President's Message Introducing our Next Guest Speaker ... - CLSA

JANUARY 2013
El Agrimensor
California Land Surveyors Association
Channel Islands Chapter
President’s Message
Happy New Year to Everyone!
I truly hope that 2013 is prosperous for each and every one of you.
I would like to welcome our new Board of Directors and Representatives. I look
forward to working with you this year.
Last month, I took the opportunity to speak to 5 th and 6 th graders for a Career Day
at one our local schools. I brought an old instrument and a new one for them to
observe and compare. The responses from the kids were great and I’ve included
some of their letters for you to enjoy (page 15). Overall, it was very gratifying.
2013 is shaping up to be a busy year. We will probably have around 10 meetings
this year, with two of them taking place in the Santa Barbara area. We are also
planning a joint meeting with the Los Angeles Chapter in July, with Jay Seymour
as our guest speaker. And don’t forget about he Annual Picnic and Installment
Dinner. Busy year! Let’s make it fun!
Introducing our Next Guest Speaker, Kim Uhlich
Kim Uhlich is the Executive Officer for the Ventura Local Agency Formation Commission and
previously served as the LAFCo Analyst and Deputy Executive Officer. Prior to LAFCo, she
worked as a land use planner for the County of Ventura and has worked as a planning consultant for
several cities, focusing on development review. She holds Master’s degrees in public
administration and clinical psychology.
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Table of Contents
President’s
Message…………………………..1
Introduction of
Guest Speaker...……………….1
Calendar………………………….2
Pictures from Holiday
Installment Party……….…….3
2013 Chapter Membership
Application………………………4
Education Fund
Scholarships.……………………5
Reporting Unlicensed
Activity…………………………..6
Chapter Requirements………7
Channel Islands SPC
Zone Update…………………….7
Ventura County Surveyor’s
Office DVD’s…………………….7
2013 LS Exam Prep
Seminar…………………………..8
College of the Canyons
Spring 2013 Schedule……….9
2013 CLSA NALS
Conference……………………..10
Chapter Website
Update…….……………………..14
NGS Releases Draft ………….14
Career Day With A
Land Surveyor……..………….15
Contacts…………………………16
2013 Calendar
Date: Thursday, January 17, 2013
Where: Marie Callender’s
1295 Victoria Ave. Ventura, 93003
Time: Social Hour 6pm & Meeting 7pm
Cost: $25.00
Speaker: Kim Uhlich from the Ventura
Local Agency Formation Commission
Topic: TBD
Date: Thursday, February 21, 2013
Where: Marie Callender’s
1295 Victoria Ave. Ventura, 93003
Time: Social Hour 6pm & Meeting 7pm
Cost: $25.00
Speaker: Bill Hurdle from our Chapter
Topic: Low Distortion Projection
Date: Thursday, March 21, 2013
Where: Santa Barbara
Time: Social Hour 6pm & Meeting 7pm
Cost: $25.00
Speaker: David Biswanger
Topic: The Effects of Earth Movements
on Land Monuments and Boundaries
Date: Thursday, April 18, 2013
Where: Marie Callender’s
1295 Victoria Ave. Ventura, 93003
Time: Social Hour 6pm & Meeting 7pm
Cost: $25.00
Speaker: Roland Van De Valk, CLSA
State Secretary
Topic: TBD
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2012 Annual Holiday Installment Party
2013 Officers being sworn in
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Not a member? Didn’t get a renewal form?
The success Sos of an association is dependent on the membership. Financial support through annual dues
is important, but even more critical is participation by members. If you are not already a member of your
state or local association, join today and get involved!
2013
Have you considered becoming a member at the State level?
Some of the perks include discounts at Courthouse Direct, I.C. System,
Office Depot and Vista, as well as access to seminars, CLSA publications
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and educational resources for LS Exams. Please visit
www.californiasurveyors.org for more information.

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Congratulations to those who earned scholarships
from the Education Foundation!
For our Chapter, the winners are:
Beau Immel for the Ernie Newcombe Memorial
Scholarship ($1000). Beau is a CSUF student and has
worked for Bill, as well as attended our picnic.
Jorge Olivio for the Channel Islands Chapter
Scholarship ($750). Jorge is a Cal Poly Pomona
student and has worked for Marta.
Peter Binz for the Channel Islands Chapter
Scholarship ($750). Peter is a CSUF student with no
local connection, but he is well qualified.
Unfortunately, there was a record low of applicants (27). All but one got a piece of the
$36,600.00 in scholarships awarded. Also, as we had no College of the Canyon applicants,
we agreed to save $500.00 and donate the remaining $500.00 to the scholarships to make
them larger. Several scholarships, including two of ours, went unawarded due to lack of
qualified applicants.
For those of you who are interested in
Spectrum Interference Standards, there is an
article in this month’s GPS World Magazine
that you may want to check out.
http://www.gpsworld.com/spectruminterference-standards-seeking-a-win-winrebound-from-lose-lose/
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A Message from The Board: Reporting Unlicensed Activity
It is a violation of state law for an unlicensed individual to offer and/or practice civil, electrical, or
mechanical engineering, land surveying, geology, and geophysics unless he/she is appropriately licensed by
the Board.
Our Board takes this unlicensed offering and/or practice of professional services seriously. Since the
Enforcement Unit is limited in its resources and cannot proactively search for unlicensed activities, we rely
on others to inform staff when unlicensed work is being offered and/or performed.
The Board is asking that any listing of these services by an individual not licensed to perform those services
be sent to our office for review. Licenses can be verified on our websites, www.pels.ca.gov and
www.geology.ca.gov, or by calling the Board Office. If you become aware of unlicensed and/or practiced
activities, please provide us with documentary evidence of the alleged unlicensed activity. This may include
copies of the advertisement, the written contract, a business card, or other documents that may support the
allegation.
You may choose to submit the complaint anonymously, if you wish. The goal of the Board is to ensure
understanding of and compliance with the laws through education to prevent future violations and
enforcement actions, when necessary.
Any questions or concerns you may have regarding possible unlicensed practice should be directed to
Enforcement Analyst Larry Kereszt of The Board For Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and
Geologists by email at Larry.Kereszt@dcs.ca.gov or telephone at (916) 263-2240.
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El Agrimensor
Chapter News
JANUARY 2013
CHAPTER REQUIREMENTS
As set forth in the Association bylaws, Chapters are required to provide the CLSA Central Office with the
following information. Please mark your calendar with the following deadlines:
MARCH 1 ST CHAPTER FINANCIAL REPORT DEADLINE
PDF Fill-in form available through the CLSA Central Office and is emailed to the Chapter Treasurer in
Feb.
JULY 31 ST CHAPTER MEMBERSHIP ROSTER DEADLINE
Chapters are required to provide the state Association with a list of members in good-standing by July 31 st .
Those members that are both members of the chapter and the state will be used to determine the number of
Directors a Chapter is eligible to elect to the state Board of Directors.
Note: The CLSA bylaws require that Chapter members join the state within one year.
CLSA Bylaws-Sec. 8.07 Membership in Chapter
No person shall be eligible for membership in a chapter unless such person is eligible for membership in the Association. After
having been a chapter member for one year, no person shall be eligible for membership in a chapter unless also a member in the
Association.
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…CALL FOR
ARTICLES!
GOT INTERESTING
STORIES?
READ SOMETHING
WORTH SHARING?
WANT TO VOICE YOUR
OPINION?
Email Steve@Opdahl.cc or
Jesse@Opdahl.cc to have your
thoughts shared in our
newsletter!
We can always use the help!
SPC ZONE FOR CHANNEL ISLANDS
As of May 2012, NGS has corrected the NAD83 State
Plane Coordinates for the southern Channel Islands to
be Zone 6, whereas they used to be NAD27 Zone 5.
The islands impacted are:
San Clemente
Santa Catalina
Santa Barbara
San Nicholas
Questions or mistakes? Contact the NGS Geodetic Advisor at
marti.ikehara@noaa.gov.
The Ventura County Surveyor’s Office
is selling DVD’s 1, 2 & 3!
DVD set (inc. tax)..$16.09
Shipping…………….$9.50
DVD’s are created upon request. Contact the
Surveyor’s Office to order (805.654.2068)
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The L.A. Chapter will not be hosting a Preparatory
Seminar this year, so make sure you reserve a space with Channel Islands now!
The LS Review sessions at the 2012 CLSA/NALS Conference were recorded & the DVD’s are now
available to the profession as a source. A great resource for those studying the LS exam! Go to
www.californiasurveyors.org/PDFs/Order%20Forms/LS%20DVD%20Order%20Form.pdf to
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order.

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Chapter Newsletter
Advertisement Rates
Business Card Size $100
¼ Page $200
½ Page $300
Full Page $400
Mid-year commitments can be
prorated as necessary.
COLLEGE of the CANYONS
Spring 2013 Classes Available!
College of the Canyons offers both a degree and a certificate program in Land Surveying.
The Spring Schedule begins Monday, February 4, 2013 and ends Thursday, May 30, 2013
Classes: •Survey 101 (Introduction to Land Surveying & Survey 102 (Advanced Land Surveying)
are offered as hybrid courses (all lecture materials provided online and lab courses in
person on the following Fridays from 9a.m.-3:20p.m.)
Survey 101 Fridays: 2/8, 2/22, 3/8, 3/22/, 4/12, 4/26, 5/10, and 5/24
Survey 102 Fridays: 2/8, 3/1, 3/15, 3/29, 4/19, 5/3, 5/17, and 5/24
•Survey 110 (Computer Aided Drafting for Surveyors {AutoCAD and Civil 3D}) offered on
Mondays and Wednesdays from 6:30p.m.-8:55p.m.
•Civil for Surveyors will be offered in the classroom
Cost: $46.00 per Unit plus $45.00 for Parking per Semester – Check the College Catalog
Budget: The Survey Education Program is okay for 1 year
Internships: Contact Brenda Kealing for information 661-362-3272, Brenda.Kealing@canyons.edu
Please see the College of the Canyons website (www.canyons.edu) regarding becoming a student and
registering for courses. If you have any questions, please contact Regina Blasberg (661-362-5096,
Regina.Blasberg@canyons.edu).
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JANUARY 2013
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Sign Up Now!
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Thanks to our generous sponsor!
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Update on Chapter Website
Ideas for a new & improved Chapter website are still
underway. Here’s what’s being talked about:
1. Current calendar of meetings & events, as seen on the
State CLSA website (Reference:
www.californiasurveyors.org/clsaforum/calendar.php)
2. Links to Ventura, Los Angeles, and Santa Barbara
County research sites (i.e.: GIS, County Assessors, and
County Surveyor’s Office)
3. Information pertaining to Board Rules/LS Act, as seen
on the State CLSA website (Reference:
www.bpelsg.ca.gov/licencees/laws.shtml)
4. Updated archive of our Chapter’s newsletter, as seen on
the State CLSA website (Reference:
www.californiasurveyors.org/chapter_nl.asp?ch=11)
5. Updated membership list
6. A list of benefits for joining at the State level, as seen on
the State CLSA website (Reference:
http://www.californiasurveyors.org/membben.html
Please keep the suggestions coming!
Email Steve at Steve@Opdahl.cc
NGS Releases Draft National
Height Modernization Program
Strategic Plan
National Geodetic Survey (NGS) is
pleased to announce the release of this
draft, which was developed to help
achieve the program’s goals and
priorities. This plan is closely aligned
with the updated NGS Ten-Year Plan,
to be formally released in January
2013. We welcome you to review this
draft plan and send any comments to
Renee.Shields@noaa.gov and
Christine.Gallagher@noaa.gov.
Comments will be accepted until
December 14, 2012.
You can link to the Plan from the NGS
Home Page, or download the Plan at
www.ngs.noaa/gov/web/news/HMODP
lan_PublicReview_Nov2012.pdf
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Career Day with a Land Surveyor
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Chapter Officers
President:
Steve Opdahl, PLS
steve@opdahl.cc
(805) 495-6438
Vice President:
Bill Hurdle, PLS
bhurdle@jdscivil.com
(805) 320-3441
Secretary:
Shant Ohannessian, PLS
Shant.Ohannessian@ventura.org
(805) 654-2942
Treasurer:
Dan Walsh, PLS
dan.walsh@ventura.org
(805) 654-2942
Chapter Representatives:
Kurt Lehnhardt, PLS
kurt.lehnhardt@dot.ca.gov
(805) 654-4225
Marta Alvarez, PLS
Yce-mya@pacbell.net
(805) 650-6995
Alternates Representative:
Debbie Naives, PLS
debbien@hpengr.com
(805) 654-3635
Frank Maxim, PLS
fmaxim@ci.ventura.ca.us
(805) 654-7751
Matt Vernon
mvernon@rbf.com
(805) 383-3373
Michael McGee
michael@mcgee.cnc.net
Newsletter Editors:
Steve Opdahl, PLS
steve@opdahl.cc
(805) 495-6438
Jesse Kendall
jesse@opdahl.cc
Contacts
Committees
CLSA Channel Islands Office
P.O. Box 6572, Ventura CA 93006
Website: www.clsa-ci.org
CLSA Central Office
526 South East St. Santa Rosa, CA 95404
Phone: (707) 578-6016
Fax: (707) 578-4406
Email: clsa@californiasurveyors.org
Website: www.californiasurveyors.org
The Board for Professional Engineers,
Land Surveyors And Geologists
Website: www.bpelsg.ca.gov
Channel Islands Joint Professional
Practices Committee (JPPC)
P.O. Box 6572, Ventura CA 93006
Email: ppc-info@clsa-ci.org
Website: http://www.clsa-ci.org/ppc_home.html
“Recognizing that the true merit of a
profession is determined by its service to
society, the Channel Islands
Chapter of the California Land Surveyor’s
Association does hereby dedicate itself to
advancing the profession of land surveying
because of its social and economic
contributions to the welfare of the community,
state, and nation.”
-Channel Islands CLSA Mission Statement
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