Alternatives to grass
Grass is not the best choice for some areas
Consider a 'lawn' of DUTCH WHITE CLOVER - it makes a beautiful green lawn with little upkeep and attracts lots of bees. It is drought and pest-resistant, strong and low-growing. Clover is very beneficial to your soil becauses it fixes in nitrogen.
Other alternatives are KINNKINICK, (arctostaphylos-uva-ursi), and also called Bearberry. It has glossy green leaves which turn red in winter, white-tipped flowers and red fruit. It is evergreen and likes poor, dry soil.
Leave a buffer of natural vegetation along streams and lakes to filter pollutants and protect fish and wildlife. These buffers should include shrubs and trees to shade the stream, and groundcovers of native plants or low maintenance grasses that are left unmowed and wild. Avoid use of pesticides or soluble fertilizers near streams, ditches, wetlands, or shorelines.