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 Habitat asks students to submit the following information:

1. For each of the river systems you identified in the Biology milestone activity, identify current threats to the salmon habitat.

Students will follow up their Biology Milestones information to apply what they learn in class about habitat threats to the particular salmon systems in their region. Students may use various sources of information, from data on the Web and governmental publications to anecdotal reporting by fishers and others. This is an opportunity to discuss how changes beyond certain limits affect the ability of salmon to survive, and to introduce the concept of "limits of tolerance."

2. Document the changes in viable salmon habitat over the time period for which records are available.

Optional: submit a graphic representation of the data

The question asks students to research the changes that have occurred to habitats over time. This can be an opportunity to convert data into percentages and/or graphs. Students can learn different methods of presenting quantitative information, and in what circumstances some are more appropriate than others.

3. Identify what is being done to correct the current problems or to improve salmon habitat.

This section asks students to research various habitat enhancement projects and programs in their region. Students may also be encouraged to participate in such projects, either through the school or through other volunteer groups.

4. Identify any other steps that are being taken to improve salmon survival in your state or province.

Some practices aimed at improving salmon survival are not specifically changes to habitat. Currently, barges are being used to carry smolt past dams on the Columbia River, for instance. Students can research various "non-habitat" approaches to enhancing salmon survival that are used or proposed in their region.