Volunteers Restore Olympia Fields Park After Tornado

Student volunteers from four local organizations spent their October school break hauling tree debris to help restore a beloved nature center damaged by summer storms.

Irons Oaks, a Homewood-Flossmoor Park District facility in Olympia Fields, Illinois, lost about 40 old growth oak trees when a tornado tore through on August 11. Many of the downed trees were 100 to 200 years old, according to facility manager Cheryl Vargo.

The damage forced the park to close for a month. Walking trails, play areas, and high ropes courses became inaccessible under massive fallen trees and scattered debris.

On October 12, students from Girl Scouts, James Hart School's Junior National Honor Society, and Homewood-Flossmoor High School's National Honor Society and Key Club volunteered in morning and afternoon shifts. They moved branches into central piles where park staff could more easily haul them away.

The students tackled the smaller debris after professional crews spent weeks removing the largest hazards. An arborist climbed every remaining tree to cut dangerous hanging limbs.

The Bright Side

While Vargo acknowledges the landscape won't return to its former glory in our lifetimes, she's already seeing signs of hope. Young oak saplings are sprouting across the property.

"Trees are resilient," Vargo said. "Next spring we'll see a fill-in, and next year we'll see more." She expects a full tree canopy to return in a couple of generations.

Some trees that survived needed removal anyway due to root lift from the storm's force. The spaces once shaded by ancient oaks now open to the sky, creating new growing opportunities for the next generation of trees.

Key Club sophomore Joy Webb was among the students who spent hours moving heavy branches on the crisp fall morning. Student volunteers like Josh Olison, an eighth grader at James Hart School, worked alongside park facilitators to clear the trails piece by piece.

Nature is already reclaiming Irons Oaks, one sapling at a time.