Palos Restoration Project - Blog

Black Partridge January 28, Swallow Cliff January 29, 2023

1/31/2023

Black Partridge Woods Saturday January 28
Going back to November 2019, John Marlin and volunteers crossed Bluff Road to its south side and began cutting honeysuckle near the creek, in an area that was the dairy farm in a previous life. In early 2020 we did two grant days with Citgo and resumed cutting in January 2021 after a long Covid hiatus.

We've come a long way since then, and Saturday was akin to a capstone day, thinning trees from a large area with the help of Atrium Landscape sawyers and haulers. Cottonwoods, box elder, and black locust were the major targets, and by day's end the area looked markedly more open. Five massive fires were testament to the group effort and the area will have much more sunlight reaching the ground.

Swallow Cliff Woods South Sunday January 29
Swallow Cliff has had a run of uncooperative weather, with rain and low winds hindering recent efforts to cut and burn brush. Sunday was another question mark, with a forecast of overnight snow and ice (that mostly moved to our north). Still, 13 volunteers came, ready to chop and burn close to a dozen big stacks of brush from the previous Sunday, including first-time Palos people Crystal and Ruby.

The ice WAS a challenge, with all of our fuel coated by a thin glaze. Joy and Darien patiently coaxed that wet mess into two big fires, and we started hauling and burning. Halfway through the morning it seemed like we might not finish, but a concerted effort by all present got the job done. By noon all but a few random scraps were loaded, and shortly after 1:00 pm Kathy, Carolyn, and I were able to call it a day.

Fantastic volunteer effort! Again and again!

Cap Sauers January 21, Swallow Cliff January 22, 2023

1/26/2023

Cap Sauers Holding Saturday January 22
Margaret, Atrium Landscape, and a large volunteer contingent (including first-time Palos volunteer Damian) thinned trees and burned numerous large brush piles on brisk morning that became cozy once the fires got cooking. We were in the area we've focused on in recent months and it opens up more with each dose of volunteer energy.

Swallow Cliff Woods Sunday January 22
Back near the slough in the South woods, we had to forego fire due to a near-total calm. This was no obstacle to our super team, whose members tackled the honeysuckle with vigor. With loppers, bowsaws, and a single chainsaw, we cleared a large area, so much that we ran out of herbicide before day's end. Thank jah and the chemists for basal oil formulations!

This is our third Swallow Cliff weather glitch in as many months, with one rainout, one canceled due to no wind, and this one. We're coming back on Sunday January 29, though a snowy forecast may hinder us. We'll see...

Paw Paw Woods January 14, 2023

1/19/2023

Paw Paw Woods Saturday January 14
This was our annual tree-thinning foray to Paw Paw, and this time we were farther north and east, within sight of Fairmount Cemetery. Another good group of volunteers came, including first-time Palos volunteer Dan;Kurt Leslie, whom I hadn't seen at a workday for a spell; and Charlie who previously has been to Cap Sauers.

The Atrium chain sawyers cut a lot and had a pair of fires going by 9:00 am. Volunteers dragged and loaded, starting several more fires along the way. We were quite spread out and, given the uneven terrain, I have no idea how many piles eventually were burned, only that we were quite the productive bunch.

We had only one restoration day last weekend, will have two (January 21 at Cap Sauers, January 22 at Swallow Cliff), weather permitting, this weekend.

McMahon January 7, Hidden Pond January 8, 2023

1/12/2023

McMahon Woods & Fen Saturday January 7
This was our first tree-thinning day of the season, and it was a good one. We had three sawyers, and seven haulers! from Atrium, in addition to a big group of volunteers. The latter group included Jim Tebo, whom we hadn't seen for quite a spell. Good to have him back!

Numerous trees were felled and burned in the course of the day. Equally rewarding, a number of trees already on the ground were bucked and burned, which ought to help move prescribed fire through the area whenever that should happen. Big fires all, and quite a few, marked our season kickoff.

Hidden Pond Woods Sunday January 8
We had another good group Sunday, including several (George, Jim D. Joe C, and Kathy) who doubled up Saturday and Sunday. Continuing brush removal on a slope above the prairie, we expanded the cleared area in all four directions from our brush pile.

This site has quite the variety of invasive plants - we saw barberry, buckthorn, multi-flora rose, and the most prevalent, honeysuckle, all within steps of one another. It's coming along quite well, though, and with a couple more times out we should connect to the prairie moving east and north.

McMahon December 31 2022, Swallow Cliff January 1 2023

1/5/2023

McMahon Woods & Fen Saturday December 31
Our Olympic-caliber vine-wrestling team assembled in the parking lot for another round of "hack and stumble". I'm blown away by the energy our volunteers throw into this decidedly challenging task, and each increment we clear is worthy of celebration.

The goal in clearing the brush, and bittersweet vines, is to facilitate tree thinning, which will happen in two days, on January 7. It takes repeated forays to create real change in this piece of land.

Swallow Cliff Woods South Sunday January 1
Despite a damp morning, this went exceedingly well. Joy got the fire going (no surprise there!), Joe cut with the chainsaw, while the rest of us cut and dragged across a sizeable area in the south woods.

One budding thicket of small honeysuckles was trying to establish itself, and we took care of them as well as numerous outliers near the westernmost of two ephemeral ponds inside the south trail loop. Come spring, when I do that loop, it's going to be so much better to NOT see this patch of brush greening up. Awesome!

McMahon December 24, Paddock December 28, 2022

12/29/2022

McMahon Woods & Fen Saturday December 24
We had a small group on Christmas Eve, which, I'm certain, had more to do with family commitments than with the high winds and sub-zero wind chills of that frosty morn. Despite numb digits, three hardy souls managed a single brush pile fire and survived to tell the tale.

The picture of that fire, seen below, was provided by volunteer, and cyclist, George, who is not deterred from climbing onto his two-wheeler by mere weather. Tip of the cap to him, and to Kevin and Joe, for their efforts!

Paddock Woods Wednesday December 28
Moderate temps and a south wind blowing smoke over the canal rather than onto Route 83 suggest we somehow regained the favor of the weather deities. It also brought a large group of volunteers to continue our project, clearing red cedar from a prairie patch that managed to establish itself atop a spoil pile from the Cal-Sag channel.

Joy brought her niece, nephew, and coworker to help. Thanks to all for joining us!

Vagaries of Local Weather
The days immediately preceding Christmas were brutal, with high winds and bitter cold. Then came Monday, still quite cold, when we had to cancel our restoration day at Swallow Cliff due to... wait for it...insufficient wind.

By the terms of our burn permit with EPA, we need a minimum five mph wind to burn brush piles, to move the smoke out and keep local skies clear. And without fire we chose to wait a week and try again.

Cap Sauers December 17, Black Partridge December 18, Paddock December 21, 2022

12/22/2022

Cap Sauers Holding Saturday December 17
Super turnout Saturday at Cap, don't have an exact count but we probably came close to filling a sign-in sheet. That included first-time Palos volunteers Dave, Joyce, and Charlie. Much thanks to them, and the rest of the group, as we finished clearing an area that we've worked at for several months now.

Black Partridge Sunday December 18
Sunday morning started quite cold, but it brought the first sunshine we'd seen in quite a few days, a great boost to our spirits. Volunteers getting a fire going quickly made for another boost.

We've cut brush in this spot several times, and this was the day broke through the wall, creating a nice opening to the pasture just west of us. That was the main goal of the work, so it felt good to hit that mark. Newly certified chain sawyer Joe C. got in some swipes with John's saw, and volunteer George rode his bike 28 miles round-trip so he could join us. That's farther than I drove....

Paddock Woods Wednesday December 21
This was a departure from a typical day, at least in terms of target species. We removed eastern redcedar from a small prairie pocket along the Cal-Sag bike path in Palos Park. While native to the U.S., this tree can be quite aggressive and crowd out other natives.

Pluses of redcedar; it burns readily, and many of the day's targets were of a size that could be dragged, and tossed, on the fire in their entirety. That sped our work, as breaking shrubs down at fireside is time-consuming. One or two tried to roll off the fire, prompting Joy to comment on burning tumbleweeds or something to that effect.

In addition to our volunteer group, we had FPCC ecologist Kristin Pink as well as Matt and Erin from Woods 2 Wetlands assisting. We cleared quite a bit in a short time and will be back Wednesday, December 28, moving west on the spoil pile above the bike path.

McMahon December 10, Hidden Pond December 14, 2022

12/14/2022

McMahon Woods & Fen Saturday December 10
The preceding Saturday we weren't allowed to burn brush, so we made large piles. This time around there were no restrictions, so volunteers were able to burn all that brush. That made for some big fires, but that's something that's pretty common in winter months.

With two chainsaws running, more brush got cut as the morning wore on, making it quite a productive day and a job well done.

Hidden Pond Woods Sunday December 11
By 8:00 am Sunday a light mist filled the air, not predicted and certainly not welcomed. That was as bad as it got and we were able to proceed, with Jim and Kris getting a fire going while the rest of us cut brush on a rise above the prairie.

We had the trifecta - honeysuckle, buckthorn, and multi-flora rose - cutting quite a bit and expanding the area cleared last month. We'll likely continue in this spot for the next couple months. Thanks to our smallish, energetic group, including first-time Palos volunteer Jim from Morgan Park.

Holiday Lights
Julie and I made our annual trek to Brookfield Zoo for the holiday lights last Saturday, then drove past her father's former home in Tinley Park. Across the street resides one of the largest light displays in our area, three homes decked out most enthusiastically. A short distance away is another home, one of the entrants in Channel 7's Chicago Light Fight this year.

The number of lights on these two properties makes me quite thankful for LED bulbs.

McMahon December 3, McClaughrey December 4, 2022

12/8/2022

McMahon Woods & Fen Saturday December 3
High winds overnight forced a no-burn rule Saturday across the county, reminding us how welcome our fires are on cool-to-cold days. Luckily, the strenuous nature of wrestling ever-present bittersweet vines keeps the heart pumping and blood flowing.

We'll be back at McMahon December 10, 24, & 31, lots of chances for those who missed out on this one.

McClaughrey Springs Sunday December 4
The wind subsided and we were able to burn Sunday; Diana brushcut early and Joy had a fire going by the time the rest of the volunteers arrived. Working above a bend at Mill Creek we eventually had two fires and got a decent patch of ground cleared. We were joined by first-time Palos volunteer Domenico; great to have him!

McMahon Woods & Fen November 26, 2022

12/1/2022

McMahon Woods & Fen Saturday November 26
This turned out to be our only restoration day of the weekend, and your roving correspondent missed it 'cause they were... roving. Joe's working at his McMahon project, which has been ongoing for over a year now.

Current efforts are directed at clearing brush, as well as cherry trees and downed trees, to open the area for a winter brush-mowing endeavor. It's a lot of work, but the outcome should be worth the effort.

Last Sunday's restoration day at Swallow Cliff Woods South had to be canceled; the rain, which never amounted to a whole lot, was persistent throughout the morn and precluded any chance of herbiciding what we planned to cut. So we're holding off 'til next date, on Monday, December 26, taking advantage of a long holiday weekend. We have two pockets of brush within the trail loop in the south woods that warrant a volunteer group and a fire.

Fall Burn Season
The continued dry spell has been a boon for burn crews, who have done multiple sites both within and outside our region. Many recent fall burn seasons have been a bust; this one is not, and even the rains we've had only delayed efforts by a couple days or more.