Rutland held a tree pruning clinic/workshop earlier this month as part of its Tree City USA efforts. Mary O’Neill, from the Lisbon Office of the ND Forest Service, gave tips and demonstrated how to correctly prune trees. It was an opportunity to get some of the City trees trimmed by volunteer labor! The City has had nearly 30 trees removed in the past two years and will continue to remove diseased and dying/dead trees. Next year’s Tree City USA grant applications will include tree planting so if you have suggestions for City tree placement next year, let us know. Suggestions can be dropped off at the Hall or sent via email to rutlandnd@drtel.net. The City of Rutland was recognized as a North Dakota 2019 Arbor Day Foundation Award Winner for its efforts and accomplishments as a Tree City USA community.

Today is the last day to participate in the Community Vibrancy Survey for Sargent County. The County is partnering with Growing Small Towns, a new 501 (c)(3) located in Oakes, to create programs, education, and events to help residents and businesses in Sargent County grow. The link for the survey has been on the Rutland blog and on the Rutland Facebook page. Forman, Gwinner and Milnor have also posted the link for the survey. If you have not had a chance to respond to the survey, please do so today! The survey asks questions about what Rutland and Sargent County look like today and what changes you would like to see in the future. You can find the survey online at the rutlandramblings.blog “Growing Small Towns” or on the rutlandnd.com website in the “Recent News” on the Sargent County Survey. Do not delay!