Palos Restoration Project - Blog

Paddock Woods May 17, Hidden Pond May 18 2025

5/22/2025

Paddock Woods Saturday May 17
We had small group of garlic mustard (GM) on our second consecutive Saturday at Paddock. I'm told the target population is still robust and imagine the compost pile continues to grow.

Nature Walk Black Partridge Woods Saturday May 17
Our walk with Palos Park Library director Jessica Rock was our second trip to Black Partridge since we began back in April 2018. We saw a variety of native plants, just a few GMs, and (distressingly) one Dame's rocket along the creek. The invasive plants were removed and location noted.

Hidden Pond Woods Sunday May 18
Another small group of GM hunters, including long-time volunteer Neal, who recently graduated from SIU, Jose who debuted in Palos a week ago, and two members of FPCC's Tinley RM crew, Tim and Zach. With that group we made pretty quick work of the one sizeable GM population, in the south woods, and found a sprinkling along the trail as well.

Paddock May 10, Black Partridge May 11, 2025

5/15/2025

Paddock Woods, Saturday May 10
Saturday was a Chicago River day, one of over 75 in our area sponsored by Friends of the Chicago River. Most of the days are focused on trash pickup, while volunteer efforts at Paddock were directed at the far-too-impressive garlic mustard population.
It was a full house, with all of the available slots filled. They certainly pulled a lot of garlic mustard that morning , while graciously leaving some behind for our upcoming restoration day this Saturday, May 17.

Black Partridge Woods Sunday May 11
Mothers Day at Black Partridge was another hunt for garlic mustard, though any spring walk there is first and foremost a native plant walk. We saw a variety of spring wildflowers in Bloom, and we're also cheered by all the plants filling in the area where we thinned trees two winters back. As Steward John Marlin put it, it's not just new native plants, but a great diversity of them.
We were joined by first time Palos volunteers Jose and Angel and greatly appreciate their help. I also offer congratulations to Angel on his graduation later this week.

McClaughrey Springs, Cap Sauers, & Hidden Pond May 3, 2025

5/8/2025

McClaughrey Springs
This was our public restoration day last Saturday. Diana did garlic mustard picking, then took her group on a plant hike (a common thought as you shall see). The volunteer group included several from SouthWest InterFaith Team, who periodically come and help at McClaughrey.

Cap Sauers
Margaret hosted about a dozen student from Solorio Academy on the SW Side, helped by Maddie Peacher, our Stewardship Program Coordinator from FPCC. The Solorio group is always good; I've worked with them and their teacher, Greta Kringle, on a couple past dates. They too did a mix of garlic mustard picking and hiking.

Hidden Pond
We had 14 students from Mansueto High School, also on the SW Side, at Hidden Pond for - you guessed it - garlic mustard and hiking. We scoured the woods north of the parking lot to the fringe of the prairie. The students were ably led by teacher Tanner Dier and FPCC workday leader Nick Conde, and were a delightful mix of young people, curious and eager to learn.

We benefit so much from organized groups that volunteer in the preserves, whether corporate adult groups or schools, scout troops, and others. We learn from them and in turn encourage advocacy for natural places in the community.

Spears Woods April 26, Swallow Cliff April 27, 2025

5/1/2025

Spears Woods Saturday April 26
This was an impressive struggle with multi-flora rose, which staked out a large space on the edge of the wetland. Two brushcutters and two chainsaws ran throughout the morning, and those hauling cut brush to the fire relished (not really) the chance to drag the notoriously prickly vines.

At break time, past 11:00, there still were large clumps of rose standing. With diligence and lots of energy the group managed to get it all cut and burned by quitting time, all the way to the water's edge. Well-done, and maybe the most multiflora rose I've seen burned in a single session.

Swallow Cliff Woods South Sunday April 27
We were quite the small group Sunday morning and kept our efforts on scale with our numbers, tackling a small scattering of honeysuckle in the south woods. Shades of Saturday, we also found a couple clusters of the invasive rose which found their way to the fire.

Thank you Carolyn and Kathy for your efforts, and thanks to first-time Palos volunteer Mustafa from Oak Lawn for the welcome assistance. We had a good day and, in the absence of power tools, were able to enjoy the serenade of the chorus frogs.

Cap Sauers April 19, Black Partridge April 20, 2025

4/24/2025

Cap Sauers Holding Saturday April 19
This was steward Margaret Tobin's return to action after several months rehab and it was good to have her out there again. It's also a treat to get into Cap Sauers in springtime.

We had six first-time Palos volunteers join us! Thank you AJ, Rachel, Rupa, Nathan, Melvin, and the dad to the latter two young men. They were a tremendous help in clearing and burning honeysuckle, multi-flora rose, and barberry - there might have been a few buckthorns mixed in as well.

Black Partridge Woods Sunday April 20
John had a small crew out on Easter Sunday which included first-time Palos volunteer Abbey. They collected garlic mustard from the woodland and managed to spot a number of spring wildflowers.

McMahon April 12, McClaughrey Springs April 13, 2025

4/16/2025

McMahon Woods and Fen Saturday April 12
We had a smaller-than usual turnout on this day, one which your reporter also missed. I'm told it was still a productive day, with volunteers tackling the dreaded "wall" of brush at McMahon. I believe there was only one fire, which IS unusual for a Saturday in Palos.

I should note that second Saturday is the busiest of the month for restoration in Cook County, with 17 sites listed on last week's calendar. Some of our volunteers have connections to multiple sites and none, to my knowledge, have yet cloned themselves ala "Multiplicity". I'm tempted, while Julie thinks it's a bad idea.

McClaughrey Springs Sunday April 13
We had an anomalous situation Sunday, with two sites working and neither having adequate volunteers, and chose to combine forces and work at McClaughrey Springs. That gave us a fire-starter, a couple haulers, plus two power tool operators to provide fuel for the fire. In the end it worked out pretty well.

We're getting near the end of brushcutting season, and all it will take is a few warm days to get the garlic mustard popping some flowers. Usually we switch around May 1 though some sites are starting this weekend..

McMahon Woods April 5, McClaughrey Springs April 6, 2025

4/10/2025

McMahon Woods & Fen Saturday April 5
Had to miss this one but I'm told we had a good crew that made major inroads on one of the true tangled messes that typify our time at McMahon. Much of the agony is due to the bittersweet vine that grows everywhere and ties everything together. Thanks to first-time Palos volunteer Matthew who joined us; he's seen some of the toughest foes Palos has, so it should all be downhill from here.

McClaughrey Springs Woods Sunday April 6
This was the first Sunday in recent memory with no weather concerns coming in. Wind was ample for fire-starting, no threat of rain, and we even enjoyed some sunshine. It was also one of the shortest walks in to a work site - we parked in the McClaughrey Springs lot and worked right there. We had two students from Oak Lawn HS, two from McCauley (plus a mom!), and two brush piles.

While areas near parking lots and roads are typically degraded, we found more than a sprinkling of native plants mixed in with all the honeysuckles. That was one big plus; another is that the view from the parking lot across Mill Creek is much better now, much more open.

Paddock March 29, Swallow Cliff South March 30, 2025

4/3/2025

Paddock Woods Saturday March 29
A light drizzle slowed the starting of our fires but went away eventually, and we had two fires in this return visit to Paddock. A pair of chainsaws, a brush-cutter, and a good group of volunteers, including first-time Palos volunteers Maggie and Sam, created lots of cut brush to add to those fires. We're so close right now to spring wildflowers, you feel like you're sitting in the audience waiting for the stage curtain to open.

Swallow Cliff Woods Sunday March 30
For the second week in a row rain threatened to shut us down. I arrived early, at 7:30 and was soon joined by Dan and Joe, getting a good fire going well before 9:00, and the rain, expected by 10, chose to stay away until well into the afternoon.

That allowed us to not only accomplish our first goal, burning a lot of honeysuckle cut one week prior, but to tackle a patch of smaller brush (thank you Julie for bringing the brushcutter!) which in turn opened a view of a small wetland we didn't even know was there until clearing the brush in front of it.

When you start the day not knowing if anything will get done, have a terrific group of volunteers show up despite the forecasts, and get so much accomplished, you feel truly blessed with good fortune!

Paddock Woods March 22, Swallow Cliff March 23, 2025

3/26/2025

Paddock Woods Saturday March 22
We had a large group of volunteers, including three brush-cutters and three chainsaws, working in the low area northwest of the parking lot. Tree thinning, lots of honeysuckle, and a few others were targeted, and we had at least three fires by my count.

Congratulations to chain sawyer Nicole D. for finishing her mentoring sessions, she's now a certified Feller 1 in the Forest Preserves of Cook County. Much thanks also to Kevin G. for acting as mentor - it's a detailed process developed by FPCC that emphasizes the safe use of this powerful tool.

Swallow Cliff South Sunday March 23
Sunday morning dawned with a threat of rain that kept getting pushed later into the day; we had a great group, including first-time Palos volunteers Tristan, as we pushed farther in from the Yellow Trail in the South woods. Jim with the brush-cutter, Joe with the chainsaw, the rest of us hand-cutting and hauling and burning as we creep our way deeper into the woodland.

One pleasant surprise: when we got past a line of brush along a drainage we entered an area of open woodland, relatively free of brush. This has to be staff or contract work as volunteers are new to this area. We will return on Sunday, March 30, which will likely be our last Swallow Cliff cut-and-burn day of the season.

Black Partridge Woods March 16, 2025

3/19/2025

Our crazy windy Saturday led to cancellation of our restoration day at Cap Sauers, as well as most sites in the county.

Black Partridge Woods Sunday March 23
We had no guarantee this one would come off either, with snow forecast throughout the day. It began around 8:00 am as I was driving to the site, but not so much that we couldn't get a fire started (go Andy!).

We didn't have a big crowd, but our numbers were doubled by five volunteers from Friends of Pilcher Park Nature Preserve in Joliet. The snowfall doused their plan to do a prescribed burn so they joined us instead. Huge thanks to Teal, Allison, Michael, Matas, and Justin, all from that group and making their first appearance at a Palos restoration site. Thanks also to Maddie Peacher, Volunteer Program Coordinator with FPCC, making her rounds of all the county preserves under volunteer management.

We cut brush on the dairy farm (south) side of Bluff Road, with most of the damage done by lopper and bowsaw. The snow added a nice ambience, lasting long enough to coat the stalks, leaves, and seed heads of last year's plants.