e-NEWS JULY 2021
IN THIS ISSUE...
  • A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
  • IN THE NEWS
  • NSRS MODERNIZATION NEWS
  • BPELSG - NEW ONLINE PORTAL FOR PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER APPLICATIONS 
  • FUTURE SURVEYORS FOUNDATION -- Virtual Women Surveyors Summit 
  • NGS WEBINAR SERIES -- VERTICAL DATUMS
  • UNIVERSITY OF MAINE -- FALL 2021 SURVEYING EDUCATION OPTIONS
  • NATIONAL GEODETIC SURVEY -- OPUS ADDS NEW FUNCTIONALITY
I hope everyone had a happy Independence Day. Here we are now in the middle of July, with our rescheduled Board of Directors meeting coming up July 24, 2021. I hope all our Chapter Secretaries, CLSA Liaisons and Committee Chairs have submitted reports. Results from the Annual CLSA Survey are coming in and will be discussed at the meeting. I look forward to arriving early to see Officers, Directors, Liaisons, Committee Chairs and guests in Oakland. Meeting start: 10:30 AM.

Our June 11 webinar was the County Surveyor’s Perspective featuring Kevin Hills (Orange), Leonard “Gabe” Gabrielson (Sonoma) and Warren Smith (Tuolumne) discussing the role of the County Surveyor, funding and associated challenges, Record of Survey reviews, digital submittals. The event was attended by 65 people, although over 130 signed up to attend. Hopefully those who missed out will watch the video in the "Members Only" section of the CLSA website.

On June 17, CLSA hosted the CSRC Coordinating Council meeting, attended by 91 people, although 150 signed up. CLSA has had a symbiotic relationship with CSRC since their inception of joint workshops, sponsored legislation, hosting CSRC’s on-line meetings, and sharing intellectual resources. CSRC Chairperson Kimberly Holtz kicked off the meeting, then turned over the reins to me for a brief keynote address. The meeting then proceeded through a series of fascinating and informative presentations. I hope that our members realize the amazing talent that we have available here in California as evidenced by the presenters and participants in this meeting. One item of note is that Kim Oreno and the CAMS staff were recognized by CSRC staff in a pre-meeting email as “so supportive and great to work with.” Agreed! Thank you Kim and your staff for all you do! 

See: HERE and HERE.
 
Arrangements are being finalized for CLSA to sell recordings from the 2021 Conference. 2022 is just around the corner, so plans are being addressed for our upcoming IN-PERSON conference in Las Vegas, NV. Mark your calendars for Wednesday, March 30 - Saturday, April 2, 2022.
 
Chapters should be continuing their membership drives and submitting membership information to CLSA Headquarters this month. If you are not a CLSA member, please recognize all the good that CLSA is doing to benefit you in your day-to-day work. Give back to the profession by joining CLSA and being involved. Licensees, LSITs, Technicians and others are all welcome. Individuals, companies, or corporations who, by their interest in the land surveying profession, are desirous of supporting the purposes and objectives of CLSA may also join as Sustaining Members.
Members, please reach out to others who are not currently CLSA members and invite them to join or re-join us. I challenge every member to bring in at least one new member. Let’s achieve a goal of “2021 in 2021” – that is 2,021 members in the year 2021. Every membership helps improve our situation adding additional funding, brainpower and enthusiasm. They are critical to the success of our organization, and the well-being of our profession. Thank you for all your efforts.
Finally, I would like to mention the passing of Sacramento native, CLSA member, Local 3 chainman and dear friend Channing K. Whetstone, LSIT, after a long battle with multiple cancers. Channing was a surveying student at Sacramento City College before that program went on hiatus. He worked at several Sacramento and Bay Area firms, including R.E.Y. Engineers as a staff augmentation chainman for Caltrans in the Ukiah field office. Channing’s last employer before stopping work to fight cancer was TSD Engineering. Channing was extremely conscientious in his work, and always willing to help, train and teach others. Although he did not have the office experience to sit for the PLS Exam, Channing attended Chapter meetings and PLS Review classes provided by the Sacramento CLSA Chapter, and CLSA and Fresno State University Conferences to increase his land surveying knowledge and to be a better field surveyor for his employers and colleagues. Channing was a wonderful individual, caring deeply for others and always willing to help friends and strangers. The profession, and the lives of those who knew him are forever diminished by Channing’s passing…

Celebration of Life August 15, 9:00 AM at Hagan Community Park Pavilion, 2197 Chase Dr., Rancho Cordova, CA 95670
Keep yourselves and your people safe. 

Robert M. McMillan, PLS, EiT
CLSA STORE - 2021 PUBLICATIONS AVAILABLE
  • 2021 PE Act and PLS Act with Board Rules
  • 2021 Complete Package with DVD
  • 2021 Subdivision Map Act & Index

NSPS - STOLEN EQUIPMENT REGISTRY

Reminder - NSPS provides a registry of stolen equipment. 
Offers a $.07 per page discount and will automatically donate $.10 per page to CLSA when members download courthouse documents through this website. These instruments include Deeds, Easements, Rights-of-Way, Releases, Liens, etc.
OFFICE DEPOT DISCOUNT PROGRAM
Save up to 60% on your office supplies. Click on the Office Depot Logo to begin utilizing the CLSA-Office Depot Discount Program. If you do not know your username and password, or for more information, contact the CLSA Central Office.
The CLSA Education Foundation was established in 1993 and is committed to supporting land surveying students and programs. Last year over $50,000 in scholarship aid was provided to land surveying students. 
 
Donating to the Education Foundation is easy! Click HERE to donate via PayPal.

Thank you to everyone who clicks through to Amazon through the CLSA's Education Foundation Amazon Smile account! If you're not doing so already, please shop on Amazon with this link.
CLICK HERE FOR ISSUE 25 OF NSRS MODERNIZATION NEWS
IN THE NEWS...
AIRPLANE FOUND IN FOLSOM LAKE
Sacramento’s KCRA 3 News reported that Seafloor Systems (a CLSA Sustaining Member company) of Shingle Springs, CA discovered an airplane at the bottom of Folsom Lake while testing their underwater survey equipment.

Seafloor Systems staff later captured photos of the aircraft. Initially, it was thought to be a Piper Comanche 250 that crashed into the lake after a mid-air collision in 1965. The aircraft was later identified as a Lake LA-4 seaplane that sank after a botched landing in 1986.

FLORIDA CITY ACCIDENTALLY SELLS WATER TOWER
A businessman wanted to buy a municipal building in Brooksville, FL to convert it into a gym. The city moved forward with the sale, but apparently did not realize the building and the city’s water tower were on the same parcel. Looking at various stories about the incident, it appears the buyer, at the time of the sale, told the city there appeared to be more in the legal description than he was looking to buy. He was assured the City staff knew what they were doing. When he went to the County to get an address, he was told he had bought the water tower site as well as the building lot. Not wanting the water tower, he worked with the City to transfer the water tower back to the City. 
WE HAVE A "NEW" OCEAN!
There is a ring of cold water encircling Antarctica that has earned the title of “ocean” due to the distinct ecological region, temperature, and current patterns. The Southern Ocean was formally recognized by NOAA in February, 2021, although the U.S. Board of Geographic Names recognized the uniqueness of the body of water in 1999. 

SURVEYORS VOW TO END QUACKERY IN NASARAWA
The Surveyor Council of Nigeria has vowed to ensure that all quacks who have given a bad name to the profession in Nasarawa state are sanctioned. Registrar of the council, Mohammed Kabir, made the vow in Lafia at the inauguration of Nasarawa State Chapter of the Nigerian Institution of Surveyors. He said that any registered surveyor found encouraging members who were yet to register with the council would be sanctioned in line with the existing law.
BPELSG - NEW ONLINE PORTAL FOR PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER APPLICATIONS
The Board is excited to introduce the third phase of its new application and licensing portal designed to promote effective connection between the Board and its applicants and license holders. Initial functionality allows for overall application management by applicants for Professional Engineer licenses in the disciplines of agricultural, chemical, control system, electrical, fire protection, industrial, mechanical, metallurgical, nuclear, and petroleum engineering, encompassing the initial user profile creation and application submittal with direct connection with Board staff, through to the issuance of the PE license. The Board looks forward to extending this functionality to include applications for the remaining license types in the near future.

NGS WEBINAR SERIES -- VERTICAL DATUMS: AN OVERVIEW & PLANNED UPDATES
July 15, 2021 - 11am - 12pm (PST)
Presenters:
  • Jacob Heck | National Geodetic Survey
  • Laura Rear McLaughlin and Michael Michalski | NOAA's Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS)
  • Terese Herron | Canadian Hydrographic Service, Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Webinar Description:
Vertical datums provide reference for determining elevations. In the next few years, NGS, CO-OPS, and partner agencies in Canada, are updating three vertical datums:

  • The North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD 88) is being replaced by the geodetic vertical datum that will be replaced by the North American-Pacific Geopotential Datum of 2022 (NAPGD2022); 
  • The International Great Lakes Datum (IGLD) used to reference water levels in the Great Lakes and connecting channels; and 
  • The National Tidal Datum Epoch (NTDE) used to reference water levels along the U.S. Ocean Coastline.

This webinar gives an overview of these datums and the changes that are coming.
Technical Content Rating, Beginner= Some prior knowledge of the topic is helpful.

NATIONAL GEODETIC SURVEY -- OPUS ADDS NEW FUNCTIONALITY
The National Geodetic Survey's Online Positioning User Service (OPUS) now provides an efficient path for users to submit static, campaign-style GNSS observations to establish local survey control. The latest version of OPUS Projects now creates all of the "bluebook" files required to submit observations to NGS. After NGS has reviewed and accepted these observations, it adds new, official coordinates to the National Spatial Reference System (NSRS) and distributes these via NGS datasheets. In this way, users can easily establish survey control where they need it, while filling important data gaps and maintaining the entire system.
FUTURE SURVEYORS FOUNDATION -- Virtual Women Surveyors Summit
July 22-23, 2021
This online, virtual event is the 2nd Women Surveyors Summit. This is a "for women, by women" event and will include opportunities for continuing education. Networking, a panel discussion, and a seminar with breakouts are scheduled. For sponsorship opportunities, please contact info@futuresurveyors.org.

UNIVERSITY OF MAINE -- FALL 2021 SURVEYING EDUCATION OPTIONS
The University of Maine will continue to accept applications for the fall semester until mid-August. Their current online options and how to apply can be viewed HERE and are:

(1)  Undergraduate certificate in surveying engineering technology
(2)  BS in surveying engineering technology (ABET ETAC accredited)
(3)  Graduate certificate in surveying engineering
(4)  Professional Science Masters in Engineering and Business surveying engineering option

The undergrad certificate is an easy application and is a good way to work into the BS degree. They currently have 240 surveying students spread across the four options.

Out-of-state students enrolled in a UMaineOnline degree or certificate program receive a low tuition e-rate which is in-state*1.25.

Questions on admission to the certificate, or other UMaineOnline programs, should be emailed to tiffany.peterson@maine.edu. Surveying-specific questions should be directed to SVT program director ray.hintz@maine.edu.
Thank You CLSA Sustaining Members