DRAFT Minutes – Invasive Plants Council

**DRAFT – THESE MINUTES HAVE NOT YET BEEN APPROVED**

Special Meeting

Wednesday, March 25, 2026, 12-2pm

Attendees: Dustyn Nelson (CNLA), Victoria Wallace (UConn), Chris Valley (Prides Corner Farm), Bryan Connolly (IPANE), Alice Colman (CT DoAg), Jatinder Aulakh (CAES)

Absent: Bill Moorhead (CT DEEP), Denise Savageau (non-profit environment association), Constance Trolle (Bantam Lake Association)

Non-voting members: Lauren Kurtz (UConn), Angelique Lopez (CT DoAg), Ian Campbell

 

Call to order​

Chair Dustyn Nelson called the meeting to order at 12pm.

 

Approval of Minutes

October 28th 2025. C. Valley made a motion to approve, V. Wallace seconded the motion.

 

Updates from Council members​

Due to meeting being an emergency IPC meeting and not a regularly scheduled meeting, council updates were not presented.

 

Old Business​

The meeting focused on developing guidance for sterile cultivars of certain invasive plants in response to House Bill 5521, which would exempt sterile cultivars of certain invasive plants from the prohibition from sale. The group discussed drafted language developed from the exemption criteria used in New York and Pennsylvania and modified for submitting to the Environment Committee as suggested criteria for sterile cultivar exemption.

Key discussion points included:

  • The criteria should explicitly state that a cultivar does not revert to invasive characteristics and should be monitored for reversion.
  • The primary means of reproduction of the cultivar’s parent species is sexual, not vegetative.
  • There is clear guidance on how to document sterility, including a 98% fertility reduction threshold when compared to fully fertile cultivars.
  • Acceptable references for appropriate fertility data include books, peer reviewed journal articles, and reputable websites (scientifically based websites such as university associated sites).
  • Exemptions are conditional and may be revoked.
  • Plant patents should not be included as acceptable evidence because they may not include peer-reviewed data or acceptable comparisons against fertile controls.
  • The need for labels that clearly communicate sterility to growers, retailers, and consumers in at least 14 point font with the warning: “Sterile Cultivar”. Labeling should be on the pot, plant tag, or a separate strip label.
  • The possibility of linking consumers to Extension fact sheets or other educational resources.
  • The “owner” of the variety name, such as the breeder, patent holder, or brand owner, should apply for the exemption. Individual plant merchants, such as nurseries and greenhouses, should not apply for the cultivar exemption.

    The council voted to accept the proposed language, including the track changes discussed, to be forwarded to the CT Environment Committee. L. Kurtz will incorporate track changes and distribute the revised document to IPC members.

     

    New Business

    Alice Colman announced that Angelique Lopez has joined the CT Department of Agriculture and will be taking her place on the council.

     

    Announcements

    Next Meeting Thursday, June 18th 2026 2-4 pm

    Adjournment

    The meeting adjourned at 12:51 pm.

     

     

     

     

    Updates from Council members​

    1. Moorhead: No report.
    2. Connolly: No report.
    3. Trolle: Most current work and funding are focused on the watershed and tied to implementation of the TMDL developed by the state.​ Invasive plant issues remain similar to past years; they continue to watch carefully for hydrilla but have not yet detected it in the lake, though many lakes remain concerned about hydrilla.​
    4. Fitzpatrick (on behalf of D. Nelson): CNLA legislative update on behalf of Dustyn. CNLA met with Environment Committee leadership and several legislators, primarily regarding sterile varieties of invasive species.​ Legislators asked CNLA to assess demand and market trends for sterile varieties and how much royalty revenue UConn receives from patents on sterile varieties. Additional notes on enforcement mechanisms were deferred to the new business discussion.​
    5. Savageau: House Bill 5004 (Public Act 25‑125), a broad “nature‑based solutions” law, focusing on Section 12.​ About how to integrate and advance nature‑based solutions in the state, including mitigation, adaptation, ecosystem resiliency, and biodiversity.​ One specific element is “controlling invasive species” as a nature‑based solution; the group coordinating this work is preparing brief fact sheets on how controlling invasive species supports carbon sequestration, biodiversity, soil health, forest resilience, and climate adaptation.​ Denise requested technical input and links from Council members on such topics.
    6. Levesque (on behalf of Alice Coleman): DoAg has recently hired a former NRCS soil scientist who is expected later in the year to assume Alice’s Invasive Plants Council responsibilities; Alice will introduce the new representative when appropriate.​
    7. Valley: Since the last meeting he has primarily been assisting CNLA in preparing for this meeting and educating legislators on sterile plant topics.​
    8. Wallace: Reported Lauren Kurtz and Alyssa Siegel‑Miles have been developing an asynchronous Invasive Plant Certificate Program, which launched in early February 2026.​ Registration is open through the end of February; approximately 144 participants are currently enrolled. Vickie also noted the successful Native Plant and Pollinator Conference held at UConn Storrs, with approximately 252 attendees.​ UConn continues to support the Invasive Plant Coordinator position: Lauren Kurtz is now funded through and working with the UConn Home & Garden Center (under Nick Goltz) for a portion of her time through at least August 2026, maintaining a portion of invasive plant coordination capacity.​

     

    Old Business​

    The Invasive Plants Council annual report was completed and transmitted to the Environment Committee and Council members at the end of 2025.​

     

    New Business​

    1. Presentation by Dr. Mark Brand (UConn) on sterile Japanese barberry cultivars (“WorryFree” types). Brand developed tetraploid “WorryFree” Japanese barberry cultivars using mitotic inhibitors, so they are functionally sterile while retaining ornamental value. He showed that, even when grown among many fertile barberries, these cultivars set almost no viable seed (around 0.2% of the seed set of ‘Crimson Pygmy’), greatly reducing invasion risk. He emphasized that trained inspectors can distinguish them visually and that ploidy can be confirmed objectively with flow cytometry, since all wild and conventional barberries are diploid and the WorryFree types are tetraploid. He also noted that the cultivars are tightly branded and licensed, and that several states already provide exemptions for these sterile barberries within their invasive plant regulations. Questions for Mark included: Bryan Connolly asked whether inspectors could distinguish sterile from fertile barberries using measured traits (like leaf, flower, or stomatal size) and whether an independent lab could verify ploidy; Mark replied that quantitative traits and stomatal measurements could be developed and that independent companies do offer flow‑cytometry services to confirm tetraploidy. Lauren Kurtz asked whether the barberry cultivar ‘Aurea’ and Spring Meadow selections are polyploids and if they can be tested using the same methods mentioned; Mark said ‘Aurea’ is a diploid that produced consistently low but not zero seed in his earlier trials (hence New York’s exemption) and that some Spring Meadow types likely rely on interspecific hybrid sterility, which would need separate ploidy or fertility testing. Bryan then raised the concern about potential reversion and suggested creating one or more reference plantings (“sterile cultivar orchards”) in the state to monitor long‑term behavior; Mark agreed this would be feasible if sites and minimal maintenance resources were provided.
    2. Discussion of sterile cultivars, enforcement, and legislative questions​
      • Recent communication from Rep. Bumgardner to the Council raising several questions about sterile cultivars, enforcement mechanisms, and the role of different agencies.​ A small subcommittee will form to review and draft suggested responses to the following questions to the IPC from Rep. Bumgardner: 1. Clarification of which agency holds primary enforcement authority over invasive plant statutes 2. Development of statutory enforcement procedures or inspection protocols 3. Additional resources or staffing tied to invasive plant enforcement 4. Any formal proposal related to sterile cultivar policy, or whether IPC is still in the research and criteria-development phase.
      • The Council discussed the lack of a dedicated invasive plant program position at CT DEEP compared with some other states, and the importance of leveraging partnerships to maintain statewide capacity for invasive plant education, monitoring, and policy input.​
      • New Jersey has enacted its first invasive plant legislation, which includes:​ Creation of a clearinghouse to handle invasive plant inquiries. Provisions related to labeling, including sterile cultivar exemptions. Members noted that, as with New York, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, and New Jersey’s sterile cultivar exemption approach may offer useful models for Connecticut to consider.​

     

    Council leadership (Chair position)​

    Dustyn Nelson (CNLA) has expressed willingness to serve as chair. Dustyn was unable to attend today’s meeting.​

    C. Trolle made a motion to appoint D. Nelson as Chairperson of the Invasive Plants Council. D. Savageau seconds the motion. All approve.

     

    Announcements

    Next Meeting: Thursday, June 18th 2026 2-4pm

     

    Adjournment

    The meeting adjourned at approximately 3:30 p.m.