THE NEVADA TRAVERSE - Nevada Association of Land Surveyors

The Editor’s Corner continued from previous page
was read at the opening ceremonies of the conference.
Don’t forget! Next year, this grand event will be repeated
March 23-27, 2013, again at the Silver Legacy Hotel
and Casino in Reno, with the California Land Surveyors
Association. Mark your calendars.
George Davidson Monument Rehabilitation Completed
Dedicated in conjunction with the 2012 CLSA/NALS Joint
Conference, the George Davidson 1872 granite column known
as Verdi East Base, has reached its resting place. In this issue
of The Nevada Traverse, Paul S. Pace, PLS, puts the finishing
touches on a multi-year effort to preserve and memorialize the
significant history behind Davidson’s work in Verdi, Nevada.
Our cover photo for this issue serves as an introduction to the
article written by Paul Pace, and entitled “Boundary Relic Has
a New Home.” Paul’s tireless work on this project was in part a
factor in his selection as the NALS Surveyor of the Year Award
for 2011.
National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS)
Update
Encouraging news has recently come down from the national
scene of NSPS, as a result of the latest spring meetings
held in Charlotte, N.C., May 4-5, 2012. Our two national
representatives each report to us on these significant meetings.
First, Paul Burn, PLS, Nevada’s NSPS Governor, recounts
for us the results from the perspective of Nevada’s NALS
members, and individual practitioner representation at the
national level. Next, our NSPS Area 9 (California, Hawaii
and Nevada) Director, Carl C. deBaca, PLS, brings us his
observations and evaluations from a more regional viewpoint,
but nevertheless how the merger with ACSM (which is no
longer an entity) and NSPS has progressed, and how the
future of national representation and its commensurate dues
structure is playing out. Be sure to read both of these reports,
because while there is some overlapping, the information is
of such importance that it is good to grasp the perspectives of
both of our dedicated representatives.
Great Basin College Survey/Geomatics Program, Part III
Dr. James A. Elithorp, Ph.D., PLS, head of the GBC Land
Surveying/Geomatics Program in Elko, Nevada, brings to
the readers of The Nevada Traverse the third installment
of a multi-part series on Nevada’s only four year degree
program in land surveying. In this particular article he covers
Preparation for Study in Nevada’s Online Four-Year
Degree Program.
This Editor had the privilege to meet and dialogue with Dr.
Elithorp during the recent CLSA/NALS Conference regarding
the unique program at GBC. As practitioners in Nevada
we need to understand the full implications of what this
program offers, and to be supportive in these times of economic
hardships and dwindling student enrollments, not to mention
scrutiny of college program student head count. Dr. Elithorp
has developed a very unique program here in Nevada, probably
the only one of its kind nationally. He is dedicated to meeting
the unique needs of not only Nevada students, many of whom
are simultaneously working while pursuing their degrees, but
also to out of state students, who account for a large percentage
of the program’s enrollees.
Terra Incognita, Part I
With this issue of The Nevada Traverse we introduce another
of Paul Pace’s historical research projects, this time 16 th
Century exploration and mapping on the northern frontiers
of South America, which eventually made its way up and into
the southern areas of North America. Aptly entitled Terra
Incognita, Surveying on New Spain’s Northern Frontier,
join Paul once again as he takes us back in time to some roots
of our heritage as land surveyors and explorers. Part II will
appear in the next issue of The Nevada Traverse.
About the Cover
by Terry W. McHenry, PLS
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The cover photo for this issue of The Nevada Traverse was
taken March 27, 2012 by Steve Shambeck, PLS, of PLS
Photography. The occasion was the formal dedication of the
1872 George Davidson monument, Verdi East Base, and
its rehabilitation and relocation in Boomtown, at the front
entrance of the Boomtown Hotel and Casino in Verdi, Nevada.
The dedication was conducted March 27, 2012 in conjunction
with the 2012 CLSA/NALS Joint Conference and Exhibition
held at the Silver Legacy Hotel and Casino in downtown Reno,
Nevada. A large number of conference attendees from Nevada
and California attended the dedication ceremony, many of
whom were contributors and supporters of the monument’s
preservation effort.
Please refer to the article entitled “Boundary Relic Has
a New Home,” by Paul S. Pace, PLS, in this issue of The
Nevada Traverse. Paul Pace who took the lead on this effort a
number of years ago, and was the primary motivator behind a
successful completion.
The individual on the left, back row is Paul Pace (with
sunglasses). Also a few others who were significant
contributors to the effort were Matt Gingerich, PLS, third from
right, back row; Aaron Smith, PLS, of CLSA, furthest right;
and Steve Parrish, PLS, standing between the granite column
and the plaque.
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The Nevada Traverse Vol. 39, No. 2, 2012 3