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McMahon April 20, Black Partridge April 21, 2024

4/25/2024

McMahon Woods & Fen Saturday April 20
We had a group of 20 students and adults from Evergreen Park High School Service Club at Cap to help cut and burn honeysuckle. They did a great job; check the before/after pictures below to see the impact they helped make.

Nature Walk at Paddock Woods Saturday April 20
We had a small walk, a shame more did not attend as we saw an enticing variety of native wildflowers along the way. They included white (large-flowered) trillium, red trillium, large-flowered bellwort, yellow and purple violets, buttercups, and others. The one I hoped to see and did not was Dutchman's britches, perhaps the blooms were closed given the cool morning.

Black Partridge Woods Sunday April 21
Our first garlic mustard day of the season doubled as a spring wildflower walk and we saw numerous native species along the way. It seemed like everyone showing up for the same party, with clusters of Virginia bluebells, toothwort and Dutchman's britches and Spring beauties all in bloom.

We even saw a few open flowers on wild ginger and wild geranium, which I didn't expect quite this soon. That's all right, party on!

Thanks to first-time Palos volunteer Wilhelm, who showed a sharp eye for garlic mustard and also carried/rolled a discarded tire half-way back to the parking lot from the creek.

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George Christensen, aka George the Cyclist

4/25/2024

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George the Cyclist

I've met quite the array of remarkable people through volunteering in restoration. Among them, George Christensen holds a unique place, as a man who crafted and lived his life by filling it with the experiences he treasured most. He followed his passions to a degree most of us never achieve.

We lost him Monday, to a truck that struck his bike as he cycled on a road in South Carolina. Sadly, he succumbed to his injuries at the scene. He was riding from Orlando to Philadelphia on a spring trek, visiting Carnegie libraries along the way.

George loved libraries, and reading, and one of his quests was to visit all the Carnegie libraries he could reach. There were 2,509 such libraries, funded at least in part by Andrew Carnegie. As of last December, he had visited 1,163, and I believe he got to eight or nine more on this most recent trek. In 2020 he rode from Uruguay to Guiana, over 4,000 miles, to reach a single Carnegie library in the latter nation.

He also loved movies, was a true cinephile and volunteered for over three decades at the Telluride Film Festival. He went to the Cannes Film Festival multiple times, and attended others in Germany, Rotterdam, and Finland.

In addition to film festivals, George volunteered in the forest preserves - last year he passed the 100 hour mark - and at Working Bikes and other organizations. He was quick to step forward any time a friiend needed help.

The bike was his first love. He has ridden all over the world, the length of three continents, and around and through more countries than I can keep track of. His cyclo-touring life began with a ride across the USA in 1977, after becoming intrigued in 1976 by the "Bikecentennial" rides others were doing.

He also has ridden the better part of the Tour de France course at least 18 times, which I believe ties him with pro rider Sylvain Chavanel for the most appearances in this most prestigious of bicycle races. And unlike the pros, George does it with a tent, sleeping bag, and all his gear loaded on the bike. He doesn't even have a team car replenishing water and nourishment as needed. Amazing!

He firmly believed the world would be a better place if we all cycled more and was a quiet advocate of that lifestyle. "George convinced me to ride year 'round" or "George got me interested in bike touring" are heard often among people who know him, classic examples of leading by example.

George was a humble man, so much of what I know about his exploits comes from reading his blog posts. He was more interested, in my view, with hearing about others' lives than in talking about his own.

He also possessed the unbounded curiosity of a child; hearing of a topic that interested him, he'd pepper you with questions about it. And if you were unable to answer them, by the following day you could expect an email, outlining the information he had garnered himself, searching the internet.

George graduated from Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism in 1973 and wrote with a clean style that appeared effortless. His blog posts are a fantastic travelogue of the places he's been, and his keen eye for people and local custom makes the reader feel like they're right there with him.

When I first read his blog I was amazed both by the writing and the experiences it contained. I said "George, there's a book in there. More than one." I encouraged him to edit it, or find an editor.

He politely demurred, saying it would take a lot of time. "I like being on the bike", he said. I find those words as fitting an epitaph as can be.

In his own words:
"Being on the bike is where I most long to be and gives me the greatest happiness. That is my bliss." Thailand, 2020

"I can wake up feeling lucky that I get to begin my day with a bike ride and feel equally lucky that I get to end my day with a bike ride and luckier yet that I get to spend the rest of the day on the bike with a library or two thrown in. I have to ask, “Have I died and gone to heaven?” St. Joseph, Michigan October 16, 2020

George the Cyclist blog

Chicago Reader article November 23, 2006

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McMahon Woods April 13, Hidden Pond April 14, 2024

4/18/2024

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McMahon Woods & Fen Saturday April 13
We had a good group and a morning that started cool and quickly warmed up. Our work site was Joe's wall of brush where we've been recently and we made another big dent by the end of the day.

We burned just one brushpile, slow to start but eventually a big blaze as we loaded heaps of honeysuckle, bittersweet, and assorted fuels on. This is truly a gnarled, weedy place and I must tip the cap to chainsawyers, brush-cutter, and the rest of the volunteer gang for their unrelenting effort.

Hidden Pond Woods West Sunday April 14
Faced with brisk winds, rising temps (to 80 F. by afternoon) and dropping humidity, Kris chose to forego brush-cutting and burning. Instead, we did a combination garlic mustard pull, trash pickup, and wildflower scouting walk, which turned out quite well.

We found a couple callery pears and a patch of lesser celandine that needed attention, and got a good sense where to go next month when our focus will be on garlic mustard again. Thanks to first-time Palos volunteers Brea and Grant, who showed a great eye for garlic mustard and collected bunches!

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McClaughrey Springs April 7, 2024

4/11/2024

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McClaughrey Springs Woods Sunday April 7
Last month Diana had to cancel her McClaughrey workday due to bad weather, so this was a makeup day. Volunteers again were working under the threat or rain, but were able to burn two big brush piles of logs left from a tree thinning date in February. Two big fires, I'm told, and enough volunteers to get them loaded and burning ahead of the weather.

Eclipse Week
Numerous volunteers traveled to a zone of totality for last Monday's solar eclipse. Some went as far as Texas, others went east to Indiana for a day trip and braved the traffic crush coming home. We went to Arkansas, where Julie has two family members, and absolutely enjoyed the eclipse. I hope, as I connect with people in the coming days, to hear their stories and reactions to this uncommon event.

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McMahon Woods March 30, 2024

4/2/2024

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McMahon Woods & Fen Saturday March 30
We had a super group for the day before Easter, including first-time Palos volunteers Jose and Paloma. Still dealing with leftover timber from winter tree-thinning, we had some mega-hot brush piles going on a morning that warmed quickly without our help. Volunteers were shedding jackets like cicadas dropping exoskeletons.

We didn't see much in the way of spring ephemerals, though lots of garlic mustard was apparent. Joe has already scheduled a garlic mustard pulling day for May 11, as part of Chicago River Days, so that should be a fun time.

It feels like the wildflowers are lagging behind, though that may be due to the early warmth of February. Once we get past this latest round of chill and snow we should see more blooms.

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McMahon April 20, Black Partridge April 21, 2024

George Christensen, aka George the Cyclist

McMahon Woods April 13, Hidden Pond April 14, 2024

McClaughrey Springs April 7, 2024

McMahon Woods March 30, 2024

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