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McMahon October 28, McClaughrey Springs October 29, 2023

10/30/2023

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McMahon Woods & Fen Saturday October 28
Recent rain meant a slow-starting fire this morning, that difficulty compounded by a light breeze that didn't pick up until late morning. Once the fire got going we had plenty to load, with two chainsaws and one brushcutter running throughout the morning.

We cleared a big "sore thumb", a patch of honeysuckle growing in a grass land wanna-be. This was just west of the area we began clearing a couple years ago, the sandy dune section filled with cherry trees, honeysuckle, and bittersweet. Like every inch of ground we've reclaimed here, it was arduous It was also amazing, after 3-4 hours, how much our small group accomplished.

McClaughrey Springs Sunday October 29
Sunday was a near-clone of Saturday in terms of fire-starting. The fuel was damp and wind speed barely met our allowable minimum. Joy persevered and before long delivered a good, hot fire .

Our major task was burning the numerous piles of brush left on the ground a week ago, when the large group from Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum worked with us. The stacks were lined for a good stretch along the west bank of Mill Creek, meaning considerable dragging. Our even-smaller-than-Saturday group of volunteers was up to the task, and by 11:00 had burned the biggest portion of brush.

The remainder of the morning was cleanup, with an occasional break to enjoy the view of open woodland on both sides of the creek. Fall colors are fading fast but the higher ground to our west still offered an striking palette of golds and reds.
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McClaughrey Springs October 21, Swallow Cliff October 22, 2023

10/25/2023

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McClaughrey Springs Saturday October 21
Saturday we had 20 volunteers from the TEENS project at Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, who came to cut and burn brush with us. TEENS is an acronym for Teenagers Exploring and Explaining Nature and Science, an excellent program that is open to Chicago residents age 14-19. They've volunteered with us numerous times and always do an excellent job.

In addition to our regulars, we also welcomed first-time Palos volunteer Dez. We cut along and above the west side of Mill Creek, in an area we'd cleared perhaps ten years ago where resprouts are trying to establish a new population. We had three fires and left enough cut brush on the ground to warrant another.

Nature Walk at Cap Sauers, Saturday October 21
​This was our first fall walk with newly named Director Jessica Rock and almost a dozen patrons of Palos Park Library. It was an achingly beautiful fall day.

We planned to visit Cherry Hill prairie, but wet ground prompted a switch to Cap Sauers. From Teason's Woods we ambled about a mile west on the Yellow Trail, up and down several of the many hills in this post-glacial terrain.

Swallow Cliff Woods South Sunday October 22
Sunday we switched our session to the afternoon due to the Spooky Shuffle, 5 & 10K races done by the village of Palos Park. No complaints here; it was such a beautiful afternoon to be in the woods, surrounded by brilliant colors and a light breeze.

This was our first brush-cutting day of fall at Swallow Cliff and we continued to push along the edge of a wetland south of the picnic grove. There's no shortage of honeysuckles here, so we had lots of fuel for our single, large fire. A shout-out to first time Palos volunteer Erin.
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Black Partridge Woods October 15, 2023

10/15/2023

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Black Partridge Woods Sunday October 15
This was our only session of the weekend - two days of rain beginning late Friday forced cancellation of Cap Sauers on Saturday morning. It almost got us on Sunday. The forecast called for scattered showers most of the day, and when I got up at 6:30 am a misty rain was falling. Radar looked fairly promising, so John decided to go ahead and work.

That mist was as bad as it got. By the time I got to the site, at nine, glimpses of blue sky were visible behid a long low bank of clouds. Within a couple hours most of those clouds were gone and we enjoyed the first sunshine in two or three days.

We were a small group, with Joe C. running the chainsaw while John, Jim, and I dragged brush and loaded the fire. Kathy came along and did all the herbiciding, and by noon were had a decent little section rid of  honeysuckle.

Tornado Damage
Last Tuesday volunteers at Sundown Meadow tackled some of the victims of the July tornado that passed through Countryside. Tossing dried, leaf-covered branches on the fire requires extra caution as they flare rapidly. Two pictures below illustrate this phenomenon.



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McMahon Woods October 7, Hidden Pond Woods October 8, 2023

10/12/2023

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McMahon Woods & Fen Saturday October 7
We moved a short distance south and east of our last work site, on the edge of a wooded area overlooking more grassland. Two chainsaws, one brushcutter, lots of hauling and, eventually two fires. Doug cut a big patch on the grassland while the sawyers tackled bigger stuff in and around the woodland.
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Early morning was cool enough to prompt overdressing, which led to shedding of layers as we started moving and the fires heated up. It'll be two weeks, minimum, before we get back to McMahon, and the bittersweet vines will surely await our return. Probably grow a bit too.

Hidden Pond Woods Sunday October 8
Sunday marked our first brush-cutting day of the season at Hidden Pond and it went very well. Our group cleared large pocket of brush along the multi-use trail, one that got passed over when we worked closer to the prairie last winter and spring.

Teri and Emily from Volunteer Resources staged a new volunteer outreach day, and as a result we were joined by first-time Palos volunteers Karen, Victoria, and Alec. We had two brush piles burning, one chainsaw running, and a clear view in from the trail at the end of the day. A most productive time, and big thanks to all who attended!
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McMahon September 30, McClaughrey Springs October 1, Art and Craft Fair October 1, 2023

10/5/2023

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McMahon Woods & Fen Saturday September 30
Summer returned this weekend, with lots of sunshine and temps in the 80s. No, it's not ideal for burning brushpiles, but we managed two fires on this day just the same.
Thanks to first-time Palos volunteer Darius for joining us! We had multiple chainsaws and one brushcutter, meaning the haulers were kept on their toes throughout the morning.

McClaughrey Springs Woods Sunday October 1
Diana had a small group cutting and burning brush near the yellow/purple trail junction. They included Darius, who made his first Palos visit the previous day, and first-time Palos volunteer Christine, previously seen on several occasions at Sundown Meadow. We always appreciate new faces at our restoration days - new friends are silver, old ones are gold.

Little Red Schoolhouse Art and Craft Fair, Sunday October 1
We spent six hours on Sunday engaging shoppers at the LRS Arts and Craft Fair on yet another beautiful fall day. Huge thanks to Julie, Janina, George, and Kathy for helping in this endeavor. Thanks also to everyone who stopped to chat with us - this is one of the ways we meet the new friends mentioned directly above.

Finally, thanks to Deborah, Karen, and all the staff at Little Red for their gracious hospitality. It's always a pleasure being there.

Solorio Academy at McClaughrey Springs, Wednesday October 4
AP Environmental Science instructor Greta Kringle brought 20 of her students for a combination water monitoring and restoration day. They were a delight, cutting and burning brush near Mill Creek. Regular volunteer Meredith started both of our fires and ably assisted with the students.

We're seeing more of these groups this year, with schools willing to bus them on field trips of this kind. One of the big losses of the COVID years was the loss of those student groups, who have done so much for us over the years. 
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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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