Rutland, MA Conservation Commission

06/04/2026

05/27/2026

Hey folks, George from ConComm here! Today in this video I’m going to show you how to start to harden off your milk jug seedlings, what hardening off means and why it’s important. Hope you’re have as much fun and success with your milk jug seedlings as I am with mine!

05/23/2026

Today is World Turtle Day! 🐢

As we head into June, turtles will be on the move in search of nesting habitat, often traveling long distances to find suitable nesting areas such dirt roads, roadsides, and landscape beds.



All animals handled for scientific or protective purposes in accordance with respective permits.

05/23/2026

Join us on June 6th at 11am to learn about turtles! Licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator Kathleen Blair will be Talkin' Turtles! She may have some special guests that will be released into the wild shortly after the talk 🐢🐢🐢

This is a free event geared towards elementary school-aged children, but all are welcome to join! There will also be a fun art activity 😀

05/22/2026

It's pretty cool that the kids got to experience this! 🐢🐢

05/17/2026

🐻🐻 Rutland has become a hotbed of black bear activity over the past several years. Please do everything you can to prevent these animals from having interactions with people and pets. Keep wildlife wild!!

-If you haven't already, it's time to take down your bird feeders, clean up any spilled seed, and remove water sources. Birds don't need supplemental feed this time of year! 🐦

-Make sure your trash cans and compost bins are secure! 🗑️

-Use deterrents and proper electric fencing to protect beehives, chickens, and other livestock! 🐓

We all love having bears in the community, but it's everyone's responsibility to make sure they don't come to rely on us as a food source. This will only lead to problems and conflict. 🐻🐻

Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife

Black bears can become a nuisance if they wander into your backyard and find food. Here is everything you need to know to prevent conflicts with bears.

05/01/2026

Thank you to Scott Smyers for coming out tonight to talk about vernal pools! I hope everyone had a great time and learned something! 🐸🦎

04/28/2026

Hey everyone! George from the ConComm here just giving an update on my winter sow jugs. They have been out here on my south-facing side deck since our event at the library. They were covered in feet of snow almost immediately after we sowed the seeds in these milk jugs, and as you can see I have growth in all of them! As time goes on I’ll post a few more videos showing how to re pot them, and then eventually plant them out around my yard, and show you where I’m planting them out and explain why they’ll be planted in the in those specific locations and their benefits.
Hope you all had as much luck as I did!