QC Forum - 1-21-24

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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Welcome to Quad City Forum, aweekly community service program produced by iHeartMedia to
look at the issues and opportunities thatexist in our community. Now here's your
hosts for a Quad City Forum,Pt. Luke and Denny Linhowe getting a
chance to talk to Tracy Joe Mulliganwith the University of Illinois Extension Offices.

(00:23):
Tracy Joe, it's amazing, firstoff, all the things that the Extension
services can do for people. Andit's not just in Illinois. The welcome
Matt hits everybody. But you gota big event, big event that's coming
up next month at Vibrant Arena thatwe've got to get the word out so
we can get a big crowd outthere. Exactly, we are doing our

(00:46):
twenty fifth annual Nursery School lessons inGardening on Saturday, the tenth of February.
Okay, the mark of the QuadCities. Wait a minute, whoa,
whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, Tracy Joe. They call it
something different. Now it's a funvibrant center at the market. There we
go, there we go that one. Well, you know what, either

(01:08):
way would have worked, because Iknew what building you were talking about.
But either way this is now.I remember last year when you were talking
to Danny and I and how excitedyou guys were, And this just is
such a great time, especially withthe snow that we just are were in
some cases still digging out of Peopleare so excited to talk about the growing

(01:30):
season when it gets warmer again.Isn't it crazy? Like this is the
time to think about it. Thisis the time to learn and plan and
get your game plan together. Andthat's why I love this gardening event.
It gets your brain going towards thatspring thaw, which I think after this
year we're going to all be readyhere. You don't, Yeah, isn't
funny though we had the snow fromyou know, just recently we had the

(01:53):
snow, and up until that point, it still looked like I could have
mowed my grass probably right around Christmas. And yet that's that's what happens in
the winter time. But for somany of us when we start talking about
planning our garden, so many timesthere's some dues and don'ts for the right

(02:14):
way to do that when the growingseason happens, and you'll have there'll be
experts there that'll be able to helpeverybody out, so the growing when the
growing season starts up again, they'regoing to start it up the right way
in their own garden or lawn absolutely, you know, and it feeds in
really well too. We're starting withour keynote, which is just perfect for
this year. His name is DwayneFriend, and he is the climatologist for

(02:38):
the University of Illinois Extension, andhe's giving a presentation called this is not
your Grandparents' gardening Weather. So Ithink that just this is perfect for this
time of year right now with whatwe're all experiencing. So that's how we're
starting out the morning at eight fortyfive with Dwayne, and then you roll
around the rest of the day andyou get to choose between three different types

(03:00):
to presentations. We're doing ornamental track, which is you know, flowers and
all the pretty stuff in the yard. We're doing an edible track, which
is you know, the things youcan grow to eat. And then we're
doing a nature track, which isanything from natural ways of lawn care to
creatures like owls out into the world. So we have a full array of

(03:22):
classes that we're offering on the tenthof February. We do ask that you
register ahead so that we can planfood and such since we are doing a
full day with a lunch buffet.And you can call our office at three
zero nine seven five six nine tonine seven eight to register, or you

(03:46):
can register through our website, whichI just google Illinois Extension, Rock Island
County to find it. It's theeasiest way. It's going to be a
fun day. We've got vendors therethat are selling all of their I'm gonna
say gardening gear or anything from planthangars to plants to garden the core and

(04:06):
all the above. But yeah,we've got University Extension professionals coming to talk
about different things. We've got NicoleFlowers, who's coming from the Peoria area.
Can now, but wait a minute, Nicole cannot be your real Nicole
Flowers. Really, we've got Ilove this because you've got Dwayne Friend there

(04:28):
and Nicole Flowers. I just lovethat. It just seems so welcoming.
It does it? Does? Iknow? And she's going to teach you
how to start seeds from indoors andoutdoors. We've got Emily'swyheart, which is
our local University of Illinois Extension educator. She's talking about spring ephemeral flowers,
you know, And now that we'retalking about that, I might have to
give her a talk about changing hername a little bit because she does need

(04:50):
something a little more ornamental. Throwin a nickname or something like. Just
do whatever it takes to make itwork. And I think so much many
times that this, I mean,this seems first off, when you see
nursery school that kind of makes peoplego, oh, this is just for
kids. No, this is nurseryschool like for our garden. And how

(05:11):
many times people can think they maybehave the right flower or the right plant
for that yard and they'll be ableto really dig down deep. Again,
there's a pun in all of that, but dig down deep with the experts.
They can tell them, okay,yeah, that's the right plant,
but wait, you don't how muchshade, d how much watering are you
giving it? And sometimes the rightplant still may not thrive in your yard

(05:35):
if you're not getting it off toa good start. And they'll be able
to find it out here. Andthat's exactly what this day is about.
This day really can it is foradults? Yes, you're right, they're
doing the play on the you know, going to the nursery you know,
like the greenhouse. So and that'sour master gardeners, which are the volunteers
who put on this event. Theywork their tails off all year around for

(05:56):
this event and really have a greatlineup. Anywhere from the beginning gardener to
a master gardener will get something outof this day. It's amazing. The
same presentation to two different people isher two completely different ways, and everybody's
going to get something from it.And we do the three tracks. So
if you're not into edible growing,if you're not into growing food that you

(06:20):
are growing food, go with theornamental, learn about nature. I mean,
we've got a presentation on owls,we have a presentation on native plants
for your yard, So it's gotsomething for everybody. We have local experts.
We have Ellie Voss who is thechef at Nest Cafe. She's going

(06:40):
to come in and work with oneof our educators, Chris Enroth, and
talk to you about how she usesculinary herbs in her food. So it's
really combining those two different things ofgrowing it and using it, which why
grow it if you don't know howto use it? So exactly we're really
trying to hit home for everybody onthis day, and it is an awesome
day with great people of similar mindbecause they're just there to learn and have

(07:03):
fun and get out of the winterfunk and get ready for springtime. It
won't be long and the growing seasonwill be back at hand here in the
Quad Cities. And it does seemat least with the snow and even how
we wrap things up before it gotcolder where we ended up picking up a
lot of rain, it does looklike things are turning around where the ground

(07:25):
is at least getting some moistures soit can start out fairly strong when the
growing season starts back up. ButI do like how this is set up
too, where it's not only peopleyou have speakers, but it's also set
up where you can ask questions becausesome of us will maybe not always catch
it the first time through verbally,and so we can ask follow ups and

(07:47):
really be able to find out howwe can succeed at our lawn in our
gardens. Oh absolutely, And youknow you kind of touched on that a
little bit before about the extension serviceand how many different kinds of services we
offer. We offer that service topublic all year around through our horticulture helpline,

(08:09):
so we get we get emails andcalls all winter about people trying to
plan their gardens and what would bethe best, you know, So start
with these classes, get your getyour head going around what you think you're
going to do in your different gardenbeds and and containers, and what your
plan is, and then just keepgoing from there. You know, I
know, to get through the Midwestwinters, you've got to have an end

(08:31):
goal in your mind. So thisis going to get that. Get that
going, and make sure you utilizewhat the Extension Office what has to offer.
We offer classes year around, andthis is just our premier event that
we offer, and it's really afun a day down there. The vestibule
has all the windows with the sunshinecoming in and all the vendors and and

(08:54):
people. It just it gets yourheart happy and gets you ready for the
season in my mind, right becausewe may not think of the spring already
as we're looking outside and seeing thesnow and knowing that we're getting more of
this blowing stuff all the time.But you know, it really is important
to pre plan, and it's importantto bring your questions, and I think
it's really important to make sure peopleget registered because again spring will be here

(09:20):
before you know it. So onceagain, Tracy Joe, just let us
know where people can go to registerand get ready for this big event.
Sure, let's talk, let's getthose details out there again. So the
day is on Saturday, February tenth. It is at the Vibrant Arena,
and you need to register ahead oftime by February I'm sorry, February fifth.

(09:43):
And you can call our extension officeat three zero nine seven five six
nine nine seven eight, or youcan google University of Illinois Extension, Rock
Island and get to our website andregister that way, and then we will
start at eight point thirty getting everybodychecked in and browse the vendors, go

(10:05):
to the keynote, register for yoursessions, enjoy a lunch, and just
spend a great day together. Butyou do need to pre register, so
make sure you give us a callto do that. And like Danny was
bringing up here asking the questions,this is one of those cases too where
questions are encouraged because really you canyou probably, Tracy Joe, you could

(10:26):
see somebody like you would see melistening to some speaker going this kid's not
getting it here, he's not gettingit. And you want to encourage people
to talk so that when they gethome they do get it and they can
they can apply the things that they'velearned. And is there any I'm thinking
how many people try to grow thingsor keep some plants going during the winter

(10:48):
in their house. They could probablyeven if it's not talking about the upcoming
growing season, they could probably asksome questions about things that are going on
in their house with some of theplants. Right, They'll get some help.
Absolutely, absolutely, Well, that'swhat the Extension Office is here for.
We are here to service the publicwith their horticulture questions. So absolutely,

(11:11):
and that's not just on nursery school. That is all year around.
I am fortunate to work with thearea Master Gardeners as I have for fifteen
years, and they are the hardestworking group of people that I know.
They are incredible volunteers and this daywould not be possible without them. There
are two of us as far asstaff members in this area and the amount

(11:31):
of and I have about one hundredor so Master gardner volunteers and this is
put on by them, So kudosto them and come with them and see
them and celebrate their twenty fifth Nurseryschool with them, because it is truly
a great conference that they put onfor the public here in our area.
Excited stop February tenth and again thosenumbers website just to make sure people can

(11:54):
get involved, because pre registration isnot just suggest, it's gotta happen absolutely.
So the number is three zero nineseven five six nine nine seven eight.
So that give us a call andwe will get you registered and hope
to see everybody at nursery school.Tracy, Joe, thank you so much

(12:18):
for doing this, young line.I'm excited. I usually kill every plant
that I have. I try,but I kill them well. And you
guys excite. Just think of it. You're promoting the local economy because you
keep on going, oh oh,it's a silver line. Whenever they see
me coming into the corn crib therein Cole Valley, they go, all
right. They don't call me norm, but they I'm not a seed starter.

(12:41):
I don't have that kind of patience. I go and buy plants because
I want that immediate satisfaction. AndI'm like, you know what, I'm
just supporting the local economy. Ijust keep buying, so don't worry about
it. It's good. If youor your organization would like to be featured
on quad City for them, pleasevisit the contact page on our station website.
Now back to bat Luke and DannyLinnell on our quad City Forum,

(13:05):
we have a chance to talk toChristian Bagdonus, the nutrition and wellness educator
for the University of Illinois Extension offices. It serves Henry, Mercer, Rock
Island, and Stark Counties. Westart to move into the winter months,
a lot of us don't think aboutwinter rising all facets of our life until
we get the coldest day of theyear. And you had a great article

(13:26):
that kind of goes to a checkliston what people should at least be aware
of when it gets colder. Absolutely. Yeah. I did another segment on
you know, like building your winterwellness arsenal, and a lot of that
is talking about your mental and physicalhealth and things that you can do to
kind of get ready for the wintermonths, because you know, the cold

(13:48):
weather is hard on a lot ofus, especially as we get older.
You know, there's things that wecan do with our diet and lifestyle that
can help us kind of take onthis colder weather. A little easier,
you know, thinking about certain nutrientsthat we need to get more of,
specifically vitamin D. As the daylighthours get shorter, if we're low on
vitamin D that can affect our moodand other things. So making sure that

(14:11):
we are getting enough variety in ourdiet to ensure that our nutrient levels are
high. A lot of that hasto plan to sleep as well. So
if someone has trouble getting to sleepor falling asleep, there's certain things that
you can add to your diet,like certain vitamins and minerals that can help

(14:31):
with your sleep quality. And ifwe're sleeping better, our immune system is
going to be better. If we'reeating better, it also affects our immune
system. So a lot of ithas to come down to our diet,
lifestyle, and how fast we're goingto bounce back after maybe getting the cold.
And like you said, you knowa lot of times this is common
sense information, but it's not untilwe hit the cold to stay or we

(14:56):
are buried under several feet of snowthat we think about some of these things
that we should have done last monthor maybe in July or something like that.
Yeah, or in July. Yeah, So one of those things that
you can do is making sure youhave a plan in place, and I
always remind people to think about anemergency kit or having some sort of emergency

(15:20):
food supply and water just in caseyour power is out for several days or
you know, several weeks, andchecking your batteries and your flashlights and your
weather radio, making sure you haveextra batteries, extra pairs of clothing,
having a kit possibly at home andin your car. Because we spend a
lot of time traveling, you neverknow what you're going to come across on

(15:43):
those roads during the winter season,so just making sure you have a plan
in place, emergency kits, andalso staying in formed with any weather that
might be coming your way. Somethingthat you can utilize locally is the QC
Ready app. You can download thison your iPhone or Android devices and make

(16:03):
sure people know that if you're travelingin bad weather, so if you don't
show up, that you know ata certain time, they can kind of
be on the lookout for you,I mean, some help if needed,
but also goes for you know,checking on neighbors. Maybe you know they're
older or they're living alone. Weknow that single person households are on the
rise, so whether you're a youngor old, there might just be someone

(16:25):
living alone. So check on thoseindividuals. Maybe they need help, you
know, getting out of the snow, or they may need special items during
emergencies, So just always keep themalso in your mind. We'll see more
and more people buying generators now andthey still don't know how to properly work
the generator and you know, notrunning them inside because that could be potentially
dangerous with you know, carbon monoxidepoisoning. So just making sure you're following

(16:48):
those guidelines and knowing how to usethem properly. Yeah, reading a pamphlet
is not a bad thing. Butone other thing that also will happen.
Once it gets cold and I reallydon't want to venture out to go get
anything for myself, I tend tojust reach for what's close by, maybe
in the fridge or in the pantryor something like that. And a lot
of times I will start to andI don't know if this is a trend

(17:11):
with other people start to grab thejunk food instead of the healthy food,
and too much of the junk foodmoderation and everything, but too much of
that stuff you start making bad choices. It can affect you in other ways
too. Preparing our house is kindof like preparing our minds and bodies for
the winter season, and you wantto make sure that you are focusing on

(17:32):
foods that are going to help youbounce back quicker maybe after getting the flu
or the cold, and also certainfoods can help with your mood as well,
and one of those things is vitaminD. A lot of us are
low on vitamin D because we're notgetting enough sunlight. That's the main source.
So some other things that you caninclude in your diet would be fish

(17:56):
or certain types of mushrooms, fortifiedmilk and cereal, but again you don't
find it in many food sources.Again, that sunlight is your best option.
So if you suspect you are low, you can get your doctor to
order a simple test for you determinewhat your levels are, and if you're
low, you can supplement. Otherthings you may want to consider supplementing this

(18:19):
time of year would be things likezinc, but really just focusing on a
good, well balanced diet with lotsof variety, lots of fruits and vegetables,
whole grains, just to ensure thatyou get all those vitamins and minerals
for a healthy winter season. Ifyou or your organization would like to be
featured on Quad City Forum, pleasevisit the contact page and our station website.

(18:41):
Now back to bat Luke and Dannylinnow for our Quad City Forum.
Here this morning, we're getting achance to talk to Sydney os Folk,
the mid Mississippi Valley Ducks and Limitedtreasurer in Sydney. What is amazing to
me is how Ducks and Limited hasnot only grown, but it is thrived.

(19:03):
This is great with the amount ofmoney that Ducks Unlimited is sending over
to Scott County alone. Yeah,super exciting for us this year. Do
you received a large grant here inIowa for eight million dollars and I'm specifically
going to go to projects in ScottCounty. It's part of funding from the

(19:25):
USDA, and so they designated eightmillion dollars to the Scott County, Iowa
Working Lands for Resilient Communities. Itsounds like they're planning to use those dollars
to install climate smart conservation practices suchas infield and edge of field wetland restoration
to prove water availabilities, water quality, soil health and wildlife habitats. So

(19:49):
we're super excited about that. Whenyou get this eight million dollars, what
kind of process do you go through? You're not just hoping, hey,
can you make make sure you sendsome money our way. We would imagine
there were some steps involved to beable to get this funding. So there's
fire up dus in obviously volunteers likemyself that are you know, paid staff

(20:14):
members of Ducks Unlimited and they workwith legislators, you know, to apply
to these grants not kind of stuff. So it's been it's been a work
of heart for sure for many yearsto get to this place. When we
talk about the mid Mississippi Valley DucksUnlimited Chapter, when you talk about volunteers,

(20:34):
is there any I mean, therehas to be a very few amount
of people that are really even gettingpaid. This is mostly passion that's helping
you take care of conservation in theenvironment around Scott County. Right. None
of our Midssissippi Valley Chapter participants arepaid, paid members. We're all volunteers.

(20:56):
So there's about a dozen of usthat works a host star of events
and that kind of thing. SoI think that's really neat Yeah, it's
amazing to me. And when welook at some of the places that will
get the funding, these are placesthat people probably drive by all the time.
Talk about maybe the Wapsi Wetlands,Green Island, Goose Lake and one

(21:18):
place it still amazes me. Mostpeople drive over the I two eighty or
the John Baker Bridge every day orat least once a week. They drive
over that and they drive right overtheyhannt Marsh. That has become such a
it's such a big draw and it'sall it's all pretty much. The reason
why it's there is because of alot of the work that you guys do,

(21:42):
and you're probably not the only onesinvolved, but a lot of that
work is on display every day whenwe're driving over that bridge. Obviously,
we work with a lot of otheragencies too that provide funding and resources to
large projects. The youth had ahand in all of those local projects.
Here to us is all of NorthAmerica and beyond and Sydney. When I

(22:04):
hear ducks and lemoned do you youknow, I always think, oh,
well, you're out there protecting theducks. Guess that's what. But we
know now from talking with you thatit really is a nationwide nonprofit wetland conservation
restoration organization, And so you're reallydoing a lot of things to make sure
that nature in itself, whether it'shelping the birds or the fish, or

(22:27):
the turtles or whatever is in andnative to those wetlands actually thrive and survive.
Do you. Obviously isn't just aboutthe ducks. It's about conservation as
a whole. Wetland management helps ensurethat we have clean water sources, erosion
management, and habitats for all kindsof wildlife and so much more. And
I'm thinking with that eight million,even though that's a large sum of money,

(22:49):
there's still a lot of work thathas to be done by volunteers and
it's NonStop, right Sydney. There'salways something eat something happening with the you
somewhere, whether it's in the stateof Iowa or somewhere else in the country.
Well, and the eight million dollarsand the eight million dollars is great,

(23:10):
but there still has to be fundraisingmechanisms out there. And you've got
a big one that's good, that'salways been successful, huge and magnetic.
Yeah, especially and we're not evengoing to get to the village in ties
yet, but but we will.We're going to touch on it. But
that big events happening at the MississippiValley Fairgrounds at the Starlight Ballroom at the

(23:30):
Mississippi Valley fair on February seventeenth.Start wetting our appetite on all the great
food and they and the fantastic timethe whole family's going to have next month.
Uh yeah, So it's our goshit maybe our fifty third annuals Mississippi
Valley Banquet the Starlight Ballroom. Jeff'sMarket will be catering for us a Rebbi

(23:56):
steak dinner. We have live auctions, silent auction games for the kids,
games for adults. Just it's justa good night out for the whole family.
I love the fact that you don'thave to be a Ducks Unlimited member
to go, and you know,to buy a ticket and go. But
when you buy a ticket and go, you become a member. So with

(24:19):
your ticket you will get dinner inthe door and then obviously you get a
Ducks Unlimited membership for a year.There's various benefits with those with the membership,
but one of the main ones isa magazine subscription that talks about local
projects and all that kind of thing. And then it also if it's a

(24:45):
child membership, they get a aninteractive view membership as well with a magazine,
you know, with games and funstuff in there too, So it's
it's not just that night that you'reyou know, you gain access to our
stuff, it's for that whole nextyear as well. Again it's a family

(25:06):
friendly event. But now I've waitedlong enough, tell me about the Village
in Pile. This is good stuff. Yeah, so it's kind of blossomed
over the last few years. Gosh, it's probably been ten years or so
now that we've been doing the Villageand Pie auction. So basically we auction
off between let's say eight to twelvepies. One of the pies is like

(25:30):
essentially the winner and that person willwin a gun. I'm not sure which
one and it will be this year, but we usually are able to raise
a lot of money because who doesn'tlove Village in Pies and that's crazy great
prize he wins. So if peoplewant to be a part of it,

(25:51):
there's a couple of different ways.Website and a phone number. One,
don't you the first of many timesyou're going to give it. Why don't
you start with that process again sopeople can get involved. Yeah, so
you can purchase tickets online at Ducksdu c Ks dot org or you can
simply give us a call at fivesix three three seven zero nine five two

(26:14):
one, and then we'd be happyto get tickets to you either way.
Well, why don't you give thatnumber in the website again one more time?
Yeah, so you can purchase ticketsonline at Ducks dot org or by
calling us at five six three threeseven zero nine five two one. Now.
I hate to keep going back tothe village in pie auction, but

(26:37):
I am sorry, but I gotto. I do want to now with
the auction exactly? Is this justlike a straight out vid Ford or do
you take a is there like araffle or how does that whole process go?
Yeah, it'sactly. It's a beddingprocess. So it's uh, we
kind of work it into our liveauction and so you bid what you want
for the pie. Usually we knowthis is a cherry pie, this is

(27:00):
a banana cream pie, and thenpeople bid what they want. Well,
the pumpkin pie is going to gofor astronomical, man, it's all going
to be good, and I don'twant to I don't want to talk any
more about the Village in Pie Auction, but I am excited about that.
But again, for people just tuningin now, we are talking to Sydney
Ostfolk, the mid Mississippi Valley DucksUnlimited treasurer, And even though she's relatively

(27:25):
young, she's she's been involved withDucks Unlimited her whole life. It seems
like it's kind of a family affair. But again, for people that want
to go February seventeenth, what aresome of the things that they might be
able to see If it's maybe thefirst time, like Danny was talking about
a little bit ago, you're nota member yet, you want to see
what's going on or have an idea. Let's give him a rundown again of

(27:48):
what they're going to be able toexpect. Yeah, so once you come
in the door, you know,we'll have lots of raffle game type things,
we sell merchandise, We will havegames for the kids, and then
we have assignment Auction that always includestons of great items from local businesses here

(28:10):
in the Quad Cities, and thenwe have our biggest event within the event,
I guess is our live auction andthat features artwork, home decor just
all kinds of good stuff and it'sfamily friendly and it literally you've been a

(28:32):
part of it with the whole familything for a long time. Yeah,
for sure. My entire family hasbeen involved. I think my dad's going
on maybe thirty five or forty yearsnow volunteering with Stuff Unlimited, and so
all of us kids have been grandfatheredin as volunteers as well. One more
time, Sydney, let us knowhow we can purchase tickets and be a

(28:57):
part of this great event. Yeah, So you can purchase tickets online at
Ducks dot org or simply by Colleenor even texting five six three three seven
zero nine five two one. You'vebeen listening to Quad City Forum, a
weekly community service program produced by iHeartRadio. If you were your nonprofit organization would

(29:22):
like to be featured, please visitthe contact page and our station website,
or contact quad City Forum in carobiHeartMedia, Quad Cities three five three five
East Kimberly Road, Davenports, Iowafive two eight zero seven