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This is Shangri-La. The colossal Kingdom of the Beavers. Discovered by accident today in the Beskid Niski Mountains. It's truly enormous; even from a height of 120 meters, you couldn't see everything. There are so many branches, so many branches, so much of everything. It's incredibly dry all around; this is the only place with a bit more water.

A photo from above, and the system looks rather small, but you just have to compare it to the height of the trees in the photo.

To end or begin the holidays (whichever you prefer), an epic Bieszczady stream. This is a rarity and a treasure: large stones, without any fuss, without any reinforcement, without straightening, cutting, without any carving or plotting.

No, it's not the Amazon. Or a wild, untamed river. Although it's long been called the Bieszczady Amazon. And it is a wild, untamed river. You can see the tree trunk barricades, beaches, sandbars, and deep pools beautifully. And the jungle.

This is part of the Beaver reserve in Uherce, covering over 27 hectares. Most interestingly, it was created on the site of a former quarry used to extract gravel for the construction of the Solina dam. So much gravel was excavated that the water level dropped several meters, and at the bottom of the basin, amidst a lunar landscape, the river flowed. It flowed because it had no other choice. And now it's incredibly beautiful and wild. Since 1987, I've been campaigning for the protection of this area; my efforts were crowned with success in 1994.

Simply let nature take its course, and such valuable and incredible stories emerge. There's no need to search for prehistory, no need to prove what was and what wasn't. What matters is what is now and what it can become.

No, this isn't a May Day barbecue grill. Something much more interesting. This biological grill is made from thicker, unfloated logs cut down by beavers. More trees, shrubs, and herbs will grow on them.

And from one tree, the beavers will turn a hundred. Shoots will spring from the trunks, abandoned branches, and twigs. They will attract deer and red deer. These will attract wolves. The wolves will also eat the beavers, and a temporary reboot will occur. The system works synchronously and perfectly.

And this is a nano-tank. A class act. Modest, yet seemingly made of gold. It collects water from roof gutters. It's been operating without the slightest intervention for 20 years. And with each passing year, it becomes more beautiful, more interesting, and more useful.

What can you buy for 60 cents? Basically, nothing. But something: for example, a black alder, which grows like crazy. Since spring, when I planted 100 seedlings, they've grown an average of a meter and outstripped me. It feeds on carbon dioxide and fixes nitrogen. It provides shade and protects the soil from drying out. And although I enjoy planting, by the end I didn't feel like it anymore and just dug the soil in two. They all took root. 100 for 60 złoty, about two hours of work. What a crazy return on investment.

One of the oldest and largest beaver ponds in the Bieszczady Mountains. The older it gets, the more beautiful it becomes.

And here's a great look at how a mature beaver pond works after a heavy rain:
– It disperses water energy and captures suspended solids washed from the logging trails.
– It feeds water into the stream below (on the left of the photo), which leads to another dam.
– It recharges groundwater, cools the water, and supports the lives of countless residents.

Modest, yet made of gold 😉

An old tree. Will host. Will feed. Will make the bed. Will offer lignin and cellulose.

The culture of the damn thing doesn't leave agriculture out. I used to mow this patch with a hand scythe because it was wet and no equipment would get in. I mow because of the subsidies, because it's overgrown with bushes. Even though it was pointless, with trashy hay and horseflies that cut like knives. I stopped.

Now you can admire marsh helleborines, endangered orchids, and other orchids. And three-leafed beetle. And cottongrass.

And somehow I survive without this heroic mowing and tilling at all costs. And without draining it for a tourist cottage.

And these are the Fabulous Five. Grassland Conservators. Long-lived, they thrive on the sun. Thanks to them, we have beautiful meadows and pastures. Butterflies and birds. And beetles. If you cuddle them, you'll release oxytocin. Fearless. Although, no, they hate one thing: horseflies or gadflies. That's why they now spend their days in the comfort of the stable, only venturing out for short jaunts. Their time is at night. That's when they do their work.

What can you make with scrap pond liner? For example, a micro-pond fed from the gutters via a micro-cistern. It's operational from 0:00. Birds, a dragonfly, and a dog quickly appeared, cooling their feet. There's also a place to draw water for watering the tomatoes.

Sunia Misia and I are checking on how the cherries are doing. Here, in place of the spruce monoculture, an edible forest or forest garden is being created. As you can see, the cherries are doing great. And so are we.

With the electrifying Sunny Misia, we're exploring the future of agrivoltaic systems. Blackcurrants and other fruit bushes will grow under the PV generator. This is an interesting use of space, protected from the sun and drying out, yet well-exposed and warm.

This is the latest, over 40 kWh energy storage system for an off-grid system in the Bieszczady Mountains, complete with inverters, a PV charger, and more. Twenty years ago, we started with two batteries from Star, two small panels, and a Chinese square-sine inverter 😉 This is an evolution of the system in action and firsthand, not on paper or based on the advice of armchair specialists or silver-tongued salespeople who usually spout nonsense.
Besides the hardware, it's also about sensible energy storage, saving when you need it, reducing losses, and using it when you have it in excess. If anyone is interested in advice on this topic, feel free to contact me via private message.