Restored Wetland Brings Wapato Back to Yakama Nation

Members of the Yakama Nation are again harvesting wapato root, a traditional, egg-shaped potato-like tribal food that had been absent from their culture for 70 years. The wapato root disappeared from Yakama's land due to agricultural diversion. In the 1990s, BPA helped the Tribe purchase a 440-acres parcel of land on Toppenish Creek as a wetland restoration project for fish and wildlife. The restored habitat has brought back the wapato. The video was produced and narrated by David Wilson.