Palos Restoration Project - Blog

McMahon Woods December 2, McClaughrey Springs December 3. 2023

12/6/2023

McMahon Woods & Fen Saturday December 2
The common theme on this weekend was reluctant fire-starting. Saturday was the better of the two days; a brisk wind and no active rainfall during work hours both were beneficial. Still, all the fuel, including big, downed trees that were cut and stacked into Joe's favored log piles, was damp from recent rainfall.

On a good day these big stacks would produce roaring fires. On this day we never saw the big, dancing licks of flame that we'd normally expect. Still, good effort by the volunteers got a mass of fuel loaded, and if Joe has to spend the afternoon babysitting the fires, that's what he's going to do. Count on it all being burned by day's end.

McClaughrey Springs Sunday December 3
Sunday was worse, as noted above. The wind was barely at our minimum five mph with frequent drizzle and 94% humidity. What we lacked was dry wood for kindling, and were were totally reliant on newspaper to get things going. This was epic! Every brief flicker of flame quickly faded, over and over, as we couldn't get enough of the wet fuel dried to make a sustained fire.

Four new volunteers, thank you Jason, Owen, Caleb, and Adelyn, joined us and witnessed our abysmal struggle with the fire. Embarrassing because they're all Scouts. We commandeered a "Volunteers in Action" sign to fan the fire and eventually used most of the available newspaper, all to very incremental effect.

Still, they persisted. Joy, Charlie, and Diana stayed well past scheduled quitting time and eventually managed to get everything burned.

McMahon November 25, Swallow Cliff November 26, 2023

11/30/2023

Cap Sauers Holding Friday November 24
We returned to Cap for some unfinished business; burning all the brush cut the previous weekend, when we were under a no-burn order. In addition to 10 or more volunteers, we had members of FPCC's Tinley Resource Management crew out to help.

It amazes me how much brush gets cut on days we don't burn. Starting and tending to a fire takes quite a bit of effort, and when that effort is all directed at cutting the area you clear in a single morning definitely expands.

We had a pair of fires and got most everything on them by 12:30 or so, a job well done on a cool pretty morning.

McMahon Woods & Fen Saturday November 25
Could not make this one due to a pair of commitments, but learned we had another busy day at McMahon. The Tinley Resource Management crew was back - and would return for a third day at Swallow Cliff on Sunday - and provided a great assist.

Much of the land we've been clearing here is brush, primarily honeysuckle, along with bittersweet vines and multi-flora rose to complicate matters. It takes a hard push to open up even a small area, which is why we keep returning to McMahon. One day...

Swallow Cliff Woods Sunday November 26
Sunday morning was iffy, with snow forecast in amounts from a dusting to as much as three inches. It didn't begin in Palos until after sunrise, and was light enough to not crimp our style. We were a small group, augmented by Adam and Brian from Tinley RM, and did very well.

Despite the light snow and 92% humidity, Joy got a fire going in short order and we cleared a good-sized patch of land. We've now made our way to the south edge of the slough and are one good day of cutting from breaking through the section we started September 2022. Another patch of brush awaits us a few yards farther south, so we'll ring out the old (brush) and ring in the new.

Cap Sauers November 18, Black Partridge November 19, 2023

11/22/2023

Cap Sauers Holding Saturday November 18
We returned to last month's work site, moving across the creek to tackle a new patch of brush. Due to marginal conditions for burning, we had no fire on this day, instead stacking all that was cut for another day. That day will be Friday, November 25, when, weather permitting, volunteers will focus on burning those stacks of brush.

Cranberry Slough Nature Walk Saturday November 18
Cranberry was beautiful beneath a piercing blue sky. We walked the Country Lane loop, enjoying open woodland and savannah throughout. I marvel at the southern end of the loop, notorious for the density of honeysuckle thickets until the contract work of several years ago.

Black Partridge Woods Sunday November 19
Super day at Partridge, with five first-time Palos volunteers from Chicago Adventure Therapy, a return visit from Jessica who brought mom Kelly and dad Ben (dad's chainsaw too!). By 11 am we'd already cleared more than John thought we would for the day, and kept at it until noon.

Working in the old pasture south of Bluff Road, volunteers got all the honeysuckles dotting the center and pushed the edge back almost to the road. It's a wonder what you can do when you're fueled by doughnuts! Thanks to all!

McMahon November 11, Hidden Pond November 12, 2023

11/16/2023

McMahon Woods & Fen Saturday November 11
Back to McMahon, working, from Doug Bosco's photos on FB, on the margin between prairie and woodland. clearing honeysuckle and bittersweet. This is truly a process and I'm impressed time after time by the diligence volunteers bring to the task. Thank you so much!

Hidden Pond Woods Sunday November 12
Another beautiful Sunday morning, another terrific group of volunteers at Hidden Pond. We cut brush above the prairie, near the multi-use trail that runs by LaGrange Road. One major target was a wicked thicket of brush complicated by vines and dead trees, leaning and fallen. The second target was some larger buckthorn and honeysuckle one hundred yards south, which was cut mostly by Joe C. with the chainsaw.

We had two fires and burned a major mass of brush in the course of the morning, and punched a big hole in the thicket which will be further expanded come December. After we finish our work near the trail, we'll move closer to the prairie, just north of our current work site.

Fall Fire Season Begins
Last Sunday Forest Preserves crew kicked off the fall burn season with a 'trial' burn at Black Partridge Woods. It must have gone well since they've been out all week. John Marlin got to Partridge as they were wrapping up and sent two of the photos below, showing what looked, in that spot, like good coverage.

The other burn pics below are from Arie Crown Forest; I was at Sundown Meadow Tuesday, a short walk from the burn site. Other Palos sites burned to date include Paw Paw, Redgate, and Little Red Schoolhouse. Each of us have fingers crossed that the season continues long enough to include our favorite sites.

McMahon November 4, McClaughrey Springs November 5, 2023

11/7/2023

McMahon Woods & Fen Saturday November 4
Your correspondent was at a seed processing event in Salt Creek and could not get to McMahon. With Doug Bosco's FB post and pictures, and a vast stock of past days spent clearing brush at McMahon, we'll give it a whirl.

We had a couple chainsaws going, plus Doug swinging his brushcutter like Georg Solti's baton. Work was slow due to the nefarious bittersweet vines this site is known, and reviled, for. Our group persisted throughout the morning and walked away tired, but with a sense of accomplishment.

McClaughrey Springs Woods Sunday November 5
Could not make this one either, see below. Steward Diana Krug provided the day's account.
We had two groups one from John Hancock Environmental Club, as well as the Sanchez family group of five. Others present were past volunteers Ken Schroeder, Rob from the FOTFP Palos crew, and Alex and Danny from.Tinley RM.

The group worked near Mill Creek, closer to the McClaughrey lot, and got a lot accomplished. Joy and Meredith started the fires, Joe and Bob ran chainsaws

Revenge of the Honeysuckle
Late Saturday I visited the prairie at Cherry Hill to scout and collect seed of late-blooming native plants. Walking a narrow path, I jammed my right foot, hard, into a honeysuckle stump hiding beneath the leaves.

It was a hard shot, fired a whole bundle of nerves, and I hobbled back to the car. That was five days ago, and while I'm healing, I have yet to put a shoe on that foot. If you're keeping score, it's Honeysuckle 1 - Jan 0.

McMahon October 28, McClaughrey Springs October 29, 2023

10/30/2023

McMahon Woods & Fen Saturday October 28
Recent rain meant a slow-starting fire this morning, that difficulty compounded by a light breeze that didn't pick up until late morning. Once the fire got going we had plenty to load, with two chainsaws and one brushcutter running throughout the morning.

We cleared a big "sore thumb", a patch of honeysuckle growing in a grass land wanna-be. This was just west of the area we began clearing a couple years ago, the sandy dune section filled with cherry trees, honeysuckle, and bittersweet. Like every inch of ground we've reclaimed here, it was arduous It was also amazing, after 3-4 hours, how much our small group accomplished.

McClaughrey Springs Sunday October 29
Sunday was a near-clone of Saturday in terms of fire-starting. The fuel was damp and wind speed barely met our allowable minimum. Joy persevered and before long delivered a good, hot fire .

Our major task was burning the numerous piles of brush left on the ground a week ago, when the large group from Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum worked with us. The stacks were lined for a good stretch along the west bank of Mill Creek, meaning considerable dragging. Our even-smaller-than-Saturday group of volunteers was up to the task, and by 11:00 had burned the biggest portion of brush.

The remainder of the morning was cleanup, with an occasional break to enjoy the view of open woodland on both sides of the creek. Fall colors are fading fast but the higher ground to our west still offered an striking palette of golds and reds.

McClaughrey Springs October 21, Swallow Cliff October 22, 2023

10/25/2023

McClaughrey Springs Saturday October 21
Saturday we had 20 volunteers from the TEENS project at Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, who came to cut and burn brush with us. TEENS is an acronym for Teenagers Exploring and Explaining Nature and Science, an excellent program that is open to Chicago residents age 14-19. They've volunteered with us numerous times and always do an excellent job.

In addition to our regulars, we also welcomed first-time Palos volunteer Dez. We cut along and above the west side of Mill Creek, in an area we'd cleared perhaps ten years ago where resprouts are trying to establish a new population. We had three fires and left enough cut brush on the ground to warrant another.

Nature Walk at Cap Sauers, Saturday October 21
This was our first fall walk with newly named Director Jessica Rock and almost a dozen patrons of Palos Park Library. It was an achingly beautiful fall day.

We planned to visit Cherry Hill prairie, but wet ground prompted a switch to Cap Sauers. From Teason's Woods we ambled about a mile west on the Yellow Trail, up and down several of the many hills in this post-glacial terrain.

Swallow Cliff Woods South Sunday October 22
Sunday we switched our session to the afternoon due to the Spooky Shuffle, 5 & 10K races done by the village of Palos Park. No complaints here; it was such a beautiful afternoon to be in the woods, surrounded by brilliant colors and a light breeze.

This was our first brush-cutting day of fall at Swallow Cliff and we continued to push along the edge of a wetland south of the picnic grove. There's no shortage of honeysuckles here, so we had lots of fuel for our single, large fire. A shout-out to first time Palos volunteer Erin.

Black Partridge Woods October 15, 2023

10/15/2023

Black Partridge Woods Sunday October 15
This was our only session of the weekend - two days of rain beginning late Friday forced cancellation of Cap Sauers on Saturday morning. It almost got us on Sunday. The forecast called for scattered showers most of the day, and when I got up at 6:30 am a misty rain was falling. Radar looked fairly promising, so John decided to go ahead and work.

That mist was as bad as it got. By the time I got to the site, at nine, glimpses of blue sky were visible behid a long low bank of clouds. Within a couple hours most of those clouds were gone and we enjoyed the first sunshine in two or three days.

We were a small group, with Joe C. running the chainsaw while John, Jim, and I dragged brush and loaded the fire. Kathy came along and did all the herbiciding, and by noon were had a decent little section rid of honeysuckle.

Tornado Damage
Last Tuesday volunteers at Sundown Meadow tackled some of the victims of the July tornado that passed through Countryside. Tossing dried, leaf-covered branches on the fire requires extra caution as they flare rapidly. Two pictures below illustrate this phenomenon.

McMahon Woods October 7, Hidden Pond Woods October 8, 2023

10/12/2023

McMahon Woods & Fen Saturday October 7
We moved a short distance south and east of our last work site, on the edge of a wooded area overlooking more grassland. Two chainsaws, one brushcutter, lots of hauling and, eventually two fires. Doug cut a big patch on the grassland while the sawyers tackled bigger stuff in and around the woodland.

Early morning was cool enough to prompt overdressing, which led to shedding of layers as we started moving and the fires heated up. It'll be two weeks, minimum, before we get back to McMahon, and the bittersweet vines will surely await our return. Probably grow a bit too.

Hidden Pond Woods Sunday October 8
Sunday marked our first brush-cutting day of the season at Hidden Pond and it went very well. Our group cleared large pocket of brush along the multi-use trail, one that got passed over when we worked closer to the prairie last winter and spring.

Teri and Emily from Volunteer Resources staged a new volunteer outreach day, and as a result we were joined by first-time Palos volunteers Karen, Victoria, and Alec. We had two brush piles burning, one chainsaw running, and a clear view in from the trail at the end of the day. A most productive time, and big thanks to all who attended!

McMahon September 30, McClaughrey Springs October 1, Art and Craft Fair October 1, 2023

10/5/2023

McMahon Woods & Fen Saturday September 30
Summer returned this weekend, with lots of sunshine and temps in the 80s. No, it's not ideal for burning brushpiles, but we managed two fires on this day just the same.
Thanks to first-time Palos volunteer Darius for joining us! We had multiple chainsaws and one brushcutter, meaning the haulers were kept on their toes throughout the morning.

McClaughrey Springs Woods Sunday October 1
Diana had a small group cutting and burning brush near the yellow/purple trail junction. They included Darius, who made his first Palos visit the previous day, and first-time Palos volunteer Christine, previously seen on several occasions at Sundown Meadow. We always appreciate new faces at our restoration days - new friends are silver, old ones are gold.

Little Red Schoolhouse Art and Craft Fair, Sunday October 1
We spent six hours on Sunday engaging shoppers at the LRS Arts and Craft Fair on yet another beautiful fall day. Huge thanks to Julie, Janina, George, and Kathy for helping in this endeavor. Thanks also to everyone who stopped to chat with us - this is one of the ways we meet the new friends mentioned directly above.

Finally, thanks to Deborah, Karen, and all the staff at Little Red for their gracious hospitality. It's always a pleasure being there.

Solorio Academy at McClaughrey Springs, Wednesday October 4
AP Environmental Science instructor Greta Kringle brought 20 of her students for a combination water monitoring and restoration day. They were a delight, cutting and burning brush near Mill Creek. Regular volunteer Meredith started both of our fires and ably assisted with the students.

We're seeing more of these groups this year, with schools willing to bus them on field trips of this kind. One of the big losses of the COVID years was the loss of those student groups, who have done so much for us over the years.