Blog Posts - Palos Restoration Project

Willow Springs Woods December 8, Hidden Pond December 9, 2018

12/13/2018

Willow Springs Woods, Saturday December 8
A weekend with no rain, what a blessing! We had another super group out, including three more students (and two parents) from Whitney Young freshman biology class. We continued to clear brush in the same area we've hit earlier this fall and it's looking great.

As noted in prior posts, this part of Willow Springs Woods is thick with the invasive bittersweet vine (Celastrus orbiculatus). This is the demon with pretty red berries and gold capsule, the one that crafters use to decorate wreaths and other creations. Don't do this! This is nasty, nasty stuff!

Hidden Pond Woods, Sunday December 9
On a 16-degree morning, we were greeted with almost no wind, which meant no brush pile burning. Not a problem for the vigorous group assembled on prairie's edge; bowsaws, loppers, and dragging generate lots of body heat if you keep moving. The bright sun also was a big help.

Big thank-yous to Nicole and Kevin from Volunteer Resources, new volunteers Maggie, Esperanza (and mom), and returnees Andrew, Dave, Laura, Zachary, Jean, and Kathy, and steward Mary. Great day, many feeder piles built for next time.

McClaughrey Springs and Cap Sauers Holding, December 2, 2018

12/6/2018

Saturday at Spears Woods was canceled due to rain, words that roll too easily off the tongue these days. Fortunately we did better on Sunday.

McClaughrey Springs Sunday December 2
Great turnout for this one, with several students from Whitney Young HS (yes, another school assignment which we benefit immensely from), also help from the Tinley Resource management crew and first-time Palos volunteer Jake.

Diana's working farther west along the Yellow Trail now, right before it dips beneath La Grange Road and heads west to Swallow Cliff. This is a really nice area, with some good spring ephemerals growing on the side of the bluff in season. It sound like she will focus attention on this area for several months now.

Cap Sauers Sunday December 2
This was our afternoon session, where we did not burn, just went bow-saw crazy for a couple hours. Amazing how much you cut when you're not dragging everything to the fire. And when we return to burn it we'll have drier, more easily burned brush awaiting us in stacks throughout the work zone.

Thanks to Patrick, Devin, and Carrie for their great energy and to Kathy for her diligence in herbiciding all the stumps. My shoulders ached later, wonder if anyone else felt the same. Fun time!

Pioneer Woods November 24, 2018

11/29/2018

Pioneer Woods Saturday November 24
Lots of power tools running this morning, including Mark and Brendan from FPCC Resource Management. A big thanks for their help!

We cleared brush a short distance west of Old Country Lane and our previous work site in September. Cleared a lot of brush; check the before and after pics below. This spot has a horrible infestation of bittersweet, which wraps and tangles everything it touches. Nasty, Nasty!

The dampness made for good fungus weather and a couple interesting varieties turned up, also pictured below. Snow that followed within 48 hours put a huge damper on FPCC plans for prescribed burns; now they have to await this weekend's rains, then hope for a few dry days, before any burning can be contemplated. The prescribed burn is a terrific tool but one whose moments are quite fleeting.

We canceled our November 25 date at Swallow Cliff Woods South, will be back there on Sunday December 23.

Cap Sauers November 17, Black Partridge November 18, 2018

11/21/2018

Cap Sauers Moraines Saturday November 17
Unable to attend this one & have no report or pictures from those present. From Doub Boaco's FB post from that date., sounds like it was another bittersweet tangle www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2387885241240130&set=a.2387884701240184&type=3&theater&ifg=1

Black Partridge Woods Sunday November 18
John Marlin became steward at Black Partridge in April 1992. Sunday he/we finished one chapter of work there, burning the remaining cut brush from an area near the old farm house site that was the last true thicket of invasive brush at Partridge.

I'm not saying the work is done here. As John puts it, "most of the brush has been removed with just small pockets remaining to be cleaned up. As well as staying on top of any resprouts that may occur." But it truly IS progress; we've been working that one location pretty consistently for three years.

Another of those little feel-good moments you get from time to time in this arena. John deserves much credit for his persistence.

Willow Springs November 10, Hidden Pond November 11, 2018

11/15/2018

Willow Springs Woods Saturday November 10
Back to the area we worked two weeks ago, we continued to push farther from the footpath where we began our assaulut. We opened an area around a row of oaks, including one impressive two-trunk tree, hopefully providing an area where their acorns can take root and produce a new generation of trees.

Hidden Pond Sunday November 11
Shepard High School students returned, 28 strong this time, and did a terrific job clearing brush from the wooded area bordering the prairie. They were energetic, engaged and curious, a delight to work with on a brisk Sunday morning. Our thanks to them and to Brian Sievers of Shepard for bringing them!

Nature Walk With a Librarian Swallow Cliff South, November 15
We had another good walk this morning, from Swallow Cliff South over to Horsetail Lake and back. The snow was only enough to get your shoes wet. Looking forward to resuming them Spring 2019!

Signs of season's change abounding even before this morning's snow; frequent flights of sandhill cranes, milkweed pods opening and releasing seed (mother says it's time to plant now), snow fences and hay bales in place at Swallow Cliff sledding hill, all pictured below.

Cap Sauers Moraines November 3, 2018

11/8/2018

Cap Sauers Moraines Saturday November 3
I missed this one due to another obligation, am told there was an over-abundance of Oriental bittersweet.
Tangling, twisting bittersweet, climbing to the top of the canopy, girdling and killing the trees it wraps itself around, tying everything together in a knotted, disgusting mess.
So how do YOU feel about bittersweet?

Then Came the Rain
We had dates at McClaughrey Springs Sunday morning and Cap Sauers Holding Sunday afternoon; both were canceled due to unremitting rain. Later that afternoon I was finished with my day's work aned able to slip into Waterfall Glen for an hour-plus walk on the trails. Still raining but not intolerably. The cold and the rain, and the windy days that followed, stripped many of the leaves that were so striking a few days earlier.

From 1999 - 2001 I was a student at Benedictine U in Lisle and my daily commute took me past Waterfall Glen and Redgate Woods. Spent a lot of time on those trails, after day classes or before the evening ones. Good memories of pretty places...

Willow Springs October 27, Swallow Cliff October 28, 2018

11/1/2018

Willow Springs Woods Saturday October 27
Another super group at Willow, including first-timers Ray and Josie from Willow Springs, Evergreen Park HS Science Club members, and many more. We cleared another substantial area; we arrived via a narrow footpath with thickets of brush on either side and departed from an expansive open area.

Swallow Cliff Woods Saturday October 28
This was Ginger's first official day as workday leader, and our return to brushcutting near the Swallow Cliff South picnic grove. New faces included Bobbie and son Diego from Whitney Young and FPCC stewardship aide Mike. Great to get back into the area where we started work at Swallow Cliff nearly 20 months ago. We had a window of several hours between rainfalls and made the most of it.

Willow Springs October 20, Black Partridge October 21, 2018

10/24/2018

Willow Springs Woods Saturday October 20
Volunteer Mike Kazaitis's birthday was coming so daughters Jennifer and Allison asked how he wanted to celebrate. Mike replied "Go to the woods" and brought both daughters, with husband and boyfriend, respectively, to help us at Willow Springs. Happy Birthday, Mike, and thanks for the gesture of support!

We also had 19 volunteers from the TEENS program at Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum and numerous others, a total of over 40. Good news for us, bad news for honeysuckle. We opened a large area along both sides of a creek running through the site.

Super day, thanks to all who attended!

Black Partridge Woods Sunday October 21
Hard to top the preceding day, but we did our best, with a team of 11 working near the old farm house site at Partridge, including several students and parents from Whitney Young HS.

Kathy Bruch led most of the group on a hunt for invasive stragglers, then brought them back to the brush pile site where we hauled and burned an accumulation of brush from a pair of earlier days. It was a great team effort and we got all the old cuttings on the fire.

Congratulations to Ginger Rubinstein who is officially a Stewardship Workday Leader with Forest Preserves of Cook County, and will lead volunteer restoration days at Swallow Cliff Woods. The next one is this Sunday, October 28 at 9 am - click the schedule tab on this website for details.

Congrats also to Andrew Meyer who did two observations for the Forest Preserves' Managing Invasives class last weekend.

There are numerous free classes available to volunteers through the Forest Preserves, a terrific way to expand your own base of knowledge while giving you another way to support our efforts. Click the following link to view the variety of classes offered.
ec.samaritan.com/recruiter/index.php?class=OppSearchResults&recruiterID=1405&urgency=590,520

Willow Springs October 13, Hidden Pond & Cap Sauers October 14, 2018

10/15/2018

Willow Springs Woods Saturday October 13
One group took a walking tour of Willow while other volunteers cut and burned honeysuckle near the parking lot. The walkers (several of them students from Whitney Young, plus parents, and Willow Springs resident Jeff) came back to the lot and spent their final hour helping cut. It was a terrific turnout and we got a big chunk of land cleared of invasives. Thanks to all who helped!

Hidden Pond Woods Sunday October 14
Brian Sievers of Shepard HS in Palos Heights brought ~20 students to Hidden Pond, where we continued to clear brush along the southwest edge of the prairie. We also burned off an accumulation of cut brush from prior sessions.

In addition to this great crew from Shepard, we were blessed by the presence of Landon and Niah from Oak Lawn HS, Leslie (and mom) from Whitney Young, Jean, Kathy, Andrew, and steward Mary Busch!

Cap Sauers Holding Sunday October 14
Bob had another good group at his site Sunday afternoon, 11 volunteers total including Kathy Bruch who doubled up am & pm.

'Tis the season for brushcutting and they hit a bunch of honeysuckles in their afternoon session.

McClaughrey Springs Wednesday October 17
Diana hosted 30 Curie HS students, part of her ongoing partnership with the school. They break up into small groups and rotate through chemistry, biology, physics, and restoration tasks. They were a delightful group who worked well, and Manny is a bow saw rock star.

Nature Walk With a Librarian, Black Partridge, October 18
We had a small group and a fine time, walking along the creek at Black Partridge. At the onset we saw FPCC ecologist Kristin Pink busily tagging native shrubs in the low area near the creek. Kristin is a terrific partner, as is Jessica Rock from Palos Park Public Library. Always a pleasure hanging out with Jessica and library patrons.
The final walk of 2018 will be at Swallow Cliff Woods South on Thursday November 15. Join us if you can.

Rainy Days in Palos

10/11/2018

Rainy Saturday
We had only one scheduled restoration day last weekend, and that was canceled due to rain and soggy groud. We DID have a handful of people at Hidden Pond, clearing some hazard trees from a work site where 24 students from Shepard High School in Palos Heights will volunteer Sunday October 14.

Thanks to Dennis Kankowske and John Plunkett for coming, with chainsaws, to knock down these troublesome trees. Thanks to Doug Bosco for coming on short notice, to help haul and burn said trees, and to steward Mary Busch for organizing and leading the work.

Oaks and Brews Thursday October 4
This was a public talk at Imperial Oak Brewing in Willow Springs. My thanks to all who listened as we extolled the virtues of volunteering in the preserves, and to all who came to support the event.

Little Red Schoolhouse Arts and Crafts Fair, Sunday October 7
Carolyn, Kathy, and Ginger all helped promote our activities with shoppers at this fair and we had some good conversations and encouraging words of support for our activities. I've tabled here for a number of years now this was a good day.