American Indian Responses to
Environmental Challenges
Lummi Nation
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Our Strategies

The people of the Lummi Nation feel it’s their responsibility to help the salmon survive. They are involved in many projects to fix damaged salmon habitats. They also work with many partners to aid the recovery of the salmon population.

Key Terms

  • Culvert

    A pipe-like construction of concrete or metal that takes a stream under a road, railroad track, footpath, or through an embankment.

  • Estuary

    An area where rivers and ocean waters interact, mixing fresh and salt water. Such areas include bays, mouths of rivers, salt marshes, and lagoons. Estuaries shelter and feed marine life, birds, and wildlife.

  • Hatchery

    A place where eggs (especially fish or poultry) are hatched and reared under artificial conditions.

  • Natural Logjam

    Forms in rivers when a large tree falls into the water and becomes embedded in the river bottom, then acts like a net that captures additional logs and debris moving downstream. Creates or enhances fish habitat.

  • Engineered Logjams

    Manmade logjams that are designed to imitate natural logjams. Built to restore fish habitat and treat problems such as bank erosion and flooding.

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Explore: Logjams

Free-flowing river A fallen tree lodges against the bank Logs collect to create a logjam Fish gather around the logjam The surrounding area flourishes

Free-flowing river: The river nows freely between the river banks. There is no real stopping place for salmon.

Log gets stuck: A tree has fallen or been cut down upstream. It floats to a place where it lodges against the bank.

Log jam builds up: More and more logs begin to collect, building up a jam structure. The water hits against the logs and scours the river bottom, creating a deep pool in front of the log jam.

Fish congregate in the pooled water: Young, mature, and spawning fish gather in the deep pools where the current is less strong. There, they can rest and feed on insects, worms, and other small animals.

Helps surrounding environment too: The logjam and pool help to cool the water. They create a more complex habitat that different types of wildlife like to use for resting, hiding, and feeding.

Free-Flowing
Log Gets Stuck
Logs Collect
Fish Gather
Helps Habitat
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Try These Questions

True or false? The bigger culvert carries more water underneath the road surface, remains unclogged by soil, and allows fish to pass through.
Culverts, before and after
True
False
Read the definition of estuary in the key terms. Which of the following statements is true about changes in the Nooksack estuary between 1888 and 2004?
Estuary landscape changes, 1888 and 2004
A) Farms have replaced forest and scrub (low shrubs and grasses).
B) Most of the changes to the estuary have been caused by humans.
C) Mud flats have grown as silt from farms washes downriver.
D) All of the above
The Lummi Nation is taking several steps to restore the places where salmon lay their eggs, eat, and grow. Which of these steps restores salmon habitat?
School of salmon
A) Raising fish in hatcheries
Logjam
B) Building logjams
Stream and riparian buffer restoration sign
C) Replanting conifers
B and C
D) B and C
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