Reimagining Environmental and Wildlife Wellbeing through Innovative Lawn Design

Morgan J. Sandau et al.
Fri, 17 Apr 2026 13:00:00 PDT

Manicured, monoculture lawns often dominate private land in urban areas for aesthetic organization. Colonialist roots embedded in the history of turfgrass lawns and white-picket fences intended to suppress Indigenous knowledge and ways of caring for the diverse land around us. Private land misuse and homogenous lawns are not limited to the United States; the modern lawn contributes to biodiversity loss on a global scale. Humans are concentrated in cities across the world, and urban areas are known to have negative implications for wildlife and habitat, human health, and sustainable resource use. Management of private land in urban settings is problematic because land use decisions are entirely up to the owner. As a result, policies that dictate the way we use our land are minimal, voluntary, and lack community incentive. To combat these issues, we need to focus on community-based re-wilding efforts on private land to improve wildlife connectivity, create more opportunities for positive social interactions, and decrease resource consumption. We will do this by hosting a workshop that teaches participants how to effectively design a native plant garden and distributing native plant kits for homeowners to implement in their own yards. Policy can also play a role in improving urban biodiversity and environmental health. To support the city of Missoula in reaching environmental policy goals, we invited local government agencies to establish a long-term international partnership with the Biophilic Cities Network. Our participation will benefit native plants, pollinators, wildlife, and human well-being.