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2012 PLSO OfficerSChair Mason Marker541-273-2191 | [email protected]

ExECutivE SECrEtaryMary Vannatta, CaePO Box 2646Salem, OR [email protected]

PaSt Chair Gary anDerson503-684-0652 | [email protected]

Central1

President Andrew Huston [email protected]

President-elect David Williams [email protected]

secretary/ treasurer Erik Huffman [email protected]

Mid-west2

President Ron Rice [email protected]

President-elect Ryan Erickson [email protected]

secretary/ treasurer John Oakes [email protected]

Pioneer3

President John Thatcher [email protected]

President-elect Ben Stacy [email protected]

secretary/ treasurer Jered McGrath [email protected]

rogue river

4

President Stephan Barott [email protected]

President-elect Fred Frantz [email protected]

secretary/ treasurer Joseph A. Bova [email protected]

South Central

5

President Tom Del-Santo [email protected]

President-elect Keith Rhine [email protected]

secretary/ treasurer Ernest Lundeen [email protected]

Southwest6

President Mike Erickson [email protected]

President-elect Mike Dado [email protected]

secretary/ treasurer Corey Woodruff [email protected]

umpqua7

President Carl Sweeden [email protected]

President-elect David Edwards [email protected]

secretary/ treasurer Brent Knapp [email protected]

Willamette8

President Jamey Montoya [email protected]

President-elect Nathan Magness [email protected]

secretary/ treasurer Chris Glantz [email protected]

Blue Mountain

9

President Rod Lewis [email protected]

President-elect Tom Battey [email protected]

secretary/ treasurer Steve Haddock [email protected]

Chair-ElECt Lee spurGeon503-656-4915 | [email protected]

CoMMittEE ChairSaCSM/NSPSScott FreshwatersBob Neathamer

arChivESRoger Galles

aWarDSLogan Miles

BuDGEt Gary Johnston

By-laWS/CoNStitutioNBrent Bacon

CoNFErENCETim Kent

EDuCatioNal GoalS & aCtioNS Gary AndersonJoe Ferguson

GEoCaChE Ryan GodseyDan Linscheid

GPS uSErS GrouPJohn Minor

iNtErNEt/WEBPaGETyler Parsons

lEGiSlatioN Scott FreshwatersDan Linscheid

oaCES liaiSoNScott Freshwaters Pat Gaylord

oSBEElS liaiSoNMark Mayer

PPi FuNDGary Anderson

ProFESSioNal PraCtiCESBob Neathamer

PuBliCatioNS (thE orEGoN SurvEyor)Oran Abbott, EditorChuck Wiley

SCholarShiPSteve Haddock

StratEGiC PlaNGary Johnston

triG-StarJoe Ferguson

WEStFEDGreg Crites

Renew your PLSO membership online at www.plso.org.

AffiliAted with

PlSO office Mail PO Box 2646, Salem, OR 97308 PhOne 503-585-4551 Fax 503-585-8547 eMail [email protected] WeB www.plso.org

The OregonSurveyor

Volume 35, No. 3May/June 2012

professional Land surveyors of oregon

executive DirectorMary VanNatta, CAE

PO Box 2646Salem, OR 97308-2646

503-585-4551 • Fax: [email protected]

www.plso.org

publications Committee Oran Abbott, PLS, [email protected]

Greg Crites • [email protected]

Paul Galli • [email protected]

Chuck Wiley • [email protected]

Published byLLM publications, Inc.

8201 SE 17th AvePortland, OR 97202

503-445-2220 • 800-647-1511www.AssociationPublications.com

presidentLinda L. Pope

advertisingDustin Lewis

Design Lisa J. Switalla

cONTeNTSPLSO Award Winners 2From your Chair 3Editor’s Note 5View from the PLSO office 6ReportsPLSO Board of Directors Minutes, March 2012 8News from the Chapters 24Features

PLSO 2011 Surveyor of the Year, Scott Freshwaters, PLS 11PLSO 2011 Associate Member of the Year, Jean Ferguson 12PLSO and GIS in Action Joint Conference—

Conference Wrap-up, Photos, Report from Matteo Luccio, NSPS Student Competition, High School Competition 13–23

In Memoriam— John P. Tacchini, PLS 23Book Review: The Honeywood File: An Adventure in Building and The Honeywood Settlement by H.B. Creswell 28

The Lost Surveyor, from the back cover

© 2012 LLM Publications, Inc.

Answer: LAT 46° 06' 24" N • LONG 123° 55' 58" W

This bridge is located on the Fort to Sea Trail in Astoria, Clatsop County, OR. The middle of the bridge goes up and down with the water elevation and ramps self-adjust accordingly.

Fort to Sea Trail

The Oregon Surveyor | May/June 20122

John MinorLife Member

scott FreshwatersSurveyor of the Year

Jean FergusonAssociate Member of the Year

Gary andersonPast PLSO Chair

Outgoing Chapter Officers: parneli perkins (President, Central); Lee MacDonald (President, Willamette); Lee spurgeon (Secretary-Treasurer, Pioneer); allen Hart (President, South Central)

John thatcherBright Idea Award

steve HaddockCommunity Service Award

Herb FarberHidden Talent Award

Bob neathamerBrush Cutter Award

Guy DentSecretary/Treasurer, Mid-west

PLSO Award Winners

Winners not pictured: Edith Forkner (President, Southwest and Team Player Award); Dave Krumbein (Good Humor Award); Nathan Magness (Sec/Treas, Willamette); Michael Posada (President, Blue Mountain); Ron Quimby (President, Umpqua); Jeremy Sherer (President, Mid-west); David Williams (Sec/Treas, Central)

3Professional Land Surveyors of Oregon | www.plso.org

I found our 2012 annual conference to be an interesting and stimulating event. I particularly

enjoyed the fact that we held the conference in conjunction with the GIS in Action Annual Conference. The cross pollination between the survey community and the GIS community has given me the opportunity to reflect on our profession and where we are going in relation to the overwhelming onslaught of new technologies that are now available to us.

I think, that with the over-whelming number of new technologies—including GIS—that have become available, we may be forgetting what the business world likes to call “our core competencies.” Often technology overshadows the problem that we are trying to solve for our clients and confuses us about what we are actually

licensed for. It is important for us to remember that as licensed land surveyors, technology is only the tool that we use to help us solve problems— it is not what defines our profession. Our core competencies are as measurement experts, geospatial problem solvers, and key players in the nations land administration system.

Nowhere in the definition of Land Surveying in Oregon Revised Statute (ORS) 672 does it state that a Land Surveyor will be an expert at running

� Mason Marker, PLS; 2012 PLSO Chair

from your chair

a robotic total station, a GPS receiver, or a laser scanner. ORS 672 does state that the “Practice of Land Surveying” means doing any of the following:

“Providing or offering to provide professional services that apply mathematics, geodesy and other sciences and involve the making of geometric measurements and gathering of related information…”.

Our expertise is in the science of mathematics and statistics and their application to measurement. As surveyors, we have been educated how to use the products of basic science to design surveys to meet certain levels of accuracy, design quality control programs to insure that the data is meeting the specified requirements, and produce finished results that meet a given need. We use mathematics and statistics to help us decide on the

appropriate technology to make the measurements we need for a particular goal. As surveyors, our goal is to always use the most efficient and cost effective technology to obtain the measurements of the required accuracy and precision. For some projects, this might mean a cloth tape and a string line and for others, it may mean a laser scanner. When we capitalize on our competency as an expert in measurement, our clients benefit by receiving clear and accurate geospatial data.

Our Future

Our second core competency is our role as geospatial problem solvers. As an undergraduate in Professor Schultz’s surveying courses at Oregon State University, I remember him emphasizing on many occasions the need for us, as students, to understand that we were training to be problem- solvers. In practice, I was able to observe this philosophy in action. The most successful surveyors were certainly competent with the technologies of their trade, but more importantly, they were always working to solve their client’s problems. In some cases, this meant application of radical new technologies in order to bring greater accuracy and speed to a mapping project. I believe that this is what most of us think of when the topic of

“solving a client’s problem” comes up.However, a very successful boundary

surveyor that I had the opportunity to know took this even further. He knew that his primary job as a surveyor was marking boundary corners and filing plat maps. He also understood that if his clients were having a boundary survey done, they had other problems as well. This surveyor kept a pocket notebook with the names and numbers of lenders and current interest rates, a list of attorneys who specialized in land use issues and the names of civil

Continues on page 4 ▶

It is important for us to remember that as

licensed land surveyors, technology is only

the tool that we use to help us solve problems,

it is not what defines our profession.


engineers and contractors who worked on projects of the scope that would normally be encompassed in the type of boundaries he was surveying. It was inevitable that during the course of a survey, a client would ask a question such as, “Do you know a good engineer that can design a new retaining wall for me?” The client would then immediately be provided with the names and numbers of engineers who could perform this work. The client had a problem and the surveyor had a solution. This understanding of the need to be a problem solver made my great-uncle a very popular surveyor.

As surveyors, we need to remember that our clients have problems other than just the one that we have been engaged to solve. If you do boundary surveying work, can you help your client find a competent fence builder? If you perform construction surveys,

can you help the out-of-state job superintendent find a good geotechnical firm for compaction testing?

Finally, it is important to remember that we are key players in the nation’s land administration system (LAS). I borrow this term from a recently released book titled, Land Administration for Sustainable Development from ESRI Press (the GIS folks!). In this book, the authors discuss the state of land administration in developing nations and the necessity of developing an effective LAS to insure that capital tied up in the land can be utilized and that land development proceeds in an orderly and sustainable way. In many ways, the system being developed in this text has been working in this country since the Ordinance of 1785 started our Public Land Survey System. Almost every surveyor in this country is an integral part of this system.

From your Chair, continued from page 3

By virtue of our licensure, we are the only profession that may locate, relocate, establish, re-establish or re-trace property lines or boundaries for any tract of land. This competency is also not technologically dependent. Our part of the LAS requires that we are knowledgeable about history and law and understand the legal mechanisms by which the land is marked, subdivided and transferred. As new technologies evolve it is our responsibility to insure that the integrity of land rights is maintained.

With the close of a successful conference with a GIS focus and the opportunity to view all of the technologies available to the surveyor, I hope that we can take a moment and reflect on our core competencies. Technologies will come and go, but our core competencies are what will define us as a profession for years to come. ◉


The Oregon Surveyor is a publication of the Professional Land Surveyors of Oregon (PLSO). It is provided as a medium for the expression of individual opinions concerning topics relating to the Land Surveying profession.

aDDress CHanGes & BusInessAll notifications for changes of address, membership inquiries and PLSO business correspondence should be directed to:

Mary VanNatta, CAEVanNatta Public Relations503-585-4551 • Fax: [email protected]

eDItorIaL Matters & ContrIButIons oF MaterIaLEditorial matters should be directed to:

Oran Abbott, [email protected]

The Oregon Surveyor welcomes your articles, comments and photos for publication. PLSO assumes no respon sibility for statements expressed in this publication. Send materials to Lisa Switalla, [email protected].

For an editorial calendar, please contact Lisa Switalla at [email protected].

aDVertIsInG poLICyAdvertising content and materials are subject to approval of the PLSO Board and LLM Publications, Inc. The publisher reserves the right to reject any advertising that simulates copy; material must be clearly marked as “Advertisement.”

For advertising information, contact:Dustin Lewis503-445-2234 • 800-647-1511 [email protected]

Send display ads or artwork in digital format to [email protected]. For submission guidelines, email [email protected].

Editor’s Note � Oran Abbott, PLS; [email protected]

I checked the calendar today, and there is actually a two month time span between each issue of The

Oregon Surveyor. For me, it felt like the last two months went by in about two days. In the past two months, I have been to four funerals, three birthdays (one person was 100 years old), and one celebration for a person leaving the area. None of these events were in my regular schedule, so I rearranged my to-dos and the next thing I know, the two months are gone. Luckily, we have Lisa at LLM Publications to keep us on track at The Oregon Surveyor.

I have noticed that numerous people are complaining about the weather this Spring. I hear it is either too wet, too dry, too hot, too cold, too windy, too calm, too stormy, or not stormy enough. Gladly, I am not in charge of the weather. Although, if not for the ever-changing weather we have in the Pacific Northwest, some of my better surveying stories would be much less interesting.

When I was surveying in college at Oregon State University, it snowed 18 inches in one day. Of course, we went

out to practice. We set our transit legs low in the snow, kneeled behind the instrument and took a picture looking through the scope. Across the way, another student knelt in the snow drift so it looked like we were surveying in chest deep snow. They were good pictures for the instructor.

One Spring, the water was so high on the Columbia River that I had to set the level on top of a Chevy Suburban. That worked fairly well since we never moved the Suburban and I could see the benchmark and all the points through the water and the high brush.

Another time, I was surveying in the Columbia Gorge while the wind was blowing and everything was ice-covered. We set up the transit on a P.K. nail in the asphalt of a cul-de-sac. While we were working on one side of the cul-de-sac, a gust of wind caught the transit and it slid clear across the cul-de-sac to the curb on the far side, but never knocked the legs down.

One time we were in Lake Oswego and parked our truck in the back of a parking lot behind a church under a 24-inch diameter fir tree. We needed

one piece of equipment from another crew parked on the other side of the property. We drove around the property, got the equipment, and drove back. On the way back, a big branch blew out of a fir tree and almost hit us. At the parking lot, the tree we previously parked under was swaying so violently that we stopped the truck and just watched the tree sway. A few minutes later, the tree broke and fell right where we were parked earlier. Luck, or maybe something else, was looking after us.

I can still remember trying to survey in 30 mph gusts of wind in below- freezing temperatures. It is alright on the staff but hard to do on the transit. So, you see, I do not think the weather is really any different than it always has been.

Have a good summer with your families. ◉


� Mary Louise VanNatta, CAE; PLSO Executive Secretary

View from the PLSO office

Stand by me Essential professionals you need on your side

Boy Scouts, teaches the 10 essentials —the items to include on any trip (like a day hike) to be prepared

for the unexpected. They include maps, water, snacks, clothes, compass, sunglasses, flashlight, first aid kit, knife and matches. In your profession, your job or your business, you also have to be prepared for the unexpected. Trouble can be prevented, or at least mitigated by forming proper relation ships. For this column, I will list the 10 essential relationships needed to protect and sustain your professional life. You don’t

need to hire these people right now, but start developing relationships so you can acquire…

1. Essential financial help. Times have been tough for surveyors, but things are looking up. Lesson learned for those who didn’t plan ahead. Smart financial management can protect your hard-earned assets. Get to know your banker and accountant. Engage the services of a financial planner or stock broker so you can take care of yourself, your family and your business long-term.

2. Essential health and wellness guidance. Surveying work often requires hiking, climbing, physical agility and good eye sight. As we get older we need to be aware of health issues that could limit our ability to enjoy the rewards of hard work (i.e. vacations, retirement). Know the medical professionals in your area. Health, nutrition or fitness coaching may guide you on the right path.

3. Essential legal advice. There are few professions that require as much technical accuracy as surveying. One hour of good advice may save you thousands of dollars in rectifying bad decisions. In business you make choices every day that may have legal implications. Get to know an attorney before you need one. Choose a person you like who is knowledgeable about the field in which you work.

4. Essential personal guidance. It’s almost guaranteed that you or a loved one will face a crisis, tragedy or illness at some point. Currently, you may be questioning things about your work, life or future. It is important to have developed a relationship with a counselor, a religious leader, a personal coach or a friend who knows you and who can help you through your difficult time.

5. Essential technical support. Surveyors use some of the best technology in the field, but sometimes don’t think about keeping up on personal technology tools. If you’re working, you are in a world


of technology. Many organizations live and die by functioning computers and internet. A system crash can virtually shut down workplaces. Seek out a professional, in advance, who knows you and your systems. If you go “blue screen,” they can quickly get you back up and running.

6. Essential “guy or gal” who fixes stuff. Get to know a trustworthy person in your community who will fix your car or broken file cabinet, change out outdoor flood lights, check the electrical panel or figure out what’s wrong with the heating system. They are indispensable.

7. Essential communicators. (Full disclosure: my professional area). There may be a time when you need to communicate with the media, clients, employees or stakeholders and you need the message to be “spot on.” Get to know your public relations or communications professionals in advance. Don’t wait until your business is in crisis or the news truck is at your front door to know who will be there to help you choose the right words.

8. Essential professional relationships. Keep your membership in PLSO current. Encourage others to join, too. Colleagues know your business and understand your challenges and “speak your language.” Your trade association is a place to learn and grow. In the surveying field, PLSO members are there to support you at the city/county level, the legislature or in Congress. The recent LightSquared issue demonstrates how much we rely on our trade association to help us.

9. Essential community relationships. No business professional exists outside his or her community. We know that most business and clients

come from referrals. People will recognize you for your involvement in your town. Know your decision-makers and elected officials at every level. Knowing your community leaders will help you when you face political hurdles or challenges in your business.

10. Essential personal relationships. Don’t overlook your spouse, family or friends when you look at the tools you have in your business toolbox. Loving and dedicated people will be there to support. Pay attention to these relationships. They matter most of all. ◉


AttendeesOfficersChaiR Mason MarkerexeC. SeCRetaRy Mary Louise VanNatta, CAE

Board MembersCentRal (1) David Williams, President-ElectMid-WeSt (2) Tim Fassbender (Alt. for Ron Rice, President) | Ryan Erickson, President-ElectPiOneeR (3) John Thatcher, President | Ben Stacy, President-ElectROgue RiveR (4) Stephan (Pat) Barott, PresidentSOuth CentRal (5) Tom Del Santo, President | Keith Rhine, President-ElectSOuthWeSt (6) No representativeuMPqua (7) Carl Sweeden, PresidentWillaMette (8) Jamey Montoya, PresidentBlue MOuntain (9) Rod Lewis, President | Steve Haddock, Sec/Treasurer & Scholarship Chair

Committee ChairsFinanCe Gary Johnston | egaC & tRig-StaR Joe Ferguson | COnFeRenCe Tim Kent OaCeS liaiSOn & legiSlatiOn Scott Freshwaters | PuBliCatiOnS Oran Abbott

GuestJohn Thomas, President of the Land Surveyors Association of Washington

Call to OrderThe meeting was called to order by Chair Mason Marker at 10:18 am.Minutes from the January 21, 2012 Board Meeting were reviewed.

MOTION: It was moved by Sweeden that the minutes of the January 21, 2012 Board Meeting be approved as submitted. Motion seconded by Montoya. Motion passed.

Report from the executive SecretaryVanNatta reported that the office continued to encourage the chapters to contact their non-members as well as communicating with non-members through email solicitations. The office has contacted and will continue to contact new licensees from OSBEELS as part of the membership renewal campaign to help PLSO gather more members.• A membership conference call was

held in February and a few plans were in place, which include creating membership recruitment month in April for all Chapters, sending a membership postcard to

non-members (completed) that also promoted the conference, finding active surveyors who are not members and solicit them.

• PLSO office is completing the taxes checklist, which is a precursor to filing the taxes. New IRS regulations recommend more policies and practices, which includes involving the PLSO Board in reviewing the taxes.

• The office continues to monitor the Lightsquared issue by updating membership via Facebook and Twitter on national media and NSPS lobbying firms who monitor the situation.

• Financial management still remains a paramount concern at the office.

• The office is soliciting business sponsorships, using exhibitor lists and advertising lists from LLM. Three sponsors have been secured: The PPI Group, Geoline Inc. and Kuker Rankin, Inc. The office coordinated getting booths to trade shows and helping register for career fairs.

• PLSO office has been working with Harness on phase 2 of the website.

• The member directory has been completed and is searchable on the PLSO website.

• Membership rates were changed automatically online, which assisted in the renewal process. Issues still exist with people understanding the login process.

Report from the Chair• Marker said the most important issue

to focus on is the budget. Marker has put together a team of Johnston, Spurgeon, VanNatta, and Marker, who will look at figures and try to put them in alignment with current expenses and income.

• A WestFed representative needs to be appointed and if anyone is interested, please let Marker know. VanNatta passed around a sheet so members can sign up to help.

• Montoya asked that we put the committee leaders on the website in the list as well as on the group’s page.

• Marker hopes that the committees do more work between meetings. Committee descriptions are also in the operating manual. VanNatta said committee chairs need to be active in meeting in the interim.

Chapter ActivitiesCentral—Williams said they will have their Central Chapter meeting in April and had a good attendance in March.

Rogue River—Barott said they had two members show up at the chapter meeting just from an invitation.

South Central—Del Santo reported that South Central had a good meeting in February and they had a regional surveyor from USBR attend.

PLSO Board of Directors Meeting Minutes

DrAfT MiNUTeS. To be approved at

May board meeting.


Old BusinessBudget (Gary Johnston)—Johnston reported on budget issues. Rice asked about six month renewals. 93 people renewed only for six months.

Membership drive and Renewals—The PLSO has 605 members with 562 dues paying.

PlSO foundation (Tim Fassbender)—The PLSO Foundation will be a 501(c)3 and they are seeking volunteers for the board in order to set up administrative items, bylaws, banking, etc. He has filed the papers; the Bylaws are still being formulated.

Presentation (Oregon Community foundation)—Belle Cantor, Oregon Community Foundation (OCF) discussed the PLSO scholarship program. OCF has a $1.2 billion endowment, which is made up with funds by groups such as PLSO. They give out $7 million in scholarships and $60 million in grants each year. There are 1,000 scholarship volunteers and 100 grant volunteers. Those who sit on the scholarship committee are considered volunteers.There were 17,000 applications this year. OCF tries to make sure the scholarships and grants that an organization sets up go towards the goal that is set up by that organization.They are a 501(c)3 and donations are tax deductible. The PLSO funds came from the Oregon Student Commission, their specialty is not the management of the funds, so that was transferred to OCF. OCF takes all the funds and combines them for investing. Investments are mentioned continuously; OCF looks back 13 quarters and awards 4.5% of the average value for scholarships. Any returns made above that go back to the fund. The percentage is reviewed regularly.A discussion about the use of the funds was held. Haddock emphasized that

March 13, 2012 • The Red Lion on the River, Jantzen Beach, Portland, Oregon

PLSO has invested its money in OCF so funds will be professionally managed to award scholarships in perpetuity and we can continue to support students through the process.

New Business• Sweeden asked for a donation to the

Harold Stockhoff Memorial Golf Tournament. A free-will donation was made by board members.

• Board representation for WestFed was discussed. Marker will send out what Greg Crites has put together on the duties of WestFed.

• PLSO Strategic Plan: Johnston had the board share updates to the plan.

Committee ReportsConference (Tim Kent)—Kent reported that they have a good strong program. Registrants can’t attend every program, but there are good choices.• The conference committee met 12

times throughout the past year.• Attendance was down 30–40% from

last year, but they won’t know final numbers until next week. The exhibit spaces were sold out along with complimentary spaces for the schools.

• Twenty students were involved in the NSPS student competition.

• Very little program materials were printed in order to “go green” and keep printing costs down.

• LSAW may be holding their 2013 Conference in Vancouver, WA in the first week of March. A discussion was held on cost and timing of partnering with LSAW. Space is not an issue because PLSO hosted their conference at the Hilton Vancouver in 2006. The high cost of hotels and conference centers were discussed. Inquiring whether LSAW will change its date is a possibility. Spaces are being held in Salem and Eugene.

• The Midwest Chapter will develop the program for the 2013 Conference and will provide representatives for the conference committee.

Scholarship (Steve Haddock)—Haddock reported on the original relationship with OCF. He clarified that donations made from PLSO to OCF were similar to making a donation to a charity, so it would be a direct expense to the association. He also reviewed the relationship with the scholarship auction and the conference.Membership—PLSO has had two membership meetings and will meet again at the conference.legislative (Scott Freshwaters)—PLSO participated in the Design/Professionals Day at the Oregon State Capitol. PLSO visited with legislators and presented themselves as a resource. HB411 took out the words “and addresses” and will be effective in 2013. In the interim, addresses will be required. There will be lobbying interviews and there is some discussion about sharing the lobbying costs with PEO and/or ASCE. A discussion was held about possible legislative issues that are coming up in 2013. The legislative committee will be interviewing two lobbyists today.education Goals and Actions (Joe Ferguson)— Ferguson was pleased to see the list of committee members and will work to contact them. Ferguson reported that the group attended career fairs, facilitated Trig-Star competitions, made presentations to Boy Scouts meetings, schools, legislators, public sector agencies, etc.twiSt (Tim Kent)—Kent reported that NCEES has committed money to conduct the program. PLSO has committee $1000 in the budget for two teachers. Alaska, Hawaii, Colorado,



Utah, Washington and California have also made commitments. Marker will be an instructor. It is an official OIT program. All the application forms are on the OIT website. The 2012 TwiST program will be offered June 25–29 at Clark College in Vancouver, WA.

PlSO OSBeelS—Linscheid was not in attendance.NSPS (Tim Kent)—Neathamer was in route to the conference. Kent said that NSPS is still working out the details of leaving ACSM. GIS is already out. ACSM will probably fold after that. Kent

emphasized that we need a national organization that will strive to get all states to be part of NSPS. The NSPS Board will meet the first weekend of May in North Carolina. There will be a new look to NSPS.westfed—In a written report provided by Crites, it was mentioned that the 2013 WFPS conference will be held jointly with either Utah or New Mexico. A conference evaluation committee was appointed to make the final determination. The June 2012 WFPS BOD meeting is scheduled for June 2 in Seattle, WA. The board will travel to Whidbey Island on June 3 to participate in the Final Point Monument Ceremony for WFPS Board Member Mike Mickiewicz, who unexpectedly passed away on January 27, 2012.NCeeS highlights—The Fundamentals of Surveying exam will become computer based in 2014. NCEES will provide financial support for teachers wanting to attend TwiST on a national level. The total number of resident professional surveyors in the US, as of August, 2010 is 44,448.Publications/Oregon Surveyor—The Board has approved six issues. Abbott reminded the board that one of the member benefits is to have six issues of the magazine. Staff was advised to pull the “delinquent” people off the OSBEELS prospect list.Awards—Miles was not in attendance, but awards will be given out at the membership awards luncheon on Thursday.

Good of the OrderMOTION: Fassbender moved and Hart seconded the meeting be adjourned.

Motion passed.

The meeting adjourned at 2:45 pm. ◉

PLSO Board of Directors Meeting Minutes , continued


Nomination letterOn behalf of the Central Chapter of PLSO, we respectively submit our nomination for the 2011 Surveyor of the Year as Scott Freshwaters. Scott has been a Corporate Member of PLSO for more than 5 years; has demonstrated a history of high competence, integrity, and professionalism; assisted qualified and interested people into the advancement within the profession; and has a career long service to the profession.

The Central Chapter believes Scott’s involvement and duties of being Chapter President; holding the Secretary Positions, as Legislative Committee President; his high school involvement; and being an active participant of our local chapter has shown the characteristics of those worthy for this honor.

Signed:2011 Central Chapter President: Parneli Perkins2011 Central Chapter President-Elect: Andrew Huston2011 Central Chapter SecretaryPLSO Members: Brian Reeves, Greg Hopper, Gary DeJarnett, Mike Berg, Ken Grantham

BiographyScott Freshwaters was born in 1955 in Milwaukee, WI, but lived many years in Boise, ID where he attended 1st–7th grades. After that, the family moved to the Willamette Valley where he attended Spencer Butte Middle School in Eugene, then 8th grade in Lowell. The family then moved to Bend where he graduated from Bend High in 1973 and immediately enrolled into the Electronics Technology program at COCC where he received an A.S. Degree in 1976.

He married Dee Anna Tedrick in January of 1976 and they have been blessed with two sons, Luke (1981) and Kyle (1982). Luke is following Scott’s career path as he received a B.S. Degree in Geomatics from OIT in 2005.

Scott was employed by the Deschutes County Public Works Dept. as an Engineering Associate from 1978 until early 2008. The last four years of his employment he worked in the County Surveyor’s Office under Mike Berry. He also formed Freshwaters Surveying in 1987 shortly after earning his surveying license.

Scott has been active in PLSO since that time, being Central Chapter Secretary/Treasurer numerous times and was Chapter President in 2003 and 2010. He has also been Legislative Committee Chair since early 2009 through the present time. He has been very active in outreach and education, giving presentations about surveying in grade schools, middle schools, and high schools. He has developed a one-hour course about surveying that gives real estate brokers one hour of continuing education credit.

He has a long history of civic involvement as a La Pine Volunteer Firefighter for 9 ½ years where he achieved the rank of Captain of Station 102. He has also volunteered his surveying services to Habitat for Humanity.

Scott has been active in church activities, teaching Sunday School at both Sunriver Community Church and New Hope Church. He participated in mission trips to Tijuana, Mexico, with Calvary Chapel of Bend.

He lives in the Sunriver area with his bride of 36 years where he enjoys woodworking and playing with his three-year-old granddaughter. He and his wife also enjoy taking long road trips. ◉

2011 Surveyor of the YearScott Freshwaters, PLS


FirST prize One free admission to the 2013 Annual PLSO ConferenceSecond prize $100 • Third prize $75

BiographyJean started out working on an Oregon Department of Transportation survey field crew, and has been involved with surveying (more or less) ever since. She currently is the office manager for Ferguson Land Surveying in Portland, Oregon.

Nomination letterJean has been an active member of the PLSO for many years. She has been a mentor and helper to many of the local chapter presidents, secretaries, and general members. She has also done much of the heavy lifting (behind the scenes) for the local chapter seminars and picnics. Jean takes an active role in anything she does. She always has a positive attitude, and is ready to help (whether it is to discuss how to get more of the membership to the meetings, or printing out 200 flyers for a seminar).

We wish to thank Jean for her continued support of PLSO and its members, and highly recommend her for PLSO’s Associate of the Year Award.

Nominated by PLSO members: Paul Galli, PLS; Ryan Godsey, PLS; Jered McGrath, PLS

2011 Associate Member of the Year

Jean Ferguson

First PlaceA Record of Survey of Hideaway Hills Puzzle Cadastral Survey

CREATED BY: Matt Brockamp

Second PlaceA Record of Survey of Moss Springs/Eagle Cap Wilderness

CREATED BY: Kristina Powell

Third PlaceALTA/ACSM Survey of 1554 Webster in Ashland—

Three sheets shown as Grizzly Land Survey Co.CREATED BY: Shawn Kampman

SURVEY MAPS

CONTEST

2012 Winners

“Jean takes an active role in anything she does. She always has a positive

attitude, and is ready to help.”


Approximately 680 Surveyors, GIS professionals, students, and exhibitors gathered for the 2012 PLSO/GIS in Action Conference, held at the Red Lion on the River—Jantzen Beach, in Portland, Oregon (March 13–16).

Special focus was paid this year to the relationship between GIS professionals and surveyors (more on that elsewhere in this issue).

One of the annual events at the conference was the Scholarship Auction, held on Thursday night. Even in a down economy, there were well over 300 people in attendance who purchased approximately $11,400 in donated items to go to our scholarship fund. At one point, Steve Haddock (PLSO Scholarship Auction Chair) passed the hat and received several hundred dollars in straight donations. This “spur of the moment cash raising” was tied to $40, which is the number of years that the PLSO Scholarship has been in existence. The auctioneer was definitely a hit, and kept us entertained during the bidding. He even started several bidding wars and good natured rivalries. If you didn’t get a chance to donate this at the conference, please contact the office for instructions on how to donate to the fund directly (a direct donation is also tax deductible).

Another highlight was the hosting of the National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS) 11th Annual Student Completion. Eight college teams from across the country attended to present on “Surveying Applications in Geographic Information Systems.” Each team had four months to write a 30-page paper, draw a map, and prepare a 25 minute talk, which were then presented at the conference. Troy University from Alabama took top honors. We were honored to have two of the four judges from Portland on the judging committee; Janet Wilkins from the BLM and Gary Anderson from Westlake Consultants.

Special thanks to the PLSO Standing Conference Committee, some of whom will not be on the committee after the 2013 conference (which is a hint to members who haven’t served on this committee yet—call Jered McGrath for details). As always, the conference committee relies heavily on the efforts of our executive secretary (Mary Louise VanNatta with assistance from Jeanette Pruitt), and Action Registration (Lori Servin). Our volunteers this year are listed in the box shown on the right.

If you see any of these folks in your travels, please give them our sincere thanks, and congratulate them on a job well done. This is the fourth conference put on by the standing committee (with help from a local chapter), and they have proven once again why it is important to have consistent direction from year to year.

Enjoy the photos. We’ll see you next year! ◉

2012 PLSO and GIS in Action Joint Conference

Red Lion Hotel on the River — Jantzen Beach

From Points to Polygons—Bridging the Gap

Sponsored by

2012 PLSO Conference Committee

Tim Kent

Committee Chair since 2008

Jered McGrath Assistant Chair since Feb. 2011

chuck Wiley Committee member since 2008

Tony Brooks Committee member since 2008

Ken cochran Committee member since 2008

John putnam Committee member since 2008

Gary Johnston PLSO Board Liaison since Feb. 2011

Jeff Whitaker Vendor Liaison since Feb. 2011

Gary Anderson PLSO Past Chair

Allen hart 2012 South Central Chapter Program committee member

Jim Artman 2012 South Central Chapter Program committee member

conference Wrap-up


March 13–16, 2012 • Red Lion on the River—Jantzen Beach, Portland


In order to open dialogue between two complementary geospatial disciplines, surveyors and GIS

professionals from Oregon and southwest Washington overlapped their annual conferences by one day at the 2012 PLSO/GIS in Action Joint Conference that took place in Portland, March 13–16. Some topics overlapped, too, such as addressing and mobile mapping. The first day was the GIS in Action conference, the second day was

shared, and the third and fourth days were only the PLSO conference. A total of 532 people attended, two thirds of them surveyors and one third GIS professionals. On the PLSO side, attendance was down a little compared to previous years. “I always hope for a stronger attendance, but, given the economic times, I was pleased,” says Gary Anderson, PLSO 2011 chair. The conference also featured an exhibitor hall with booths from about twenty equipment vendors, service companies, and academic institutions.

A new conceptWhile PLSO has had joint conferences with other surveyor organizations—such as the Land Surveyors Association of Washington (LSAW) and the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping (ACSM)—and usually tries to partner with supporting organizations every two to four years, this was its

first with a GIS organization, says Paul Galli, a project surveyor at Harper Houf Peterson Righellis Inc. Other states, however, such as Alaska, have been holding joint conferences like this one for years, says Amy Esnard, president of the Oregon and Southwest Washington chapter of the Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (OR-URISA) and interim co-program chair for the conference. According to Esnard, OR-URISA and

PLSO began meeting last summer to hammer out a single message for the conference. They found a graphic designer who designed the logo and coined the phrase “From Points to Polygons, Bridging the Gap” and they put it on the Web sites of both organizations. The phrase, she explains, refers to providing connectivity between the two disciplines to promote engagement and collaboration and to improve the efficiency and methodologies of the two industries.

Esnard credits PLSO for taking the lead on planning the conference facility and organizing the venue; Chris Aldridge, the National Director of the Columbia River Region of the American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS), for facilitating the relations between the two organizations; and the many volunteers who helped to make the conference happen.

� Matteo Luccio

conference report

“Both GIS professionals and surveyors were very excited

with the overlap. We do have to rely on each other.”

— Amy Esnard, President of OR-URISA

“We need to have these conferences and know what each side is doing, so that we can work well together,” says Mason Marker, current PLSO chair.

Both GIS professionals and surveyors were very excited with the overlap, says Esnard. “We do have to rely on each other.” The plenary, in particular, did a good job addressing issues for both groups, says Anderson.

According to Tim Fassbender, the surveyor for the City of Eugene and also a past PLSO chair, the surveyors at the conference were happy for the opportunity to be exposed to GIS concepts and issues and to interact with GIS professionals. “From what I saw,” he says, “the overlap between the two groups seemed to work pretty well.” He points out that, because several of the Tuesday sessions were repeated on Wednesday, surveyors who missed the first day of the conference were still able to attend key sessions. Some GIS professionals and surveyors already know each other, he adds, because they work for the same local government.

Amy Esnard, President OR-URISA


Commenting on the conference, Curt Sumner, the executive director of ACSM and of the National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS), said, “I think the concept of such a conference is extremely good. The more often practitioners who operate in the various elements of the geospatial community can come together to discuss their perspectives, the more likely it is that any differences in understanding and opinion can be recognized, and hopefully resolved. If not totally resolved, at least better understood and accepted for what benefit they provide to the overall goal of serving the public, and private, interests.”

highlightsAnderson was pleased with the mix of survey technology and GIS information at the conference. “It was a coup to get Mano Marks of Google to speak with us,” he said. Marks is the lead developer advocate for Google GEO APIs. For Esnard, conference highlights included discussions of how to leverage GIS tools to define ‘indicators’ in human ecology and of how to develop a common language among geospatial professionals.

Fassbender particularly enjoyed what he calls the “meat and potatoes” sessions dealing with everyday issues of surveying. “They help you get into other surveyors’ heads and understand what they were thinking.” Another great benefit of regional conferences like this, he says, is that they give surveyors from different areas a chance to bond. That way, if they are out of town on a project and need to consult with a colleague, they might already know a local surveyor.

During the survey portion of the conference, the plenary session on “Bridging the Gap” and the “Thought Leader” panel session had the most attendees. Next were “Remedies to Resolve Property Line Problems,” “The Surveyor’s Role in Conflict Resolution,” “Water Ways and Water Boundaries,” and “Changing Times, and then Changing Places: Opportunities for Surveying.”

Plenary sessionThe “Bridging the Gap” plenary session on the conference’s overlap day consisted of presentations by Jim Plasker, the executive director of ASPRS, as well as Curt Sumner and Donny Sosa, a surveying industry specialist at ESRI.

Plasker gave a detailed and sharp critique of the policy on geospatial licensure put out in September 2011 by the board

of directors of the GIS Certification Institute (GISCI), titled “GISCI Position on the GIS Profession in Relation to Other Geospatial Professions.”

Sumner attempted to assist the audience in understanding that surveyors are certainly not opposed to the use of geospatial technology. In fact, he said, many, if not most, use at least some elements of it in their daily practice. He noted that the average age of surveyors in this country is now 58 and pointed out that surveyors’ attitude toward GIS is changing. “Whether or not we dinosaurs in surveying are involved in GIS, the next generation of surveyors certainly is,” he said, and “We need more conferences like this.” The old surveyor quip that GIS stands for “get it surveyed” should instead be “get involved seriously,” he argued.

The worlds of GIS and surveying “are coming together” and “we are all a cast in the geospatial theater,” Sosa pointed out. “We are all working in GIS, whether we know it or not.” GPS, he explained, is a link between surveyors, GIS, and the public. In fact, he revealed, his mother is now a geocacher.

looking aheadOR-URISA is conducting a survey asking conference attendees whether they want to have other joint conferences and, if so, how often. Meanwhile, in her remarks at the close of the joint plenary session, Esnard gave all participants a “homework” assignment: to identify one piece from the conference that defines a connection between the two disciplines that they can leverage in their professional practice. This year’s joint conference is just the beginning of a dialogue between the two professions, she says. ◉

Jim Plasker, Executive Director, ASPRS



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NSPS Student competition

NSPS Student Competition Judges: Curt, Gary, Janet and Pat

Rich Jannozzi, Curt Sumner and Andy Sturgeon

The winning team from Troy University in Troy, Alabama

Team

s

Win

ners

Judg

es


A caring and thoughtful gentleman In Memoriam

John p. Tacchini, pLS 1952–2012

John P. Tacchini, PLS, passed away peacefully at home on March 19, 2012 in Corvallis, surrounded by family.

John was born in Klamath Falls in 1952, the seventh of nine children. After graduating from Henley High School, he attended Southern Oregon University, and graduated from OIT in 1978 with an Associate of Engineering degree in Survey Engineering Technology. In 1972, John married Lou Ann Ferguson and together they raised three children. While attending OIT, John worked full-time at a lumber mill while helping to care for their first child.

He is survived by his wife, Lou Ann, three children, Josh (Mandy), Amy, and Jason, and two grandchildren, Colin and Lea Marie (who was born days before his passing).

John enjoyed fishing, hunting and camping, as well as playing basketball and baseball. When his children were old enough to participate in sports and 4H activities, he focused his energy on supporting their pursuits. He loved spending time with family and cooking for them with home-grown vegetables. John loved gardening, often bringing potted starts and offering advice to his colleagues at work. John and his wife were avid bird watchers.

John found employment with J.U.B. Engineers, moving the family to Couer d’Alene, ID, for a year and a half. Missing Oregon, they returned to Corvallis, where John worked for Ling, Green and Associates. Later, John would become a partner in Ling and Associates. John earned his PLS license in 1987 (Oregon #2267), and was a long-time member of PLSO.

John joined Westlake Consultants in 2001 as the Development Survey Manager, steadfastly making the drive to Tigard from his home in Corvallis for more than ten years. His extensive experience and knowledge, and his friendly yet professional nature, made John a superior mentor and colleague. John developed strong, lasting relation -ships with clients through his honesty, candor, and sense of humor. He was known for a collaborative working style. John forged strong relationships with clients and public agents who appreciated his professionalism and knowledge, which was coupled with his easy-going nature.

In recent years, John led Westlake’s efforts to complete the extensive and complicated surveying for the Oregon State Hospital projects in Salem and Junction City. He also served as Westlake’s Survey Project Manager for

several wind power projects in Eastern and Central Oregon. John was also gratified to serve as Project Manager for numerous school surveying projects throughout the Willamette Valley, as he was a strong believer in public education.

John will be remembered as a caring and thoughtful gentleman, a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and professional surveyor who could always be relied upon. ◉

Memorial contributions may be made to the Benton Hospice Service (c/o the McHenry Funeral Home, 205 NW 5th St., Corvallis, OR, 97330).

PLSO High School Student Competition2012 PLSO and GIS in Action Joint Conference


News from the chapters

Central #1 � Erik Huffman, Secretary

April 18, 2012Chapter President: Andrew HustonLocation: Bend Brewing CompanyCalled to Order: 5:45 pm Adjourned: 7:45 pmAttendees: 22 members and 1 guest PDH credits: 1

Pioneer #3 � Jered McGrath, Secretary

February 8, 2012Chapter President: Ron RiceLocation: New Kings Buffet, TigardCalled to Order: 6:30 pm Adjourned: 7:50 pmAttendees: 30 members and 1 guest

Highlights• Joe Davis announced that he now lives in Bend, is

registered as a Special Member of PLSO, and is available to provide insurance services as needed.

• PLSO finances have been reduced due to lower membership numbers.

• PLSO played a large role in highlighting the consequences of LightSquared, ultimately putting the project on hold indefinitely.

• PLSO supports the Oregon Community Foundation, which provides grants and scholarships. PLSO has invested funds in OCF so funds will be professionally managed to award scholarships in perpetuity.

• The 2013 PLSO Conference may be a joint conference between Oregon and Washington and potentially held in the Willamette Valley or in Southwest Washington.

• PLSO named Scott Freshwaters the Oregon Surveyor of the Year! Congratulations to Scott and thank you for your time and dedication to the profession!

PresentationPresident Huston introduced Jeff Sageser, Recording Supervisor from the Deschutes County Clerk’s Office. Sageser provided a PowerPoint presentation detailing the types of information available at the Deschutes County Clerk’s office, the document recording process, recording fees, complex recording situations, and a great deal of information and tips on using online research tools. ◉

Highlights• Eric Osman shared how he got into surveying. His

interest began when he hired a surveyor to look at his property. Later, when he was laid off from Intel, the interest came back and he purchased some used equipment to figure out the craft. Through the recommendation of a neighbor, he began working with Chuck Spear, PLS and has been training for 5 ½ years. He is working towards his LSIT and ultimately his PLS. He thinks he may get it about the ripe age of 62.

• The PLSO legislation committee needs volunteers. A discussion started about prevailing wage, lack of definition for surveyors in Oregon and the differences between Washington and California.

• Ryan Godsey reported that Al Hertel’s geocaches lead the way in visits. If you would like to create a geocache and include a PLSO kit, contact Ryan Godsey.

• The state Professional Practices Committee needs volunteers. Bob Neathamer is also a committee member of one and would like additional members to help.

• Tim Verney has been teaching at PCC since January for the Construction Technology program. He enjoys the opportunity to instruct the students. His day job just starts after class now as he juggles the two positions.

PresentationAl Hertel, FEMA: “Friend or Foe”—Al shared a PowerPoint presentation that highlighted and reviewed many different FEMA related projects, he has performed over the years. From these projects he has received many differing results and differing responses from FEMA in regards to elevation certificates and LOMAs. He has submitted elevation certificates that have come back with and without BFEs, and in some cases, FEMA has answered with requests for additional survey data, such as cross sections of the local waterways. Certain properties may get a removal from the flood plain with a simple elevation cert and or some may require a full blown hydro study. The ultimate conclusion from these experiences is that no

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rogue river #4 � Joseph Bova, Secretary

February 27, 2012Chapter President: Pat BarottLocation: First American Title, MedfordCalled to Order: 6:29 pm Adjourned: 8:08 pmAttendees: 14 members and 4 guests PDH credits: 1

Highlights• Pat Barott reminded everyone that the PLSO dues have

an optional 18 month renewal period, which serves to shift membership renewals to the new date of June 30.

• The workshop on Elevation Certificates, Flood Studies, LOMAs, and ELOMAs is set for June 16. Craig Claassen will secure the City of Grants Pass council chambers. Chris Shirley and Mike Mattson will be the presenters.

• The creation of the OIT Wilsonville Campus is picking up steam, there are 50 committed attendees toward the threshold of 70 needed to establish the campus.

• OSBEELS: Nine land surveyors received certificates, five of these had out of state addresses. Mick Wyntergreen is a newly licensed surveyor in our area.

• Jackson County: Steve Beecher continues to work on the point database and scanning of the roll maps continues.− The office contacted Mark Boyden’s son, Dan, to get

access to Mark’s records. Kerry has secured an archive room in the courthouse for storage of the materials. Some of the material is indexed and includes the records of J.S. Howard, Herman Powell, and Arnspinger. There is some non-survey material which will be copied and forwarded to the historical society.

− Work on the digital survey map index continues, with about 1000 surveys processed. The office is pursuing a policy requiring the submittal of digital line maps along with maps of survey to be filed, in order to ease the maintenance of the above mentioned digital index. The office also wants coordinate datum to be stated on all maps of survey.

• City of Grants Pass: The migration from ArcView 3.x to 10.1 will enable online access to utility, parcel, land use, and political data.

matter how many similar projects one does, you can’t assume anything with FEMA. They may provide a solution with no rhyme or reason for their answers and they definitely “don’t show their work” in their BFE calculations. ◉

• City of Medford: The survey department has a new employee, Rob Ledgerwood. He is splitting his time between survey and storm drain utility until the City gains full-time funding for a storm drain technician.− The city’s LIS is now online, including the storm drain

and sanitary sewer utilities. Official public access to this site is scheduled for late summer.

− The survey division is working on getting the centerline PI RPs online also.

• BLM/USFS is looking for a land surveyor to be based locally. The job will include much travel.

PresentationDonna O’Grady updated us on “Transfer on Death” deeds and the effect of the McCoy court case, which changes the way foreclosures are done on mortgages not held by the original issuing bank. A large number of such mortgages are serviced by the Mortgage Electronic Registration System (MERS). ◉

Umpqua #7 � Randy Smith (for Brent Knapp), Secretary/Treasurer

February 13, 2012Chapter President: Carl SweedenLocation: Elmer’s Restaurant, RoseburgCalled to Order: 6:30 pmAttendees: 11 members PDH credits: 1

Highlights• Carl Sweeden reported on the PLSO Board Meeting—

We have membership issues. Carl will make calls to surveyors with unpaid dues. Carl Sweeden volunteered to be on the NSPS Professional Practice Committee. Brent Knapp will represent the chapter for the PLSO Foundation. PLSO is discussing committee term limits. TwiST will be held at Clark Community College this year.

• Randy Smith discussed issues with the GIS Web. Inconsistencies with Lat-Long have necessitated the removal of that button temporarily from the surveyor’s site. A transportation map will allow the visual location of county road maps, state highway drawings, and railroad maps on the main GIS map.

• Ron Quimby gave a Legislative update. Scott Freshwater stated that Oregon realtors affected PLSO’s ability to get legislation passed to raise corner restoration fees. SB 382 was supported by title companies and bankers; deeds now



News from the chapters, continued

Highlights• Rod Lewis reported on the March Board of Directors

meeting at the Jantzen Beach Red Lion.• A discussion centered on the Utility Locates Commission

trying to get the setting of lath and hubs considered as excavation that requires a locates call. The recent memo by Ron Singh to ODOT surveyors was mentioned and current practices by those present were discussed.

• Bill Wells shared information about his practices in preparation for aerial surveys. He also discussed the advantages of using those services compared to doing large scale topo with a total station.

PresentationThe evening concluded with a one hour technical session by Rod Lewis. The topic of instruction was the use of geometry in mapping and survey field work. Rod shared several “tricks of the trade” that he has developed for dealing with barriers to line of sight measurements, determining directions of lines when minimal control is available, and what to do when the plans treat all property boundaries as parallel when they really are not. ◉

Highlights• There needs to be a big push for new members. Any

ideas on how to gain new members is being considered. Montoya is working with the ACSM Student Chapter to recruit students.

• The chapter is looking for ways to save money or make money. Montoya spoke about the OSU dinner being a large expense for the Willamette Chapter. Rydell said maybe we should sponsor students. Malone followed that up by proposing that each member at the meeting pay for a student’s dinner.

• Daren Cone will be supervising the Trig-Star exam at Sprague High School in Salem on March 20.

• There was a discussion about how to deal with home schooled students interested in the Trig-Star Program.

• A member posed the question, “Does the Trig-Star teacher need to be a PLS?” According to Johnston, the decision is up to the specific chapter. The members present did not have any objections in letting a LSIT teach the Trig-Star program.

• Montoya spoke about the email from Bill Lauer about Da Vinci days in Corvallis. It was decided that Lauer

Willamette #8 � Christopher Glantz, Secretary

March 19, 2012Chapter President: Jamey MontoyaCalled to Order: 6:58 pmAttendees: 22 members and 3 guests PDH credits: 1

require that the name and address be on a cover document. There will be a $20 fine for noncompliance. SB 382 affects on partition plats and subdivisions are unknown.

• Ken Hoffine led a discussion on Right-of-Entry (ROE). If a surveyor set a monument over a fence, does it indicate that trespass has occurred? Was the boundary known before the monument was set? Does OSBEELS have the authority to determine boundaries? If not, how can they preside over ROE issues? ROE was discussed—most members felt that trespass and ROE problems should be handled by the courts. Ken passed out a Jeffery Lucas article, “Maintaining Relevancy in the 21st Century.”

• Adam Degroot and Dan Saily passed the LSIT exam.• Carl Clinton is Chuck Pearson’s replacement as County

Surveyor in Clackamas County. ◉

would go ahead with the application process. Volunteers and ideas are needed.

MOTION by Rydell to support Da Vinci days with $200. Seconded by Newberg. MOTION PASSED.• The PLSO will be roughly $30,000 in the hole after this

year. That number is dependent upon how well the conference performed. Malone gave a word of caution by stating that the organization will start to lose more members as the older generation starts to retire.

PresentationJohn Raugust, ACSM Student Chapter Vice President, spoke about what OSU students are doing and how the PLSO can get involved. The student chapter is trying to gain more members and exposure. They are looking for more PLSO members to come speak at their meetings. Tyler Parsons spoke about the CFedS Program and his experiences. ◉

Blue Mountain #9 � Stephen K. Haddock, Secretary

March 22, 2012Chapter President: Rod LewisLocation: Roosters Restaurant, PendletonCalled to Order: 6:00 pm Adjourned: 8:20 pmAttendees: 6 members


PrOfeSSiONAL LiSTiNgS

The Honeywood File: An Adventure in Building and The Honeywood Settlement—by H.B. Creswell

Book reviews

The Honeywood File: An Adventure in Building and The Honeywood Settlement were written by architect H.B. Creswell in 1929 and 1930, respectively. They were originally published serially in Britain in an architectural magazine. They have been republished many times since their original compilation into book format. I did find it slightly challenging to find them for sale in the States; many of the online listings I found were by British websites. However, with a little extra attention to the sales location, I was able to find both books without paying international shipping.

The books tell the story of the design and construction of a fictional house with the purpose of helping the reader hone their foresight and communication skills. The story is told in the unusual way of “reprinting” the letters (outgoing and incoming) in the fictional project folder. Comments from a neutral narrator are included after many of the letters to help the reader recognize where things could have (and in many cases should have) been done differently.

The author includes a lot of “dry British” humor in the story and does an excellent job of creating an emotional bond between the characters and the reader. I found that some of the points made by the author were not of interest to me since they were related to the practice of architecture. However, the majority of the points were relevant to surveying today. Multiple times I found myself thinking “Oh, the author is right…I should have handled such-and-such project more like that.” Anyone recall the “Project from Hell” article I wrote awhile back? I definitely would have benefitted from reading these books before starting that project.

I strongly recommend this book for anyone. They are a fun way for people early in their career to get ideas to help them avoid preventable nightmares. It is also a great way for people in the latter part of their careers to work on recognizing and correcting bad habits. Of the books that I am reviewing, these two were my favorite. ◉

� Renee Clough

The Oregon SurveyorPO Box 2646Salem, OR 97308-2646

PRSRT STDUS POSTAGE

PAIDSALEM OR

PERMIT NO. 526

The Lost Surveyor

lat. 46° 06' 24" N long. 123° 55' 58" w

Photo by Oran Abbott

Answer on page 1

Renew your PLSO membership at www.PLSO.org.

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Number 3 May/June 2012 Volume 35 urveyor A publication of ...

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