Milestone Activities are designed to gather student research from each region in order to help other students to prepare for the treaty process. For instance, students in Seattle will publish information about Washington State salmon biology, habitat, culture, fisheries, and treaties as resources for the Vancouver, BC students who will serve as Washington State delegates in the Salmon Summit.
Look at Student Work to see what students have submitted for this Milestone Activity.
The Milestone for Biology asks students to submit the following information:
1. Identify the major salmon spawning rivers or water systems in your state or province.
Optional: Show the rivers on a map.
This question asks that students conduct research about local salmon and learn about their region's geography, including the idea of watersheds. They may do a comparative study of salmon spawning numbers between river systems. If teachers choose, they may have students locate the rivers on maps, then choose one to submit to the site. The information students gather in this and the subsequent questions will form a baseline for further research in Habitat, Fisheries, and Treaties.
2. Identify smaller rivers or streams and lakes that are significant spawning bodies in those major systems.
Optional: Show them on a map.
This enlarges on the first question to detail the smaller bodies of water that salmon use for spawning. Students will learn that the salmon run on a smaller a river like the Adams, in B.C., makes up a significant part of the Fraser River salmon fisheries. Locating them on a map will help students see the distances some species travel to spawn.
3. Identify the species of salmon that spawn in each system.
In addition to identifying the different species that inhabit local systems, this activity helps students to recognize how the species' behaviors correspond to different types and locations of spawning waters. It also opens the possibility of an exploration of the notion of biological classification, the concept of a "species" and how we distinguish one species from another.
4. Identify when each species spawns and the length and times of their spawning cycles.
Students apply their knowledge of the salmon life cycle to the particular conditions in their region.
5. Identify major salmon hatcheries and the species of salmon they produce.
Optional: Show them on a map.
Students will become familiar with the role that hatcheries play in the local production of salmon. This information will be useful as background to subsequent research on the salmon fisheries.
Teachers can submit Milestone conclusions in the Publication section.
