THE NEVADA TRAVERSE - Nevada Association of Land Surveyors

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H NSPS Area 9 Director’s Report By Carl C. deBaca, PLS ello NSPS members in Nevada! It’s a good day to be a surveyor, or so the saying goes. The NSPS just finished our spring meeting, held this year in Charlotte, North Carolina. There is much to report from this meeting. I will defer to Nevada’s governor, Paul Burn, for the details and flavor of the meetings, but I do want to discuss two very important topics that affect all NALS members, whether you are also members of NSPS or not. The first issue is an update on the two-year process of merging the ACSM and NSPS entities. The process is complete. The final step was a general membership vote on Saturday, May 5. The two organizations, both non-profits, have been merged, essentially absorbing the ACSM and all its assets, liabilities and programs, into the NSPS. We can now move forward with a more streamlined organization. AAGS, the geodetic surveying organization has decided to join us as an affiliate member, while GLIS, the land information folks, have chosen to try to go on their own though they are welcome to join us as an affiliate at a later date. This merger protects the integrity of the ACSM/ALTA standards (no name change anticipated), our seat in ABET - the college accreditation board, our seat in FIG - the international surveying organization and our seat in COGO – the coalition of geospatial organizations, while allowing us to evolve our organization to fit the changing needs of surveying and surveyors in the US. There is nothing but upside to this merger and I would encourage you to think past the ACSM moniker. After all, times change, names change but we are still here, to deal with surveying issues on the national scene. The second issue is much more significant, if that is possible. The members of NSPS have for years tried to find a way to develop an organization that encompasses all members of all state societies, an estimated 30,000 surveyors in the US. If a way could be found to combine the memberships of the states with the NSPS, without endangering the autonomy of the 36 The Nevada Traverse Vol. 39, No. 2, 2012 state organizations, many benefits for all would accrue. At the national level we would have much more clout on lobby day when we bring our issues to the legislators because it’s hard to ignore 30,000 constituents. And the extra voices would provide more direction to the leadership so that the NSPS would truly be answerable to all surveyors who belong to their states. At the state level, members would find they had a true voice in determining the direction of the national group and would receive the various member benefits such as the insurance program. Over the last six months, a committee has worked out a way to make this idea a reality. It involves asking each state to raise its dues by the sum of 40 dollars and send that money to the NSPS, for which each regular member of that state will become a regular voting member of the NSPS. The state will also receive a seat on the board of directors, giving it true say-so. It is true that there are some details left to work out but the plan was fleshed out enough that all 49 governors in attendance voted on Saturday to bring it forward to the board of directors and on Sunday, the Board of Directors, myself included, voted unanimously to adopt this plan. Of course by law changes are needed to provide for the extra seats on the board of directors, and a few other things, but we have committees looking at these details right now and by our fall meeting we will be prepared to make this a reality. One interesting detail: once all the states in an area, such as Area 9, have come onboard and have a director, the area director (my) position would be eliminated. While some would say that this is not a good time to ask NALS members for a dues increase, I ask all of you to consider the proposition and the associated benefits with an open mind. At the risk of trivializing the requested sum, 40 dollars over the course of a year is not that much, about equal to a libation a month at your local pub. In exchange you get a voice in national affairs, you can belong to committees you think are important, you get the SaLIS Journal digitally four times a year, access to a good E&O / Liability insurance provider (I am a client and very happy with the program), and many other resources developed over the years, including the work of the Government Affairs Committee, whose members fight tirelessly to keep our profession treated fairly by government agencies and legislators. I cannot stress enough how significant this plan is and how good it will be for the surveyors of Nevada and all the states. I encourage you to contact Governor Paul Burn or myself with any questions, suggestions or other feedback. Email me at alidade.nv@sbcglobal.net. It’s a good day to be a surveyor! U
WFPS Report.. continued from page 35 established. CLSA will participate and host a dedication ceremony near the actual site on the premises of a museum in Shafter, CA. • California will be going to computer based testing starting as early as the April exam. HAWAII • Conference - 2012 Conference was held at the Hilton Waikiki Beach Hotel on February 2 & 3. Speakers included John Rinaldi, John Matonich, Matt Vernon and Carl CdeBaca. • HLSA working with the licensing board to draft a bill which will include a new land surveyor definition. • A bill has been drafted and sent to the state surveyor for review and comment to set in place a statewide coordinate system using NAD83 as the basis. Hawaii and Alabama are the last 2 states with no standard for a coordinate system according to NGS. • TrigStar - 28 schools are signed up to participate in 2012. IDAHO • Membership: 266 PLS, 1 Affiliate, 3 Institutional, 34 Out of State, 6 Students & 8 Sustaining. • Conference - 2012 – March 28-30, Twin Falls, Idaho; 2013 – Boise, Idaho. Featured speaker is Jeffery Lucas, JD, PLS. • Membership dues to increase from $80/yr to $100/yr in 2013 and to $150/yr in 2015. Dues have only increased twice since 1978. • TrigStar – There are 9 schools participating in 2012. • ISPLS awarded $7200 in scholarships to 4 Geomatics and 2 Civil Engineering Technology students at Idaho State Univ. • Legislative – ISPLS working on changes to the recording of subdivision plats which now require the filing of the original mylar as well as a silver image emulsion. The change seeks to require only the original mylar. MONTANA • Membership: 482 • Conference: 2012 at the Heritage Inn, Great Falls Feb. 14-17, 2012; 2013 at the Hilton Garden Inn, Missoula Feb. 20-22, 2013. • Group of surveyors in Cascade County donated services to lay out an additional 400 plots for veterans in the Highland Cemetery. • Looking into making available a MARLS license plate – takes a $4000 start up fee to DMV. • Legislative – MARLS lobbyist recommended approval to form a PAC to raise $5000. This would enable MARLS to become a member of the existing JOBS PAC. Future legislation to include: repeal of the requirement for taxes to be paid before surveys/plats are recorded; defining qualifications and scope of the examining land surveyor; tract of record clarification. • The Board of Registration and DEQ determined that non-degradation calculations (commonly performed by land surveyors) are the practice of engineering. The state specific land surveyor exam is being rewritten by 3 board members. NEVADA • Conference - 2012 Conference will be held with CLSA in Reno on March 23-28 at the Silver Legacy Resort and Casino. • Central Office – The board members will continue to perform the responsibilities of the Executive Secretary until the association is in a better financial situation. • Legislative – The Nevada Legislature will not reconvene until 2013. • TrigStar – Visits to participating high schools will commence in early spring. • Davidson Monument – NALS and CLSA in a joint effort completed the restoration of the monument set by George Davidson in 1872 in Verdi. NEW MEXICO • Conference: March 23-24, 2012 at the Marriott Pyramid North in Albuquerque. Featured speakers include Gary Kent & Steve Parrish. • Education – Central New Mexico Community College has formalized offering a 2-year Associate Degree in Surveying Engineering designed to permit students to transfer to the New Mexico State University BS Surveying Engineering Program offered in Las Cruces. • Legislative – NMPS in the process of selecting a new lobbyist to help track issues in the NM legislative sessions. • The Engineering and Surveying Practices Act is scheduled to “sunset” on July 1, 2012. It is anticipated that the Act will be extended and/or reauthorized during the NM 30day legislative session between Jan. 17 and Feb. 16, 2012. • The NMPS Board of Directors has approved funding to support 2 candidates for the 2012 TwiST Program. OREGON • Conference -2012 PLSO Annual Conference to be held March 12-16, Red Lion Hotel in Portland in conjunction with GIS in Action. CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE u The Nevada Traverse Vol. 39, No. 2, 2012 37
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