Palos Restoration Project - Blog

Willow Springs March 7, Hidden Pond March 8, 2026

3/11/2026

Saturday March 7, Willow Springs Woods
This can best be termed "Festival of the Roses" as the primary target was one of our regular nemeses, multi-flora rose. I'd not object to deporting all of these devils. We had three gas brush-cutters running and, someone made an emergency run for additional rakes, the best way to gather the cut vines without getting entangled in them.

David and Derek from Tinley Resource Management joined us and worked with both brush-cutter and chainsaw. Volunteers Barb spotted an array of jelly fungi, and Jim saw a garter snake, both pictured in today's slideshow. The morning began with unseasonable warmth and cooled, with rain and stiff winds, becoming the coldest 55 degrees I can recall.

Sunday March 8 Hidden Pond Woods
We made a big dent in a stretch of buckthorn and honeysuckle lying between LaGrange Road and the multi-use trail, with a huge assist from seven members of The Peregrines, "a community of friends (new and old alike) who travel to important natural areas in northeastern Illinois, making an impact through targeted ecological restoration work." The group is with Friends of Illinois Nature Preserves and are doing great things.

We also were joined by regional ecologist Kristin Pink, two crew members from Tinley Resource Management (David and Derek), and several of our regular volunteers. Combined, we cleared buckthorn from a long stretch on the edge of the multi-use trail, Even the sandhill cranes migrating overhead seemed impressed, circling several times as if checking our work.

Michael Kazaitis 1957-2026

3/4/2026

Mike Kazaitis first found us at the Little Red Schoolhouse Arts & Crafts Fair in October, 2014. Shortly thereafter he attended his first habitat restoration day, and joined us frequently in the years to follow.

Mike was a strong and willing worker, quick to pitch in and help. Photography was one of his many talents and on at least one occasion shared pictures that I used in my email/blog. He also was known for doing home projects,

He had a ready smile and giving heart. In late 2018 he felt our group should have new t-shirts and approached me for a copy of our logo. A couple weeks later he returned with an updated logo, then made a transfer and printed a box of shirts, in a variety of sizes, for distribution to our volunteers. This was done on his initiative out of his own pocket, and he did not want reimbursement.

He doted on family and was immensely proud of his daughters. My favorite 'Mike' story came when his daughter was getting married. He told us he took singing lessons prior to her wedding, and recorded the song that played for the father-daughter dance. He beamed when telling the story and showed us a video of the dance. This expression of a father's love truly touched my heart and I won't ever forget it.

After the wedding he continued to volunteer on occasion, though becoming a grandpa became a focal point in his life. His passing came as a shock and brings sadness, mixed with gratitude for all he did for our group and for the pleasure of having known him. I wish peace to Mike and his loved ones.

Willow Springs Woods February 28, 2026

3/4/2026

Willow Springs Woods Saturday February 28
We had four chainsaws on Saturday, as well as Doug on his favorite implement, the brush-cutter. I believe the burn pile count was three, with one located near Old Country Lane and the other two farther west. They burned readily, not always the case with the trees being thinned here. A decent breeze helped stir the fires.

We'll take at least one week couple weeks off from this spot, with a Willow Springs day closer to 95th Street and Katydid Slough next Saturday, March 7.

Cap Sauers February 21, Swallow Cliff February 22, 2026

2/26/2026

Cap Sauers Saturday February 21
We gathered at our recent work area in Cap Sauers for a cleanup of a large stretch of hilly turf with scattered honeysuckle throughout. Two chainsaws, one brushcutter, and lots of energy. Joe located one fire in a low spot and the other on a hillside and both burned well.

Volunteer Barb made an interesting find, which she thought might be eggs of some forest critter. It seems she was right - naturalist Lorrie Ward at Sagawau offered a tentative ID of snail eggs, having seen similar on several occasions. See the picture in slideshow below. Every day is an adventure, with new revelations or new people showing up with new stories to share.

Swallow Cliff South Sunday February 22
This was a NEWTS day (New Volunteer Training and Support), a Forest Preserves program to introduce new people to the restoration process. Emily Russell and Maddie Peacher from Volunteer Resources joined us, bringing first-time Palos volunteers Claire, Samantha, Tony, Simon, Maggie, Rebecca, Charisma, Erica, Mike, and Martyna - I hope I got everybody.

What a fantastic group! We spent the first half of the morning clearing a mass of cut brush from our last time out, on January 4, when low winds limited the amount we could burn. After a short break we tackled new growth, with everyone getting a shot at knocking down one of the myriad honeysuckles dotting the landscape. Incipient lumberjacks, I'd say! When we finished you could stand near the brush pile and enjoy an open view bend to the trail that was totally obscured three hours earlier. Fantastic!

Willow Springs February 13 & 14, Black Partridge February 15, 2026

2/16/2026

Willow Springs Woods Fri/Sat, February 13 & 14
Back-to-back days at Willow Springs Woods, still along Old Country Lane burning big brush piles behind an ongoing tree-thinning project. When we arrived Friday we saw Prescribed Fire signs along the road, the first of the new year. Crews arrived maybe an hour after that and started their fire, to our west.

They burned both north and south of us and at one point were close enough that we vacated our work area for a short time. We came back in and were able to start another brush pile before 1:00 pm. When Joy and I left we detoured to the Orange and Yellow Trails to get back to the lot - they burned quite a stretch right along Old Country Lane.

Saturday your correspondent was elsewhere, while another small group of volunteers worked in the same area, burning more cut logs and using the same brush piles which were still loaded with hot embers and easily restarted.

Black Partridge Woods Sunday February 15
Sunday were were unable to burn due to Air Quality Index (AQI) creeping into the orange range, 101- 150, which is 'Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups'. We were another small group, five total, and spent the morning cutting and stacking honeysuckle for our March session. As is usually the case, we cut quite a bit and stacked it in feeder piles, which will speed fire starting on that day.

Willow Springs February 7, Hidden Pond February 8, 2026

2/12/2026

Willow Springs Woods Saturday February 7
Saturday was the start of our warming trend, and marked another volunteer visit to the stretch of preserves along Old Country Lane. We are slowly working to the south and will be there for a while depending on how far Joe plans to continue.
Two chances this weekend, Friday and Saturday, at Willow Springs Woods..

Hidden Pond Woods Sunday February 8
Back to Hidden Pond for a Super Sunday of brush removal, focusing on a strip of mostly small buckthorn that grows in the upland along LaGrange Road. We had one brushcutter, one chainsaw, and five others, including first-time Palos volunteer Kaeli from the great state of Michigan, hauling brush and loading the fire.

Leaving the parking lot you have to drive north, past our work site, and I realized how much progress we've made over the past couple seasons. Hidden Pond was the first Palos site where I volunteered which makes it special.

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.