Tuesday, December 9, 2014, 2 pm, Department of Agriculture G8-A 165 Capitol Avenue, Hartford, CT
Council members present: William Hyatt, Paul Larson, Richard McAvoy, Tom McGowan, John Silander, Jeff Ward, Katherine Winslow
Others present: Donna Ellis, Nicole Gabelman, Nancy Murray, Tim Towler, John Towler, Joseph Wiernasz
1. McAvoy called the meeting to order at 2:08 pm.
2. Approval of Meeting Minutes
The meeting minutes from November 18 were reviewed and several typographical errors were offered and accepted. It was discussed that notes about people entering and exiting the meeting room should only be included when it affects the quorum status. Larson moved (second: Hyatt) to approve the minutes as amended. The motion carried.
3. Invasive Plants Council Members
a. Update on Dave Goodwin replacement
Larson informed the Council that Darryl Newman from Planters Choice and the upcoming President of the CT Nursery and Landscape Association (CNLA) agreed to be nominated. Gabelman added that Kevin Sullivan, current CNLA President submitted the resume of Darryl Newman for consideration by the House Minority Leader.
b. Dave Goodwin thank-you letter
McAvoy presented the Council with a letter for Dave Goodwin thanking him for his dedicated service on the Council since its inception in 2003. It was pointed out that the representative being cc’ed in the letter is not the current Minority Leader of the House of Representatives and should be corrected.
4. Approval of Annual Report
a. Cover letter from Chairperson
McAvoy presented the revised copy of the cover letter for the annual report. Several editorial changes and corrections were offered, and the council accepted the draft as amended.
b. accomplishment Report Summary
A separate tab will be created in the Annual Report for the IPANE Report submitted by John Silander. The report will be submitted almost entirely electronically and will have pages numbered continuously and tabs available so that it can be easily navigated in PDF format. It was decided that the Annual Report will be emailed with a link to the full report online and a two-page attachment containing the Chairperson’s letter and a summary of the IPC activities and accomplishments. It was suggested that a bullet point be added to highlight the IPC support and participation in a forum hosted by the Environment Committee to discuss aquatic invasive species issues. Silander moved (second: McGowan) to approve the annual report as amended. The motion was unanimously approved.
5. Report on Bamboo Site Assessments
Gabelman presented photos and information from the Dec. 4 bamboo site visits to Woodbury and Southbury, CT. The sites were visited by Nelson DeBarros (Plant Ecologist, Department of Energy and Environmental Protection), Nicole Gabelman, Richard McAvoy, John Silander, Jeff Ward, and Katherine Winslow. Four sites were chosen from Caryn Rickel’s presentation on the “Nine Known Escapes from Cultivation of Phyllostachys aureosulcata in Connecticut” and were visited to assess the possibility of rhizome spread via waterways. Two nearby sites that Jeff Ward treated with herbicide were also visited. No conclusions could be drawn based on these site visits. The Council will continue to monitor bamboo in Connecticut, as well as reports in neighboring states.
6. Update on Grants to Municipalities
Murray reported that the aquatic invasive species contracts between the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) and the municipalities receiving grants were almost completed. The contracts will be sent out to the municipalities once they have been reviewed and signed off by those involved at DEEP.
7. Old Business/New Business
a. Next Meeting
The next meeting will be on February 10 unless any legislative action deems the tentative January 13 meeting necessary.
b. Guests
The guests at the meeting asked the Council members questions about native plants, funding, and using seed removal as an invasive plant control method.
8. Adjournment
McAvoy moved (second: Hyatt) to adjourn the meeting. The meeting ended at 3:57 pm.