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 In the spring of 2010, the Fire Sciences Laboratory replaced over 3,500 square feet of lawn with native prairie. Implementation was possible through a Sustainable Operations Microgrant from Rocky Mountain Research Station and the hard work of many volunteers.
 The native prairie serves as an example of intermountain prairies of western Montana and a platform to connect Fire Sciences Laboratory research with tangible environments. We plan to develop a brochure for the native prairie by summer of 2012. The long-term vision is to develop a walking tour of the Missoula Fire Lab’s campus that would include several native Montana plant communities.
By replacing traditional lawn with native grasses we have reduced resource use and assisted in meeting the needs of pollinators. The native prairie does not require mowing, which reduces fuel use. After the first growing season, the native prairie has not required supplemental watering, and it does not require the annual treatment of fertilizer and herbicides that the traditional lawn typically receives. We have seen many insects in the native prairie including several butterfly species.
 Replacing our lawn with native prairie required a lot of work up front, but has been well worth it. The first season required sod removal, spreading large loads of dirt, planting hundreds of plants, watering, and lots and lots of weeding. At the end of the first season we mulched the area. In the second season, with the plants established and the seeded grasses doing incredibly well, we did not water and did substantially less weeding. For detailed information on how to create your own native landscape see the University of Georgia’s website, Developing a Water Smart Landscape or the City of Boulder, Colorado’s water-wise gardening poster. Appropriate plant species for use in native landscapes vary with location.
 Species planted in the Fire Sciences Laboratory’s native prairie include:
Artemisia cana - silver sagebrush
Campanula rotundifolia - mountain harebells
Festuca idahoensis - Idaho fescue
Heterotheca viscida (Chrysopsis villosa) - cliff false golden-aster
Gaillardia aristata - blanketflower
Geranium viscosissimum - sticky purple geranium
Geum triflorum - prairie smoke
Lupinus leucophyllus - velvet lupine
Opuntia polyacantha - plains prickly-pear
Penstemon wilcoxii - Wilcox’s penstemon
Pseudoroegneria spicata (Agropyron spicatum) - bluebunch wheatgrass
Sedum lanceolatum – spearleaf stonecrop
Sphaeralcea munroana - scarlet globemallow
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