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Cap Sauers April 19, Black Partridge April 20, 2025

4/24/2025

Cap Sauers Holding Saturday April 19
This was steward Margaret Tobin's return to action after several months rehab and it was good to have her out there again. It's also a treat to get into Cap Sauers in springtime.

We had six first-time Palos volunteers join us! Thank you AJ, Rachel, Rupa, Nathan, Melvin, and the dad to the latter two young men. They were a tremendous help in clearing and burning honeysuckle, multi-flora rose, and barberry - there might have been a few buckthorns mixed in as well.

Black Partridge Woods Sunday April 20
John had a small crew out on Easter Sunday which included first-time Palos volunteer Abbey. They collected garlic mustard from the woodland and managed to spot a number of spring wildflowers.

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McMahon April 12, McClaughrey Springs April 13, 2025

4/16/2025

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McMahon Woods and Fen Saturday April 12
We had a smaller-than usual turnout on this day, one which your reporter also missed. I'm told it was still a productive day, with volunteers tackling the dreaded "wall" of brush at McMahon. I believe there was only one fire, which IS unusual for a Saturday in Palos.

I should note that second Saturday is the busiest of the month for restoration in Cook County, with 17 sites listed on last week's calendar. Some of our volunteers have connections to multiple sites and none, to my knowledge, have yet cloned themselves ala "Multiplicity". I'm tempted, while Julie thinks it's a bad idea.

McClaughrey Springs Sunday April 13
We had an anomalous situation Sunday, with two sites working and neither having adequate volunteers, and chose to combine forces and work at McClaughrey Springs. That gave us a fire-starter, a couple haulers, plus two power tool operators to provide fuel for the fire. In the end it worked out pretty well.

We're getting near the end of brushcutting season, and all it will take is a few warm days to get the garlic mustard popping some flowers. Usually we switch around May 1 though some sites are starting this weekend..

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McMahon Woods April 5, McClaughrey Springs April 6, 2025

4/10/2025

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McMahon Woods & Fen Saturday April 5
Had to miss this one but I'm told we had a good crew that made major inroads on one of the true tangled messes that typify our time at McMahon. Much of the agony is due to the bittersweet vine that grows everywhere and ties everything together. Thanks to first-time Palos volunteer Matthew who joined us; he's seen some of the toughest foes Palos has, so it should all be downhill from here.

McClaughrey Springs Woods Sunday April 6
This was the first Sunday in recent memory with no weather concerns coming in. Wind was ample for fire-starting, no threat of rain, and we even enjoyed some sunshine. It was also one of the shortest walks in to a work site - we parked in the McClaughrey Springs lot and worked right there. We had two students from Oak Lawn HS, two from McCauley (plus a mom!), and two brush piles.

While areas near parking lots and roads are typically degraded, we found more than a sprinkling of native plants mixed in with all the honeysuckles. That was one big plus; another is that the view from the parking lot across Mill Creek is much better now, much more open.

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Paddock March 29, Swallow Cliff South March 30, 2025

4/3/2025

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Paddock Woods Saturday March 29
A light drizzle slowed the starting of our fires but went away eventually, and we had two fires in this return visit to Paddock. A pair of chainsaws, a brush-cutter, and a good group of volunteers, including first-time Palos volunteers Maggie and Sam, created lots of cut brush to add to those fires. We're so close right now to spring wildflowers, you feel like you're sitting in the audience waiting for the stage curtain to open.

Swallow Cliff Woods Sunday March 30
For the second week in a row rain threatened to shut us down. I arrived early, at 7:30 and was soon joined by Dan and Joe, getting a good fire going well before 9:00, and the rain, expected by 10, chose to stay away until well into the afternoon.

That allowed us to not only accomplish our first goal, burning a lot of honeysuckle cut one week prior, but to tackle a patch of smaller brush (thank you Julie for bringing the brushcutter!) which in turn opened a view of a small wetland we didn't even know was there until clearing the brush in front of it.

When you start the day not knowing if anything will get done, have a terrific group of volunteers show up despite the forecasts, and get so much accomplished, you feel truly blessed with good fortune!

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Cap Sauers April 19, Black Partridge April 20, 2025

McMahon April 12, McClaughrey Springs April 13, 2025

McMahon Woods April 5, McClaughrey Springs April 6, 2025

Paddock March 29, Swallow Cliff South March 30, 2025

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