CONNECTICUT INVASIVE PLANT WORKING GROUP (CIPWG) UPDATE
October 2004
1. Our sincere thanks to everyone who assisted with or attended the second CIPWG Invasive Plant Symposium held on October 7 at the University of Connecticut in Storrs. Approximately 400 people attended the event, which included morning sessions on invasive plant legislative updates, early detection and rapid response for new invasives, and a keynote presentation by Bernd Blossey on impacts of invasives on native plants. The afternoon program featured ten workshops on invasive plant identification, management, and selection of alternatives. The symposium planning committee, chaired by Todd Mervosh from The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, worked diligently over the past year to plan the event. Many positive comments from the symposium attendees were heard throughout the day. We also would like to thank the speakers for their excellent presentations during the morning session and the afternoon workshops and the exhibitors for sharing valuable information at their displays. Special thanks to all of our co-sponsors who helped us promote this event. We hope to continue with our third symposium in 2006.
A limited number of symposium packets are available. The packets contain abstracts of the presentations, legislative information for Connecticut, lists of invasive plant references, informative brochures, management options, and other materials. The symposium packets are available for $10. To order a packet, please contact Donna Ellis at (860) 486-6448 or via email at donna.ellis@uconn.edu
As a follow up to receive local and regional information on invasive plants, symposium attendees who are not yet on the CIPWG electronic distribution list will be added on. If you would also like to sign up for the New England Invasive Plant Group (NIPGro) network to receive their news briefs, please contact Cynthia Boettner from the Silvio Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge [(413) 863-0209 ext. 6; email cynthia_boettner@fws.gov].
2. The second edition of “Alternatives for Invasive Ornamental Plant Species”, edited by Tim Abbey from The Connecticut Agriculture Experiment Station for the Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group has just been reprinted. The 15-page publication features color photos and descriptions of commercially available plants that can be used as non-invasive alternatives for five plants considered invasive in Connecticut and other states. The PDF version of the revised publication will soon be available for downloading from the CIPWG website. Copies of the publication are available from Tim Abbey (email timothy.abbey@po.state.ct.us) or Donna Ellis.
3. The Connecticut Invasive Plants Council continues to meet monthly at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford. The next meeting will be held at 10:30 a.m. on November 8. The Invasive Plants Council will hold a public forum on December 13 at 10:30 a.m. in Room 1E of the Legislative Office Building. The purposes of the forum are to receive input from Connecticut residents on the past activities of the council and on ideas for actions the council should take or recommend to stop or abate the introduction and spread of invasive plant species. Suggestions on education, control methods, enforcement, financing, research, and other matters are welcome. Speakers will be limited to three minutes. Written testimony may be submitted at or before the forum. Doors open one hour early, with sign-up in the Environment Committee Room 3200.
Invasive Plants Council meeting dates for 2005 are at 1:30 p.m. on January 18, February 15, March 15, April 12, May 10, and June 14.
4. Mile-a-minute vine (Polygonum perfoliatum), often referred to as the “Kudzu of the North” has been confirmed in a third town in Connecticut, representing a new county record for Litchfield County. This invasive annual vine, with sharp barbs on the stems and clusters of blue fruits that are bird dispersed, was collected by Elizabeth Corrigan, CIPWG Co-Chair, in Bridgewater at the New Milford town line on October 6. Mile-a-minute is also known from the towns of Greenwich and Westport in Fairfield County. Area residents in the three towns are being notified of the serious nature of this invasive plant along with information on management options. We are working with town and Audubon staff to control the spread of the plants at each site. If you live in these areas, please be on the lookout for mile-a-minute vine and report any populations to Elizabeth Corrigan (elizabethcorrigan@yahoo.com) or Donna Ellis (donna.ellis@uconn.edu). Images of mile-a-minute can be viewed on the CIPWG website (www.hort.uconn.edu/cipwg; see “News and Events - Invasives in the News”) or the IPANE website (www.ipane.org).
5. Giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum) was confirmed in three new towns in Connecticut during the 2004 summer. Plants were found in Clinton (Middlesex County), New Milford (Litchfield County) and Wilton (Fairfield County). This brings the total of confirmed sightings to 18 towns in 7 counties. A map of giant hogweed occurrences in Connecticut was included in the CIPWG symposium packet and will be posted on the website. We would like to offer our deepest appreciation to the CIPWG members who volunteered their time and expertise responding to giant hogweed inquiries this summer.
6. ATTENTION GARDENERS AND LANDSCAPERS: If you are working with new plant introductions and notice them spreading in the landscape, they may have the potential to be new invasives in our area. Please be on the lookout for new invasions and contact us.
7. Those of you who attended the invasive plant symposium watched a short (‘horror’) film on Japanese knotweed with CIPWG contact information provided at the end. This is the first project undertaken by a new subcommittee to increase awareness of invasive plants through public service announcements, short films, etc. to be broadcast on public television, cable stations, and in movie theaters. Subcommittee Chair Jon March (jmarch100@yahoo.com) is looking for additional people to join in on this exciting new venture. Please contact Jon for more information.
8. The National Wildlife Federation and eNature recently introduced a new Internet field guide for gardeners on native and invasive plants. The guide includes plants often found at garden centers or in catalogs and includes a database searchable by state, native vs. invasive plants, and plant type. Visit http://enature.com/native_invasive/natives.asp to access the field guide.
9. The University of Connecticut Office of Environmental Policy in Storrs has a new EcoHusky Students program to involve students in the local community and build their environmental awareness. If you are organizing a work party for invasive plant management and need volunteers, please contact Meghan Ruta (email meghan_ruta@hotmail.com; phone 860-486-5773). The organization can provide transportation for the student volunteers, but they will need training in invasive plant identification and management.
10. If you have any items to post on the CIPWG website or distribute via the CIPWG e-list, please forward them to me at donna.ellis@uconn.edu
Best Regards,
Donna Ellis
Co-Chairperson, Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group
(860) 486-6448
Email donna.ellis@uconn.edu
Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group web site www.hort.uconn.edu/cipwg
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