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McClaughrey Springs December 21, Swallow Cliff South December 22, 2024

12/26/2024

McClaughrey Springs Woods Saturday December 21
Super group of volunteers showed up Saturday morning, as well as the Thorn Creek Resource Management crew. We cut brush below the moraine just east of la Grange road along a truly scenic stretch of trail Several chainsaws and brushcutters ran throughout the morning, and we had several fires to take the edge off one of our colder mornings of the new season.

Swallow Cliff Woods South Sunday December 22
Sunday's group was smaller but just as ambitious and productive. We removed an impressive amount of honeysuckle from the west side of the Yellow Trail in the south woods, working both sides of a small creek that drains in the direction of Horsetail Lake.

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Spears Woods December 14, Black Partriege December 15, 2024

12/19/2024

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Spears Woods Saturday December 14
If it's Saturday this must be Spears? A year ago you might insert McMahon in place of Spears, but lately our volunteers have been doing yeoman's work around this wetland at Spears Woods. It continues to open up and the ranks of honeysuckle are visibly shrinking. The forecasted rain didn't begin until late afternoon, giving volunteers plenty of time to push back the wall of brush.

We'll make a return visit on December 29, then may take a few weekends off from Spears as tree-thinning season in Palos kicks off.

Black Partridge Woods Sunday December 15
We got lucky on this one; drizzle was still falling at 7:00 am and the sky remained overcast throughout the morning. Once we got the fire going all was well, and with 11 volunteers plus four members of FPCC's Thorn Creek crew, we had another very productive outing.

We were joined by first-time Palos volunteer Andrew, who came on the 'family plan' with daughter Emily. Love it! Our once-dense thicket is now open in the center, moving east to west into the next pasture. It may be a couple months before we get back to this spot, pending winter road conditions, but just passing by on Bluff Road the progress is readily apparent.

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Spears Woods December 7, 2024

12/12/2024

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Spears Woods Saturday December 7
This was our only restoration day and your reporter was out of state, will count on a FB post to give an accounting. Our volunteers were back at Spears Woods, again working on brush near the wetland south of Boomerang Slough. From Doug's photos it looked like a good turnout, and the multiple visits we made this fall have the site looking much, much better.

A couple chainsaws (and more mentoring for Nicole!) and a brushcutter, plus an energetic volunteer corps can cut and burn a lot of brush in a single morning, and we keep it up week after week. Great job, volunteers!

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Spears Woods November 30, McClaughrey Springs December 1, 2024

12/2/2024

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Spears Woods Saturday November 30
Quite the cool morning, one that forced you to keep moving and not wander too far from the fire, for too long. We had another good group at Spears and worked in the same wetland area we've been hanging out at this fall. Two chainsaws, one brushcutter, two brush piles to burn, and a humungous amount of cut brush to be moved to those piles. Good times for all!

There's a large population of multi-flora rose in this area - I spent almost thirty minutes tackling one spot before3 even reaching the main body of volunteers, and walked away with two small skin punctures on my nose.

McClaughrey Springs Woods Sunday December 1
As is often the case, we were a smaller group come Sunday, still managing a brushcutter and chainsaw. We also benefitted from a visit by FPCC's Thorn Creek Resource Management crew, four hard workers chainsaws and youthful energy.

We worked between Kean Avenue and Mill Creek in an area that, in the past, had a solid honeysuckle and buckthorn understory. Now we can stand at the high bank above the creek and look east to a clear view of the parking lot on the other side of Kean. Delightful!

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McClaughrey Springs December 21, Swallow Cliff South December 22, 2024

Spears Woods December 14, Black Partriege December 15, 2024

Spears Woods December 7, 2024

Spears Woods November 30, McClaughrey Springs December 1, 2024

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