MPF Webinar: Return of the Wapato

Join Tracy Hames, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Wetlands Association, for a webinar case study on the Yakama Nation Reservation’s cultural approach to wetland and floodplain protection, restoration, and management that fostered the regeneration of the native Wapato plant in eastern Washington state. Wapato (Sagittaria spp.), a starchy tuber, has been utilized by the Yakama People since time immemorial. Past disturbances related to agricultural development and other land and water use alterations, however, resulted in the near extirpation of these plants on the Yakama Reservation. Beginning in the 1970’s, Yakama cultural leaders called for the protection and restoration of the heavily disturbed wetland and floodplain landscapes in the agricultural portion of the Reservation. During the decades that followed, the Yakama Nation emphasized reestablishing, as much as possible, historic conditions to benefit all resources in the locations and proportions that they existed in the past. The results of this large-scale effort on the Yakama Reservation will be shown, and why this approach should be of interest to all waterfowl and wetland managers will be discussed.

This free webinar, to be held via Zoom, will include a presentation and a live question-and-answer session. The webinar will be recorded, with a link to the recording sent to all registrants and posted to the MPF YouTube channel.

Cost: Free

Tracy Hames was raised in Arden Hills, Minnesota. Tracy obtained a BA in Biology and Environmental Studies from Macalester College in 1984, and an MS in Natural Resources from the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point in 1990. For 22 years, Tracy worked as a Waterfowl and Wetlands Biologist for the Yakama Nation. At Yakama, he helped build one of the largest agricultural-based wetland protection and restoration projects in the Pacific Northwest. This project, located on the Yakama Reservation, made use of the cultures and traditions of the Yakama People along with science-based techniques to produce an approach to restoration and management combining traditional knowledge and ecological concepts. Encompassing over 22,000 acres and hundreds of river/creek miles, this project emphasized the restoration of historic conditions in an incredibly disturbed landscape. Restoration activities targeted floodplains, river and creek channels, wetlands, riparian forests, and grasslands.

Tracy moved back to Wisconsin in 2012 to take the position of Executive Director with Wisconsin Wetlands Association. In this position, he works across the state to help communities understand how wetlands can be solutions to the habitat, water quality, flooding, and other issues they face.

Wisconsin Wetlands Association (WWA) is a non-partisan, science-based, statewide non-profit organization dedicated to the protection, restoration, and enjoyment of Wisconsin’s wetlands. WWA helps individuals, communities, and decision makers throughout Wisconsin gain the knowledge and guidance needed to protect and care for their local wetlands.