AFAIK, you can't use Geonames data in OSM. Geonames get data from anywhere it can, and doesn't meet the OSM license requirements. See osm.wiki/index.php/Geonames

As always for new data sources, if it's not mentioned that is ok to use on the wiki, bring it up on the legal mailing list to verify it's fine to use.

RRover,
Yahoo & OSM made an agreement that OSM could use Yahoo images to create copyright-free traces, the normal derivative clause in copyright work is waived. So using Yahoo! sat images is ok (OSM is only allowed to use it through Yahoo's API), but using something like Google is not (because, by default, everything is copyright unless granted a derivative license, and in the OSM case, needs to match their CC-by-SA or public domain license). Lots of headaches for the folks on the talk-legal mailing list.

BTW, not sure what Oziexplorer is (though I've heard of it), but I imagine it's copyrighted, therefore tainting OSM's database. I would replace the shoreline by tracing using the Landsat aerial photos & use source=landsat instead of source=yahoo (the Yahoo! background in Potlatch shows public domain Landsat at low zoom levels, which won't make it highly detailed, but it will need to be GPS surveyed eventually anyway).

The fire permit travel is gonna help a lot, I've always thought that stuff will be the last "unknown" in OSM. Imagine the day when everything in the Alpine National Park is OSM mapped!!!

BTW, the new HTML 5 draft spec is planning on using for truly empty field. Though I think some kind of "namespaced" solution would be better than {}. Hopefully can find something a bit more generic than :absent

osm.wiki/index.php/Potlatch/Keyboard_shortcuts History section says you can press U to show deleted ways (after opening Potlatch on the area concerned). I think you have to click on a lock symbol or something to undelete it.

StefanM: Yep, that was pretty much my concern. Some systems key off the email address instead of a primary ID key.
TomH: About to send a message to you...

The Maplint overlay on the map shows roads without names as an orange highlight, with tiny writing (eg. residential-without-name). Might mean you don't have to add note=FIXME or similiar everywhere. Not sure what Maplint shows for non-tagged ways or highway=road (the new "I don't know the classification of this road" way). If away from a web browser & internet, I think the validator plugin for JOSM shows the same warning...