UM is one of several land owners at Fort Missoula on the west side of town, along the Bitterroot River. Fort Missoula is actually a former US Army post, and it has an interesting human history.

The UM portion of Fort Missoula includes a stunning cottonwood gallery on the Bitterroot River, the Fort Missoula Native Plant Garden and Classroom (operated in partnership with the Montana Natural History Center, historic buildings and the site of the WWII internment camp prisoners’ barracks, a honey bee research facility, and the UM Field Research Station at Fort Missoula.  It is a busy, rich area that is somewhat under-appreciated at the present time, but efforts are underway to promote way finding and interpretive information at the site.  Hundreds of children and adults attend educational programs about Montana’s natural history at Fort Missoula Native Plant Garden and Classroom each year, thanks to our many community partners.

Foxes, osprey, and song birds are abundant in the UM Natural Areas at Fort Missoula. Nearby schools take field trips to the cottonwood forests, and Missoula non-profits use the river in this section to teach kids about aquatic ecology.

For information about community programs at the Fort Missoula Native Plant Garden and Classroom, please visit the Montana Natural History Center's Community Activies webpage.

If you are interesting in volunteering at Fort Missoula, whether in the Native Plant Garden, greenhouse , or with educational programs, please contact Marilyn Marler.

We love to work with individuals, school groups, scouts, and other community partners.