We had several (six?) brushcutters running, targeting the never-ending thicket of barberry that stretches south towards 95th Street. We keep returning to this spot, pushing the wall of brush farther back with each visit. We made a big dent in it on this day.

In the before and after pictures above, you can see the difference. In the first frame, Doug (cutting brush) is only visible from the waist up and the ground not visible at all. In the second frame, all the barberry is gone and a significant amount of light reaches the ground.



































,

Cap Sauers Saturday March 19

Did it ever feel good to arrive at the old watchman's house Saturday morning and find the parking lot filled with cars and people!

Orland Grasslands sent seven, including three sawyers. Father Tom Koys of St. James at Sag Bridge came with more than a dozen volunteers from the church's teen group. Our regulars turned out, and a pair of new volunteers from Palos Hills.

Margaret Tobin was able to split the crew of 30+ and work two sites. The brush-cutters worked on and around a ravine near the trail, with the St. James teens and other volunteers cutting, hauling, and burning honeysuckle. They had two fires going and added to them continuously throughout the morning.

This area cleaned up so well, a Forest Preserve prescribed burn done two days later had great coverage.

Three hundred yards away, up a hill, the Orland Grasslands sawyers thinned trees near a section previously worked in January. Two of them, newly certified Feller IIs, got to experience a different cutting environment than their home site. And they helped us finish an area that had a few loose ends from earlier that day.

Eventually the day wound down, with a couple volunteers pausing for a mid-afternoon lunch.   We were fortunate (again) to have no rain and mild temps, excellent weather for the work we did. The pictures below include one taken Tuesday, after the prescribed burn. Margaret put it well in a FB post; "I'm looking forward to seeing some amazing native plants move in here."

Black Partridge Woods March 20

This was another good day, with ten volunteers cutting buckthorn and honeysuckle. The weather was kind, the fire started without any trouble, and we pushed the wall of brush back towards an open area that gets closer with each work day.

Before departing, John Marlin gave us a tour of the old farmhouse site nearby, and some fascinating history of the area. The more you know, the more you feel a connection to the place.

Spears Woods is filled with activity these days. Saturday we cut brush southwest of Boomerang Slough, adjacent to an area where a Friends of the Forest Preserves crew (FOTFP) worked extensively in January and February. Barberry, bittersweet, multiflora, honeysuckle. What a mess!

A redeeming note on this day was the soundtrack provided by numerous chorus frogs (and the occasional peeper) in a nearby pond. Very nice.......

We got a huge boost from the FOTFP Calumet crew, led by Brenda Elmore. They've been at Spears for two weeks now, clearing brush farther north towards 87th Street and Old Country Lane. It's really looking good out there, with more change yet to come.

The next day, March 13, we held our spring party, aka the Palos Potluck, at Sagawau ELC in Lemont. It was fun, thanks to all who came and shared with us!

On Saturday we were at Willow Springs Woods thinning trees. We had ten fires burning on the last of our days with the Atrium Landscape sawyers, big ones that went all day. Thanks to Ozzie who stayed to the end, to Hannah and her new fire-starting mojo, to the two Kevins and Mike for their unflagging strength, fire chef Doug for keeping things stirred, the FOTFP crew who were killin' it (again), to everyone who came out this day or on previous days and helps us keep moving the line.

Spring is all around us now. Chorus frogs calling at Willow Springs Woods yesterday, sandhill cranes overhead throughout the week.. A year ago yesterday I was on cross-country skis at Spears Woods, having a blast on the north-facing hill on Old Country Lane near 87th Street. What a difference a year - and an el Niño - will make.

Sunday, March 13 is our annual spring party (Palos Potluck) at Sagawau. It's a great chance to catch up on what's going on in restoration in Palos. For more information click on the Schedule page on this site.