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Weekend of Cancellations - January 23-25, 2026

1/28/2026

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

1/22/2026

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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." 

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

1/15/2026

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

1/8/2026

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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.
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    Author

    I'm Jan Pietrzak with the Palos Restoration Project. This blog and website were created for your information and enjoyment.

    I hope you'll be encouraged and inspired to volunteer at any of the numerous forest preserves in our area.

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