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Wildlife group aids Illinois habitat By MARK FREEMAN The panda bear will come to the Illinois River this year, and bring with it money to help improve habitat for wild salmon and steelhead there. The World Wildlife Fund -- whose world-wide symbol is the panda -- will pay $25,000 to the Southern Oregon Land Conservancy for a new streamside easement program on private forest lands within the Illinois watershed. The conservancy will identify and acquire voluntary conservation easements from landowners who will, in exchange for money, agree to stop grazing, logging, new road-building and other activities on their lands adjacent to key streams. The money comes through the annual Walter A. Haas Jr. Conservation Award grant, which is administered by the World Wildlife Fund. The grant is the third of 10 annual grants in the name of Haas, the former Oakland A's and Levi-Strauss Co. owner who often vacationed and fished the Rogue at the former Zane Grey cabin his family owns in the Rogue River Canyon. The Illinois flows through the Klamath-Siskiyou eco-region, which the World Wildlife Fund has designated as one of its Global 200 eco-regions. The group considers these eco-regions to contain the most outstanding examples of the earth's diverse terrestrial, fresh water and marine habitats. The Haas award is funded by Joseph F. Cullman III, a former tobacco executive and longtime Haas friend. The Haas awards are facilitated locally by the Rogue Valley Council of Governments and chosen by a panel. The Southern Oregon Land Conservancy's proposal beat out five other applications for the award. Cullman put up $300,000 in Haas' name to fund 10 yearly habitat-improvement projects totalling $25,000 each. The rest of the money goes toward administration. Earlier projects went toward habitat-restoration work for salmon in Lobster Creek about 15 miles east of Gold Beach. Last year, Oregon Trout used the award to begin a two-year project on studying whether adding well-placed salmon carcasses in Rogue River spawning tributaries improves those stream's overall health and fish production. Boaters must be at least 16 years old to operate personal watercraft alone while on Oregon waterways, state boating officials have ruled. The Oregon State Marine Board last week issued a rule change, effective immediately, banning lone riding by kids 15 and under on Jet Skis and other forms of personal watercraft. However, the law still allows those under 16 to operate a PWC as long as an adult is on board. The new law also requires that riders be at least 18 years old to rent a craft. The changes have the blessings of the country's multi-billion dollar personal watercraft industry, which this year recommended minimum ages countrywide. In Oregon, PWCs account for the lion's share of boating accidents, and 13 percent of those involve kids not yet old enough to drive cars alone. The Marine Board recommended the changes last fall, and public comments were soundly in favor of the change, Marine Board officials said. Local hotbeds of personal watercraft operations are Emigrant Lake near Ashland and the slack waters of the Rogue River upstream of Savage Rapids Dam near the Jackson/Josephine county line. As the Marine Board tracks PWC use and accidents involving injury, death or damage in excess of $500, it became evident that young riders contribute disproportionately high to the safety problems. The three most common ages of operators involved in PWC accidents in Oregon are, in descending order, 26, 19 and 15. Marine Board officials pointed to those stats as fuel for changing the 1990 rules that set 14 years old as the minimum age of PWC operation. CHEMULT -- More than 70 mushing teams of humans and huskies will descend upon this small Klamath County town Saturday for a stepped-up version of Chemult's annual sled-dog races. The fifth annual event is now called the South Valley Bank & Trust Chemult Sled Dog Races after picking up the Klamath Falls-based bank as a corporate sponsor. The races run Saturday and Sunday at the Walk Haring SnoPark on the Winema National Forest off Highway 97, a quarter-mile north of Chemult. Races begin at 7 a.m. both days, with races typically over by mid-afternoon. Races include sprints for sleds with four, six and eight dogs, mid-distance races of 20 miles and 31 miles, adult novice, junior and a skijoring race. The event is free for spectators. Saturday afternoon includes a peewee race in which young spectators will be given the chance to take short rides on a sled pulled by a single dog. The traditional Mushers Banquet will also be held from 6-8 p.m. Saturday at the Chemult Fire Hall. Cost is $9.50 for adults and $4 for kids. For more information, telephone the Chemult Ranger Station at 541-365-7001. Outdoor Journal main page Mail Tribune Copyright � interRogue & The Mail Tribune 1998, Medford, Oregon USA