Thanks for the feedback. It's good to know these vlog updates are worthy of going on our main channel in your eyes. We've got a lot lined up on the main channel so we decided to make this update more immediate and put it out on Field Notes, but I expect we'll make another big update on our main channel for this project in the future! cheers Tim
Thanks for the update! If the crayfish weren’t removed before the artificial island was constructed, would they burrow and weaken the structure of the island? Also, someone mentioned it before- the milky blue water was likely due to copper and limestone leaching from the bedrock. This might make the Blue Lake’s water chemistry fundamentally different from other lakes! Maybe worth checking how it might affect its wildlife community composition. Cheers and best of luck 💛💪🏻
Glad you enjoyed the update! We don't think that the crayfish could cause significant damage to the island itself, so that should not be an issue. Regarding the lake's colour, during the last visit, we discovered that the bottom was composed of a white clay that forms a kind of floating mud - and we believe that this gives the lake this distinctive white bluish colour, also supported by the shallow depth. It might also be limestone leaking from the bedrock, but we'd have to do more testing to find out. The test we did do, showed it had higher pH and conductivity than other bodies of water at the quarry too, which we believe to be a result of the high levels if chlorides in the water.
I was skeptical of the field notes concept, but I was wrong. I love this. Keep innovating. Keep pushing! This is awesome! Seriously. While I love the production value of the main Mossy Earth videos, I love even more that this format gives the mic to the passionate individuals working on each project. More please!
In Berlin, they introduced eels to the ponds in the park because not much aquatic live feeds on these crayfish but the eels do feed on the younger ones. But they dried out the ponds in the end so they don't wander into the river system
I've seen some studies that dried out the ponds to remove the crayfish, but that's just not possible here, besides not always working. The eels also wouldn't make sense here. We hope the otters and birds start eating more of these crayfish 🤞🏼
You could make this main channel content It's such a huge intervention and there is so much to discuss that I'm pretty confident a lot of people would be very interested to see this
Yeah, there is in fact lots to talk about, but we sadly don't have the means to make so many main channel videos atm. I'm sure, however, that we'll make one about this lake's transformation next year, and show how it's changed after these interventions!
I think this project feels different to the other Mossy Earth projects. Given the impact of the quarrywork, the rewilding is from such a low base point, it almost like terraforming, especually the blue lake. What is the relationship of the quarry to the surrounding land? Is it farmland, untended scrub or nature reserve?
I love the quarry project. All of its videos are fantastic! I'm glad we got an update on it here. If you whip up some chili butter sauce, I think of a larger bipedal mammalian force that can put another pressure on that invasive crayfish population 😅
If you check out the report Claudia and Udo produced, about the aquatic plant survey, you'll see that we did some water testing and you have everything specified in there. The pH in the Blue Lake is higher than in other water bodies at the quarry, and think that this stems from the presence of chlorides in the water. We are not yet sure about what's causing this, but probably an extraordinary mineralization of underground waters
My first reaction to the whitish blue waters that it resembles those of Lithium salts mining and processing. Portugal has large deposits of Lithium admittedly 100 miles further north but has there been tests done to confirm what is actually causing the water to turn this colour?
We found that the bottom of the lake is composed of a white clay, and we believe that this, together with the shallow depth, is the reason for this particular coloration. But when doing water tests, we did not test for lithium. Perhaps something to keep in mind.
Glad to see those steep banks get rolled back! Don't be afraid to make a peninsula in addition to the island when you work on the other side. Consider biochar as a soil amendment, and using some rocks to build caves for fish to hide in. It's a big lake, and oxygen levels are probably too low for amphibians. if you can do a bit more (bring in plants, maybe even a solar powered fountain or waterfall) to make it more friendly to amphibians, that's going to help your plant growth, too. Look at Serpa Design and his Ecosystem Pond.
I am really interested in seeing if you can get rid of the crayfish or at least reduce their numbers to a point where the barely effect the ecosystem. Seems tough, but who knows. Getting rid of steep banks is a logical step
Should introduce some local carp or catfish species into the water. They will eat a lot of the crayfish if there's not much else living in the water. A predatory fish large enough to feed on them will help drop their numbers better than any other option. And if you use local species it will help build more biodiversity. And once the crayfish numbers are reduced to the point more plant life can start to develop, then other fish can be added to help rebalance the water ecosystem. But without predation in the water at scale, the crayfish will still breed mostly unencumbered.
As carps are invasive, this might not be the way to go. We had thought of introducing one or two fish of the same sex to control the population, but as the lake is quite big this would be hard to manage. And reducing crayfish populations isn't an easy task, without constant removal, their numbers usually end up bouncing back up again. But we are currently looking into some new solutions, and will hopefully have some news for you soon 👀
Always enjoy quarry lake updates! not a very deep lake. Would it make sense to deepen parts of it (and perhaps expand the island in turn? for some biomes that prefer more depth, or is that more trouble than its worth? Looking forward to what it looks like in like half a year or 18 months or so
We found it has chloride in it, which is unusual for natural waters, but explains the high conductivity of the lake. It's quite interesting, but we are not sure about the metals.
Interesting update and interesting if the island could have a pond that dries out in the summer to help amphibians. Maybe even adding some amphibians to the small pond that then can move to the bigger one when it full in the pond with adult animals
We're really designing the island for waders, and this is why we want it to be flat and have enough space between it and the margins. That is the kind of island they like to use, and where they can feel safe from predators. It's also likely that riparian vegetation will establish itself around the island
I agree on less steep structures under water. But will you preserve the steep parts above water? Several bird species like swallows and king fishers need these to thrive. As for getting rid of the crawfish - are any of their predators native to Portugal? Bass, catfish, otter…
We are not removing all the steep banks, but at least the ones on the other side of the lake, and the one close to the island we are building. About natural predators, we have some birds that eat them, like the white heron for example, and also the otters!
No, as there is already some vegetation on one of the margins, we will just let nature take over by itself. Reshaping the margins should be enough for this to happen without additional help.
A little effort can speed up the rewilding of this area by years or even decades. I am convinced that the disruption by the diggers will be overgrown very quickly.
Very interesting and enjoyable. I'm wondering what bird species eat crayfish. Cormorants? I wonder if nesting platforms would be inviting for some bird species (terns?). Easier to build than an island :).
The cormorants do eat crayfish, but not so much. It's more the herons and storks that will eat them. The island is more for waders, like the little ringed plover and common and green sandpipers, as they like this kind of island that is flat, wide and just above water level.
Just a word of warning with the crawfish. I am from Louisiana and I've seen many a crawfish happily make their homes on flat ground as well. They just construct little towers out of mud. So it might not be a bad idea for the guys who are on site to kick those over and smash them in as they're walking around to help further control crawfish numbers.
The bottom of the lake is quite muddy, so I think they prefer the more rigid steep banks in this lake. Besides letting the otters and birds eat them, we're also looking for additional control actions we can do to keep the population in check. Hopefully we'll have news for you about this soon!
Is this project possible to visit when people are in Portugal? Not for guided tours (even if that would be even better) but just to see it with own eyes?
to deal with the invasive crawfish problem why you guys don't try to introduce eurasian otters to the big lake? maybe the little fellas can learn to hunt and eat the crawfish
Thankfully there are already otters around the quarry, and we see their excrements with crayfish shells in them around the lake. So no need to introduce them!
Any ability to add a small crocodilian to the lakes? From what I know Portugal has a climate that aligns well with the crocs tolerance. I find it odd that Europe lacks any sort of wild crocodilian.
There are no native crocodilian species in Portugal, and we definitely don't want to introduce something that's not supposed to be here. We've already got enough on our plate with all the invasive species you can find in the country 😅
@@MossyEarth-FieldNotes Doh! Yes it completely didn't occur to me! So sorry for the braindead idea haha. I'm very happy with what you've all been able to do in restoring the ecosystem to what it could be, and perhaps what it can be. I've been watching and donating since the Chernobyl video a few years back. Very heartened to see the reach and scope of Mossy Earth grow.
Planting trees doesn't seem necessary, as there are some margins where vegetation is growing. So by smoothing the banks, we think they will naturally start growing there anyways. About the fish, we are not planning to introduce any, but are looking for other ways to control the crayfish population
@MossyEarth-FieldNotes planting some willow trees would stop erosion, create habitat for birds ducks and small mammals and its fast growing, some native lake fish would help keep the eco system in balance.
This is a main channel quality update, with just a bit of editing time and money. But either way, I enjoyed it and learned some things. Thank you!
Thanks for the feedback. It's good to know these vlog updates are worthy of going on our main channel in your eyes. We've got a lot lined up on the main channel so we decided to make this update more immediate and put it out on Field Notes, but I expect we'll make another big update on our main channel for this project in the future! cheers Tim
Agreed. Worthy of the main channel, but this is different. This elevates the voices of more of the team and that is awesome.
Thanks for the update! If the crayfish weren’t removed before the artificial island was constructed, would they burrow and weaken the structure of the island?
Also, someone mentioned it before- the milky blue water was likely due to copper and limestone leaching from the bedrock. This might make the Blue Lake’s water chemistry fundamentally different from other lakes! Maybe worth checking how it might affect its wildlife community composition. Cheers and best of luck 💛💪🏻
Glad you enjoyed the update! We don't think that the crayfish could cause significant damage to the island itself, so that should not be an issue. Regarding the lake's colour, during the last visit, we discovered that the bottom was composed of a white clay that forms a kind of floating mud - and we believe that this gives the lake this distinctive white bluish colour, also supported by the shallow depth. It might also be limestone leaking from the bedrock, but we'd have to do more testing to find out. The test we did do, showed it had higher pH and conductivity than other bodies of water at the quarry too, which we believe to be a result of the high levels if chlorides in the water.
I wonder if planting just a few young native trees on the island would assist in limiting the island from being damaged and eroded over time?
My favourite Mossy Earth project!
I think I have to agree!
Wind. The eternal enemy of Mossy Earth Field Notes recordings 😂
You know it 😂
I was skeptical of the field notes concept, but I was wrong. I love this. Keep innovating. Keep pushing! This is awesome! Seriously. While I love the production value of the main Mossy Earth videos, I love even more that this format gives the mic to the passionate individuals working on each project. More please!
Looove the island build, islands help ground nesting birds so much ❤❤❤
Comment for algorithm!
Thanks!
Business is booming -> good news
Quarry is booming with life -> GREAT news
This is my favorite project... trying to fix a habitat that has been destroyed by human hands and showing that with time and effort it is plausible...
Exactly! And the truth is we don't have to do too much, just give nature a bit more space so it can move in and take over
I'm so excited for this project!
In Berlin, they introduced eels to the ponds in the park because not much aquatic live feeds on these crayfish but the eels do feed on the younger ones. But they dried out the ponds in the end so they don't wander into the river system
I've seen some studies that dried out the ponds to remove the crayfish, but that's just not possible here, besides not always working. The eels also wouldn't make sense here. We hope the otters and birds start eating more of these crayfish 🤞🏼
You could make this main channel content
It's such a huge intervention and there is so much to discuss that I'm pretty confident a lot of people would be very interested to see this
Also the crayfish situation is sad
Yeah, there is in fact lots to talk about, but we sadly don't have the means to make so many main channel videos atm. I'm sure, however, that we'll make one about this lake's transformation next year, and show how it's changed after these interventions!
I think this project feels different to the other Mossy Earth projects. Given the impact of the quarrywork, the rewilding is from such a low base point, it almost like terraforming, especually the blue lake. What is the relationship of the quarry to the surrounding land? Is it farmland, untended scrub or nature reserve?
Great to see all of these updates
I love the quarry project. All of its videos are fantastic! I'm glad we got an update on it here. If you whip up some chili butter sauce, I think of a larger bipedal mammalian force that can put another pressure on that invasive crayfish population 😅
Thanks for the recipe, that might just be the way to go to get those crayfish gone!
Cheers Flora! Thanks for this update and explaining all that is going on right now at the quarry. When is the Portuguese crawfish boil scheduled?
Very happy you liked the update, and if we plan a Portuguese invasive crayfish dinner party, we'll let you know !
@MossyEarth-FieldNotes I look forward to it 😉
Fantastic update! Keep up the good work
Nesting birds will probably appreciate the island ^^
Check the pH and dissolved metals concentration? Blue lake reminds me of Chronicles of Narnia...when Eustice shed his cursed dragon skin?
If you check out the report Claudia and Udo produced, about the aquatic plant survey, you'll see that we did some water testing and you have everything specified in there. The pH in the Blue Lake is higher than in other water bodies at the quarry, and think that this stems from the presence of chlorides in the water. We are not yet sure about what's causing this, but probably an extraordinary mineralization of underground waters
My first reaction to the whitish blue waters that it resembles those of Lithium salts mining and processing. Portugal has large deposits of Lithium admittedly 100 miles further north but has there been tests done to confirm what is actually causing the water to turn this colour?
We found that the bottom of the lake is composed of a white clay, and we believe that this, together with the shallow depth, is the reason for this particular coloration. But when doing water tests, we did not test for lithium. Perhaps something to keep in mind.
I really love to follow this project, keep showing us the progress 💚💙
Such an interesting project!
Good job!
Glad to see those steep banks get rolled back! Don't be afraid to make a peninsula in addition to the island when you work on the other side. Consider biochar as a soil amendment, and using some rocks to build caves for fish to hide in. It's a big lake, and oxygen levels are probably too low for amphibians. if you can do a bit more (bring in plants, maybe even a solar powered fountain or waterfall) to make it more friendly to amphibians, that's going to help your plant growth, too. Look at Serpa Design and his Ecosystem Pond.
My vote counted I see
Awesome update. Excited to see what it does down the road
Shared on Mastodon ClimateJustice by JdeB 🇳🇱 including membership link
Great job!
Love it
I am really interested in seeing if you can get rid of the crayfish or at least reduce their numbers to a point where the barely effect the ecosystem. Seems tough, but who knows. Getting rid of steep banks is a logical step
Thanks for the update
You should try to attract otters to the lake ! They love to eat crayfish and they are ravenous !
Should introduce some local carp or catfish species into the water.
They will eat a lot of the crayfish if there's not much else living in the water.
A predatory fish large enough to feed on them will help drop their numbers better than any other option.
And if you use local species it will help build more biodiversity.
And once the crayfish numbers are reduced to the point more plant life can start to develop, then other fish can be added to help rebalance the water ecosystem.
But without predation in the water at scale, the crayfish will still breed mostly unencumbered.
As carps are invasive, this might not be the way to go. We had thought of introducing one or two fish of the same sex to control the population, but as the lake is quite big this would be hard to manage. And reducing crayfish populations isn't an easy task, without constant removal, their numbers usually end up bouncing back up again. But we are currently looking into some new solutions, and will hopefully have some news for you soon 👀
Always enjoy quarry lake updates!
not a very deep lake. Would it make sense to deepen parts of it (and perhaps expand the island in turn? for some biomes that prefer more depth, or is that more trouble than its worth?
Looking forward to what it looks like in like half a year or 18 months or so
We will just leave it as is, and let nature take over the way it wants! We're also curious to see how it changes over time
Have we tested the chemical composition of the blue lake? It looks like it might have metals in it
We found it has chloride in it, which is unusual for natural waters, but explains the high conductivity of the lake. It's quite interesting, but we are not sure about the metals.
Nice update! The positive presentation gives me hope 😌
Also my favourite project!
Great project
Interesting update and interesting if the island could have a pond that dries out in the summer to help amphibians.
Maybe even adding some amphibians to the small pond that then can move to the bigger one when it full in the pond with adult animals
Maybe even planting some more plants in the shallow that you are building
We're really designing the island for waders, and this is why we want it to be flat and have enough space between it and the margins. That is the kind of island they like to use, and where they can feel safe from predators. It's also likely that riparian vegetation will establish itself around the island
I agree on less steep structures under water. But will you preserve the steep parts above water? Several bird species like swallows and king fishers need these to thrive. As for getting rid of the crawfish - are any of their predators native to Portugal? Bass, catfish, otter…
We are not removing all the steep banks, but at least the ones on the other side of the lake, and the one close to the island we are building. About natural predators, we have some birds that eat them, like the white heron for example, and also the otters!
Good luck!
Do you plan to do any flora/fauna transplants, from a healthier pond to the island to jumpstart the processes?
No, as there is already some vegetation on one of the margins, we will just let nature take over by itself. Reshaping the margins should be enough for this to happen without additional help.
@@MossyEarth-FieldNotes Gotcha! Thanks for the update!
A little effort can speed up the rewilding of this area by years or even decades. I am convinced that the disruption by the diggers will be overgrown very quickly.
We believe that too, specially considering there is already riparian vegetation on one of the margins! Can't wait to see nature do it's thing
awesome
Very interesting and enjoyable. I'm wondering what bird species eat crayfish. Cormorants?
I wonder if nesting platforms would be inviting for some bird species (terns?). Easier to build than an island :).
The cormorants do eat crayfish, but not so much. It's more the herons and storks that will eat them. The island is more for waders, like the little
ringed plover and common and green sandpipers, as they like this kind of island that is flat, wide and just above water level.
Just a word of warning with the crawfish. I am from Louisiana and I've seen many a crawfish happily make their homes on flat ground as well. They just construct little towers out of mud. So it might not be a bad idea for the guys who are on site to kick those over and smash them in as they're walking around to help further control crawfish numbers.
The bottom of the lake is quite muddy, so I think they prefer the more rigid steep banks in this lake. Besides letting the otters and birds eat them, we're also looking for additional control actions we can do to keep the population in check. Hopefully we'll have news for you about this soon!
💪💪
Wish I could be involved in your projects
❤
Eat all the crawdads. They are tasty!
We've been told they are tasty, but have not tried them yet!
Is this project possible to visit when people are in Portugal? Not for guided tours (even if that would be even better) but just to see it with own eyes?
Why Not using stehe Wind and Pump some Water from blue Lake to a new Pond above the Cliff?
to deal with the invasive crawfish problem why you guys don't try to introduce eurasian otters to the big lake? maybe the little fellas can learn to hunt and eat the crawfish
Thankfully there are already otters around the quarry, and we see their excrements with crayfish shells in them around the lake. So no need to introduce them!
Who will pull the introduced weeds that migratory birds bring in on their feathers?
In other bodies of water at the quarry this hasn't been an issue, so there is no reason to believe this will happen at the lake.
Any ability to add a small crocodilian to the lakes? From what I know Portugal has a climate that aligns well with the crocs tolerance. I find it odd that Europe lacks any sort of wild crocodilian.
There are no native crocodilian species in Portugal, and we definitely don't want to introduce something that's not supposed to be here. We've already got enough on our plate with all the invasive species you can find in the country 😅
@@MossyEarth-FieldNotes Doh! Yes it completely didn't occur to me! So sorry for the braindead idea haha. I'm very happy with what you've all been able to do in restoring the ecosystem to what it could be, and perhaps what it can be. I've been watching and donating since the Chernobyl video a few years back. Very heartened to see the reach and scope of Mossy Earth grow.
why not make a floating island with pontoons and aquatic vegetation?
wish you would put camera on something , getting seasick watching you.
Sorry to hear that 😅
:3
Why don't ye put some fish in the lake and plant tree around the lake?
Planting trees doesn't seem necessary, as there are some margins where vegetation is growing. So by smoothing the banks, we think they will naturally start growing there anyways. About the fish, we are not planning to introduce any, but are looking for other ways to control the crayfish population
@MossyEarth-FieldNotes planting some willow trees would stop erosion, create habitat for birds ducks and small mammals and its fast growing, some native lake fish would help keep the eco system in balance.