ReWild Your Yard

Join the movement to ReWild Missoula - one yard at a time.

Bring the beauty of western Montana into your outdoor space! Our ReWild Your Yard workshops help residents learn to create landscapes that reflect our region’s natural ecosystems while supporting pollinators, conserving water, improving soil health, and creating resilient, low-maintenance habitat for native birds and other wildlife.

What is ReWild Your Yard?

“Rewilding” is the practice of returning land to a more natural state. In a yard setting, that means replacing traditional, resource-intensive landscaping (like monoculture lawns or nonnative horticultural plant species) with diverse, native vegetation that provides food, shelter, and habitat for pollinators, birds, and other wildlife.

Why ReWild Your Yard?

Support Biodiversity: Native plants provide essential habitat for local species, from bees and butterflies to birds and beneficial insects.

Save Water and Reduce Maintenance: Rewilded landscapes typically require less irrigation, mowing, and chemical inputs. This has the added benefit of reducing runoff and helping to keep our rivers clean.

Improve Soil Health: Deep-rooted, perennial plants add organic matter, loosen compacted soil, and support microbes, leading to better water absorption into the soil. 

Build Resilience: Native plants are adapted to our climate and are better equipped to handle drought, heat, and changing weather patterns. 

Reduce Fire Risk: Rewilding can include fire-wise practices that are especially important in Montana's wildland-urban interface. 

Create Beauty with Purpose: A rewilded yard offers seasonal color, texture, and movement while actively contributing to ecological health.

How the ReWild Program Works

This program combines practical instruction, hands-on demonstrations, and local expertise so you can confidently transition your yard into a beautiful habitat.

Learn What Pollinators Need: Start with a focused session on native pollinators in western Montana—what species are common, what they require to survive, and how your yard can provide the right mix of food, shelter, and seasonal resources.

Prepare Your Site: Learn about sheet mulching, soil preparation, and how to choose the right mulch types for different conditions. Learn how to convert lawn to planting space, including when and how herbicides may be used appropriately, along with non-chemical options.

Build Better Soil & Planting Areas: Get practical guidance on soil conditions in Missoula County, how to prep planting areas, and how to give native plants the best start.

Protect Your Plants: Learn proven strategies to protect young plants from deer and other herbivores, using methods that are effective and realistic for local conditions.

Learn from Local Experts: Hear from a Missoula-area native plant professionals who share real project examples, design tips, and lessons learned from working in this region.

Access Affordable Native Plants: Participants receive a discount on curated native plant packs selected for Missoula County conditions—making it easier to get started with the right species.

Certification & Yard Sign: Follow through with rewilding portions of your yard and you’ll receive a lovely illustrated yard sign designed by local artist Joanna Yardley. And inspire your neighbors!

Who Can Participate in ReWild?

This program is open to homeowners, renters, schools, and business owners across Missoula County and beyond. Whether you have a small yard, a shared space, or just a strip along a sidewalk, your efforts make a difference!

Start Where You Are

Rewilding in western Montana doesn’t mean letting your yard go wild—it means choosing the right plants, working with the climate, and creating intentional habitat. Even a small patch of native flowers can support pollinators and bring your yard to life.