Their web site is obviously pretty lame, I must admit I never looked at
it until just now (keep up with them through their magazine and by
communicating with them and other members, and I'm well aware of what
the organization's positions on these issues are). If you're at all
interested you should call them and ask them their positions on safety,
education, enforcement, and similar issues.

Here's some pages and articles with some information on uses of pwc,
who and what kind of folks are riding them, how they're used, what
studies have learned about their environmental impact, what the AWA
(American Watercraft Association) and PWIA (Personal Watercraft
Industry Association's) positions and goals are, etc. Check it out if
you're at all interested in becoming more informed about these, if
you'd rather just stick to your preconceived, stereotyped, outdated
notions of pwc's and their riders, don't bother.

http://www.shawnalladio.com/pwc/pwcD...pwc_detail=205
http://www.ozpwc.com/ozpwc/thefacts.htm
(By the way, this article is already way out of date, it is from
2000, similar studies conducted now
would reveal that the pwc's are much cleaner-running, quieter, and
have less environmental impact
than they did at the time of the studies cited - these were before
the advent of the 4-strokes which
have taken over pretty much the whole market in the last five
years)
http://www.awahq.org/p/newsDetail.ph...D=80&flagger=2
http://www.pwctoday.com/archive/index.php/t-39869.html
http://www.ohiodnr.com/watercraft/plan/ucw.htm
http://www.pwia.org/issues/safety.html
http://www.pwia.org/issues/pwcloanprogram.html
http://www.laweekly.com/features/210/reborn-to-rescue/
(skip down to "There are many brave men and women...")
http://forums.surfline.com/archive/i...p/t-20198.html
http://www.boatbiscayne.com/about_pwia.html
http://www.pwia.org/news2003/072303.html
http://pwia.org/faqs/pw-qa.html
http://pwia.org/news2006/031606.html

"Perhaps no one has more of a vested interest in promoting responsible
use than PWIA and its manufacturer members. The PWC industry is
strongly interested in the safety of PWC users and of other people
using the waterways of this country. It is the inappropriate use of PWC
by uninformed or inconsiderate operators-not the vessels
themselves-which can result in conflicts on the water.

PWIA also believes boating education makes sense for all boaters, not
just PWC operators.
Because safety is of paramount importance, the PWC manufacturing
industry has taken extraordinary measures to raise awareness about
proper operation, behavior, courtesy and safety."

(from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources' web site
"The AWA Personal Watercraft Code of Ethics should be promoted in Ohio
through boating education and partnerships with PWC dealers."


Luckily the efforts of environmental extremist organizations (namely
BlueWater Network) to ban pwc's from waterways as a stepping-stone to
banning all motorized recreation, has been thwarted as results of
environmental impact analyses have been slowly coming in over the last
five years:

The following chart details the current status of the rulemaking
process in the affected parks, national seashores, etc.

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE UNIT STATUS URL
Amistad National Recreation Area (TX)
OPEN TO PWC as of May 27, 2004
www.nps.gov/amis

Assateague Island National Seashore (MD/VA)
OPEN TO PWC as of June 30, 2003
www.nps.gov/asis

Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area (MT/WY)
OPEN TO PWC as of June 1, 2005
www.nps.gov/bica

Big Thicket National Preserve (TX)
EA published July 24, 2002; rule in progress
www.nps.gov/bith

Cape Lookout National Seashore (NC)
EA published January 24, 2005
www.nps.gov/calo

Chickasaw National Recreation Area (OK)
OPEN TO PWC as of September 2, 2004
www.nps.gov/chic

Curecanti National Recreation Area (CO)
EA published June 13, 2003; rule in progress
www.nps.gov/cure

Fire Island National Seashore (NY)
OPEN TO PWC as of July 6, 2005
www.nps.gov/fiis

Gateway National Recreation Area (NJ/NY)
EA published May 13, 2003; rule in progress
www.nps.gov/gate

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (AZ/UT)
OPEN TO PWC as of May 1, 2003
www.nps.gov/glca

Gulf Islands National Seashore (FL/MS)
EA published April 19, 2004; rule in progress
www.nps.gov/guis

Lake Mead National Recreation Area (AZ/NV)
OPEN TO PWC as of April 9, 2003
www.nps.gov/lame

Lake Meredith National Recreation Area (TX)
OPEN TO PWC as of May 27, 2004
www.nps.gov/lamr

Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area (WA)
OPEN TO PWC as of June 25, 2004
www.nps.gov/laro

Padre Island National Seashore (TX)
EA in progress
www.nps.gov/pais

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore (MI)
OPEN TO PWC as of October 27, 2005
www.nps.gov/piro

richforman