Palos Restoration Project - Blog

Willow Springs January 31, McClaughrey Springs February 1, 2026

2/5/2026

Willow Springs Woods Saturday January 31
After a weekend of rest Palos volunteers came back with renewed energy, converging at Willow Springs Woods Saturday morning. Working along Old Country Lane, the dividing line between Spears and Willow Springs Woods, we continued to burn logs from an ongoing tree-thinning project.

While some of the fires were slow to start, persistence and lots of dead kindling carried the day. We were joined by first-time Palos volunteers John and Mason, who then doubled up by coming to McClaughrey Springs the following day.

McClaughrey Springs Woods Sunday February 1
Sunday we met by the Swallow Cliff stairs and walked the Yellow Trail east past LaGrange Road, working a couple hundred yards in. We received a huge assist from six members of the Thorn Creek Resource Management crew, removing brush, mostly honeysuckle, from a low area beneath the bluff.

Hearty congratulations to volunteer Nicole Dudik, who had her final observation for certification as a Feller l with Forest Preserves of Cook County. Danny, from Thorn Creek RM, did the observation. Forest Preserves of Cook County has a detailed mentoring program which takes a chainsaw trainee through numerous steps before issuing certification. Kevin Gruzewski, a longtime sawyer with our group, served as Nicole's mentor.

Weekend of Cancellations - January 23-25, 2026

1/28/2026

It's rare that a full week goes by with no volunteer restoration in local preserves - I can't remember the last time. The combination of cold and high winds accomplished that - we last worked at Black Partridge on January 18 on a morning that was chilly but tolerable.

FPCC canceled all volunteer activity last Friday and Saturday, when morning wind chills were in the -20 to -30 range. They left Sunday open but we chose to cancel Swallow Cliff - we still had stubborn winds that clashed with the notion of comfort and safety..

The coming weekend ought to be better; not a heat wave but a break from the bitter cold we haven't seen much of in the past five years.

I still nanaged an escape to Swallow Cliff for a walk Sunday morning, arriving as the snowplow was exiting the preserve. My first trip around the loop I was putting footprints in fresh snow, which excites me more than it should. Then I saw a solitary runner, and moments later volunteer Anna with her two frisky pups.

Wednesday I had a stop in Orland Park; when that was over I went to Orland Grassland for a short hike. The beauty there is stark and the wind is relentless - I walked a bit over two miles, chilled going into the wind and a bit overdressed when doubling back. Big respect to their volunteers who have nowhere to hide when the wind machine cranks up.

Willow Springs January 16, Cap Sauers January 17, Black Partridge January 18, 2025

1/22/2026

Willow Springs Woods Friday January 16
Joe had a volunteer day Friday, and three contract firms were also working nearby at Willow Springs, all helping with a remarkable transformation of a wooded stretch along Old Country Lane. The project includes tree thinning as well as invasive brush removal and volunteers will continue to work there at least in the near future.

We had a couple fires going on this day, slow to start but eventually burning well. With cancellation of restoration work Friday and Saturday due to bitter cold, our next scheduled visit here will be Saturday January 31.

Cap Sauers Holding
I missed this one due to another activity, with Margaret and Joe continuing with brush removal at Cap Sauers in an area we've been concentrating on for a number of months now. It's a stunning piece of woodland near Ford Road, with great glacial terrain and towering trees. A big tip of the hat to volunteers who braved a breezy, chilly morning.

Black Partridge Woods
Our small volunteer group continued cutting honeysuckle on the south side of Bluff Road, re-using an old burn scar and pushing the wall of honeysuckle back a short distance. Volunteer Jess from Orland did her second observation and will soon hold the coveted title Brush Pile Burn Boss. She and Jim got a fire going quickly - we all appreciated that - and we kept it loaded until time to shut down. Emily from FPCC Volunteer Resources also came and was a huge help.

Diana had an MLK day scheduled for Monday but persistent cold and high winds forced cancellation.

Tuesday I took a morning walk through parts of Arie Crown Forest and Sundown Meadow in COuntryside, sticking mostly to the southern edge near I-55 on the Yellow Trail. While the weekend cold still lingered, the wind had subsided and the ground was covered by a fresh coating of snow. Some of the pictures below were from that walk, a sheer delight and an affirmation of the (alleged) Norwegian expression" There's no bad weather, only bad clothing."

Spears January 9, Willow Springs January 10, Hidden Pond January 11, 2026

1/15/2026

Spears Woods Friday January 9, Willow Springs Saturday January 10
Friday and Saturday were the third weekend we've doubled up at this location. One side of Old Country Lane is Spears, one is Willow Springs Woods, and volunteers hop back and forth.

A crow of contractors from Atrium Landscape did thinning of some larger trees earlier in the week and part of the task was bucking and burning all of that. Our volunteers also continued to cut more, including honeysuckle with the brushcutter.

Hidden Pond Sunday January 11
Back at Hidden Pond just three weeks after our last visit, we continued clearing brush, primarily buckthorn, along La Grange Road. Much of this infestation is smaller diameter, perfect for the brushcutter which Jim employed ably. Our FP ecologist Kristin Pink came and helped, and volunteer Jess did the first of two observations to become a certified brush pile burn boss. Thank you Joy for working with her, recently certified burn boss Charlie, and Joe C. who tackled the bigger stuff with a chainsaw. Kathy came and herbicided the cut stumps and we were done. Good progress each time we show, chipping away at the west edge of the site.

Spears Woods January 2 & 3, Swallow Cliff January 3, 2025

1/8/2026

Spears Woods Friday January 2, Saturday January 3
Your scribe missed the first of these dates, made it to the second. We're working along both sides of Old Country Lane, more than half a mile north of 95th Street where we park at Country Lane Woods.

This area has a dire need for tree thinning, with numerous maple 'pole trees' creating quite the sunlight-blocking canopy. We've begun that task and Atrium Landscape was to continue in a bigger way, starting Monday. We had several more brush piles burning both Friday and Saturday and will be doing the same this weekend and the next.

Swallow Cliff Woods Sunday January 4
We're continuing a run of several weeks with workdays I've run being affected by weather. Cannot burn due to low humidity, high winds; cancellation due to subzero wind chills; another cancellation for the same reason, then, Sunday, winds below the minimum limit of five mph which delayed starting a fire until 11 am.

Sunday crew was amazing as always, with Jim and Joe cutting large amounts of new fuel while the rest of us (thanks Joy, John, Neal) prepped a fire. By the time we got it burning well it was just about time to stop adding fuel, but that's okay as we have lots waiting for us upon our return in January.

Owl Walk Palos Park Woods North, Saturday January 2
Imagine my surprise to arrive to a parking lot full of cars at 5:00 pm.
Imagine the owls' surprise when a group of well over one hundred hikers (I estimated 110-120) took to the trails, some wielding flashlights. No, I didn't see or hear any owls this time, but it was still a nighttime walk in near-darkness, worth the short trek to get there.

Spears Woods December 26 & 27, 2025

12/31/2025

Spears Woods Friday December 26 & Saturday December 27, 2025
Back-to-back workdays in an area we spent a lot of time maybe five-six years ago. working along Old Country Lane near the trail that runs east to Boomerang Slough. There are numerous maples thriving in this area and the plan is to selectively thin trees to restore better ecological balance.

Matt Hokanson and a couple crew members from Woods to Wetlands, a terrific contract restoration firm that often works at local sites, provided chain-saw power on Friday and got a lot of trees on the ground. Several fires were lit Friday, some reused on Saturday when we had a big group of at least 16 burning all that was already cut and plenty more, including first-time Palos volunteers Chris and Nick.

The fires were going early and this was the first real log-tossing opportunity of the season, which our volunteers took on eagerly. We'll do it again January 2 & 3 in the same location, as long as the weather treats us kindly again.

Swallow Cliff Sunday December 28
Had to cancel this one Sunday morning when the rain came early and continued throughout much of the morning. I went to the site in case anyone who didn't see the cancellation email showed up, taking advantage of a lull in the rain to spend over an walking the site. First stop was the Swallow Cliff stairs - I was one of three or four climbing, a far cry from the average weekend which sees hundreds over the course of a day. Lower sections of trail were puddled over in multiple places along the way.

On a clear day you see the downtown skyline from the top of the stairs. Sunday, visibility was perhaps a quarter-mile - I couldn't see Route 83 to the north clearly. After a couple laps I left the stairs and walked west to Horsetail Lake, again with only minimal rain falling. Questioning if canceling was the right move - I had trusted the radar which showed rain until at least noon.

My concern was assuaged upon hearing the rumble of distant thunder as I reached the lake; time to reverse course to the picnic grove and car. Looping south past the Muskrat Swamps (Shïshko Mbishke in the original Potowatomi), I got within a hundred yards when the sky emptied.

It was a walk I should do more often - all but the thunder and lightning part. So great to see water rushing across trails and down slopes, to feel the force of a winter thunderstorm, and to have a normally crowded preserve almost all to myself. Three or four people at the stairs, and in a nearly four-mile walk I saw just one person on the trail.

Blessed solitude, what drew me to the preserves, and nature, in the first place.

Cap Sauers December 20, Hidden Pond December 21, 2025

12/24/2025

Cap Sauers Holding Saturday December 20
We had a large group, including regional ecologist Kristin Pink and first-time Palos volunteer Kyle, working near Ford Road and an old CCC bridge. This is a spot Margaret's been coming to for quite a while and it's looking better with each month's effort. Kyle, an arborist in his day job, fit right in and was a great help. With brushcutters and chainsaws running there was lots to drag and burn.

Hidden Pond Woods West Sunday December 21
Back at Hidden Pond to burn all the brush we cut a month ago, when low humidity kept us from burning, we dove right in with two fires. We loaded and lopped and dragged the duration of our shift - with a time-out for snacks, of course - and by quitting time all of the brush was burned.

Our mighty Sunday group did their usual stellar job, joined by almost-first-time Palos volunteer Anna who was out once several years ago. She has worked in the restoration field and dove right in with great zeal.

Paddock Woods December 13, 2025

12/18/2025

Paddock Woods Saturday December 13
Temps were dropping by Saturday morning, I think 12 degrees at 9 am, making it a wee bit challenging to work outside. While I missed our Paddock session for another site, a number of regulars showed up to continue Honeysuckle 2.0 at Paddock, along with first-time Palos volunteer William. Thanks to all who braved the weather.

The wind was more than ample to stir a fire; the trick is keeping fingers warm long enough to get that fire going. At times the simple act of striking a match is not simple.
We persevere, the fire starts, and volunteers create a reverse feeding frenzy, throwing brush onto the pile as quickly as possible without smothering it. Think foie de gras. Once the blaze takes off makes you forget the cold, with coats shed and hats pushed up a bit. Walking away at morning's end, that when you recall how cold it truly is.

We were scheduled for Hidden Pond on Sunday the 14th, canceled due to cold and will try again this Sunday, December 21.

Paddock Woods December 6, McClaughrey Springs December 7, 2025

12/11/2025

Paddock Woods Saturday, December 6
We had a good group of volunteers on a crisp yet tolerable morning, cutting more of the honeysuckle that has re-invaded that site. Three gas brushcutters expedited matters, as did two or three people brushing cut stumps. Our Forest Preserve Regional ecologist Kristin Pink joined us, as did one member of FPCC RM crew.

Herbiciding is a major challenge with substantial snow cover. Cut the stumps high and you create a tripping hazard for all your volunteers, cut them low they're tough to find and treat. A diligent, persistent herbicider is a treasure, and we have several.

McClaughrey Springs Woods, Sunday December 7
For the second weekend in a row we had snowfall Saturday going into Sunday, keeping things pretty as we approach the solstice. Diana had a smaller group out, as is usually the case on our Sunday workdays, and chose a spot close to the parking lot to save steps. Two members of the RM (Resource Management) crew joined them in cutting and burning honeysuckle (mostly), with a single fire not far from Kean Avenue.

I've seen the occasional cross-country skier out there, not as many as we had a couple decades ago, which might be due to the paucity of snow in recent years.

Spears Woods November 29, 2025

12/4/2025

Spears Woods Saturday November 29
Snow was falling in the early morning, which didn't deter a small, dedicated group of volunteers from showing up at Spears. (I wasn't one of them, doing wiper blade replacement at the time). Perhaps they would've thought twice if they know multiflora rose was on the morning's agenda :-) X

A tip of the cap to each of them - while I like ripping into mf rose, it's not because it's fun or easy. No, it's because the satisfaction at ridding an area of it is so great. My thanks to Sheri Moor who shared a couple pics and a narrative.

The following day we we scheduled at Black Partridge. Steward John Marlin canceled because the parking lot was snowed in, with light snow continuing into the morning. We've lost two days at Partridge to weather this fall and need a break from the deities.

The early-season snowfall was a delight, getting me out Saturday evening for a walk notable for the quiet and the lack of cars on the road. I stood at Route 83 near 76th Sve. and could not see an oncoming car either east or west, from Harlem to 80th Avenue. That's rare.