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Willow Springs October 26, Swallow Cliff October 27, 2019

10/30/2019

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Willow Springs Woods Saturday October 26
This was a peak fall colors day and we had a terrific group at Willow, including seven volunteers who were either students at Whitney Young HS or family members, and first-time Palos volunteer Rene from Willow Springs.

With two brush-cutters running and an energetic, hard-working group, we cleared a nice piece of ground adjacent to one area that's already been brushmowed by contractors and another that is scheduled for the same. Great day! 

Swallow Cliff Woods South Sunday October 27
Rain from noon Saturday until late evening cast doubt on our ability to cut and burn brush Sunday, so we were fortunate to finally do both. Yes, we had to choose the right spot to work, and yes, the fire took forever to really get cooking, but it got done.

Thanks to several first-time (Walt, Logan, Gary & Damario) and second-time (Ahmad, Mirijana, Ben & Kelly) Palos volunteers as well as a sprinkling of the reliables who come through for us time after time. By mid-morning the sun was shining as we opened up a big swath right in the middle of our work area, ensuring the light reaches the ground on future sunny days.

​Many thanks to Ginger for agreeing to lead this one, and to Kathy for staying late and handling all the herbiciding.

Spears Woods Tuesday October 29
​Collecting seed on a damp morning at Spears with Joe Neumann, new volunteer Gary, and the Friends of the Forest Preserves Palos crew, we managed to bag some seed despite far-from-optimal conditions.  



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Cap Sauers October 19, Black Partridge October 20, 2019

10/23/2019

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Cap Sauers Moraines Saturday October 19
We had a good group cutting honeysuckle, bittersweet, and multi-flora, including first-time Palos volunteers Andri and Olivia and almost-first-timer Kelley. "twas also good to have Jam and Jan from Palos Park out again.

Fall colors have arrived, with the maples making their usual emphatic statement. Those recent cool nights must be working their magic, bringing us the last hurrah of this year's growing season. 

Walk With a Librarian at Little Red Schoolhouse, Saturday October 19
We had a great turnout at Little Red Schoolhouse for our walk and a perfect afternoon to do it! Thanks to naturalist George Klut for taking us around the Black Oak trail, and to Cyndi Duda for her assistance. Thanks also to Jessica Rock and Palos Park Public Library for partnering with us on these walks - yet another way to share our enthusiasm for natural places in Palos!

Black Partridge Woods Sunday October 20
We collected a variety of seeds on another stunning fall afternoon, moving through prairie segments on the south side of Bluff Road, joined by new volunteers Ahmad, Mirjana, and two young gentlemen from Downers Grove South.
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Willow Springs Woods October 12, Hidden Pond October 13, 2019

10/13/2019

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This week's post is going out a couple days late - I and my far better half spent several days in Nashville celebrating an anniversary.

Autumn at Willow Springs Woods, Saturday October 12
We had 18 walkers on our tour of the preserve, this despite the windy, rather cool morning we were handed. Thanks to all who came, including our volunteers who worked cutting brush and switched roles when the walk began. That includes first-time Palos volunteers Julia and Su, as well as Ben - someone we met just a week ago at Little Red Schoolhouse, who brought his wife, daughter, and chainsaw. Super! 

Some good work got done and we got to show the beauty of the site to a group of new people, we always enjoy sharing in this way.

Scouts at Busse Woods Saturday October 12
Rich Welge invited us to Busse Woods for a huge scouting event, with many hundreds of scouts camping overnight and a total of ~ 4,500 people registered. We went to spread the word about restoration in our area; Rich was instrumental in helping connect us with scout leaders from the southern part of the county.

Hidden Pond Woods Sunday October 13
We had a bit of a slow start (and an interesting hike in), but once we got rolling our small group cleared a substantial amount of honeysuckle from a spot near the northwest edge of the prairie. We had no trouble getting and keeping the fire going, with a brisk breeze and decent humidity to help it along. Thanks to Jesse, Joe, Jei, Cyndi and Kathy for their stellar efforts!

Cap Sauers Holding Sunday October 13
Jei, Kathy and Cyndi made their second appearance of the day at Cap Sauers, helping Bob drag and burn a host of cut honeysuckle from a couple months back. The dried fuel burned even quicker than the green stuff we handled in the morning, and another small crew did another outstanding job.

Thanks to first-time Palos volunteers Erin and her son for their help today!
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Spears Woods October 5, McClaughrey Springs October 6, 2019

10/9/2019

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Spears Woods Saturday October 5
We cut brush along the back side of Boomerang Slough Saturday - when we started the water was not discernible from our vantage point.Honeysuckle, bittersweet, viburnum, multi-flora rose, we had plenty to choose from. Even a balky chainsaw didn't prevent our clearing a decent stretch along the shoreline.

Thanks to first-time Palos volunteers Kenneth, from Whitney Young HS, and dad Scott. Is this the start of another round of Whitney Young bio students? Sure hope so...

McClaughrey Springs Woods Sunday October 6
​Our numbers were increased by a couple of scouts with parents as Diana and company cut and burned honeysuckle. While I missed this one - off at Little Red Schoolhouse (see below), this was an absolute perfect day to spend outdoors.

Little Red Schoolhouse Arts & Crafts Fair Sunday October 6
This was the 54th edition of this event We encountered some old friends and supporters and hope we made some new ones. Such a beautiful day!

Big thanks to Dave Branigan, Maureen Neidle, and Kathy Bruch for helping, and to Margaret Tobin for driving over to do the same.
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Paddock Woods September 29, 2019

10/3/2019

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Paddock Woods Saturday September 29
Ten people in a parking lot, slipping into ponchos and other rain gear; not an auspicious start to a morning in the preserves. Neither is the squishing sound made by boots traversing the grassy stretch immediately west of the lot. 

​It got better after that. Our work site was a bit above surrounding ground so it wasn't terribly wet. We got a fire started though it took quite a while - think soggy everything - and even longer to get it hot enough to burn all the brush we cut, but we eventually did. One small patch of honeysuckle gone, one small step forward!

We had no choice but to cancel our Sunday session at Swallow Cliff Woods - the rain resumed Saturday night and through much of Sunday morning. On October 27 we'll be back at Swallow Cliff.
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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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