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Rule changes aimed at Jet Skis While recent attention on the Oregon State Marine Board has centered on its new life jacket proposal, the board has also added new rule changes aimed at making personal watercraft operations safer. The Marine Board now is requiring businesses that rent Jet Skis and other personal watercraft to provide information on safe operation. Rental operators must give each renter a written copy of state PWC rules. Also, each rental machine now must have a decal detailing safe operation, and the rental companies must also provide specific types of life jackets required for PWC operation. The Marine Board has also expanded the choice of life jackets PWC operators can wear to meet life jacket requirements. PWC operators must wear a life jacket when riding, and previously only Type III jackets fit the criteria. Now, riders will be allowed to wear Type I and II jackets, which are generally more comfortable. Type I and II jackets are smaller, less cumbersome jackets designed to turn an unconscious person in the water from a face-downward position to a vertical or slightly backward position. However, inflatable life jackets still are not considered good enough to meet the criteria. The Marine Board is currently considering whether to require kids under 12 to wear life jackets while on any boat that is under way. SHADY COVE -- Oregon Trout's Rogue Riverkeepers program will host a public forum Nov. 15 on strategies for helping wild salmon and steelhead populations in the Rogue River Basin. The forum runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the River House at Shady Cove Park in town. The public is invited. Speakers from various local, state and federal agencies will present highlights of the salmon-recovery plans for the basin in the upcoming year. Federal Cartridge Co. has followed up last month's approval of its tungsten shot for waterfowl hunting by submitting another new shot for governmental approval. The Minnesota-based company has submitted its premium tungsten-polymer waterfowl loads to U.S. and Canadian wildlife officials for approval as a legal non-toxic shot for the 1998-99 hunting season. The application comes on the heels of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service granting conditional approval of Federal's premium tungsten-iron loads for the current waterfowl season. Federal says its new shot combines the pellet energy of lead and the velocity of steel. However, as a non-toxic shot, it will not cause health problems to waterfowl that ingest it. The company says the new ammunition is safe for older shotguns and is ideal for shooting puddle ducks and decoyed ducks at 20-50 yards. The tungsten-iron shot is designed for hitting larger ducks and geese out to 70 yards. Outdoor Journal main page