Sporting Table Topics

Table Topics questions are meant to stimulate family and classroom discussion.
Use the questions below after reading,"A sporting paradise"

The scenic beauty of the Northwest has attracted many to the region, with no end in sight. How long have you, your family and friends lived in the Northwest, and why did you come? Was recent resentment of incoming Californians justifiable? What impact did they have on real estate and jobs? Do you feel continued immigration threatens the Northwest lifestyle?
According to the Centennial page, hiking, climbing, camping, fishing and skiing were popular outdoor activities of the '40s. What's your favorite outdoor activity and how do you think it has changed since then? Jet-Skiing and trail biking
are newer sports that have created usage controversies, including bans in some areas. How should decisions about use be made and who should make them? What's the proper balance between conflicting user groups and the outdoor resource itself?
The number of people using parks continues to grow. In one generation, parks have been forced to implement reservation systems and even closures. How much activity can a wilderness area sustain and still remain wild? How would you feel if your children or grandchildren were denied access to parks and wilderness? Do you support restriction of back country areas to backpackers only? Or should everyone, regardless of health, age and fitness have access to back country, even if it brings cars and campers into pristine areas? How important is wilderness to the tourist economy of our state, and can tourism and wilderness co-exist?
In most every Puget Sound community, salmon derbies were a popular combination of sport, outdoor experience, spectacle and prizes, and many people were introduced to sport fishing through them. Today there are virtually no derbies left. What happened? Why did they appeal to such a wide range of people?
The wild salmon is a legendary symbol of Northwest wilderness. Over-fishing, habitat destruction, even well-intentioned measures like fish hatcheries, have all contributed to the destruction of our wild salmon runs. Today, sport, commercial and tribal fishermen compete fiercely for a dwindling resource. How would you split up the resource? Do you support closures or gill-netting bans to try and rebuild the runs? What else can or should be done to save this precious resource?