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McMahon December 24, Paddock December 28, 2022

12/29/2022

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McMahon Woods & Fen Saturday December 24
We had a small group on Christmas Eve, which, I'm certain, had more to do with family commitments than with the high winds and sub-zero wind chills of that frosty morn. Despite numb digits, three hardy souls managed a single brush pile fire and survived to tell the tale.

The picture of that fire, seen below, was provided by volunteer, and cyclist, George, who is not deterred from climbing onto his two-wheeler by mere weather. Tip of the cap to him, and to Kevin and Joe, for their efforts!

Paddock Woods Wednesday December 28
​Moderate temps and a south wind blowing smoke over the canal rather than onto Route 83 suggest we somehow regained the favor of the weather deities. It also brought a large group of volunteers to continue our project, clearing red cedar from a prairie patch that managed to establish itself atop a spoil pile from the Cal-Sag channel.

Joy brought her niece, nephew, and coworker to help. Thanks to all for joining us!

Vagaries of Local Weather
The days immediately preceding Christmas were brutal, with high winds and bitter cold. Then came Monday, still quite cold, when we had to cancel our restoration day at Swallow Cliff due to... wait for it...insufficient wind.

By the terms of our burn permit with EPA, we need a minimum five mph wind to burn brush piles, to move the smoke out and keep local skies clear. And without fire we chose to wait a week and try again.
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Cap Sauers December 17, Black Partridge December 18, Paddock December 21, 2022

12/22/2022

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Cap Sauers Holding Saturday December 17
Super turnout Saturday at Cap, don't have an exact count but we probably came close to filling a sign-in sheet. That included first-time Palos volunteers Dave, Joyce, and Charlie. Much thanks to them, and the rest of the group, as we finished clearing an area that we've worked at for several months now.

Black Partridge Sunday December 18
Sunday morning started quite cold, but it brought the first sunshine we'd seen in quite a few days, a great boost to our spirits. Volunteers getting a fire going quickly made for another boost.

We've cut brush in this spot several times, and this was the day broke through the wall, creating a nice opening to the pasture just west of us. That was the main goal of the work, so it felt good to hit that mark. Newly certified chain sawyer Joe C. got in some swipes with John's saw, and volunteer George rode his bike 28 miles round-trip so he could join us. That's farther than I drove....

Paddock Woods Wednesday December 21
This was a departure from a typical day, at least in terms of target species. We removed eastern redcedar from a small prairie pocket along the Cal-Sag bike path in Palos Park. While native to the U.S., this tree can be quite aggressive and crowd out other natives.

Pluses of redcedar; it burns readily, and many of the day's targets were of a size that could be dragged, and tossed, on the fire in their entirety. That sped our work, as breaking shrubs down at fireside is time-consuming. One or two tried to roll off the fire, prompting Joy to comment on burning tumbleweeds or something to that effect.
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In addition to our volunteer group, we had FPCC ecologist Kristin Pink as well as Matt and Erin from Woods 2 Wetlands assisting. We cleared quite a bit in a short time and will be back Wednesday, December 28, moving west on the spoil pile above the bike path.
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McMahon December 10, Hidden Pond December 14, 2022

12/14/2022

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McMahon Woods & Fen Saturday December 10
The preceding Saturday we weren't allowed to burn brush, so we made large piles. This time around there were no restrictions, so volunteers were able to burn all that brush. That made for some big fires, but that's something that's pretty common in winter months.

With two chainsaws running, more brush got cut as the morning wore on, making it quite a productive day and a job well done.

Hidden Pond Woods Sunday December 11
By 8:00 am Sunday a light mist filled the air, not predicted and certainly not welcomed. That was as bad as it got and we were able to proceed, with Jim and Kris getting a fire going while the rest of us cut brush on a rise above the prairie.

We had the trifecta - honeysuckle, buckthorn, and multi-flora rose - cutting quite a bit and expanding the area cleared last month. We'll likely continue in this spot for the next couple months. Thanks to our smallish, energetic group, including first-time Palos volunteer Jim from Morgan Park.

Holiday Lights
Julie and I made our annual trek to Brookfield Zoo for the holiday lights last Saturday, then drove past her father's former home in Tinley Park. Across the street resides one of the largest light displays in our area, three homes decked out most enthusiastically. A short distance away is another home, one of the entrants in Channel 7's Chicago Light Fight this year.

​The number of lights on these two properties makes me quite thankful for LED bulbs. 

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McMahon December 3, McClaughrey December 4, 2022

12/8/2022

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McMahon Woods & Fen Saturday December 3
High winds overnight forced a no-burn rule Saturday across the county, reminding us how welcome our fires are on cool-to-cold days. Luckily, the strenuous nature of wrestling ever-present bittersweet vines keeps the heart pumping and blood flowing.

We'll be back at McMahon December 10, 24, & 31, lots of chances for those who missed out on this one.

McClaughrey Springs Sunday December 4
The wind subsided and we were able to burn Sunday; Diana brushcut early and Joy had a fire going by the time the rest of the volunteers arrived. Working above a bend at Mill Creek we 
eventually had two fires and got a decent patch of ground cleared. We were joined by first-time Palos volunteer Domenico; great to have him!
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McMahon Woods & Fen November 26, 2022

12/1/2022

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McMahon Woods & Fen Saturday November 26
This turned out to be our only restoration day of the weekend, and your roving correspondent missed it 'cause they were... roving. Joe's working at his McMahon project, which has been ongoing for over a year now.

Current efforts are directed at clearing  brush, as well as cherry trees and downed trees, to open the area for a winter brush-mowing endeavor. It's a lot of work, but the outcome should be worth the effort.

Last Sunday's restoration day at Swallow Cliff Woods South had to be canceled; the rain, which never amounted to a whole lot, was persistent throughout the morn and precluded any chance of herbiciding what we planned to cut. So we're holding off 'til next date, on Monday, December 26, taking advantage of a long holiday weekend. We have two pockets of brush within the trail loop in the south woods that warrant a volunteer group and a fire.

Fall Burn Season
The continued dry spell has been a boon for burn crews, who have done multiple sites both within and outside our region. Many recent fall burn seasons have been a bust; this one is not, and even the rains we've had only delayed efforts by a couple days or more.

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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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