Palos Restoration Project - Blog

Spears Woods November 23, Swallow Cliff November 24, 2024

11/27/2024

Spears Woods Saturday November 23
When you see the parking lot full of cars, and numerous people standing behind them, what does that signify? A heap of brush is getting cut and burned today. We had twenty-plus volunteers, in addition to a return visit from the Thorn Creek Resource Management crew, at Spears last Saturday.

Newly certified chain sawyer Nicole got her first mentoring session from Kevin, while Jim ran his chainsaw a short distance away and both Doug and Margaret brush-cut in the main work area, near the prairie adjacent to Boomerang Slough. Lots of vines tangled and impeded progress, including multi-flora rose that attacked a couple volunteers, but by day's end Joe's main target, a big ugly honeysuckle thicket, went up in smoke. Good job!

Swallow Cliff South Sunday November 24
Sunday got off to an inauspicious start; when I arrived I was the crew, until other peeps started filtering in. It turned out just fine, with two brushcutters (thanks Jim and Diana) plus Joe with the chainsaw. Joy did her usual great turn as burn boss, with Carolyn, Jess and Jan hauling and Kathy doing the herbiciding, joined by Diana as the entire team hustled to get all that cut brush on the fire.

Though we initially planned distribute native seeds nearby we chose to save them for another day.

Cap Sauers November 16, Black Partridge November 17, 2024

11/21/2024

Cap Sauers Saturday November 16
Margaret had a good group of volunteers at Cap Saturday cutting and burning brush, and also was graced by a vist from Resource Management's Thorn Creek crew (Go Amber!) as well as our Regional Ecologist Kristin Pink and first-time Palos volunteer Esh. The Thorn Creek crew staked out their own work area, our chainsaw and brushcutter operators had theirs, and the remaining volunteers, with hand tools, cut and dragged to multiple brush piles. It was an excellent and productive day.

Nature Walk at Cap Sauers Saturday November 16
At 10:30 I abandoned brushcutting and joined director Jessica Rock and patrons of Palos Park Public Library on the east side of Cap Sauers, The occasion was our sixth nature walk of the year, climbing the hill west of Teason's Woods on the Yellow Trail to observe late fall colors i.e. green honeysuckle leaves, rust and brown everything else. It was a fun walk and has me looking ahead to next spring before I've even savored a winter day..

Black Partridge Woods Sunday November 17
This was another very productive day and another visit from Kristin Pink and the Thorn Creek Resource Management crew. The latter group thinned trees on the north side of Bluff Road while the rest of us cleared a thicket on the south side. We were joined by first-time Palos volunteer Emily and had Diana and Joe C. with chainsaws and Jim D. running a gas brush-cutter, several other volunteers wielding loppers and bowsaws, we greatly enlarged the open area in our thicket.

Spears Woods November 9

11/14/2024

Spears Woods Saturday November 9
While I wasn't able to attend this brush-cutting endeavor, sources report it was a good one, with more of our "winter people" popping in. We had nothing on the schedule Sunday November 10, but the coming weekend we'll be at Cap Sauers Holding Saturday and Black Partridge Woods Sunday, November 16 & 17 respectively.

Spears Woods Saturday November 2,

11/7/2024

Spears Woods Saturday November 2
We've had several sessions here this fall, clearing brush near a wetland. Joy was at one in early October, missed a couple and came back for this one. She was quite impressed by the progress in that time, as shown in her before and after photos below. She does a good job framing them, and, yes, it's coming along quite nicely.

We're back at Spears this Saturday, though possibly in a different area since the meeting place has changed to the Spears Woods lot for this one.

Cap Sauers Holding Saturday November 2
Margaret hosted Solorio Academy HS students at Cap Saturday morning. I'd worked with them several years back and was fortunate to be able to join them. They did a terrific job, cutting honeysuckle near the trail at Cap on the Ford Road side. They are ably led by their teacher, Greta Kringle, and did a very nice job clearing and burning brush. Their reward was hot dogs and s'mores over the fire which they seemed to enjoy.

McClaughrey Springs Sunday November 3
I could not make it to Diana's workday and did not receive info or pictures from anyone, don't see anything on FB so I can't report. Hope it went well.

Robert Erck October 11, 1954 - October 25, 2024

10/31/2024

Bob Erck's page on the Argonne Laboratory site describes him as "Principal Metallurgist", with a PhD in metallurgical engineering. He authored or co-authored over 120 journal articles, many with titles so esoteric they confound me. It's fair to say Bob was a leader in his field, recognized by peers across the globe. His work dealt with saving energy by reducing friction and wear in mechanical components, and it was important, cutting-edge work.

In the Forest Preserves of Cook County he was better known as "Chainsaw Bob", a volunteer who loved wielding his saw and might show up anywhere, on any day, chainsaw in hand. A man in a cerebral occupation, Bob seemed to relish the physical side of restoration work.

When student groups came to a restoration day, he'd often switch to "Teacher Bob" mode, engaging with the young folks on techniques for felling a small tree or proper use of a lopper. He obviously enjoyed these interactions and his scientific teaching approach was readily apparent. I recall seeing his face light up one day when a student was able to tell him the third most common gas in Earth's atmosphere (argon).

He also relished the camaraderie of working with the group and the regular lunches featured at one of our sites. He was locally famous for the cooler packed with "nutritious beverages" that he brought to share with other volunteers.

Restoration in the forest preserves only scratches the surface of Bob's volunteer activities. Bob was a volunteer and President of Westmont Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association, which informs residents of the multiple duties and activities of their officers and assists police with local events.

He volunteered as a set-builder with a local theater group, and one year had a small role in a play, prompting a number of us to attend a performance. He regularly helped at a camp operated by a church he supported and was involved in a variety of other giving activities.

Bob was also an excellent photographer, as well known for meticulously framing a photo as he was for his chainsaw and beverage cooler. He had a quirky sense of humor and wasn't above taking, or posing for, some silly picture.

Possessed of a generous giving heart, he donated to people and causes he believed in. I know this from others, not because he talked about it. I also recall more than one occasion when he bought lunch for a group of us which extended the post-workday conversation. Those conversations were always the highlight.

I'll always remember Bob, as an interesting, thoughtful, and thoroughly decent man, an integral part of a community that was greatly enriched by his presence.

Spears Woods October 26, Swallow Cliff South October 27, 2024

10/30/2024

Spears Woods Saturday October 26
Wasn't able to attend this one, by I'm told we had an impressive volunteer turnout and got another big chunk of brush cleared at Joe's current Spears work site. It's near a wetland, not far from Boomerang Slough, in an area that once held a number of large cottonwoods which had intruded on the wetland.

With more sunlight, it now grows thick with forbs and grasses, as well as - unfortunately -an abundance of honeysuckle and multi-flora rose. Hats off to the hardy volunteers tackling that latter, contentious nuisance!

Swallow Cliff Woods South, Sunday October 27
Sunday was our first brush-cutting day of the season at Swallow Cliff and it was a good one. With the recent dry spell, areas that usually are muddy were instead dry allowing us to enter and clear the brush, mostly buckthorn and honeysuckle, that were growing within.

With Joe C. on the chainsaw and Jim D. brush-cutting, we made a large dent in it, breaking through to open up a clear view of a smaller pond we first "discovered perhaps a year ago. (See pictures in slideshow below). It was also a lovely fall colors day and the parking lot was nearly full by noon, with scores of walkers taking it all in.

Cap Sauers October 19, Black Partridge October 20, 2024

10/24/2024

Cap Sauers Holding Saturday October 19
On another unseasonably warm fall day, we had a great group show up at Cap Sauers, including first-time Palos volunteers Paul and Joe. Honeysuckle was our primary target, with other treats like multi-flora rose sprinkled into the mix.

It's a pretty spot, along the multi-use trail not too far from Ford Road and blessed with the varied terrain characteristic of Cap Sauers. Kevin and Jim brought chainsaws, Doug the brush-cutter, and the combined effort of power tools, bowsaws and loppers resulted in opening an impressive piece of land to more sunlight.

Sagawau Nature Walk Saturday October 19
Forest Preserves Naturalist Lorrie Ward led our Palos Park Library group on a fall colors walk through the grounds at Sagawau. She did a fantastic job, mixing ecology and site history while leading us to some of the prettiest vistas found there. I/we greatly appreciate her efforts and enthusiasm.

Black Partridge Woods Sunday October 20
Our second brush-cutting day, and first burn, of the fall season came Sunday, in a thicket of buckthorn and honeysuckle near the s-curve and Goose Lake. First-time Palos volunteer John was long-distance champion, coming from Crown Point Indiana to help us cut, drag, and burn.

Jim Dzialowy got his first licks in with the gas brush-cutter and downed a huge amount of honeysuckle, while Diana and Joe C. tackled the bigger buckthorns with chainsaws. The rest of us fed our single fire, which burned hot throughout the morning, and by noon we'd opened the center of the plot significantly.

Spears Woods October 12, Hidden Pond October 13, 2024

10/17/2024

Spears Woods Saturday October 12
I was elsewhere on this day and did not receive a report either from the steward or anyone else that attended. Our stringer budget has been sharply cut so in this case I depend on Doug's regular FB posts and photos, but he didn't make it either. I can assure the reader that brush got cut and burned Saturday at Spears, likely near the wetland off Old Country Lane.

Hidden Pond Woods Sunday October 13
We had a good group together for our first brush-cutting day at Hidden Pond since March, and we started clearing at the point of our northernmost advance along the multi-use trail. We'd skipped over a thicket of brush that borders that trail, so Sunday was the beginning of our assault on it. One brush pile was adequate with our group size, and with Joy as burn boss it was contained and managed, with a small, circular ember pile come noon.

Doug Bosco showed up so I brought out the brushcutter bought for this site and Swallow Cliff with grant money nearly two years ago. There's more than ample targets in the area, unglamorously tagged as UWG (Unassociated Woody Growth) in the management plan. That's restoration-speak for red-headed stepchild, yet we do stumble across the occasional native plants as we worked through the area. It was a good day with nice progress.

Spears Woods October 5, McClaughrey Springs October 6, 2024

10/10/2024

Spears Woods Saturday October 5
We had decent wind for burning brush piles, though it was warmer than optimal. After wading our way in to the work site, near Boomerang Slough, we began clearing honeysuckle and an appalling amount of multi-flora rose. Clearing the rose was a heroic effort shared by several, including first-time Palos volunteer Frank who came with son Anthony.

We had two fires, two chainsaws and a gas brush cutter, and got a substantial patch cleared in our three-hour stint there. I believe we're coming back this Saturdayy as more awaits us.

McClaughrey Springs Woods Sunday October 6
Diana and the volunteer team cut brush at McClaughrey Springs but were unable to burn as wind/humidity lay outside the parameters of our burn permit. I missed this one due to the Art Fair at Little Red Schoolhouse, but was told they managed to cut an impressive amount of brush. That's what usually happens when you can't burn, as you're cutting and stacking steadily and not distracted by the fire.

She's planning to burn the cut brush this afternoon, so if I finish up here at the desktop I still may get a shot at it.

Little Red Schoolhouse Arts and Crafts Fair
Julie P., Kathy Bruch and I spent the day at Little Red, engaging shoppers at the 59th Arts and Crafts Fair in conversation about Palos Restoration Project. In 2005 Julie came across Roger Keller at the same event, happenstance that led to me volunteering at Hidden Pond, and eventually all over Palos.

Roger insisted we weren't recruiting, we were building awareness, and that's the tack I try to take. People stopping at our table were wonderfully gracious and supportive, and we appreciate the time they spent with us. We also appreciate the hospitality and support of the team at Little Red.

Cap Sauers September 21, Spears September 28, Swallow Cliff September 29, 2024

10/3/2024

Cap Sauers Holding Saturday September 21
On a warm day, in the midst of a dry spell, Margaret chose seed collection rather than cut-and-burn brush for her day's activity. I was out of town and missed this one, but someone who attended told me they focused on woodland seed, grasses and some forbs. At the time all of Cook County was in moderate drought status, making her decision to eschew burning a wise one. Now we've improved to "abnormally dry", though the northwest portion of the county is still rated "moderate drought".

Spears Woods Saturday September 28
We finally got rain here, as well as some hearty winds the previous day that shook loose a lot of branches in the woods as well as the neighborhoods. Initially arriving at the site, Joe chose to cancel, then reversed course after a pair of sawyers arrived, one who'd come a distance. He moved the work location east about a quarter mile, cutting and dropping invasive brush near the trail junction that leads to Boomerang Slough. The rain stopped somewhere around mid-morning and they were able to get some good cutting done by noon.

Spears Woods Library Walk Saturday September 28
We also had a walk with Palos Park Library at the same location, running from 11:00 am to a little past noon. With a nice turnout, we walked the loop taking us past Boomerang Slough to Old Country Lane, then north to 87th Street and back to the parking lot. It was a great opportunity to revisit all the formerly brushed-in areas that have been cleared in the last few years by combined effort of contractors, Conservation Corps, FP staff and volunteers. Because it takes a village.

Swallow Cliff/Cherry Hill Sunday September 29
Seed collecting at the Cherry Hill prairie was the final activity of our busy weekend. We had another great group, including first-time Palos volunteers Cole, Liam, and Yohei. While some species weren't ready yet, and the Silphiums didn't really show any harvestable seed, we did well with coneflowers, white and purple prairie clovers, some rattlesnake master, and a number of others. The seed we collected will be processed then redistributed on the prairie, going into the areas currently dominated by tall grasses to get more diversity there.