They could introduce a species of fish that eats the algae and a predator to that fish so the population of the prey stays balanced. There are big cons to this challenge, as the species of fish could damage the ecosystem that’s already living on the pond, but they could try to look at other ponds from the area or lakes to replicate that ecosystem in their pond, which would give them a long term solution and it would also bring more ecological diversity to the area.
For the tents: A common problem is that they don't use plastics so that the tent can breathe, yet the water proofing indeed runs out. One way to keep them dry is to build a roof above them, can be a thick plastic tarp (700+gm/m2), or use something more sustainable like a wooden roof or smth. Also a small little wooden deck, instead of putting them on the floor directly can increase lifespan a lot.
My comment is when the company that makes it says it can’t be waterproofed again and only lasts 1 year of use… They are saying buy a new tent of theirs and don’t try to reproof it…
@@Akuma.73 that is so not fair, because waterproofing a full space is a whole other ballgame, the tent also keeps you protected from bugs. If you set up small little roofs with platforms for tents, you can re-use those and let others bring a tent and put it. That way no single tent is being exposed to weather all year either. A full on space that is bug tight is not as easy as "put some walls" look at the gallons of expanding foam American use to keep them out.
We had an 100% cotton tent and had the same problems. We cutted and put on zippers, so we had the oportunity to use the washing mashine and the dryer and the sun. And we socked it before washing. And then we used a product to make it waterressistend once again. It took us a week of our holidays, but we could use it again. And as it is heavier than before, we decided to bring wood for a base above ground. After all, i must state, next time we will consider something else, still dont wamt to buy plastic. In the spring a friend spotted a couple with a leather tippi. Not sure about that, we are vegan😅
Glad to hear you are all safe. When I heard about the fires I thought of Project Kamp. I know how it feels to have a fire close by and information that lags. It can be frustrating and panic inducing. Getting everyone well away early on is a great solution. I am sure this has inspired you to make the land even more fire resilient next season.
You know fire, you knew it was an issue, the land itself told you. I think it’s perfect timing to educate the project. This is a constant danger. Knowing that is all you need. With the arrival of your digger you can create safety with fire breaks and such. Knowledge and a digger is power. I bet the fire scare got rid of the monotony ! Love to you all! PS. Eucalyptus is building material consider a sawmill purchase💋
Over the last 20 years I have watched as the number of fires that you describe increase over the years as the climate warms. I have seen the wall of fire just 20 away as it approaches our honey house. Thanks to the diligent removal of burnables each year from around the house. Which we did for the same reason you have been removing the mimosas. I have felt the fear of the site of fire juping miles ahead of the front of the fire from wind-carrying burning embers. The sky, red and full of smoke like the smell of Mordor. It is good to hear that you all and your place of adventure are safe.
You guys are so close to us, I didn't know that until now! The fire started near us, the next village, almost took our little campsite before it headed your way. Our plot down at rio Mondego, including our caravan and tools, burned down after it had beautifully grown back from the 2017 fire. It will grow back nature is resilient! I am really glad all of you and Kamp are okay! We, like you, also have a lot of mimosa on our property. We tried the peeling of the bark methode, but like you found out, it takes a long time. We are now thinning out the forest, leaving a tree every 3 or 4 meters and cut back more every year. New ones will try to grow out of the roots that stayed in the ground, but we found that if you cut the young ones a couple of times when they are just small in the end the roots will die and you win. I saw you cut of all the low branches from your trees to stop a fire from climbing up, so do we, up to two meters. We are now cutting a firebreak between us and the neighbours and are thinking of building a 50cm high wall on our property edges to stop a crowling fire. Mimosa is a beautiful tree, it gives you shade, beautiful flowers, you can build things with the wood...but...they come with toooo many.... Anyway, I am really glad you have been spared and I hope we may visit you guys one day.
For the lagoon ... The classic algae suppresant is barley straw. Ideally it needs to be added to the pond before the algae starts, although adding it after you've cleared the bulk of the algae should also help. The other thing is to add water lillies. These will die back in the winter and if planted directly into the bottom of the lagoon should remain in the mud/soil, ready to regrow each year. They absorb nutrients from the water and also shade the water both of which will significantly reduce algae growth. Obviously take care to use native species (Nuphar lutea subsp. luteum and Nympaea alba). As there is a very problematic invasive Mexican water lily (Nympaea mexicana).
The Water lillie succession is great and what also could help would be plant eating animals like ducks, fish, or snails althoug there the question would be if the could survive if the water level runs low and how well that would work out in the ecosystem since some snails and fish can cause huge problems if being invasive. But there should be options filling the lagoon with life wich would eat some of the algae.
DO NOT ADD WATER LILIES PLEASE! these are evasive species in Portugal that can travel through water down rivers! Please check all the work being done no rio Mondego. It’s an ecological disaster
Great video! What comes to power tools and protective gear, some tool are way more dangerous than others. I'm talking mainly about the chainsaws. If you make a mistake with it and it slips/kicks back and hits unprotected piece of human, it will make some really nasty effects. Talk about severing major arteries and such. So I would personally never let anyone use it with out saw pants and boots and a helmet. How ever hot and uncorfortable they are. I take sweaty and unconfortable over dead anytime! But I am glad to hear that you are improving on the safety. Keep up the good work!
Also, another thought, about the new digger...as you have a bit of money left over, you should consider purchasing a swivel head attachment. SUPER useful...!! And then, definitely a grabber head, for picking up felled trees and branches. And then also a single-tyne ripper, which is super useful for breaking up tree roots and pulling out mimosa stumps. Which will definitely speed up and make easier the ongoing clearing operations. The swivel head will enable the grabber to be MUCH more versatile, but will also enable the non-toothed 'scraper' bucket to be super useful for making swales and clearing drains, and for smoothing banks and non-level areas. Potentially you could also obtain a chain mower for the arm which, with the swivel head, could be used for keeping overhanging branches trimmed and away from the edges of roads and clearings, and for mowing embankments which are too difficult and dangerous for normal mowers or slashers, and even would be great for smashing 'spikey booshes'...!!
Your videos are always fascinating. I always watch them all with great interest. I'm always moved by your sense of fraternity. That's the future of humanity, living in brotherhood and community, and off the grid, and you're already living it.
So happy you're all safe and the camp survived!🎉 We were in south Portugal when the fires started to get really bad and my first thought was "Jesus, I really hope the guys at Project Kamp are okay!" ❤
Your videos are my favorite. Sustainable living is one of the only things I'm passionate about, but haven't broken out of the standard way yet. My goal, and what I committed to school for is sustainable architecture. Earthship architect is what I'm working toward so I can freelance and travel. I hope to see you guys at the top! You're building something amazing! Keep going
You guys should build a fire watch tower, build a fire break as a border to your area, maybe a fire system. All not easy projects but it would aid all of your long term fire concerns.
About the fires, here in Australia there are lots of government resources that give good advise for evacuation plans and what to do in case you are in an at risk area. Changing how your water system operates from the distribution perspective as the video talks about could be essential. You occasionally hear stories of people leaving their homes with all their garden watering systems on in the middle of fires and its enough to prevent their homes from burning. Some houses have sprinklers set up on their roofs so there is water running over the top of the house during a fire. People also intentionally block their gutters with rags and fill them with water. Adding gutters to buildings with roofs could be a good idea for water collection anyway. Fire breaks are essential, if you are worried about the Eucalyptus trees on neighbouring properties, cutting down trees and bushes and clearing it from the area is necessary. In Australia, homes that border bushland can have a fire break of up to 10 meters wide and even larger. Hope this information helps!
I'm glad ya'll are safe with the fire ❤please make sure each person at the camp has a set up go-bag with food and emergency supplies. Set up a safe group meeting spot nearby and any other emergency protocols your group might need. Take this time to focus on safety, how to set up more fire safety features for the camp and for individual persons. The ash is a very scary threat, for the fire risk and your saftey when you start inhaling it and the smoke. Please take the time to get more supplies you might need, masks for one, to protect your lungs from the smoke. Also some other system of communication to find other members incase of separation and low visibility, besides phones. Things like walkie talkies or just simple whistles, etc. Sending ya'll nothing but good vibes and safe times. Please remember your saftey and lives are what's most important and what we cherish most. Ngl always a little scared when an update posts from ya'll, always concerned about you guys. Between the fire risks and just accidents that can happen during projects (please wear saftey glasses and closed toed shoes when operating the chainsaws and other machinery guys 🙏) but always happy to see another update. 💙 Stay Safe 💙
yes! Have a plan that everyone learns as soon as they come to camp! Take use of any resources Portugal or your region provides too. Everyone should know what the guidelines are, where the safety spots are, in case you get separated. If you haven't already, now is the time to start teaching folks basic first aid too. (mostly common sense!) That or have a summer break during the fire season... This would help with the energy levels too. Like a siesta. But during the year. Instead of working outside you could make videos interviewing people. I'd love to hear from specialists about the stuff you're dealing with: fire proofing the land, what to plant, how to design the land, what Portugal is doing about the fires. I remember the one video you made a while ago about fires and it was so good! Could also be great to interview other people also trying to reuse and rebuild. Or talking to other similar communities to compare and contrast. Knowledge exchange! edit: Hopefully you never need it. But you'll be so much calmer once you have that in place trust me! Fingers crossed it's all behind you now!
Los fuegos en un terreno invadido de eucalipto y mimosa suelen ser tremendos. Creo que hicisteis muy bien en empezar a deshaceros de las mimosas tiempo atrás y empezar a dar preferencia a la flora local.
You get your digger! That's nice! Maybe you can expand the "lake" before this season ends to storage more water? About the lagoon, maybe find some material to change the water pH to limit the algae growing?
I know you guys get a lot of negative or comments and criticisms. Just want to say you handle it with professionalism and I appreciate the community's positive perspective on the challenges you encounter. Keep it up. Cheers from TN USA.
It's always fascinating how the non-native trees, usually used for manufacturing, are the ones that burn the worst. On portugals borders in spain there were some massive wildfires taking out a HUGE patch of non-native Pine trees. But the native cork and chestnut stayed pretty in tacts
Hey, to get rid of the algae in the pond, you have to get rid of the nutrients. This can either be done by removing all of the algae for several years, or by removing the top layer of the pond soil since all the decomposing plant matter within provides nutrients to the water. Good news is: The algae and the soil make a really good compost/fertilizer.
there is a solution to cool down the work space and to do so geothermal. Now you will soon have your digger on site, you can dig a 2 meter deep trench about 150 to 200 meters long in a loop fashion of Naylor Unperforated Land Drain Coil Corrugated Pipe at least 100 MM is Diameter. with the intake in the building powered with a small fan blowing air through the pipe with the discharge of the pipe enter the building on the opposite wall, the air passing through the piping will be about around 12 to 18 C at discharge providing cooling . the Corrugation is needed to provide the maximum surface for heat transfer and dissipation under ground and a fan that moves 229.82 m3/hr or 63.84 L/s, and the fan can be solar powered. Depending on the size of the building you may need more than one loop, but it is cheap geothermal cooling and heating that can make the work space more comfortable. you want unperforated pipe that is water tight under ground to prevent water in the pipe. A sump can be installed in the lowest part of the pipe for condensation collection and to allow water buildup to be be removed from a closed small vertical well accessible from the surface some distance from the building. This system uses the same principles as cooling a building with a natural under ground cave, except for you are using Corrugated land drain pipe that is unperforated.
It is possible to waterproof cloth (linnens, cotton, canvas and possibly tents) with a mix of parafin and mineral oil. A good instructural video of this is this one from NightHawkInLight that he posted 4 months ago, called "a better way to waterproof fabrics" It is a bit of an involved process but it does not use toxic chemicals and it works well.
What about a hydro generator at the dam pond out flow?🔌⚡🌀. You might also make a fire fighting fire trailer or truck, with a pump and large water tank on it,( for fires). Also make a large stone/brick shelter for in case of fires, with water and food for a couple of days for all personal to get into. You could put water sprinkler systems on roofs of building to keep them wet in case of fires.
SUGGESTION...build a natural bio-filter for that lagoon. Its simple. Part 2...definitely find a solution to the buildings heat issues. One idea is utilizing geothermal cooling with a 4 to 6 inch buried pipes undergruond that bring cool air in. Also, utilize solar for power on the buildings for ceiling fans. Its great to live off the land, but make it comfortable as possible. Part 3. Buy mold spray that coats the surface and prevents mold. I know you dont like it, but do it. It will save you time. Also add more vents or air movement in the humid environment. Part 4. Utilize mimosa wood to build with no matter how big or small. This is the most underutilized resource you have. One idea is make something very small yet easy to make from that mimosa wood that can be purchased in town or from viewers and shipped to your viewers and will provide some income...a coaster, a project camp logo stamped in wood.
I know the fire was a scary situation but seeing the guys standing on the rocks watching the fire reminded me of prairie dogs. I would suggest making a large garden and another garden for herbs, a fruit grove and use the mimosa to make a fire tower (like a kid's tree fort) and maybe for compost bins built into the ground. Glad everyone is okay. I would strongly suggest an all hands evolution to cut more fire breaks in the path of potential wildfires too.
tip for camera crew, livestreams/ tours are easy filler episodes to upload almost raw.(also with live donation goals donos can stack up:) ). but mainly it saves alot of time for progress episodes with decent editing.
Start a tree production chain - grow your own native trees from seed. It will be very expensive to reforest the land with purchased trees once you get rid of the mimosas, and will take a long time. If you start your own trees now, it will be that much faster (and much cheaper) before you start having mature trees on the property. Waiting for nature to fill the land will take a very long time, and will give an opportunity for mimosa and eucalyptus to come back.
oh no, not challanges .... love the videos, been following for a while and in fact its impressive how far you both have come and the community coming together for the project. Keep it up 😊
I'm glad to hear that you're all safe. As soon as I heard about the fires on the news in the UK I thought about the Kampers so this update is timely (and if you want some rain, we've plenty to spare over this side of the English Channel!)
Another good video. Sorry to hear your land is under threat of Fire and hope you and your lovely neighbours escape the flames. Julie mentioned Safety and wasn't sure who was responsible. You HAVE to name one person who has overall responsibility for the health and safety of all people and visitors to the Kamp. (It seems obvious to me that this person is Dave). But you also need to identify the areas of work that you do e.g. Environment, Construction, Food Hygiene, Computers, Services, Waste disposal, etc and name the people responsible for each. They all need to know what is expected of them, be trained/informed as necessary and train and supervise other people as necessary. You also need it written down to prove you are doing this (as in a Safety Policy Statement), just in case there is a serious accident and a Safety Enforcement Officer investigates. it would be unfair to invite somebody to Kamp to help YOU, give them a job that they haven't done before, and HOPE they don't injure themselves or other people.
This needs a lot more likes. I love Project Kamp but the simple additions of having leather chaps to prevent chainsaw accidents is incredibly NECESSARY and not a "well we'll see what happens if someone gets hurt *shrug*" kind of attitude :/
Yes. I don't know if they're aware that they're at this size already. You can have fun and be careless when it's you and your 3 buddies. Not when you have 30 people coming every year... I don't know the portoguese law but they might be legally responsible in case of an accident. Even if the people coming are volunteers and signing a waiver. They're still providing work for you. Where I am, you are required by law to 1. provide safety equipment 2. teach health and safety (i believe this includes first aid) 3. enforce that they use the equipment and follow rules or you will be liable in case of an accident. That's why it's rare to have volunteers doing hazardous labour.
I would also add that this video would be considered evidence that the organisers of project kamp do no take health and safety seriously. Claiming that PPE and safety instructions are only suggestions and cannot be enforced shows a complete lack of understanding of the work they are carrying out.
About remote video editing: If your internet connection has decent latency, you can have someone use remote desktop software (Windows has it built-in) to log in to a computer at Kamp. It only uses a very small amount of data, so it might work better than trying to transfer huge video files.
or move the team to a cooler spot? i've been to a house made out of earth once, and it was really cool, even in summer. in the winter, it was warm. Might be cool to look into for the future: nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthship
For the lagoon, check out David Pagan Butler's work on organic pools. Maybe he would be willing to come to Project Kamp for consultation. As mentioned by others, the issue is the level of nutrients in the water. It will be difficult to eliminate that, but perhaps a large reduction could be helpful.
I live in the Alentejo on a cork farm. There are also regular forest fires here. A tip is if there is enough water supply and water pressure to install/place good Gardena 360° water sprinklers on roofs and other important places when there are forest fires. Forgive me for my bad English translation.
I'm sending you guys lots of love. I live in an area that also gets lots of wildfires. It's so surreal to have blacked out skies or orange suns from the smoke and a general orange haze. I hope everything goes well and your land is spared.
🎉in Australia we had really bad fires in 2020 and it got close to our local community and ember attack set every one on edge I never slept while those fires were going on as I live near a major forest so be safe and get to work clearing more trees
Long term solution for the lagoon is maintenance. Baggeren we call it in the Netherlands. A long pole with a hoop and net on its end, to drag out the fertile sludge and weeds and algae. That was how it was done for centuries here. Look up baggerbeugel.
Algae blooms need 2 essntials things: sunlight and excess dissolved nutrients. You can try eliminating the sunlight exposure but that's hard. You can either eliminate the source of excess nutrients entering the water or introduce a competitor for the nutrients, like bacteria.
Adding bacteria into a lagoon you want to swim in might not be the best idea 😭 most likely the foot traffic and landscaping got rid of some essential plant growth that was feeding off the river
You can introdiuce plants that cover from sunlight like lottus or some water duckweed and orgue species. They will compet for the light causing less alguee
Just to explain myself, I am 55 years old, from Germany, and I am an electrical engineer , working in electrics and heavy lifting Sites for the last 40 years, I also restored some old buildings, ruins, gardens, bridges and stone walls, and I am ready to help you, How can I help you ? I dont need money, just food and drinks, Cheers Chris.
8:03 The pond is not in balance. Solution could be: creation of better habitats for wetland animals (including local aquatic and riparian flora, ...) and later, if possible, active relocation of animals (fish, amphibians, reptiles, insects). - Or just leave it. Because nature always finds a way (at some point). :-D
Ooh, very close... Anyhow the best part is that you all actually faced it very brilliantly Hopefully for future you will make few more fire breaking sections around your property. All the best for now, stay safe.
Great brand of Digger, hubby teaches how to operate a range of this equipment and says Kubota is his favourite brand. Remember don’t skip on oiling the components every day you’re using it and do your oil changes.
Physically remove as much of the string algae as possible before treatment to minimize the amount of decay. Many pond owners will pull the algae out by hand, others purchase a long-handled brush and wrap the string algae around the brush to pull it out. Step 2. To kill off the remaining algae, use a pond algaecide safe for fish and plants. We have found a liquid algaecide to be the most effective and safe for ornamental ponds. It is best to treat your pond on a sunny day in the morning. Algaecides will pull oxygen out of the water, so we recommend you pour the treatment into a high flow water area such as a waterfall to minimize the impact on plants and fish. During the treatment phase, we recommend using the algae fix every three days until the algae turn brown. Once the algae is under control we have found using the liquid algaecide once a week can be an excellent preventative of recurring string algae. Step 3. Add barley to your pond to prevent and/or slow down the new growth of string algae. When barley breaks down it releases a hydrogen peroxide gas that deters the growth of string algae. Barley is available in several forms: Bales (Large Bales are available for Earth/Natural Ponds) - Bales are the least expensive but take four to six weeks before they break down and begin to release the hydrogen peroxide gas. The bales can be placed in your filter (if room allows) or directly in your pond with a string attached that is tied to a rock to weight it down. The bales should be replaced every two to three months. When putting a new bale in, leave the old bale in for 6 weeks to give the new bale time to break down and start working. Liquid - The liquid form of barley is the quickest acting (because the barley has already been broken down), most effective, and as you might expect, most expensive. Step 4. Look for potential causes of the string algae growth. High pH and Phosphorus are the leading causes. To determine if you have high pH or Phosphorus use a test kit or take a water sample to a pond, water garden, or fish store. If your pH is high (above 8.5), use a pH down the product to reduce the pH. Once the pH is between 6.5 and 8.5 add a pH stabilizer to keep the pH at the new level. Also, look for the cause of the high pH and remedy it. Common causes include excessive plant growth, overstocking of fish, the introduction of foreign materials (untreated concrete, rocks containing limestone or calcium, granite), or the clearing of algae blooms. It should be noted that Green Water Algae could cause major pH swings. If you have Green Water you should solve the Green Water problem first, then adjust pH if it is still an issue. Note: Changes to pH MUST be made GRADUALLY. Do not attempt to alter the pH more than 0.2 in a 24-hour period (except with a pH crash, in this situation dramatic changes are required). Be sure to follow the instructions on the labels. If Phosphorus content is high, use Phosphorus Remover (Placed in a filter media bag in the filter). A common source of high phosphorus is fertilizer. When fertilizing your lawn be sure to use a non-phosphate fertilizer. Step 5. Use a sludge-eating bacterium to break down the remaining organic matter resulting from the dead algae. Sludge-eating bacteria is available in two forms: Liquid Form - Just Pour into Pond Granular Form - Now comes in water-soluble packets. Simply toss in one packet per 1000 gallons once a week.
Keep looking for safety up there PKTeam. Keep chopping away those memosas. Summer is approaching Australia too, so not looking forward to it. Have to clean up some brushs under eucalyptus trees 😮 at mum and dad's land. Australia is eucalyptus heavy 😂😮 Project Kamp x 123Homefree crossover ideas would probably yield something nice too All love PK comm ❤
Great update. Was feeling a real dip in energy for the past few updates, but this video does a good job of explaining why and also has me excited for the future.
The risk is fun until that chainsaw skips off something and at best you get a little scratch. Chainsaw chaps are a must I (and many others) will continue to advocate for. Good buy on the Kubota. A nice enough for now. Model looks like parts are plentiful.
A very important part of responsability and liability is that all that need to know are educated for the tool at hand. That all proper safety gear are there and in good shape and that regulations are there to read. If someone then does not follow the instructions it is not the fault of the management.
I was thinking about PROJECT KAMP and The KAMPERS when I heard of the FIRES! I'm Glad Everyone, and Everything is OK! I've Been following PK from DETROIT since the shop and kitchen container builds before the move to Portugal! ☮️💜🇺🇸
Hi Dave, i hope everyone is safe and sound. Q. i know you have spoken to the local fire dept, and an expert. Have you asked someone to visit the Base kamp, and give any advice that you so far have not thought of. one suggestion i have is getting another large water container, like your using for the bio digestor, fill keep near base camp, fill with water and fit a pump and hose nozzle and use to damp down the ground around the containers etc. its just a thought. Good luck and keep safe property can be replaced people can't.
So glad you were safe from the fires. I'm praying for rain for you and me. We haven't had rain since May. We have a summer rainfall. In South Africa 🇿🇦 see you next week. Greetings from South Africa 🇿🇦
Re: The Lagoon - The algae is growing because of a trifecta of factors working against it: warm water, bright light and excess nutrient load from organic matter being washed in. Perhaps try looking into the techniques used in natural swimming pools to help filter and 'clean' the water. Steps like having the water upstream flow over rocks, gravel and sand to trap organic matter, create a reed bed to uptake excess nutrients and remove/mitigate sources of phosphorous like agricultural run-off, soap, or even heavy iron water can help with the algae while also making for a better habitat for wildlife. The same sort of steps could be used to make the Swamp less of a, well, you know a swamp.
On fire today - metaphorically speaking - had another idea for you to comntemplate. As part of the 'getting stuff away from Kamp to protect it', I mentioned in my previous comment a 'food trailer' to take bulk food items away from Kamp and perhaps then have self-contained cooking/food prep that could be utilised at the evacuation centre. Another really useful thing would be to supply electricity, as that often goes out as fires burn through poles and wires. So having a 'Portable Solar Power Trailer', with battery and multiple plugs for re-charging small items like phones and laptops, would also be a boon to any evacuees at the Evacuation Point, and might even be helpful for local Emergency Services support, for recharging their radios and phones, powering lighting at night, powering a TV so people can keep up with News reports etc etc.... When you begin to think about increasing the solar power and battery storage for Kamp, it might be worth thinking about having part of the total supply Portable, on a trailer, so it could sit quietly powering Kamp most of the time, but during Emergency response periods, could be towed to wherever needed and there utilised to assist the local community. And of course, hauling it away from Kamp would prevent its loss in the event of a catastrophic fire. Win - win.
Hi Guys, nice to hear your well. Lagoon - Pump re-circulating the water, through a filter, and some aeration stones work well in my pond (could run it on localised solar panel set up - Maybe run it on hydro if flows all year. Fast growing/producing plants as suggested like Water lettuce, Cat tails, Iris, Water Hyacinth. Barley Straw will help but will produce hydrogen peroxide. Tents - Just clean and fix a large waterproof sail overhead. Wooden cabins with insulated metal roofs will last for years.
Have you thought about turning dead wood into biochar ? This biochar can be inoculated with the liquid from the bio digestor . This will increase the productivity of the land
a comment on the 'we are pioners'. I can understand this feeling. It is what I felt in the mid 70's When I went back to the land. In the movement that happened back then. I watch because it reminds me of the adventures that I had over my lifetime and still happening today. Learning the skills to survive in a community and closer to the land. For most of my life. I have lived in camp. tents. VW vans my first here was a split window that was camperized, Cabens. Helicopter ski lodges, back woods cabins, Truck camper. Trailers, Buss and motorhomes. Up until my last cam which was a motorhome. I burnt so now I live 1/2 in a seniors compound and the other 1/2 in my trillium trailer. Life and learning would have been a lot easier if we had had the internet. but sad to say when I started we had just got to the moon with a computer that had less power than the calculator i Have in my junk drawer. If youtube had been available back then I would not have had to learn by doing only. funding of the adventures would also would not have been as big of a problem. You had a dream so you had to work both at the dream and some job to fund it. Now we have crowd funding patrion etc. Now I spend my time helping others to learn herbology, foraging, beekeeping, living in community, solar energy, radio, and programming.
help coding the new map!
github.com/ONEARMY/community-platform/issues
Are you guys using AI to help accelerate output with coding? Big potential efficiency gains there.
i forgot to mention stringy algae only grows in still water a solar pump make rock river on slope and waterfall enough to give movement to water surface will make a massive difference and airate water so it won't stink etc
ALGAE: 1st choice: A solar powered air pump to aerate the water will significantly reduce fresh water algae. 2nd choice: mechanical agitation of the water. You can find videos on how Thailand does it.
COOLING: I think that NE Portugal has dry hot seasons, and a solar powered "swamp" (evaporation) cooler will work well. I had one on my last house. It does cool really well, but creates high humidity in the room.
WATER: My house uses a solar water system. It is simple: a tank up high, a solar panel, a pump (I use an RO water filter pump), and a float switch in the tank. It runs for years without maintenance. I have an old video on it. Contact me if you have questions.
DRINKING WATER: I have built solar powered drinking water systems with off the shelf parts. I also have some demos on the result. Write if you want details.
Just a tip from the home of the Eucalypts- every vehicle needs a large, thick, 100% wool blanket. If you are overrun by the bushfire while evacuating, use the blanket to shield the occupants from the radiant heat, for a greatly increased chance of survival. Also, no synthetic clothing in fire season, because "shrink wrap".
I feel like they have the resources to go and buy some actual wildfire shelters, which would increase their likelihood of survival greatly compared to a wool blanket when properly deployed.
Also, you keep going to high places to look at the fire. Please remember a fire will burn faster uphill. This is because the flames can easily reach more unburnt fuel in front of the fire. Radiant heat pre-heats the fuel in front of the fire, making the fuel even more flammable. For every 10˚ slope, the fire will double its speed. If you need to escape a wild fire do not go higher.
Fellow Aussie here, Eucalypts isn't native to the EU region but we all know how quick and unpredictable our bushfire can be.
It's 100% worth looking up some of our bushfire safety guide Post-2019/2020 Black Summer bushfire.
It might be a good idea to form a clearing around the land/roads to prevent cinders/falling branches from blocking the roads?
Wool is awesome! I volunteer for a local art supply reuse charity as a specialty fabric expert. The way we tell real wool from plastic fakes is to try to light it on fire (yes, really. There's a fire extinguisher on stand by). Real wool almost never ignites (though I've seen a few wool/cotton blends do it, as cotton is an ideal wick) it just sorta smoulders and turns black. It's really easy to get in Europe, as it's almost a waste product now. That's because even though lamb meat has stayed popular, wool has gone mostly out of fashion, but the sheep still need to be sheared (they can get tangles, matts, skin tears, infections, and even maggots living in their skin if they don't get their haircuts on time). It's really easy to get wool insulation now for not a lot of money, which helps fireproof buildings and cars in areas like Portugal. Plus, it's 100% natural and often organic, so it simply biodegrades over time, returning to the Earth. If possible, try to get alpaca wool, though I know sheep is a lot more common in your part of the world. Alpaca wool is even more fire-resistant than sheep wool, plus it's warmer and softer. We have a lot of it here in North America where I live (Alpacas are from South America, but domesticated alpacas are common here. Along with wool production, they protect other livestock from predators, and have been known to actually kick coyotes and coy-wolves to death)
@@WowCoolHorsefire shelters are like $800 USD in the USA
For the lagoon, just add plants. Floating plants; jacints,water lettuce, lotus... river plants; rush, water lilies cattails. Just 1/3 or of the pond for them to live.....
They will consume all the nutrients on the water and starve the algae. (Root plants are much better at absorving nitrates than algae)
Jacints are invasive plants. They should not be brought in. Its a river, not an artificial lake.
Guadiana river and Vouga river all damaged beyhond repair.
YES, the organic way is way better then any chemcal or algaecides
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algae_eater#:~:text=Some%20of%20the%20known%20types,algae%2C%20detritus%2C%20and%20microalgae.
Could be another way... Of course using local animals.
What do you think of Carp or some other local fish?
@@trevorfletcher1315 Adding fish will make things more complex, they add nitrates to the water (poop), so really they would make the problem worst. Not thay they will live in there, as it is now, they will die from lack of oxigen.
Hi, guys. I live close by (on the other side of the river) and I was waiting for this video as soon as the fire started. It was a miracle ❤ I'm glad you are ok. I felt it so fuckin close this time and it was like this all my life. 2005, 2012, 2017, well... It will always be complicated.
For the people that are watching fron outside: we have too many mimosas and eucaliptus. Not only in Project Camp but in the whole area and country. It's a big business here and there is no interest in cleaning the forest, have enough firefighters or buy planes (yes, we rented it to Spain or borrow from others contries 😅) . We can only keep planting some trees and try to join some neighbors forces - they will save us. It's everything that portuguese people are doing for years.
About the mold: I would love to have better news but the it's our best friend in the area. There's too much humidity in the winter and i never saw anything that could resist more than granite. As you see in the village, the older buildings are granite for a reason. Keep investing in the ruins. The licence process it's a mess but worth it in the long term.
I would love to visit you one day. Be safe!
Underrated comment from someone so close to the Project. I hope you find ways of implementing better forestry practices. If the land were managed with thought towards common interest, proper forests would be cultivated in place of timber plantations.
It's not underrated. It's the true about Portugal. The people in the land can transform it in many ways but there is still a lot of mimosas around. Have you check the road on the video, where they tell us how full of vegetation are? It's much more difficult to control that people think.
Best management trick I can share from 15 years in software development; keep people up and running, but swap out their projects. If video makers are struggling with burnout, find something else for them to do and alternate weeks on and off video making. Hiving time off and something to do during that time off can help renew the energy without having to onboard entirely new people.
i think a great office also shouldnt be underestimated. maybe investing in an airco wouldnt be such a bad plan!
@@inMuro I agree! It might mean installing an additional solar array, but so worthwhile for morale. A mini-split would also be a great investment for year-round livability.
Maybe start the season with the beginners and then invite "veterans" later in the season.
@@daylen577 a small aircon just to reduce humidity and dust will also assist the tech to have longer life. Even in deployed militaries this is normal. A dc directly solar powered aircon run from panels on the office roof would go a long way
20:32 20:32 @@TRAVISGOLDIE
I appreciate the transparency and honesty in regards to safety. It was never my intention to dogpile you guys with my previous chainsaw comment, and despite that y’all took it in stride and are seeking to improve standards. It’s very refreshing! You guys are great, keep going!
And just one more thing, I’m not sure how litigious Portugal is, but speaking as an American it worries me a bit you don’t consider volunteer campers using your equipment on your property for your projects ‘your responsibility’ if they get injured. I just want to point that out because from my understanding that warrants suing your organization for negligence. I really don’t want this project to be cut short because of something like that, that would be genuinely terrible 😭 I actually love y’all 🫶
i have zero knowledge of litigation, nor chainsaws, but just wanted to point out to you and others americans watching: suing for negligence doesn't really happen in europe. it's more something we see in american movies!
doesn't prove you wrong at all, but just wanted to give this cultural background to what you're seeing
@@inMuro Yes. You're less likely to sue but a company will at the very least be given a fine. And be forced to prove that they fixed the mistake before they can resume operations. Not to mention the bad publicity any kind of an accident would cause...
And suits do happen occasionally (companies are usually insured for this reason), not saying they are won like in the us. But it can be costly either way.
They talk about being "more" safe - but the consistent feedback was for anyone using a chainsaw, to wear safety pants/chaps - in order to avoid an injury that could cause death. Death. And yet I have not seen anyone wearing this particular safety gear ever. And then the casual question "Should we be more strict?" The answer - Yes, you should be more strict. But it seems that they won't be. I guess we'll see if someone dies.
@@soymilkman most other countries have governance for this stuff. Being sued is rare in other countries compared to the USA.
@@inMuro in the UK if someone on project kamp died in a chainsaw accident they would be looking at corporate manslaughter charges, they are an organisation that have volunteers working on their land/project and have no risk assessments (or no valid risk assesments if they allow chainsaw use like that). Saying they cannot force people to use the gear is incorrect and again in the uk she would risk personal charges if that was used as evidence of her lax attitude towards safety.
Project kamp, when the fires are down start a tree nursery with more fire resilient trees. The more trees you plant now the faster you guys can chop down the last mimosa trees. Technically you can already chop down all the mimosas but you wouldn’t have any shade left.
It easily takes at least 15 years before a tree gives some (useful) shades.
If you do it the natural way it will take even longer. You can buy trees, but with the size of the land buying that many trees is very expensive. Because u easily need a couple of thousands of trees.
When you chop down a mimosa tree and turn it into mulch, mix it well with dirt, otherwise you have nice flammable pathways with mimosa trees laying on the ground, connecting all the important stuff around the kamp.
In the meantime i hope everything is going well with you guys.
I've also been thinking that a (native, fire resistant) tree nursery would be a good idea. Perhaps it could become a long-term revenue stream once you have your land planted with them, or you could offer them to neighbors to create more buffer around your land.
The green, slimy algae from the lagoon is wonderful in the compost. I'm envious.
Glad to see Dave back!
I remember the first few videos when it rained for weeks and it was just Dave on the land in his van, wondering what the hell he had got into, then Rita arrived and everyone else!
Where is Rita?
@@stellaweaver79 good point! We don’t see her much. I think she lives in the middle land with Dave. They are original members and I think they let the newer group be in the videos more!
@@Beth-kg1lz she might be pregnant
Really sad that you couldn't find the scammer yet hope he gets found somehow. In the meantime congratulations on the new digger :)
I am praying that you all stay safe from the fires. Much love from South Africa.
Algae is all about excess nutrients and light.
An easy fix is often to add additional things that take in nutrients.
The easy way to do this could be to add loads of plants! Local pond plants planted around the edges of the lagoon.
You could just add a floating duckweed (something locally native of course) and then let it take over, because it sucks up so much nutrients if you remove it semi-regularly you can dry it in the sun a bit and add it to your compost heap to make nutrient rich compost.
Duckweed also cuts the light to the bottom of the lagoon preventing algae growth.
Warning though, once you add duckweed it is very hard to get rid of completely.
Duckweed is a terrible idea. It will multiply like crazy in those conditions and the lagoon will be unusable. Better option is pond plants and a native fish that eats string algae.
@@michaelellert4982Yeah, it would require a lot of upkeep (or downkeep).
Iris pseudacorus, is used for those means in the netherlands. Also in koi ponds.
It consumes nitrate, via its bacteria layer on the roots
Tilapia..best algae eaters out there
@@derrickaustin8273 correct but if not native they will wreck the native populations down stream. In Australia they are considered a pest and you can't have them at all.
Digging a ramp to get it out 😂 love that simple solution!
Loved seeing that. I’ve seen guys drop them out without a ramp but way better method if you got the dirt.
occam's razor...
That' s the portuguese style.
In regards to the Lagoon growing Algea. If you pump the water through a grow bed where you grow vegetables, the vegetable plants will use the nutrients in the water which might decrease the amounts of nutrients in the water and the Algea will not be able to flurish as there is not enough nutrients for them to be able to grow.
I have been looking at an Aquaponics system to build at home where I get fish to add the nutrients in the water column but that might not be needed in your lagoon as you get the nutrients upstream.
This will only work if you are growing hydroponically though - don't pump it through soil or compost as it will have the opposite effect and the nutrients will be washed out of the bed, into the lagoon, causing more algae
Yeah... could also use floating rafts from aquaponics in the lagoon directly, though it'd take up surface area. I've seen it used with rice plants on lakes in china and other non-western places that have problems with agricultural run-off.
Absolutely. Algae blooms are due to an excess of nutrients in the water. A veg bed or hydroponics system would be brilliant. Additionally some plants around less used areas to help in situ would help
They could introduce a species of fish that eats the algae and a predator to that fish so the population of the prey stays balanced. There are big cons to this challenge, as the species of fish could damage the ecosystem that’s already living on the pond, but they could try to look at other ponds from the area or lakes to replicate that ecosystem in their pond, which would give them a long term solution and it would also bring more ecological diversity to the area.
I'd also consider maybe getting some prawns. They love eating Algea, and can be a good little food source in the future.
My heart breaks for all those caught in fires every year, but I'm so happy to know you're all safe for now. Thanks for the updates!
For the tents: A common problem is that they don't use plastics so that the tent can breathe, yet the water proofing indeed runs out. One way to keep them dry is to build a roof above them, can be a thick plastic tarp (700+gm/m2), or use something more sustainable like a wooden roof or smth. Also a small little wooden deck, instead of putting them on the floor directly can increase lifespan a lot.
At that point just add few walls and there won't be a need for the tent in the first place
My comment is when the company that makes it says it can’t be waterproofed again and only lasts 1 year of use…
They are saying buy a new tent of theirs and don’t try to reproof it…
Maybe you can waterproof them with 🐝 bees wax. There are raincoats and even workpants that use that method to keep the rain / water out.
@@Akuma.73 that is so not fair, because waterproofing a full space is a whole other ballgame, the tent also keeps you protected from bugs. If you set up small little roofs with platforms for tents, you can re-use those and let others bring a tent and put it. That way no single tent is being exposed to weather all year either. A full on space that is bug tight is not as easy as "put some walls" look at the gallons of expanding foam American use to keep them out.
We had an 100% cotton tent and had the same problems. We cutted and put on zippers, so we had the oportunity to use the washing mashine and the dryer and the sun. And we socked it before washing. And then we used a product to make it waterressistend once again. It took us a week of our holidays, but we could use it again. And as it is heavier than before, we decided to bring wood for a base above ground. After all, i must state, next time we will consider something else, still dont wamt to buy plastic. In the spring a friend spotted a couple with a leather tippi. Not sure about that, we are vegan😅
Glad to hear you are all safe. When I heard about the fires I thought of Project Kamp. I know how it feels to have a fire close by and information that lags. It can be frustrating and panic inducing. Getting everyone well away early on is a great solution. I am sure this has inspired you to make the land even more fire resilient next season.
You know fire, you knew it was an issue, the land itself told you. I think it’s perfect timing to educate the project. This is a constant danger. Knowing that is all you need. With the arrival of your digger you can create safety with fire breaks and such. Knowledge and a digger is power. I bet the fire scare got rid of the monotony ! Love to you all! PS. Eucalyptus is building material consider a sawmill purchase💋
Over the last 20 years I have watched as the number of fires that you describe increase over the years as the climate warms. I have seen the wall of fire just 20 away as it approaches our honey house. Thanks to the diligent removal of burnables each year from around the house. Which we did for the same reason you have been removing the mimosas. I have felt the fear of the site of fire juping miles ahead of the front of the fire from wind-carrying burning embers. The sky, red and full of smoke like the smell of Mordor. It is good to hear that you all and your place of adventure are safe.
You guys are so close to us, I didn't know that until now! The fire started near us, the next village, almost took our little campsite before it headed your way. Our plot down at rio Mondego, including our caravan and tools, burned down after it had beautifully grown back from the 2017 fire. It will grow back nature is resilient! I am really glad all of you and Kamp are okay!
We, like you, also have a lot of mimosa on our property. We tried the peeling of the bark methode, but like you found out, it takes a long time. We are now thinning out the forest, leaving a tree every 3 or 4 meters and cut back more every year. New ones will try to grow out of the roots that stayed in the ground, but we found that if you cut the young ones a couple of times when they are just small in the end the roots will die and you win. I saw you cut of all the low branches from your trees to stop a fire from climbing up, so do we, up to two meters. We are now cutting a firebreak between us and the neighbours and are thinking of building a 50cm high wall on our property edges to stop a crowling fire. Mimosa is a beautiful tree, it gives you shade, beautiful flowers, you can build things with the wood...but...they come with toooo many.... Anyway, I am really glad you have been spared and I hope we may visit you guys one day.
For the lagoon ...
The classic algae suppresant is barley straw. Ideally it needs to be added to the pond before the algae starts, although adding it after you've cleared the bulk of the algae should also help.
The other thing is to add water lillies. These will die back in the winter and if planted directly into the bottom of the lagoon should remain in the mud/soil, ready to regrow each year. They absorb nutrients from the water and also shade the water both of which will significantly reduce algae growth.
Obviously take care to use native species (Nuphar lutea subsp. luteum and Nympaea alba). As there is a very problematic invasive Mexican water lily (Nympaea mexicana).
The Water lillie succession is great and what also could help would be plant eating animals like ducks, fish, or snails althoug there the question would be if the could survive if the water level runs low and how well that would work out in the ecosystem since some snails and fish can cause huge problems if being invasive. But there should be options filling the lagoon with life wich would eat some of the algae.
DO NOT ADD WATER LILIES PLEASE! these are evasive species in Portugal that can travel through water down rivers! Please check all the work being done no rio Mondego. It’s an ecological disaster
Do not add these please! Water Lillie’s are invasive species that outcompete native species. It’s an ecological disaster in rio Mondego.
PLEASE DO YOUR RESEARCH before suggesting such a stupid idea in a water source.
Water lilies are invasive species that outcompete native species. It’s an ecological nightmare in rio Mondego.
Great video! What comes to power tools and protective gear, some tool are way more dangerous than others. I'm talking mainly about the chainsaws. If you make a mistake with it and it slips/kicks back and hits unprotected piece of human, it will make some really nasty effects. Talk about severing major arteries and such. So I would personally never let anyone use it with out saw pants and boots and a helmet. How ever hot and uncorfortable they are. I take sweaty and unconfortable over dead anytime!
But I am glad to hear that you are improving on the safety. Keep up the good work!
I always look forward to the "challenges" videos. They encapsulate the thoughtfulness and interactivity that is Project Kamp.
Also, another thought, about the new digger...as you have a bit of money left over, you should consider purchasing a swivel head attachment. SUPER useful...!! And then, definitely a grabber head, for picking up felled trees and branches. And then also a single-tyne ripper, which is super useful for breaking up tree roots and pulling out mimosa stumps. Which will definitely speed up and make easier the ongoing clearing operations.
The swivel head will enable the grabber to be MUCH more versatile, but will also enable the non-toothed 'scraper' bucket to be super useful for making swales and clearing drains, and for smoothing banks and non-level areas. Potentially you could also obtain a chain mower for the arm which, with the swivel head, could be used for keeping overhanging branches trimmed and away from the edges of roads and clearings, and for mowing embankments which are too difficult and dangerous for normal mowers or slashers, and even would be great for smashing 'spikey booshes'...!!
Your videos are always fascinating. I always watch them all with great interest. I'm always moved by your sense of fraternity. That's the future of humanity, living in brotherhood and community, and off the grid, and you're already living it.
I love how honest and real this episode is, so much heart
Glad you are all safe 💜 Supporting you in your endeavours to create more native grown lands that are more protective. 🌿
im so hyped for the future content and having the digger in action. It gonna speed up projects so fast
Maybe a good idea to build an observation tower on the highest point of Project Kamp, so you can monitor distant fires more effectively
Yea this is a realy great idea👍🏻
They can use a drone camera and track it.
Observation tower could be a water tower at the same time
How about a rotating 360° camera on top of the watchtower hooked up to a smoke detection software?
So happy you're all safe and the camp survived!🎉 We were in south Portugal when the fires started to get really bad and my first thought was "Jesus, I really hope the guys at Project Kamp are okay!" ❤
Sending sympathy from California. Hoping for calmer winds and higher humidity to help contain the fires. Glad you evacuated early.
Your videos are my favorite. Sustainable living is one of the only things I'm passionate about, but haven't broken out of the standard way yet. My goal, and what I committed to school for is sustainable architecture. Earthship architect is what I'm working toward so I can freelance and travel. I hope to see you guys at the top! You're building something amazing! Keep going
You guys should build a fire watch tower, build a fire break as a border to your area, maybe a fire system.
All not easy projects but it would aid all of your long term fire concerns.
Phew. I felt the tension with you during that fire portion of the video, you told that well, and I am very glad you’re okay this time and Kamp is ok.
Great video - I always enjoy the Q & A videos because the "cast" is very big so you see a lot of the people working at the camp answering and such.
About the fires, here in Australia there are lots of government resources that give good advise for evacuation plans and what to do in case you are in an at risk area. Changing how your water system operates from the distribution perspective as the video talks about could be essential.
You occasionally hear stories of people leaving their homes with all their garden watering systems on in the middle of fires and its enough to prevent their homes from burning. Some houses have sprinklers set up on their roofs so there is water running over the top of the house during a fire.
People also intentionally block their gutters with rags and fill them with water. Adding gutters to buildings with roofs could be a good idea for water collection anyway.
Fire breaks are essential, if you are worried about the Eucalyptus trees on neighbouring properties, cutting down trees and bushes and clearing it from the area is necessary. In Australia, homes that border bushland can have a fire break of up to 10 meters wide and even larger.
Hope this information helps!
I am very glad that the fires didn’t arrive to Project Camp and you all were well!
Great Q&A sections. Glad that everyone is ok. Thanks for sharing!
It was a scary week indeed! Here in Gaia we had just 5meters vision range due to the smoke... Good to know you are all ok! Really!
Use the algae as a crop - harvest it to add nutrients to garden beds, high-C compost heaps or make plant feeds from.
Glad to hear you are alright. Keeping my fingers crossed for you!
I'm glad ya'll are safe with the fire ❤please make sure each person at the camp has a set up go-bag with food and emergency supplies. Set up a safe group meeting spot nearby and any other emergency protocols your group might need. Take this time to focus on safety, how to set up more fire safety features for the camp and for individual persons. The ash is a very scary threat, for the fire risk and your saftey when you start inhaling it and the smoke. Please take the time to get more supplies you might need, masks for one, to protect your lungs from the smoke. Also some other system of communication to find other members incase of separation and low visibility, besides phones. Things like walkie talkies or just simple whistles, etc. Sending ya'll nothing but good vibes and safe times. Please remember your saftey and lives are what's most important and what we cherish most. Ngl always a little scared when an update posts from ya'll, always concerned about you guys. Between the fire risks and just accidents that can happen during projects (please wear saftey glasses and closed toed shoes when operating the chainsaws and other machinery guys 🙏) but always happy to see another update. 💙 Stay Safe 💙
yes! Have a plan that everyone learns as soon as they come to camp! Take use of any resources Portugal or your region provides too. Everyone should know what the guidelines are, where the safety spots are, in case you get separated. If you haven't already, now is the time to start teaching folks basic first aid too. (mostly common sense!)
That or have a summer break during the fire season... This would help with the energy levels too. Like a siesta. But during the year. Instead of working outside you could make videos interviewing people. I'd love to hear from specialists about the stuff you're dealing with: fire proofing the land, what to plant, how to design the land, what Portugal is doing about the fires. I remember the one video you made a while ago about fires and it was so good! Could also be great to interview other people also trying to reuse and rebuild. Or talking to other similar communities to compare and contrast. Knowledge exchange!
edit: Hopefully you never need it. But you'll be so much calmer once you have that in place trust me! Fingers crossed it's all behind you now!
Los fuegos en un terreno invadido de eucalipto y mimosa suelen ser tremendos. Creo que hicisteis muy bien en empezar a deshaceros de las mimosas tiempo atrás y empezar a dar preferencia a la flora local.
You get your digger! That's nice! Maybe you can expand the "lake" before this season ends to storage more water?
About the lagoon, maybe find some material to change the water pH to limit the algae growing?
I know you guys get a lot of negative or comments and criticisms. Just want to say you handle it with professionalism and I appreciate the community's positive perspective on the challenges you encounter. Keep it up. Cheers from TN USA.
It's always fascinating how the non-native trees, usually used for manufacturing, are the ones that burn the worst. On portugals borders in spain there were some massive wildfires taking out a HUGE patch of non-native Pine trees. But the native cork and chestnut stayed pretty in tacts
Hey, to get rid of the algae in the pond, you have to get rid of the nutrients. This can either be done by removing all of the algae for several years, or by removing the top layer of the pond soil since all the decomposing plant matter within provides nutrients to the water. Good news is: The algae and the soil make a really good compost/fertilizer.
Floating islands of plants to utilize the nutrients so the algae has nothing to eat...
there is a solution to cool down the work space and to do so geothermal. Now you will soon have your digger on site, you can dig a 2 meter deep trench about 150 to 200 meters long in a loop fashion of Naylor Unperforated Land Drain Coil Corrugated Pipe at least 100 MM is Diameter. with the intake in the building powered with a small fan blowing air through the pipe with the discharge of the pipe enter the building on the opposite wall, the air passing through the piping will be about around 12 to 18 C at discharge providing cooling . the Corrugation is needed to provide the maximum surface for heat transfer and dissipation under ground and a fan that moves 229.82 m3/hr or 63.84 L/s, and the fan can be solar powered.
Depending on the size of the building you may need more than one loop, but it is cheap geothermal cooling and heating that can make the work space more comfortable. you want unperforated pipe that is water tight under ground to prevent water in the pipe.
A sump can be installed in the lowest part of the pipe for condensation collection and to allow water buildup to be be removed from a closed small vertical well accessible from the surface some distance from the building.
This system uses the same principles as cooling a building with a natural under ground cave, except for you are using Corrugated land drain pipe that is unperforated.
It is possible to waterproof cloth (linnens, cotton, canvas and possibly tents) with a mix of parafin and mineral oil. A good instructural video of this is this one from NightHawkInLight that he posted 4 months ago, called "a better way to waterproof fabrics" It is a bit of an involved process but it does not use toxic chemicals and it works well.
Even better yet, his last update was waterproofing using wax and heat
What about a hydro generator at the dam pond out flow?🔌⚡🌀. You might also make a fire fighting fire trailer or truck, with a pump and large water tank on it,( for fires). Also make a large stone/brick shelter for in case of fires, with water and food for a couple of days for all personal to get into. You could put water sprinkler systems on roofs of building to keep them wet in case of fires.
SUGGESTION...build a natural bio-filter for that lagoon. Its simple.
Part 2...definitely find a solution to the buildings heat issues. One idea is utilizing geothermal cooling with a 4 to 6 inch buried pipes undergruond that bring cool air in. Also, utilize solar for power on the buildings for ceiling fans.
Its great to live off the land, but make it comfortable as possible.
Part 3. Buy mold spray that coats the surface and prevents mold. I know you dont like it, but do it. It will save you time. Also add more vents or air movement in the humid environment.
Part 4. Utilize mimosa wood to build with no matter how big or small. This is the most underutilized resource you have. One idea is make something very small yet easy to make from that mimosa wood that can be purchased in town or from viewers and shipped to your viewers and will provide some income...a coaster, a project camp logo stamped in wood.
I know the fire was a scary situation but seeing the guys standing on the rocks watching the fire reminded me of prairie dogs. I would suggest making a large garden and another garden for herbs, a fruit grove and use the mimosa to make a fire tower (like a kid's tree fort) and maybe for compost bins built into the ground.
Glad everyone is okay.
I would strongly suggest an all hands evolution to cut more fire breaks in the path of potential wildfires too.
For the video editing team, if you have enough power for it, you really should install a minisplit or something to help with the temp and humidity.
Wow, the season is almost ending? I feel like nothing got done this year. Time flys. That fire was scary. Glad you are all safe!
tip for camera crew, livestreams/ tours are easy filler episodes to upload almost raw.(also with live donation goals donos can stack up:) ). but mainly it saves alot of time for progress episodes with decent editing.
Evacuating early was absolutely the right decision. Stay safe guys.
Start a tree production chain - grow your own native trees from seed. It will be very expensive to reforest the land with purchased trees once you get rid of the mimosas, and will take a long time. If you start your own trees now, it will be that much faster (and much cheaper) before you start having mature trees on the property. Waiting for nature to fill the land will take a very long time, and will give an opportunity for mimosa and eucalyptus to come back.
oh no, not challanges .... love the videos, been following for a while and in fact its impressive how far you both have come and the community coming together for the project. Keep it up 😊
I look forward each and every week to watching your videos.
It makes my Mondays so great.
Thanks & stay safe.
I'm glad to hear that you're all safe. As soon as I heard about the fires on the news in the UK I thought about the Kampers so this update is timely (and if you want some rain, we've plenty to spare over this side of the English Channel!)
impressive job monitoring the wild fires. You have a great community of people there.
Another good video. Sorry to hear your land is under threat of Fire and hope you and your lovely neighbours escape the flames. Julie mentioned Safety and wasn't sure who was responsible. You HAVE to name one person who has overall responsibility for the health and safety of all people and visitors to the Kamp. (It seems obvious to me that this person is Dave). But you also need to identify the areas of work that you do e.g. Environment, Construction, Food Hygiene, Computers, Services, Waste disposal, etc and name the people responsible for each. They all need to know what is expected of them, be trained/informed as necessary and train and supervise other people as necessary. You also need it written down to prove you are doing this (as in a Safety Policy Statement), just in case there is a serious accident and a Safety Enforcement Officer investigates. it would be unfair to invite somebody to Kamp to help YOU, give them a job that they haven't done before, and HOPE they don't injure themselves or other people.
This needs a lot more likes. I love Project Kamp but the simple additions of having leather chaps to prevent chainsaw accidents is incredibly NECESSARY and not a "well we'll see what happens if someone gets hurt *shrug*" kind of attitude :/
Yes. I don't know if they're aware that they're at this size already. You can have fun and be careless when it's you and your 3 buddies. Not when you have 30 people coming every year... I don't know the portoguese law but they might be legally responsible in case of an accident. Even if the people coming are volunteers and signing a waiver. They're still providing work for you. Where I am, you are required by law to 1. provide safety equipment 2. teach health and safety (i believe this includes first aid) 3. enforce that they use the equipment and follow rules or you will be liable in case of an accident. That's why it's rare to have volunteers doing hazardous labour.
I would also add that this video would be considered evidence that the organisers of project kamp do no take health and safety seriously. Claiming that PPE and safety instructions are only suggestions and cannot be enforced shows a complete lack of understanding of the work they are carrying out.
@@scrat123789 100%. They need to at least enforce that members wear safety equipment on camera!
One accident is too many.
About remote video editing:
If your internet connection has decent latency, you can have someone use remote desktop software (Windows has it built-in) to log in to a computer at Kamp. It only uses a very small amount of data, so it might work better than trying to transfer huge video files.
Starlink has relativ good latency
I’m Portuguese, and thought of you a few times these days. Glad to know you guys were speared 🙏
Good to hear the fires didn’t reach your camp! 🙏 I‘ve also been as close and as lucky as you. Thanks to the bombeiros!
Good to hear, I was wondering how you dealt with the fires or if you are far enough away… gut zu hören, Glück gehabt!
Suggestion to make working for the video team at the office in summer more enjoyable: Airconditioning (solar powered).
or move the team to a cooler spot? i've been to a house made out of earth once, and it was really cool, even in summer. in the winter, it was warm. Might be cool to look into for the future: nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthship
For the lagoon, check out David Pagan Butler's work on organic pools. Maybe he would be willing to come to Project Kamp for consultation. As mentioned by others, the issue is the level of nutrients in the water. It will be difficult to eliminate that, but perhaps a large reduction could be helpful.
I love ALL Project Kamp videos!
I live in the Alentejo on a cork farm. There are also regular forest fires here. A tip is if there is enough water supply and water pressure to install/place good Gardena 360° water sprinklers on roofs and other important places when there are forest fires. Forgive me for my bad English translation.
Love watching you guys. Another South African 🇿🇦praying for you all. 🙏
I'm sending you guys lots of love. I live in an area that also gets lots of wildfires. It's so surreal to have blacked out skies or orange suns from the smoke and a general orange haze. I hope everything goes well and your land is spared.
🎉in Australia we had really bad fires in 2020 and it got close to our local community and ember attack set every one on edge I never slept while those fires were going on as I live near a major forest so be safe and get to work clearing more trees
Thank god you're safe.
Long term solution for the lagoon is maintenance. Baggeren we call it in the Netherlands. A long pole with a hoop and net on its end, to drag out the fertile sludge and weeds and algae. That was how it was done for centuries here. Look up baggerbeugel.
Algae blooms need 2 essntials things: sunlight and excess dissolved nutrients. You can try eliminating the sunlight exposure but that's hard. You can either eliminate the source of excess nutrients entering the water or introduce a competitor for the nutrients, like bacteria.
Adding bacteria into a lagoon you want to swim in might not be the best idea 😭 most likely the foot traffic and landscaping got rid of some essential plant growth that was feeding off the river
@@daveed496 Depends completely on the species of bacteria.
You can introdiuce plants that cover from sunlight like lottus or some water duckweed and orgue species. They will compet for the light causing less alguee
Just to explain myself, I am 55 years old, from Germany, and I am an electrical engineer , working in electrics and heavy lifting Sites for the last 40 years, I also restored some old buildings, ruins, gardens, bridges and stone walls, and I am ready to help you, How can I help you ? I dont need money, just food and drinks, Cheers Chris.
They have a website (video description) where you can apply to help their project
The Q&A at the end was so cool! More of that pls
8:03 The pond is not in balance. Solution could be: creation of better habitats for wetland animals (including local aquatic and riparian flora, ...) and later, if possible, active relocation of animals (fish, amphibians, reptiles, insects). - Or just leave it. Because nature always finds a way (at some point). :-D
Ooh, very close... Anyhow the best part is that you all actually faced it very brilliantly
Hopefully for future you will make few more fire breaking sections around your property. All the best for now, stay safe.
I've been very worried, checking other social platforms. So very glad to hear from you! Take care.
Glad you're safe for now and sending continued best vibes!
Great brand of Digger, hubby teaches how to operate a range of this equipment and says Kubota is his favourite brand. Remember don’t skip on oiling the components every day you’re using it and do your oil changes.
We hope you guys made it okay after the fires! Glad you guys didn't risk it! Stay safe and also, have fun! All the best.
Physically remove as much of the string algae as possible before treatment to minimize the amount of decay. Many pond owners will pull the algae out by hand, others purchase a long-handled brush and wrap the string algae around the brush to pull it out.
Step 2.
To kill off the remaining algae, use a pond algaecide safe for fish and plants. We have found a liquid algaecide to be the most effective and safe for ornamental ponds. It is best to treat your pond on a sunny day in the morning. Algaecides will pull oxygen out of the water, so we recommend you pour the treatment into a high flow water area such as a waterfall to minimize the impact on plants and fish. During the treatment phase, we recommend using the algae fix every three days until the algae turn brown. Once the algae is under control we have found using the liquid algaecide once a week can be an excellent preventative of recurring string algae.
Step 3.
Add barley to your pond to prevent and/or slow down the new growth of string algae. When barley breaks down it releases a hydrogen peroxide gas that deters the growth of string algae. Barley is available in several forms:
Bales (Large Bales are available for Earth/Natural Ponds) - Bales are the least expensive but take four to six weeks before they break down and begin to release the hydrogen peroxide gas. The bales can be placed in your filter (if room allows) or directly in your pond with a string attached that is tied to a rock to weight it down. The bales should be replaced every two to three months. When putting a new bale in, leave the old bale in for 6 weeks to give the new bale time to break down and start working.
Liquid - The liquid form of barley is the quickest acting (because the barley has already been broken down), most effective, and as you might expect, most expensive.
Step 4.
Look for potential causes of the string algae growth. High pH and Phosphorus are the leading causes. To determine if you have high pH or Phosphorus use a test kit or take a water sample to a pond, water garden, or fish store.
If your pH is high (above 8.5), use a pH down the product to reduce the pH. Once the pH is between 6.5 and 8.5 add a pH stabilizer to keep the pH at the new level. Also, look for the cause of the high pH and remedy it. Common causes include excessive plant growth, overstocking of fish, the introduction of foreign materials (untreated concrete, rocks containing limestone or calcium, granite), or the clearing of algae blooms. It should be noted that Green Water Algae could cause major pH swings. If you have Green Water you should solve the Green Water problem first, then adjust pH if it is still an issue. Note: Changes to pH MUST be made GRADUALLY. Do not attempt to alter the pH more than 0.2 in a 24-hour period (except with a pH crash, in this situation dramatic changes are required). Be sure to follow the instructions on the labels.
If Phosphorus content is high, use Phosphorus Remover (Placed in a filter media bag in the filter). A common source of high phosphorus is fertilizer. When fertilizing your lawn be sure to use a non-phosphate fertilizer.
Step 5.
Use a sludge-eating bacterium to break down the remaining organic matter resulting from the dead algae. Sludge-eating bacteria is available in two forms:
Liquid Form - Just Pour into Pond
Granular Form - Now comes in water-soluble packets. Simply toss in one packet per 1000 gallons once a week.
Keep looking for safety up there PKTeam.
Keep chopping away those memosas. Summer is approaching Australia too, so not looking forward to it. Have to clean up some brushs under eucalyptus trees 😮 at mum and dad's land.
Australia is eucalyptus heavy 😂😮
Project Kamp x 123Homefree crossover ideas would probably yield something nice too
All love PK comm ❤
Great update. Was feeling a real dip in energy for the past few updates, but this video does a good job of explaining why and also has me excited for the future.
I really like to see all of your progress but much congrats for the new digger ! Cheers Chris.
The risk is fun until that chainsaw skips off something and at best you get a little scratch. Chainsaw chaps are a must I (and many others) will continue to advocate for.
Good buy on the Kubota. A nice enough for now. Model looks like parts are plentiful.
A very important part of responsability and liability is that all that need to know are educated for the tool at hand. That all proper safety gear are there and in good shape and that regulations are there to read.
If someone then does not follow the instructions it is not the fault of the management.
I was thinking about
PROJECT KAMP and
The KAMPERS when I
heard of the FIRES!
I'm Glad Everyone, and Everything is OK!
I've Been following PK from
DETROIT since the shop
and kitchen container builds before the move to Portugal!
☮️💜🇺🇸
Hi Dave, i hope everyone is safe and sound. Q. i know you have spoken to the local fire dept, and an expert. Have you asked someone to visit the Base kamp, and give any advice that you so far have not thought of. one suggestion i have is getting another large water container, like your using for the bio digestor, fill keep near base camp, fill with water and fit a pump and hose nozzle and use to damp down the ground around the containers etc. its just a thought. Good luck and keep safe property can be replaced people can't.
So glad you were safe from the fires. I'm praying for rain for you and me. We haven't had rain since May. We have a summer rainfall. In South Africa 🇿🇦 see you next week. Greetings from South Africa 🇿🇦
Re: The Lagoon - The algae is growing because of a trifecta of factors working against it: warm water, bright light and excess nutrient load from organic matter being washed in. Perhaps try looking into the techniques used in natural swimming pools to help filter and 'clean' the water. Steps like having the water upstream flow over rocks, gravel and sand to trap organic matter, create a reed bed to uptake excess nutrients and remove/mitigate sources of phosphorous like agricultural run-off, soap, or even heavy iron water can help with the algae while also making for a better habitat for wildlife.
The same sort of steps could be used to make the Swamp less of a, well, you know a swamp.
I’ve been following you for a while and just realized we’re neighbors-I live in Tondela. Glad to see you’re all okay!
I will keep you guys in prayer 🙏
On fire today - metaphorically speaking - had another idea for you to comntemplate. As part of the 'getting stuff away from Kamp to protect it', I mentioned in my previous comment a 'food trailer' to take bulk food items away from Kamp and perhaps then have self-contained cooking/food prep that could be utilised at the evacuation centre.
Another really useful thing would be to supply electricity, as that often goes out as fires burn through poles and wires.
So having a 'Portable Solar Power Trailer', with battery and multiple plugs for re-charging small items like phones and laptops, would also be a boon to any evacuees at the Evacuation Point, and might even be helpful for local Emergency Services support, for recharging their radios and phones, powering lighting at night, powering a TV so people can keep up with News reports etc etc....
When you begin to think about increasing the solar power and battery storage for Kamp, it might be worth thinking about having part of the total supply Portable, on a trailer, so it could sit quietly powering Kamp most of the time, but during Emergency response periods, could be towed to wherever needed and there utilised to assist the local community.
And of course, hauling it away from Kamp would prevent its loss in the event of a catastrophic fire.
Win - win.
Hi Guys, nice to hear your well.
Lagoon - Pump re-circulating the water, through a filter, and some aeration stones work well in my pond (could run it on localised solar panel set up - Maybe run it on hydro if flows all year. Fast growing/producing plants as suggested like Water lettuce, Cat tails, Iris, Water Hyacinth. Barley Straw will help but will produce hydrogen peroxide.
Tents - Just clean and fix a large waterproof sail overhead. Wooden cabins with insulated metal roofs will last for years.
Keep safe Dave and Team..Hope for the best..
Have you thought about turning dead wood into biochar ? This biochar can be inoculated with the liquid from the bio digestor . This will increase the productivity of the land
a comment on the 'we are pioners'. I can understand this feeling. It is what I felt in the mid 70's When I went back to the land. In the movement that happened back then. I watch because it reminds me of the adventures that I had over my lifetime and still happening today. Learning the skills to survive in a community and closer to the land. For most of my life. I have lived in camp. tents. VW vans my first here was a split window that was camperized, Cabens. Helicopter ski lodges, back woods cabins, Truck camper. Trailers, Buss and motorhomes. Up until my last cam which was a motorhome. I burnt so now I live 1/2 in a seniors compound and the other 1/2 in my trillium trailer. Life and learning would have been a lot easier if we had had the internet. but sad to say when I started we had just got to the moon with a computer that had less power than the calculator i Have in my junk drawer. If youtube had been available back then I would not have had to learn by doing only.
funding of the adventures would also would not have been as big of a problem. You had a dream so you had to work both at the dream and some job to fund it. Now we have crowd funding patrion etc. Now I spend my time helping others to learn herbology, foraging, beekeeping, living in community, solar energy, radio, and programming.