Professional Land Surveyors of Oregon News

PLSO Receives NCEES Foundation Grant to Launch Statewide Workforce Development Initiatives

PLSO Office — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 03:47:06 GMT

The Professional Land Surveyors of Oregon (PLSO) is proud to announce it has been selected as a 2024–25 grant recipient by the NCEES Foundation, receiving funding to support a series of new initiatives designed to grow and strengthen Oregon’s land surveying workforce.

The initiatives, set to roll out over the coming year, will focus on increasing public awareness of the surveying profession, building stronger career pathways, and promoting licensure as the foundation of professional practice. Efforts will include outreach to students, veterans, and career seekers, as well as tools and resources to help small firms participate in meaningful workforce development.

The PLSO Board of Directors will convene in October to begin formal planning and implementation of these programs, with the goal of launching multiple efforts ahead of the 2026 hiring season. These initiatives are part of PLSO’s ongoing commitment to ensuring a strong, skilled, and licensed surveying workforce for the future.

“PLSO is honored to be recognized by the NCEES Foundation and to have the opportunity to build programs that deliver real impact across Oregon,” said Executive Secretary Aimee McAuliffe. “This is about investing in the next generation and providing our members with tools to grow the profession.”

National Support for Licensure Advancement

PLSO joins 12 other organizations nationwide awarded grants by the NCEES Foundation in its 2024–25 funding cycle. Recipients include universities, state societies, and professional associations whose projects aim to advance engineering and surveying licensure and protect the public welfare.

Some of this year’s funded projects include:

Outreach and licensure support for underrepresented professionals
K–12 and college STEM engagement programs
University-led recruitment and retention initiatives
Career development programs for rural communities and veterans

The NCEES Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying, supports efforts that directly promote the value of professional licensure and strengthen the engineering and surveying pipeline nationwide.

Looking Ahead

The Foundation is currently accepting donations for the 2025–26 funding cycle. Contributions at Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum levels help support future programs like those led by PLSO and will be recognized in NCEES publications and events. Letters of inquiry for the next round of funding open October 1, 2025.

To learn more about PLSO’s work, visit plso.org. For more information about the NCEES Foundation and how to contribute, visit ncees.org/foundation.

Help Teach the Land Surveying Merit Badge in September!

PLSO Office — Wed, 16 Jul 2025 20:46:22 GMT

PLSO is excited to support Scouts BSA by helping present the Land Surveying Merit Badge at Camp Mooney this September! This is a great opportunity to share your knowledge and inspire the next generation of surveyors.

We’ll be running multiple teaching stations to guide Scouts through the full badge program, which takes about 4 hours to complete. Lunch will be provided to all volunteers and participants.

We Need Volunteers!

We’re seeking Licensed Surveyors and surveying professionals to join us as instructors for the day.

Each instructor will guide a group of 4–8 students.

We expect 30+ Scouts, so we’ll need a strong team of volunteers to make it a success.

The badge content is straightforward and well-suited for group instruction.

No registration or special training is required—just show up and lend your expertise!

Optional Camping Available

Volunteers are welcome to stay overnight at Camp Mooney:

Friday evening through Sunday morning

Restroom facilities (portable and fixed) available

Potable water on-site

Bring your own tent, RV, or camper

No power hookups, so pack a generator or power bank if needed

Quick Details at a Glance:

What: Land Surveying Merit Badge Event

When: Saturday, September 27 (optional camping Sept. 26–28)

Where: Camp Mooney, near Roseburg, OR

Who We Need: Surveyors & volunteers to help teach

Provided: Lunch, water, restrooms

Not Required: Training, registration, or pre-certification

Let’s show Scouts how exciting and valuable land surveying can be!

Questions? Interested in volunteering?

Reach out to

Matt Banton, PLS (OR, ID)

Thank you for helping us grow the future of our profession!

Education & Outreach Auction

PLSO Office — Fri, 16 May 2025 18:31:47 GMT

We’re excited to share that the 2025 Education & Outreach Auction raised an incredible $22,058.64! These funds are already making an impact—supporting the 2025 Scholarship Awards, contributing to the PLSO Oregon Community Fund, organizing a Scout Surveying Badge Field Day in Roseburg in August, and sponsoring veterans at the Wings & Eagles Airshow.

As we look ahead to the 2026 Auction, the Auction Committee wants to hear from you!

What items or experiences would inspire you to raise your hand and support your community?

Your input helps us create a fun and meaningful auction that makes a difference.

Take Survey

PLSO in Search of Scholarship Committee Chair

PLSO Office — Fri, 17 May 2024 17:57:51 GMT

Are you interested in making a very real impact on future land surveyors? We are currently looking for someone to take over chairing the Scholarship Committee. Daren Cone, our current chair, is looking to work with someone for awarding scholarships this year for an easy transition process. Please check out the volunteer duties below and contact Scott Freshwaters if you're interested.

The role of the Scholarshsip Committee requires about 8-16 hours per year, and includess:

Work with auction committee on fund raising efforts for the scholarship fund (has included being the emcee for the live auction- but that’s not written policy anywhere)

March/April

Review current available funds for distribution from OCF and make request to board for current years scholarship fund amounts.
Review scholarship committee roster and confirm contact list with Oregon Community Foundation and confirm that conflict of interest policies are signed by all committee members.

Mid to late June

List of applicants is made available to committee members.
The chair reaches out (by group email) to both the primary committee members and the oversight committee members to have the members review the applicant list and determine if any have a conflict of interest.
If any members declare a conflict of interest the chair determines if there are sufficient remaining members to move forward with the selection process. If not the chair reaches out to find alternates to fill in for that years selection process and notifies OCF.
When there are sufficient members to move forward with the selection process the chair sets up virtual meetings with the primary selection committee first followed by the oversight committee.
Members of the primary selection committee rank the applicants independently before the committee meets. At the primary committee meeting- the members review and discuss rankings and come to consensus on the rankings and then select recipients and award amounts.
At the oversight committee meeting the scholarship chair reviews the recommendations made by the primary committee. The oversight committee can either approve the recommendations made by the primary committee or suggest changes for the primary committee to consider. (hasn’t happened yet)
Once consensus is reached by both committees the committee chair reports the scholarship recipients and award amounts to OSAC portal using the online distribution form and notifies the PLSO executive director.

Other duties of the scholarship chair:

Member recruitment for the primary and oversight committees
Review of scholarship questions and policies from the PLSO board or OCF/OSAC

UESI Surveying and Geomatics 2024 Conference

PLSO Office — Thu, 09 May 2024 16:54:35 GMT

OSU is hosting a multi-organization surveying conference June 2-4th. (ASCE UESI, AAGS, SaGES) which will have a lot of talks on the new national spatial reference frames, new state plane coordinate system, hydrographic surveying, reality capture, and more.

(https://www.surveyingconference.org/)

In conjunction with the conference, the National Geodetic Survey will be holding a VDatum workshop (see below for details) at OSU to learn more about methods to transform between different vertical datums. Note the conference has a registration fee; however, there is no charge for the VDatum workshop and you can register separately. You can sign up for the workshop here: https://forms.gle/M4Kvn3FXQKMfgPNz9

Kingsley Field Civil Engineers deploy mission-ready Airmen to recapitalize a historic facility for use in the 21st century fight.

PLSO Office — Fri, 22 Mar 2024 03:57:06 GMT

Article courtesy of Joe Young, Secretary of South Central Chapter and 173FW Oregon National Guard

Orginal posted August, 15, 2023

The 173 Civil Engineer Flight mission-ready Airmen executed a unit-led Field Training Exercise to bring a former DOD facility back online for future mission readiness.

Fourteen engineers deployed to a remote tower site constructed and used by the USAF Air Defense Command in the 1950’s. Like many ADC sites across the western US, this one was decommissioned, mothballed, and left for nature to reclaim. This site, in particular, though not actively used by the DOD, remained under the span of control of the USAF and made for an ideal sitting location for proposed future development. Initial site surveys determined that the remaining facility, while in good condition, needed a little elbow grease to cut back on nearly 40 years of overgrown brush and vegetation that swamped the once-booming outpost. The exact location of the site is excluded from this article, however, if you know your Air Force history and how to read a paper map you may be able to get in the neighborhood, as the site is not indicated on any version of Google/Apple Maps.

This FTX aimed to accomplish two objectives for the 173CEF. One, practice real-world examples of Bare-Base Expeditionary contingency skills under an Agile Combat Employment construct not typically afforded at home station. Two, perform real-world maintenance on a historic USAF property that will be used by the 173FW for future mission operations.

While the 173CEF has only 5 AFSCs to pull from, a majority of airmen comprising the Flight were prior-service members and engineering professionals in their community. The final on-site team consisted of over 16 different AFSC skill sets and a plethora of additional civilian career disciplines that formed the epitome of what a Multi-Capable Airman team should look like.

Traveling lean with cross-utilized skill-set teams brings a sharpened edge to Agile Combat Support. The team practiced alternative radio communications and convoy operations of vehicles laden with camping gear, food supplies, and construction equipment necessary for the week-long exercise. Among the skills honed, the Flight used GPS and old-fashioned land navigation techniques to find a remote location not listed in a phonebook or located on any street map.

On-site CEF personnel trained on the operation and safety of various hand tools, such as chainsaws, brush trimmers, machetes, and light-duty construction equipment. By the end of the first 48 Hours, the team had cleared nearly an acre and a half of overgrown brush that presented a fire hazard to the facility. An amazing feat considering 1.5 acres is roughly 65,000 square feet or the size of a college football field goal post to goal post. Indoors, the team removed failing partition walls, repaired exterior doors, and restored electricity to portions of the facility which circuitry dated roughly 1965. In addition to fieldwork, the team was able to document and upload various facility condition reports, inspections, and documents to USAF systems utilizing STARLINK terminal.

Because of the team efforts during the FTX, the aged facility is again ready for operations and can quickly be reconfigured, upgraded, and modernized to meet future mission requirements. Although this was just one small unit performing at one remote location in the Western US, the team demonstrated what the USAF Civil Engineers do for Resilient Forward Basing around the globe every day

Oregon Senate Passes Fair Contracting Bill to Aid Minority Businesses, Gov. Kotek’s Affordable Housing Goals

PLSO Office — Tue, 27 Feb 2024 00:10:02 GMT

Oregon’s engineers, architects and land surveyors thank the Senate for passingSenate Bill 1575, urge quick action in House

SALEM, Ore. — Today, the Oregon Senate passed Senate Bill 1575 to end unfair contract practices in public sector projects that harm small businesses, particularly emerging, women and minority owned businesses. The bill now heads to the House for further consideration.

“Oregon’s engineers, architects and land surveyors care deeply about our communities, which is why we invest in our local economy, creating jobs and building affordable housing for Oregonians,” said Alison Davis, Executive Director of American Council of Engineering Companies of Oregon. “Passing Senate Bill 1575 would eliminate bad and unfair contract practices in the public sector and ensure everyone involved in a project pays their fair share of legal expenses. This isn’t about shirking responsibility – it’s about ensuring fairness so everyone is paying their own way and adequately protected by their insurance.”

Oregon professional service contracts often require design professionals – including engineers, architects, surveyors, landscape architects and planners – to defend others involved in projects for legal claims or damages even though the design professional is not responsible. This “duty to defend” language is legally problematic, expensive and a barrier to entry for many small, emerging, women and minority owned businesses, and is uninsurable by professional liability insurance carriers.

“As a Hispanic woman who founded and owns a small engineering firm, I’m urging Oregon lawmakers to pass Senate Bill 1575, which will protect businesses like mine from state and local government’s unfair contract practices. It will also allow our industry to help Gov. Tina Kotek meet her affordable housing project goals,” said Tina Adams, Professional Engineer and President of Casso Consulting, Inc. “It’s hypocritical and patronizing that we should be forced to risk financial ruin by agreeing to a government contract to build affordable housing for the houseless people in our communities. It is particularly offensive that state and local governments require a 20% to 30% small business participation goal for public works projects but still allow their legal counsel and procurement officers to include this small business killer clause.”

Businesses purchase liability insurance to protect themselves from legal harm. However, there is limited professional liability insurance available to engineers, architects and land surveyors that covers the legal expenses for others involved in construction projects. This leaves Oregon’s design professionals stuck in an unfair situation with no way to protect themselves other than to unfairly assume the risk and hope for the best or forgo designing projects. Often, design firms do make the tough decision to walk away from contracts, but they cannot walk away every time. When designers are compelled to sign these agreements, they are committing their business assets to pay these costs, regardless of fault. Because these risks are significant, and potentially catastrophic, the result is fewer firms seeking such work at a time when the Governor has prioritized affordable housing projects.

SB 1575, introduced by state Sens. Floyd Prozanski and Kim Thatcher, would require each party to a construction contract be responsible for their own negligence or fault. This means parties will pay damages based on the actual liability, rather than mere alleged liability, allowing them to purchase the proper insurance and compete on an even playing field.

Oregon is home to more than 100 engineering and surveying businesses, which employ nearly 4,000 people. With Senate passage of SB 1575, Oregon is one step closer to joining California, Colorado, Utah and Washington in having laws stating a design professional will only be responsible for defense costs to the proportionate extent of their liability or fault. The bill will now be considered in the

US DEPARTMENT OF LABOR ANNOUNCES FINAL RULE TO MODERNIZE DAVIS-BACON ACT

PLSO Office — Thu, 21 Sep 2023 18:00:33 GMT

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the issuance of the final rule “Updating the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts Regulation” to update regulations that implement the Davis-Bacon Act and Davis-Bacon and Related Acts to reflect better the needs of construction workers on federal construction investments.

The announcement follows a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on March 18, 2022, which received comments from construction industry and labor stakeholders that helped inform the regulatory updates. The updates are the most comprehensive in decades.

The final rule provides greater clarity and enhances the DBRA regulations’ effectiveness in the modern economy. These updates strengthen and streamline the process for setting and enforcing wage rates on federally funded construction projects to make sure that federal government infrastructure investments are also investments in U.S. workers.

“Modernizing the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts is key to making sure that the jobs being created under the Biden-Harris administration’s Investing in America agenda are good jobs, and that workers get the fair wages and benefits they deserve on federally funded constructions projects across the nation,” said Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su. “This updated rule will create pathways to the middle class for more families and help level the playing field for high-road employers because companies who exploit their workers, or who don’t pay workers fairly, should never have a competitive advantage.”

The final rule’s regulatory changes improve the department’s ability to administer and enforce DBRA labor standards more effectively and efficiently. These changes include the following:

Creating new efficiencies in the prevailing wage update system and making sure prevailing wage rates keep up with actual wages which, over time, would mean higher wages for workers.
Returning to the definition of “prevailing wage” used from 1935 to 1983 to ensure prevailing wages reflect actual wages paid to workers in the local community.
Periodically updating prevailing wage rates to address out-of-date wage determinations.
Providing broader authority to adopt state or local wage determinations when certain criteria are met
Issuing supplemental rates for key job classifications when no survey data exists.
Updating the regulatory language to better reflect modern construction practices.
Strengthening worker protections and enforcement, including debarment and anti-retaliation provisions.

The DBRA requirements apply to an estimated tens of billions of dollars in federal and federally assisted construction spending each year and provide minimum wage rates for hundreds of thousands of U.S. construction workers. The department expects a significant increase in the numbers of industry workers due to the historic investments in federally funded construction projects made possible by legislation such as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

“In light of recent investments in our nation’s infrastructure, modernized regulations are more important than ever to ensure fair wages and benefits for the workers who build and repair our roads, bridges, federal buildings and energy infrastructure,” said Principal Deputy Wage and Hour Division Administrator Jessica Looman. “They will help set correct wage rates for workers on these federally funded construction projects that better reflect the realities of today’s labor market.”

New federal investments will support projects related to clean energy, power and water infrastructure improvements, legacy pollution remediation, and renovation to the nation’s broadband and transportation infrastructures.

The DBRA’s purpose is to ensure employers on federally funded or assisted construction projects pay locally prevailing wages to construction workers and to prevent the unintended consequence of depressing workers’ wages during the government’s construction contracting activity.

The final rule will be effective 60 days after its publication in the Federal Register. Learn more about the final rule to modernize Davis-Bacon Act regulations.

Learn more about DBRA worker protections or the Wage and Hour Division. You may also call toll-free 1-866-4US-WAGE to speak directly and confidentially to a trained Wage and Hour Division professional. The division protects workers regardless of where they are from and can communicate with workers in more than 200 languages.

Classroom Investigation: Cadastral Surveying

PLSO Office — Tue, 18 Jul 2023 18:34:28 GMT

BLM is excited to announce the newly released Cadastral Surveying Classroom Investigation - Secondary School Teaching Guide

Classroom Investigations Teaching materials address topics related to the programs and mission of the BLM, and are targeted to learners in secondary schools.

An excerpt from the introduction: Students will apply cadastral surveying knowledge, history, and techniques to their school environment. From its three activities, students will:

1. Describe how and why Congress developed the Public Land Survey System, define land tenure and public domain in the United States, and discuss how public domain, land tenure, and the Public Land Survey System shaped the United States.
2. Understand the basic design of the Public Land Survey System, interpret aliquot descriptions of land, and map a location in their classroom using an aliquot description.
3. Review surveying methods and tools, calculate acreages and angles using survey computations, and map an area at their school using survey computations.

Through this teaching guide, students will learn how the development of the Public Land Survey System was vital to the establishment of land ownership and government revenue in the early days of the United States. They will also learn how the survey system promoted European-American settlement in newly acquired areas of the country. The lessons will introduce students to public domain, the Public Land Survey System, and surveying methods and tools. Students will use surveying techniques to map their classrooms and to practice being a surveyor for a day. They will also complete calculations using measurements from the survey system.

Although designed for middle school students, the unit can be adapted for high school and upper elementary levels. Students engage in diverse cognitive skills such as speaking, drawing, interpreting graphics, problem solving, and teaching roles as they progress through the unit.

The unit supports innovative strategies in education, such as:
● Social and emotional learning: Students participate in small groups in which they work together, listen and speak to one another, and collaborate.
● Interdisciplinary instruction: As they progress through the unit, students define and discuss the historical background of the Public Land Survey System, interpret aliquot descriptions of land, and map an area at their school using survey computations.

The curriculum is flexible. It can be adapted so each activity in the unit takes one 45-minute class period, for a total of three class periods. The activities work best as a collective unit that progresses from Public Land Survey System development, to describing surveyed lands, to being a surveyor for a day.

Click for the guide:

https://www.blm.gov/sites/default/files/docs/2023-05/Classroom%20Investigation%20Cadastral%20Surveying.pdf

End of Session Report

PLSO Office — Fri, 07 Jul 2023 19:02:22 GMT

By Darrell W. Fuller, PLSO Lobbyist [Click to where July eNews left off]

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

It will take a few weeks -- perhaps longer -- to really understand what happened in the Capitol DMZ that was the final days of the 82^nd Legislative Assembly.

News stories, legislators, reporters, lobbyists, and pundits alike have been using words like “turbulent”, “frantic”, “rancor”, “chaotic”, “exasperating” and “tumultuous”. Here are some of the better stories if you’d like to do a deeper dive in to our political dysfunction:

One of the Governor’s highest priority bills – HB3414 – died in the final day of the session. It was a centerpiece of her drive to combat homelessness. You can read more here. Even a crime victim nonprofit inadvertently (apparently) lost funding. You can read more here.

This session was the most frustrating I’ve endured in my thirty years of Oregon politics (sheesh, I’m really old). Not because of the historic walk out by Senate Republicans, but because they returned. Whether you think they should, or should not, have walked out, the move killed everything in the legislative pipeline – good and bad. And, there was definitely more bad than good. But it only worked if they stayed out. And they didn’t.

The walk out was generally based on gun rights, abortion, and “gender affirming care”. These are not business issues, nor PLSO issues. But when the Senate GOP cut a deal to return, some bad business bills which might have been dead prior to the walkout quickly moved from the dustbin to the fast track. And PLSO was victimized -- twice.

One bill PLSO strongly opposed – HB3187 relating to Certified Water Rights Examiners – would have died if the Republicans had stayed out. But once they returned, the spigot was turned on as Senate Republicans apparently agreed to let bills on their “bad bill” list pass through the process (HB3187 was on the Senate Republican bad bill list at one time. We weren’t told when it was negotiated away).

Supporters of HB3187 went a step further to ensure their success, adding the text of HB3187 as part of a 50-page amendment to House Bill 2010. HB2010 – relating to water – started out as a nine-line bill to study water issues (we call them “placeholder” bills). At 11:16 AM on June 8^th, the 50-page amendment was published. Less than two hours later, the amendment was adopted by a Ways & Means Subcommittee. I don’t even track bills “relating to water” for PLSO. Pure and simple, we (I) got rolled, and then rolled again.

The faint silver lining for HB3187 and HB2010 is the new law does include a 2027 “sunset” clause. That means the law expires in 2027. So, the legislature will need to reauthorize it. We have between now and 2027 to work on the issue through OSBEELS and our Legislative Committee.

Adding insult to injury, another bill – this time one PLSO supported – Senate Bill 848 (protection from duty to defend provisions in certain contracts), was left in the dustbin. SB848 had no known opposition. It was a hard-fought compromise. It was bipartisan. It was championed by the Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee (Senator Floyd Prozanski). But the bill ended up in Ways & Means and did not make it onto the list of bills to be “worked” at the end of the session. I think this bill has a chance of success during next year’s short 35-day session in February. Stay tuned.

Such a frustrating session.

The 82^nd Oregon Legislative Assembly began on January 9, 2023 with fanfare and new leadership. The Constitution required them to finish by midnight, June 25^th. They beat the clock by about six hours, leaving the still-under-construction-Capitol with plenty of bumps and bruises. It wasn’t pretty.

During the Session, lawmakers introduced 2,970 bills, memorials, and resolutions. Of those, 697 were passed by both Chambers.

With this report are two PDFs. One includes all the bills I tracked specifically for PLSO (I added HB2010 even though I hadn’t been tracking it), one lists the general business bills I tracked on behalf of all my clients.

PLSO PRIORITY BILLS

On behalf of PLSO, I follow bills which will, or may, have an impact on land surveyors. I also track bills with a general impact on business in Oregon. Below are links to both the industry-specific bills I tracked, and the general businesses bills I tracked. Here is some information on just a few of the major bills of interest:

House Bill 2029 / Bill Information

Summary: Increases minimum type size for instruments presented for recording to county clerk.

Relating To: Relating to instruments presented for recording to county clerk.

Status: 3/24/23 H Chapter 3, (2023 Laws): Effective date January 1, 2024.

House Bill 2010-A / Bill Information

Summary: Directs Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board to establish program to provide grants to water suppliers. Details of bill include making certain changes related to requirements for certification as a water rights examiner.

Relating To: Relating to water; and declaring an emergency.

Status: 6/25/23 - Effective date January 1, 2024.

House Bill 2057 / Bill Information

Summary: Makes contractor jointly and severally liable in civil or administrative action for unpaid wages, including other benefit payment or contributions] of unrepresented employee of subcontractor at any tier. Provides statute of limitations for actions regarding recovery for unpaid and overtime wages. Permits third party owed payment or contribution made as part of employee compensation to bring action against contractor on behalf of employee for unpaid wages. Requires subcontractor to provide certain payroll records and other information to contractor upon request. Permits contractor to withhold payment to subcontractor for failure to comply with request for records under certain circumstances. (Bold added by amendment, italic deleted by amendment from original bill)

Relating To: Relating to wages.

Status: 6/25/23 – At President’s desk upon adjournment, Sine Die. Dead for this session.

House Bill 3187 / Bill Information

Summary: Makes individuals who possess relevant technical experience and are employed seven or more years by certain types of districts, and certain types of registered professionals, eligible to apply for certification as water right examiners. Sunsets July 1, 2027.

Relating To: Relating to water right examiners.

Sponsors: Rep Owens, Rep Helm

Status: 6/28/23 - Effective date January 1, 2024.

House Bill 3362 / Bill Information

Allows county to validate unit of land that had been approved for recognition that was later revoked after sale to innocent purchaser. Sunsets January 2, 2025. Until April 1, 2024, allows additional appeals to Land Use Board of Appeals challenging certain [template dwelling] land use approvals based on forgery for noninnocent purchasers.

Relating To: Relating to validation of unit of land acquired by innocent purchaser; amending ORS 92.176.

Status: 6/28/23 - Effective date January 1, 2024.

Senate Bill 304 / Bill Information

Summary: Establishes Task Force on Occupational Licensing. Directs task force to study value of occupational licensing regulatory agency. Permits task force to presession file legislation. Requires task force to report to Legislative Assembly. Sunsets December 31, 2024. Takes effect on 91st day following adjournment sine die.

Relating To: Relating to a task force on occupational licensing; and prescribing an effective date. Sponsors: Sen Dembrow, Sen Jama

Status: 6/25/23 S - In committee upon adjournment, Sine Die. Dead for 2023.

Senate Bill 848 / Bill Information

Summary: Extends provision relating to indemnification provisions in construction agreements to all types of damages. Provides that extent of obligation of person providing certain services to defend, indemnify or hold harmless another may be determined only after person's liability or fault is determined by adjudication or alternative dispute resolution or otherwise resolved by mutual agreement.

Relating To: Relating to construction agreements; creating new provisions; and amending ORS 30.140.

Status: 6/25/23 S - In committee upon adjournment, Sine Die. Dead for 2023.

If you have questions about this report, or anything related to the Legislative Session, politics, policy, regulatory enforcement, or the upcoming elections in 2024, reach out to me at your convenience.

Darrell Fuller has been a lobbyist since 1996. He started his career in politics and policy as an intern in the Capitol in 1987. You can reach him at fuller_darrell@yahoo.com, or at 971-388-1786.

End of May Legislative Report

PLSO Office — Fri, 09 Jun 2023 16:26:54 GMT

By Darrell W. Fuller
PLSO Lobbyist

FEDERAL UPDATE

The U.S House Agricultural Committee held a “listening session” in Albany on Friday, June 2^nd, to take testimony on the 2023 Farm Bill. Two Oregon members of Congress – Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-5^th) and Andrea Salinas (D-6^th) sit on the Agriculture Committee.

Working with NSPS Lobbyist JB Byrd and PLSO Lobbyist Darrell Fuller, local Professional Land Surveyor Tony Brooks provided testimony on behalf of surveyors during the hearing. NSPS is lobbying members of the Agricultural Committee to include the BASE Mapping Act as an amendment to the 2023 Farm Bureau. Both before and after the hearing, Brooks and Fuller met with members of the Congress attending the hearing (including Chair Glenn “GT” Thompson from Pennsylvania, and two visiting Members from California, Doug LaMalfa and David Valadao) to answer questions.

PLSO members also lobbied for the BASE Mapping Act and FEMA NFIP during a trip to Washington, DC in late March. NSPS Director from Oregon, Pat Gaylord, joined Brenton Griffin, Ben Stacy and Fuller to visit Oregon’s delegation of Senate and House Members. It was a very productive trip.

OREGON LEGISLATURE

The 82^nd Assembly of the Oregon Legislature began on January 9, 2023. The Constitution requires them to finish by June 25^th. But the session appears to have ended in early May when Senate Republicans started a “work stoppage” or strike. By refusing to attend the daily floor sessions to vote on potential legislation, Senate Republicans have brought the Capitol to a screeching halt. Democrats, who have a commanding majority in the Senate (and the House), do not have enough members to constitute a quorum to do business. So, when the Republicans walk out, the Democrats can’t do anything.

At this point, it appears the Republicans will stay until, forcing the session to end with no budget and hundreds of bills dying without final action on the Senate floor. Lacking a budget, the Legislature will need to return at some point to pass a budget – the only constitutional obligation of the Assembly. Earlier this year, the Legislature did pass a Continuing Resolution which allows the government to continue operating without a new budget (the fiscal year begins July 1^st) until September 30^th.

Without getting into the reasons for the walkout, which have nothing to do with land surveying or business-related issues, the walkout does impact issues of import to surveyors. It is best to categorize it as “good news/bad news”.

The good news is the walkout has effective killed House Bill 3187 (see below), which would have allowed someone who is not a surveyor, engineer or geologist sit for the CWRE test. This is bad public policy and PLSO and ACEC were in the pitched battle to stop the bill from becoming law.

The bad news is the walkout has also frozen Senate Bill 848 (also see below), which PLSO has been working on for years. SB848 would have protected design professionals from some so-called Duty to Defend provisions in contracts. SB848 was carefully negotiated and no opposition. It is in the queue to pass without opposition, but only if Republicans return before the June 25^th deadline.

I don’t have any special “insider” information, but my prediction at this point is the session ends June 25^th, the politicians all go home to celebrater Independence Day and after a cooling off period (tensions are pretty high at the Capitol right now), staff and leadership will begin looking for a path forward. Then, they will return in late August or early September to adopt a consensus budget (before the September 15 shut down deadline). The special session may also include a small number of bills. But this is truly just a guess. It is possible an agreement will be reached before the June 25^th deadline.

PLSO PRIORITY BILLS

On behalf of PLSO, I follow bills which will, or may, have an impact on land surveyors. I also track bills with a general impact on business in Oregon. Below are links to both the industry-specific bills I am tracking, and the general businesses bills I am tracking. Here is some information on just a couple of the major bills of interest:

House Bill 3187 / Bill Information

certification as water right examiners. (Bold added by amendment, italic deleted by amendment from original bill)

Relating To: Relating to water right examiners; amending ORS 537.797 and 537.798.

Status:

5/30/23 S Recommendation: Do pass with amendments to the A-Eng. bill. (Printed B-End.)

5/17/23 S Work Session held (bill amended and passed out of committee)

4/19/23 S Public Hearing held (PLSO testified against the bill).

3/31/23 S Referred to Natural Resources.

3/28/23 S First reading. Referred to President's desk.

3/27/23 H Third reading. Carried by Owens. Passed.

3/23/23 H Rules suspended. Carried over to March 27, 2023 Calendar.

3/22/23 H Second reading.

3/21/23 H Recommendation: Do pass with amendments and be printed A-Engrossed.

3/14/23 H Work Session held.

2/14/23 H Public Hearing held.

2/2/23 H Referred to Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water.

2/2/23 H First reading. Referred to Speaker's desk.

Senate Bill 848 / Bill Information

Relating To: Relating to construction agreements; creating new provisions; and amending ORS 30.140.

Status:

4/12/23 S Referred to Ways & Means by order of the President.

4/12/23 S Recommendation: Do pass with amendments and be referred to Ways & Means.

4/3/23 S Work Session held.

3/1/23 S Public Hearing held.

2/23/23 S Public Hearing Cancelled.

2/3/23 S Referred to Judiciary.

2/2/23 S Introduction and first reading. Referred to President's desk.

Darrell Fuller has been a lobbyist in Salem since 1996. He can be reached by phone at 971-388-1786 and by email at fuller_darrell@yahoo.com.

Republican Rep. Glenn "GT" Thompson (PA-15), will host a Farm Bill listening session in Albany, Oregon, on Friday, June 2nd

PLSO Office — Thu, 25 May 2023 23:39:32 GMT

The Chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture, Republican Rep. Glenn "GT" Thompson (PA-15), will host a Farm Bill listening session in Albany, Oregon, on Friday, June 2^nd at 10:30 AM. It will be held in The Forum at the Linn-Benton Community College. Land Surveyors play an important role in Agriculture, and we need to speak up during this important Listening Session.

Mr. Thompson will be joined by Republican Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (OR-05) and Democratic Rep. Andrea Salinas (OR-06), along with bipartisan Members of the House Committee on Agriculture. The event will bring together farmers, ranchers, producers, agribusiness owners, and more to solicit public feedback—an integral part of the Farm Bill reauthorization process. All members of the Committee have been invited to participate as well as the Oregon Congressional delegation.

Land Surveyors able to attend the Listening Session can register to provide input during the meeting here (you will be limited to two minutes, but the link also has an email address to which you can send written comments even if you don’t attend in person). Signing up is not a guarantee you will be called to offer comments during the meeting. However, if you can attend and are willing to offer comments on behalf of PLSO, here are some brief “talking points”:

Thank you for coming to Oregon. Agriculture is important to our state and updated land surveying data is vital to our farming communities;
Obtaining current survey data is crucial to farming because it can be used to create efficiencies (and also provides vital data for fire mitigation, erosion control, water storage, and flood mapping);
While most of the U.S. has already been mapped to 3DEP standards, large portions of rural Oregon have yet to be mapped;
When mapping is done, the data is available to the Federal government, state and local governments, and the private sector, including farmers and ranchers, so there is high return on the Federal investment in updated survey mapping; and
Professional Land Surveyors across the country visited Washington, DC, in March asking members of Congress to sponsor and support the Broadband Asset Surety Enhancement Mapping Act, or the BASE Mapping Act. I am asking you all to READ the BASE Mapping Act information sent to your office and to make it one of your priorities for inclusion in the 2023 Farm Bill.

If you can’t attend, please consider using the link to email comments to the committee.

Click here to see the DRAFT language for the BASE Mapping Act.

If you plan to attend, will you please let our lobbyist, Darrell Fuller, know? You can email him at fuller_darrell@Yahoo.com. And, if you have any questions, he will be happy to help. You can also reach him by phone at 971-388-1786.

UESI Surveying and Geomatics 2024 Conference - Call for Abstracts Now Open

PLSO Office — Wed, 10 May 2023 20:14:41 GMT

UESI Surveying and Geomatics 2024 Conference - Call for Abstracts Now Open

The Call for Abstracts for the UESI Surveying and Geomatics 2024 Conference is now open. With the theme of "Surveying: the Foundation for Geospatial Data Fusion," this will be a valuable event for professional surveyors, engineers and academics practicing and researching in professional surveying and geomatics.

Taking place in beautiful and historic Corvallis, Oregon, June 2 – 4, 2024, this conference is a joint effort of UESI, Oregon State University, SaGES and AAGS. Submit your abstract by June 30. Abstracts for presentations and panel sessions are being accepted.

LEARN MORE AND SUBMIT ABSTRACT

End of March Legislative Report

PLSO Office — Tue, 11 Apr 2023 05:05:46 GMT

By Darrell W. Fuller | Lobbyist [CLICK TO GO TO WHERE NEWSLETTER LEFT OFF]

The 82^nd Assembly of the Oregon Legislature began on January 9, 2023. As April begins, don’t expect to see Rihanna strutting around the state Capitol like she did at the Super Bowl Half Time Show, but be assured, it is half time in Salem.

OREGON LEGISLATURE

BY THE NUMBERS

4,922: Number of bills which have been introduced since the start of the Legislative Session. About half of them died in Committee on April 4^th which was “moving day”. Bill had to move out of their original committee or they were dead for this year (the deadline doesn’t count for bills in Ways & Means, Revenue and Finance, Transportation or Rules – that’ a lot of bills).

160: Number of days in the Session. Wednesday, April 5^th was day 80^th day.

17^th: The day in May when state budget analysts will tell lawmakers how much money they have to spend on the 2023-25 biennial budget. That budget forecast will be the clarion call for the rush to finish the session by the Constitutional June 25^th deadline.

340: Number of bills I was tracking for all my clients prior to the committee deadline.

230: Number of bills I am now tracking for my clients.

(Hat tip to reporter extraordinaire Dick Hughes and his Capital Chatter column at OregonCapitalInsider.com for some of the numbers.)

PLSO PRIORITY BILLS

On behalf of PLSO, I follow bills which will, or may, have an impact on land surveyors. I also track bills with a general impact on business in Oregon. Below are links to both the industry-specific bills I am tracking, and the general businesses bills I am tracking. Here is some information on just a couple of the major bills of interest:

House Bill 2029 / Bill Information

Summary: Increases minimum type size for instruments presented for recording to county clerk.

Relating To: Relating to instruments presented for recording to county clerk.

Status:

3/24/23 H           Chapter 3, (2023 Laws): Effective date January 1, 2024.
3/13/23 H           Governor signed.
3/7/23 S           President signed.
3/6/23 H           Speaker signed.

House Bill 2057 / Bill Information

Relating To: Relating to wages.

Status:

4/5/23 H Rules suspended. Carried over to April 6, 2023 Calendar.

4/4/23 H Second reading.

4/3/23 H Recommendation: Do pass with amendments and be printed A-Engrossed.

3/27/23 H Work Session held.

3/8/23 H Public Hearing held.

1/11/23 H Referred to Business and Labor.

1/9/23 H First reading. Referred to Speaker's desk.

House Bill 2213 / Bill Information

Summary: Changes minimum contract price at which prevailing rate of wage applies to public works projects from $50,000 to amount Commissioner of Bureau of Labor and Industries specifies by rule. Provides that commissioner shall set contract price at $100,000 for year ending on December 31, 2024, and each year by March 31 must specify new contract price that reflects percentage change in U.S. City Average Consumer Price Index for previous calendar year. Takes effect on 91st day following adjournment sine die.

Relating To: Relating to an increase in the contract price at which the prevailing rate of wage applies to a contract for public works; creating new provisions; amending ORS 279C.810; and prescribing an effective date.

Sponsors: Rep Smith DB, Rep Morgan

Status:

DEAD FOR THIS SESSION

House Bill 3187 / Bill Information

certification as water right examiners. (Bold added by amendment, italic deleted by amendment from original bill)

Relating To: Relating to water right examiners; amending ORS 537.797 and 537.798.

Status:

4/12/23 S Public Hearing Scheduled.

3/31/23 S Referred to Natural Resources.

3/28/23 S First reading. Referred to President's desk.

3/27/23 H Third reading. Carried by Owens. Passed.

3/23/23 H Rules suspended. Carried over to March 27, 2023 Calendar.

3/22/23 H Second reading.

3/21/23 H Recommendation: Do pass with amendments and be printed A-Engrossed.

3/14/23 H Work Session held.

2/14/23 H Public Hearing held.

2/2/23 H Referred to Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water.

2/2/23 H First reading. Referred to Speaker's desk.

THIS IMPORTANT BILL IS IN PLAY. THE 4/12 HEARING SCHEDULED HAS BEEN POSTPONED. PLSO AND ACEC ARE OPPOSED. WATCH YOUR EMAIL FOR MORE INFORMATION.

House Bill 3362 / Bill Information

Summary: Allows city or county to validate unit of land that had been approved for creation or recognition that was later revoked after sale to innocent purchaser.

Relating To: Relating to validation of unit of land acquired by innocent purchaser; amending ORS 92.176.

Status:

4/4/23 H Public Hearing and Work Session held.

2/28/23 H Referred to Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water.

2/21/23 H First reading. Referred to Speaker's desk.

A LAST MINUTE HEARING AND AMENDMENT ADOPTED DURING THE WORK SESSION HAS KEPT THIS BILL ALIVE. STAY TUNED.

Senate Bill 304 / Bill Information

Relating To: Relating to a task force on occupational licensing; and prescribing an effective date. Sponsors: Sen Dembrow, Sen Jama

Status:

3/10/23 S Referred to Ways and Means by prior reference.

3/10/23 S Recommendation: Do pass with amendments and be referred to Ways and Means by prior reference. (Printed A-Eng.)

3/7/23 S Public Hearing and Work Session held.

2/7/23 S Public Hearing held.

1/31/23 S Public Hearing held.

1/13/23 S Referred to Labor and Business, then Ways and Means.

1/9/23 S Introduction and first reading. Referred to President's desk.

THE REFERRAL TO WAYS AND MEANS KEEPS THIS BILL ALIVE UNTIL THE END OF SESSION

Senate Bill 848 / Bill Information

Relating To: Relating to construction agreements; creating new provisions; and amending ORS 30.140.

Status:

4/3/23 S             Work Session held.
3/1/23 S             Public Hearing held.
2/23/23 S           Public Hearing Cancelled.
2/3/23 S             Referred to Judiciary.
2/2/23 S             Introduction and first reading. Referred to President's desk.

AN AGREEMENT BETWEEN DESIGN PROFESSIONALS, TRIAL LAWYERS, AND AGC WILL MOVE THIS AMENDED BILL THROUGH THE PROCESS WITH A PARTIAL VICTORY

STATE LEGISLATIVE WRAP UP FOR NOW

The politicians can see the light at the end of the tunnel. April snow brings May flowers, or something like that. But warm weather also gives the politicians a sense of cabin fever. Keep your eyes open for monthly updates. In the meantime, please stay tuned. PLSO will send urgent updates if your help is needed in Salem. Your email, or phone call, could be pivotal in the success or failure of legislation. If you would like to visit with me, just reach out.

CONGRESSIONAL UPDATE

A delegation of five Oregonians visited Washington, DC, in late March to lobby Oregon’s two U.S. Senators and our six Members of the U.S. House of Representatives. As your lobbyist, I was pleased to be a part of the PLSO delegation. I assisted with scheduling appointments and helping our surveyors navigate Capitol Hill. Our delegation had meetings with all eight offices.

The Oregon delegation was scheduled to have four in-person meetings (Congressmen Earl Blumenauer and Cliff Bentz, and Congresswomen Lori Chavez-DeRemer and Val Hoyle) and four staff-level meetings (Senators Merkley and Wyden, and Congresswomen Suzanne Bonamici and Andrea Salinas). Regrettably Congresswoman Hoyle tested positive for COVID the day before our meeting, so we ended up meeting with her staff as she quarantined at home.

When it comes to surveying, Oregon has a powerhouse delegation. We can have an impact on the national level if we develop and leverage relationships. Congressman Cliff Bentz was a private practice attorney specializing in water law in Eastern Oregon prior to entering the world of politics, so he has deep knowledge of surveying, including LIDAR and 3DEP technologies. He now Chairs the Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries of the Natural Resources Committee. Congresswoman Val Hoyle also serves on Bentz’s Subcommittee.

Congresswoman Chavez-DeRemer and Salinas are both Members of the Agriculture Committee. And Congresswoman Chavez-DeRemer is also a Member of the Infrastructure and Transportation Committee, which is a key to the surveying community. This is great news. The previous Chair of the Committee was Oregon Congressman Peter DeFazio, who has retired.

We had very productive meetings. NSPS is hoping to add language to this year’s Farm Bill, which is in the Agriculture Committee (Chavez-DeRemer and Salinas). You can read about NSPS’s ask here. NSPS is also interested in getting the IMAGES Act introduced. You can read about it here. Because of his background in water law, Congressman Bentz had a robust discussion on specific provisions of the IMAGES Act, which was very exciting.

Oregon’s two U.S. Senators are also in powerful positions, with Senator Wyden as Chair of the Finance Committee, and Senator Merkley on the Appropriations Committee (where tax dollars are spent).

Darrell Fuller has been a lobbyist in Salem since 1996. He can be reached by phone at 971-388-1786 and by email at fuller_darrell@yahoo.com.

DON’T FORGET: THE NUTS AND BOLTS OF HAVING AN IMPACT IN SALEM

Do you know who your State Senator and State Representative are in Salem? You can input your address and find out here. Your business location may be represented by a different Senator and Representative, meaning you can have twice the impact. You should know who represents you, and how to reach them during the Legislative Session.

Do you personally know any State Senator or State Representative (even if they don’t represent you)? Do you attend the same church? Are you members of the same Rotary Club? Do your kids go to school together, or play on the same team? An established relationship with a legislator can be extremely valuable. If you have that kind of relationship, will you please let me know ASAP? Thanks, my contact information is at the end of this report.

If you want to testify (in person or virtually) in support or opposition to any proposal at the Capitol, you can learn how by clicking here. If you would like to submit written testimony, you can learn how by clicking here. If you have questions or problems, feel free to contact me directly (my contact information is at the end of this report).

If you would like to offer your perspective or expertise to PLSO on any of the proposals, please send your input to the PLSO office by emailing office@plso.org, or contact your Chapter Legislative Chair.

You can also register to track specific bills so you will know if they are scheduled for action. You can learn more about that process here.

A Quality Internship Program is an Important Recruiting Tool

PLSO Office — Wed, 08 Mar 2023 20:27:35 GMT

Does your company have or want to create an internship program? A quality program can be a powerful recuiting tool for new graduates. Not only have you spent summers teaching them what you want your employees to know, you've already gotten to know each other. But what's important to remember is that an intern should not just be an entry level employee pounding hubs all summer because nobody else wants to do it. Internships are about creating the future workforce our profession needs to be successful. Think of it as a two to three month interview for both of you.

Before hiring any intern you should put serious thought into envisioning the knowledge you want a new graduate to know and be able to accomplish their first year as a full time survey technician. Once you have that in mind, how are you going to ensure they learn how to do what you've outlined out under your internship program? To get started, here are some quick points to think about:

Timeframe: Have a clear start and end point with entry and exit surveys so you can measure how much they learned during their time with you. From that information you can refine your program each year.
Framework: Write down as many skills and experiences you think would be beneficial for an intern and then work them into an order that flows nicely, building skillsets naturally.
Establish an Intern Coordinator: Giving interns a point of contact and one person responsible for ensuring they get the most out of their experience is crucial.
Create a mentor or buddy system: Interns will already receive feedback from their senior supervisor. Creating a system where a more junior employee serves as a buddy to help answer questions can create a more relaxed environment.
Goals and check-ins: Make sure you both have a clear understanding of what you want out of the experience and then check-in often to see if all expectations are being met. Don't wait until the end of the program to communicate where you both came up short.
Stay in touch: You can keep teaching them what you want them to know, increasing their responsibility each year. Or simply staying in touch just might land you an amazingly well trained full-time employee.

Send PLSO Your Internship Program Description and Contact Information

Our state and community college program coordinators have asked that PLSO become a place for students to find out who has internship programs. Help us make that happen by sending us a short description and contact information that we can permantly keep on our website. Contact Aimee in the office at execdirector@plso.org.

End of February Legislative Report

PLSO Office — Wed, 08 Mar 2023 01:28:50 GMT

By Darrell W. Fuller | Lobbyist [CLICK TO WHERE eNEWS LEFT OFF]

The 82^nd Assembly of the Oregon Legislature began on January 9, 2023. As we rush into “Spring” (I used quotation mark since it is still snowing, after all), committees are soon to face their first big deadline of the session. And this deadline is a biggie.

On or before St. Patrick’s Day, most committees must post final Work Sessions on all bills originating in that chamber. Work sessions are meetings where bills can be amended, and/or moved from the committee to the floor of that chamber for a final vote. If a bill is not on the schedule by March 17, it is dead for 2023. This deadline will dramatically reduce the number of bills under consideration this year.

The posting deadline is followed rapidly by the last day to hold a work session on bills from the chamber of origin (Work Sessions on House Bill in House Committees and Work Sessions in Senate Committees on Senate Bills). That deadline is April 4^th. Starting April 5^th, Senate Committees may only work on House Bills and House Committees may only work on Senate Bills.

This is government, so there are a myriad of exceptions to each of these rules.

PLSO PRIORITY BILLS (SO FAR)

On behalf of PLSO, I follow bills which will, or may, have an impact on land surveyors. I also track bills with a general impact on business in Oregon. Below are links to both the industry-specific bills I am tracking, and the general businesses bills I am tracking (so far). Here is some information on just a couple of the major bills of interest:

House Bill 2029 / Bill Information

Summary: Increases minimum type size for instruments presented for recording to county clerk. Relating To: Relating to instruments presented for recording to county clerk.

Status:

THIS BILL HAS PASSED THE SENATE AND HOUSE AND IS ON ITS WAY TO THE GOVERNOR FOR FINAL APPROVAL.

3/6/23 H - Speaker signed.

3/1/23 S - Third reading. Carried by Manning Jr. Passed.

2/28/23 S - Carried over to 03-01 by unanimous consent.

2/27/23 S - Second reading. 2/27/23 S - Recommendation: Do pass.

2/21/23 S - Work Session held.

2/16/23 S - Public Hearing held.

2/3/23 S - Referred to Rules.

2/2/23 S - First reading. Referred to President's desk.

1/31/23 H - Third reading. Carried by Nosse. Passed.

1/26/23 H - Second reading.

1/25/23 H - Recommendation: Do pass.

1/24/23 H - Work Session held.

1/17/23 H - Public Hearing held. 1

/11/23 H - Referred to Rules.

1/9/23 H - First reading. Referred to Speaker's desk

House Bill 2057 / Bill Information

Summary: Makes contractor liable for unpaid wages, including other benefit payment or contributions of employee of subcontractor at any tier. Permits third party owed payment or contribution made as part of employee compensation to bring action against contractor on behalf of employee for unpaid wages. Requires subcontractor to provide certain payroll records and other information to contractor upon request. Permits contractor to withhold payment to subcontractor for failure to comply with request for records.

Relating To: Relating to wages.

Status:

3/8/23 H - Public Hearing scheduled.

1/11/23 H - Referred to Business and Labor.

1/9/23 H - First reading. Referred to Speaker's desk

(Do you know any of the committee members?)

House Bill 2213 / Bill Information

Sponsors: Rep Smith DB, Rep Morgan

Status:

1/11/23 H - Referred to Business and Labor.

1/9/23 H - First reading. Referred to Speaker's desk.

House Bill 3362 / Bill Information

Summary: Allows city or county to validate unit of land that had been approved for creation or recognition that was later revoked after sale to innocent purchaser.

Relating To: Relating to validation of unit of land acquired by innocent purchaser; amending ORS 92.176.

Status:

2/28/23 H - Referred to Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water.

2/21/23 H - First reading. Referred to Speaker's desk.

Senate Bill 304 / Bill Information

Summary: Establishes Task Force on Occupational Licensing. Directs task force to study value of occupational licensing regulatory agency. Permits task force to presession file legislation. Requires task force to report to Legislative Assembly. Sunsets December 31, 2024. Takes effect on 91st day following adjournment sine die.

Relating To: Relating to a task force on occupational licensing; and prescribing an effective date. Sponsors: Sen Dembrow, Sen Jama

Status:

3/7/23 S - Public Hearing and Possible Work Session scheduled.

2/7/23 S - Public Hearing held.

1/31/23 S - Public Hearing held.

1/13/23 S - Referred to Labor and Business, then Ways and Means.

1/9/23 S - Introduction and first reading. Referred to President's desk.

Senate Bill 848 / Bill Information

Summary: Extends provision relating to indemnification provisions in construction agreements to all types of damages. Provides that extent of obligation of person providing certain services to defend, indemnify or hold harmless another may be determined only after person's liability or fault is determined by adjudication or alternative dispute resolution or otherwise resolved by mutual agreement.

Relating To: Relating to construction agreements; creating new provisions; and amending ORS 30.140.

THE PUBLIC HEARING ON MARCH 1^ST WAS VERY PRODUCTIVE. THE CHAIR OF COMMITTEE IS HOLDING AN INFORMATION WORK GROUP HOPING TO FIND A COMPROMISE THAT CAN MOVE FORWARD THIS SESSION.

Status:

3/1/23 S - Public Hearing held.

2/23/23 S - Public Hearing Cancelled.

2/3/23 S - Referred to Judiciary.

2/2/23 S - Introduction and first reading. Referred to President's desk.

WRAP UP FOR NOW

The politicians now have a full head of steam. Keep your eyes open for monthly updates. In the meantime, please stay tuned. PLSO will send urgent updates if your help is needed in Salem. Your email, or phone call, could be pivotal in the success or failure of legislation. If you would like to visit with me, just reach out.

Darrell Fuller has been a lobbyist in Salem since 1996. He can be reached by phone at 971-388-1786 and by email at fuller_darrell@yahoo.com.

DON’T FORGET: THE NUTS AND BOLTS OF HAVING AN IMPACT IN SALEM

If you would like to offer your perspective or expertise to PLSO on any of the proposals, please send your input to the PLSO office by emailing Aimee at execdirector@plso.org, or contact your Chapter Legislative Chair.

You can also register to track specific bills so you will know if they are scheduled for action. You can learn more about that process here.

End of January Legislative Report

PLSO Office — Thu, 09 Feb 2023 03:10:04 GMT

By Darrell W. Fuller / Lobbyist [CLICK TO WHERE eNEWS LEFT OFF]

The 82^nd Assembly of the Oregon Legislature began on January 9, 2023. On day one, 1,814 bills were introduced for consideration. Since then, another 402 were added for a total of 2,216 so far. The Legislature generally considers just under 4,000 bills during the session, which will end in late June.

A handful of those bills could have a direct impact on PLSO members. I’ll list a few of the “highlights” below. But first, a couple of things to keep in mind:

THE NUTS AND BOLTS OF HAVING AN IMPACT IN SALEM

You can also register to track specific bills so you will know if they are scheduled for action. You can learn more about that process here.

PLSO PRIORITY BILLS (SO FAR)

On behalf of PLSO, I follow bills which will, or may, have an impact on land surveyors. I also track bills with a general impact on business in Oregon. Below are links to both the industry-specific bills I am tracking, and the general businesses bills I am tracking (so far). Here is some information on just a couple of the major bills of interest:

House Bill 2029 / Bill Information

Summary: Increases minimum type size for instruments presented for recording to county clerk.

Relating To: Relating to instruments presented for recording to county clerk; creating new provisions; and amending ORS 205.232.

Status:

2/3/23 S - Referred to Rules.

2/2/23 S - First reading. Referred to President's desk.

1/31/23 H - Third reading. Carried by Nosse. Passed.

1/26/23 H - Second reading.

1/25/23 H - Recommendation: Do pass.

1/24/23 H - Work Session held.

1/17/23 H - Public Hearing held.

1/11/23 H - Referred to Rules.

1/9/23 H - First reading. Referred to Speaker's desk.

Awaiting referral by the Senate President to a Senate Committee

House Bill 2057 / Bill Information

Makes contractor liable for unpaid wages, including other benefit payment or contributions of

employee of subcontractor at any tier. Permits third party owed payment or contribution made as

part of employee compensation to bring action against contractor on behalf of employee for unpaid

wages. Requires subcontractor to provide certain payroll records and other information to

contractor upon request. Permits contractor to withhold payment to subcontractor for failure to

comply with request for records.

In the House Committee on Business and Labor

(Do you know any of the committee members?)

House Bill 2213 / Bill Information

Changes minimum contract price at which prevailing rate of wage applies to public works projects

from $50,000 to amount Commissioner of Bureau of Labor and Industries specifies by rule.

Provides that commissioner shall set contract price at $100,000 for year ending on December 31,

2024, and each year by March 31 must specify new contract price that reflects percentage change in

U.S. City Average Consumer Price.

In the House Committee on Business and Labor

(Do you know any of the committee members?)

Senate Bill 304 / Bill Information

Establishes Task Force on Occupational Licensing. Directs task force to study value of occupational

licensing regulatory agency. Permits task force to presession file legislation. Requires task force to

report to Legislative Assembly. Sunsets December 31, 2024. Takes effect on 91st day following

adjournment sine die.

In the Senate Committee on Labor and Business

(Do you know any of the committee members?)

Senate Bill 848 / Bill Information

Extends provision relating to indemnification provisions in construction agreements to all types of

damages. Provides that extent of obligation of person providing certain services to defend,

indemnify or hold harmless another may be determined only after person's liability or fault is

determined by adjudication or alternative dispute resolution or otherwise resolved by mutual

agreement.

In the Senate Committee on Judiciary

(Do you know any of the committee members?)

WRAP UP FOR NOW

The politicians just got to town. They will be around for another five months. I will offer monthly updates. In the meantime, please stay tuned. PLSO will send urgent updates if your help is needed in Salem. Your email, or phone call, could be pivotal in the success or failure of legislation. If you would like to visit with me, just reach out.

Darrell Fuller has been a lobbyist in Salem since 1996. He can be reached by phone at 971-388-1786 and by email at fuller_darrell@yahoo.com.

FLAIR Act Rides Omnibus to Federal Law

PLSO Office — Fri, 06 Jan 2023 00:56:55 GMT

FAIRFAX, VA - Legislation to create a current, accurate inventory or “cadastre” of Federal land owned by the Department of the Interior as well as the U.S. Forest Service, known as the Federal Land Asset Inventory Reform (FLAIR) Act, was enacted into law as part of the Omnibus appropriations bill passed by Congress and signed by President Biden on Thursday, December 29.

The provision is found in H.R.2617the Consolidated Appropriations Act,FY 2023, also known as the Omnibus appropriations bill (4,155 pages), in Division DD – Public Land Management, Title I Department of the Interior Provisions, Sec. 103, Cadastre of Federal Real Property, beginning on page 2856.

“This is a huge victory for the geospatial community. We first wrote the FLAIR Act and had it introduced in 2005. Years of persistence and hard work by many finally paid off. John “JB” Byrd of our firm played a critical role, having been a witness at a House committee hearing on the bill earlier this year, and adroitly and with tenacity shepherding the bill through the House and Senate. When building GIS or doing survey records research, this cadastre will make such data access and integration much more efficient. It will also improve Federal land management,” said John Palatiello of Miller Wenhold Capitol Strategies and Miller Wenhold Association Management (“MW”). Among the MW clients supporting the bill were the National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS) and the U.S. Geospatial Executives Organization (US. GEO).

On Friday, December 30, One America News Network (OANN) aired an interview with Mr. Palatiello. To view the interview, click here. The bipartisan cadastre legislation, introduced in 2021 in the House by Reps. Ron Kind (D-WI) and Bruce Westerman (R-AR) and in the Senate by Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Martin Heinrich (D-NM) had earlier been approved unanimously by the respective House and Senate committees of jurisdiction before agreement was reached to include it in the Omnibus bill.

Miller/Wenhold is a federal-focused policy firm that specializes in geospatial, healthcare, transportation, engineering, infrastructure, maritime, tax, trade, small business, procurement, and education issues for clients.

The Telescope - Election Commentary from Lobbyist Darrell Fuller

PLSO Office — Fri, 11 Nov 2022 18:12:40 GMT

[Jump to eNewsletter Break]

(Caveat: Complete election results – in Oregon and across the country – won’t be known for more than a week. In Georgia, US Senate results will not be known for several weeks as they will have a runoff election in December. So, any of the conclusions I suggest could be wrong.)

There is an old cliché about the view depending a lot on which end of a telescope one looks through. That could be quite appropriate of the 2022 election results.

On the one hand, Republicans could be forgiven for expecting a huge Red Wave of victories. Nationally, Joe Biden – when compared to his predecessors -- is one of the most unpopular presidents at this point in his first term. Add to that inflation, gas prices, supply chain problems, and international instability, and you have a recipe for GOP success.

Here in Oregon, Kate Brown has been the Governor with the lowest in-state popularity for many months. Add to that the very visible homelessness issue, crime increasing, and nightly rioting in Portland last year (with her tacit support) and local Republicans thought the expected national swing to the GOP might actually include Oregon this year (for a change).

The Republican electoral expectations, which were amplified by much of the press, were sky high. Unrealistically high as it turned out. So, even victories are now being cast as a defeat. So, let’s look down the other end of the telescope, for just a moment, for some perspective.

[Jump from Enews link]

Republicans WILL take control of the US House of Representatives. Nancy Pelosi’s reign is over. While the margin will be thin, this is still a huge victory for Republicans. They won control of the House. They can stop President Biden’s agenda cold. But if you watch any of the talking heads, all they talk about is how poorly Republicans performed on election night. Winning is winning.

To be fair, the US Senate is still up in the air.

In Oregon over the past 20 years, only two of nearly 35 statewide partisan races have been won by a Republican. So, to expect Christine Drazan to beat Tina Kotek (even with Betsy Johnson as a spoiler) was a tall order. Statistically there was better than a 90 percent chance that Kotek would win the election.

Oregon had three open Congressional seats (out of six total) on election night. Republicans talked in serious tones about winning all three. Or at least two of them. This, despite Democrats redrawing all the lines last year. The fact that Republican still may, in fact, win one of them (giving us four Democrats and two Republicans) should be considered a huge win. Republicans were actually competitive in all three districts drawn by Democrats. That’s amazing.

And in the state house and senate, Republicans WILL make gains and narrow the Democrat’s majority. In fact, it is likely the Republicans have eliminated the Democrats supermajorities in both the senate and house. That’s a pretty darn good year for the GOP -- in Oregon of all places.

Please note that in Oregon, not only are there thousands of votes still to be counted as this is being written, but because of a new law allowing ballots postmarked on election day to count, Oregon counties literally don’t even know how many more votes are still to come in to be counted over the next few days. Properly postmarked ballots will still count as long as they arrive at election offices within seven days of the election.

Yes, Republicans did underperform unrealistically high expectations in Oregon and across the nation. But Republicans won. Republicans made gains nationally. Republicans made gains in Oregon. Republicans have reason to celebrate, not dismay, over the election results.

p.s. I will provide updates as election results are certified and more is certain.

Eugene Diloreto, co-founder of PLSO, Passed on September 8

PLSO Office — Tue, 20 Sep 2022 00:54:04 GMT

In Loving Memory of Eugene DiLoreto

Oct. 23, 1925 - Sept. 8, 2022

It is with deep sadness that PLSO announces the passing of it's co-founder Gene DiLoreto, who peacefully passed away on September 8th at the age of 96 with his family at his side.

Gene was born in Bandon, Ore., to Angelo and Mary DiLoreto. He had one sister, Rose Angela. In 1930 the family moved to southeast Portland where Gene resided for the rest of his life. Gene attended Creston Grade School and graduated in 1943 from Franklin High School. Following high school, Gene enlisted in the Navy and was assigned to the USS Monterey, an aircraft carrier in the Pacific. He served on the same ship as former President Gerald Ford, although their paths never crossed.

Following the end of WWII, Gene returned to Oregon and enrolled at Willamette University working towards a degree in mathematics. It was at Willamette, at the Catholic Newman Center, that Gene met Florence Polster. He was enchanted by her strength of character and dedication to her family and faith; she fell in love with his charming wit, kind eyes, and how he could make her laugh. They wed April 15, 1950. Gene would joke over the years that he must have tricked Florence into marrying him–and when you look at their wedding photo, he indeed looks like the cat that ate the canary! They raised five boys together in southeast Portland: Greg, Chris, Vince, Dale, and Mark. In 2022, they celebrated their 72nd wedding anniversary.

In 1949, Gene began work for the Multnomah County Road Department, where he would work for the next 34 years. Initially hired as an inspector, Gene progressed in his career to surveyor and in 1961, a civil engineer, where his first project was the design of Marine Drive.

It was in 1959 that Gene, together with Claire Pense and Harlan Scott, formed the Professional Land Surveyors of Oregon, before becoming incorporated in in 1960. He rarely missed an Annual Convention, was easy going and happy to take a moment to chat with younger generations about surveying. Read more about the inception of PLSO here. (Pic below starting from the left: Eugene, Bert Mason, Claire Pense)

During Gene's working career he also founded a small surveying firm, which designed many of the subdivisions in the Damascus, Ore. area. He also provided surveying jobs for all his sons, such that three of them obtained civil engineering degrees from Oregon State and the creative two obtained architecture degrees from the University of Oregon. He was a mentor and role model to all his children and grandchildren.

During retirement, Gene and Florence traveled extensively, with a driving trip around the United States, a trip to Canada, another trip to Italy to see the old homestead and family. They also visited every county fair in Oregon. Never one to miss a family wedding or celebration, he and Florence traveled all over the country, and notably made the long journey to Montreal to see their oldest son Greg installed as President of the American Society of Civil Engineers. Just before his passing Gene visited the Navy boot camp in Idaho with his son Vince and his wife, where he trained before being assigned to the USS Monterey aircraft carrier.

Gene was extremely active in his church, St. Anthony's Catholic Church of Portland. He served on numerous parish committees and on the original steering committee together for the St. Anthony's Village, an assisted living facility. Gene could always be seen greeting people as they entered church, taking up the collection, as a reader during Mass, a Eucharistic Minister, and handing out bulletins at the end of Mass. He enjoyed the fellowship of his church particularly the weekly coffee klatch with men in the parish.

Generous of spirit and of heart, Gene was the proudest of his family. At every large family gathering he seemed to radiate joy, just seeing his brood boisterously laugh and enjoy each other's company. His dedication to his family was unparalleled and Gene reveled in being a father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. He was an uncommonly kind man who was quick to laugh and even quicker to help anyone in need. His deep wisdom, charming wit, and gentle leadership will truly be missed by all who knew him.

Gene is survived by his wife, Florence; his five sons and their wives; his 14 grandchildren; and his six great-grandchildren.

A rosary will be held at 6 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2022, at the Mount Scott Funeral Home, 4205 S.E. 59th Ave., Portland. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m., Thursday, Sept. 22nd at St. Anthony's Parish.

The family suggests donations in his memory be made to St. Anthony's of Padua Catholic Parish, 3720 S.E. 79th Ave., Portland, OR 97206, or Catholic Charities.

Please sign the online guest book at www.oregonlive.com/obits

Joe Mannix Named Supervisory Land Surveyor for NW Oregon District

PLSO Office — Wed, 14 Sep 2022 16:02:42 GMT

Good morning all,

I am pleased to announce that Joe Mannix will officially begin his role as the supervisory land surveyor for Northwest Oregon District starting September 25, duty stationed in the Salem Office. Joe has already started taking over some of the coordination for this position. As he continues to fully integrate into the Northwest Oregon Lead position, he will begin withdrawing from some his previous lead roles. For Joe he will be returning to supporting the Northwest Oregon District where he spent several years as a field surveyor in Springfield before taking a technical lead role with the State Office. Joe’s energy, charisma, and relationships built from his time in Springfield will serve him well.

Congratulations Joe!

And I would like to officially announce that Robert Femling has been selected to be the next Branch Chief for Geographic Sciences and well start the position on September 25. For those wondering, yes this feels very odd to be the one sending this message to the Branch, but while Mary is out that is the way it has gone. I am sure some of you are wondering “How is that going to work with Mary also in the position?”. Mary’s current plans are to remain for several more months to be part of the transition and trying to show me the rope while also helping begin the new fiscal year. I expect to be drinking from a fire hose for that time! I will refrain from doing much introduction of myself, but I am excited to continue to be a part of this Branch and look forward to leading these groups into the future.

Thank you all for the work that you.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Robert Femling

Cadastral Section 2 Chief

Bureau of Land Management

Oregon State Office

Ever Been to Surveyor Camp?

PLSO Office — Fri, 09 Sep 2022 17:53:19 GMT

As Aimee McAullife's column in the next issue of The Oregon Land Surveyor discusses, PLSO has been working on ways to promote the profession through social media to students. At this phase Aimee has been following surveyors across the country and researching local influencers. One of her favorite surveyor accounts is @geospatially_opinionated on Instagram, run out of Kentucky by Kenny Marhoffer with Davey Resource Group. Other than working as a land surveyor and running a successful Instagram profile, Kenny also happens to organize an annual Surveyor Camp.

"It's a camping trip that I formed in 2020 that approximately 15-30 people from all across the nation go on every year," Kenny explained. "I pretty much ask people on Instagram if they want to go and then bring it all together through email. I've had people from California, Washington, Maine and Florida come into North Carolina for the trip. It's a mix of men and women, business owners and technicians just starting out. Some people get hired after the trip, but it's really about creating friendships and community."

This year's trip is September 22-25. You can check out the itinerary here. If you want to attend this year or have more advanced warning for next year, be sure to message Kenny on Instagram at @geospatially_opinionated.

Duty to Defend Cast Studies Needed

PLSO Office — Fri, 20 May 2022 23:21:16 GMT

ACEC Oregon, AIA Oregon and PLSO are collecting information on the impacts of Duty to Defend clauses in many Oregon public contracts for design professionals.

In order to move forward with legislation during the 2023 session, we were asked to provide more information on harm caused by the contract requirements.

As a reminder, PLSO has been supporting the intent on ending the inclusion of duty to defend clauses in public and private agreements. This duty to defend clause is onerous as it requires the design professional be responsible to defend an owner or other party against claims asserted by a third-party even if the design professional is not negligent.

We need your help! If your firm has an example of dealing with Duty to Defend please click on the Submit Case Study button below and complete the electronic form by Thursday, June 2.

SUBMIT CASE STUDY

Proposed changes to the Davis-Bacon Act

PLSO Office — Wed, 11 May 2022 17:08:57 GMT

NSPS held a virtual town hall on Tuesday, May 10th regarding the proposed changes to the Davis-Bacon Act. These changes would include surveying to be considered “labor” and thus subject to prevailing wage requirements. John Palatiello and JB Byrd, NSPS Legislative Representatives, were on hand to discuss the proposed changes and answer questions. The webinar was moderated by Timothy Burch, NSPS Executive Director.

NSPS and PLSO members are urged to file comments with the U.S. Department of Labor in opposition to classifying members of survey crews as “laborers and mechanics” under a 90-year old law known as the Davis-Bacon Act.

For additional information and background, click here. This includes a recent Town Hall hosted by NSPS, a PowerPoint, and a podcast.

For instructions on filing comments, and tips on what to put in your comments, click here.

Comments are due by close of business this coming Tuesday, May 17. The voice of the surveying profession must be heard. Comments may be brief, but please, submit a comment.

For more information, please visit the website:

https://www.nsps.us.com/page/DavisBacon

Theft Report

PLSO Office — Fri, 11 Mar 2022 16:59:34 GMT

Just wanted to let people know that we had some survey equipment (including a Trimble R10 GPS receiver, metal detector, hedge trimmer) stolen out of a work van today, while it was parked in a client's driveway in a respectable, residential neighborhood in West Linn. A two-person survey crew was staking line within 100 ft of the van when it happened.

That same work vehicle had equipment stolen out of it one night toward the end of last year, when it was parked overnight (near a streetlight) beside our office building in Tigard. (We do not leave it there overnight anymore.)

We also had someone try to walk away with a Trimble total station and tripod last September near SE 82nd Ave. A crew member chased them down and confronted them before they "soft-dropped" it on the ground, doing minimal damage, thankfully.

The criminals are certainly getting more brazen all the time. Take heed!

Tony Ryan

Weddle Surveying

Legislative Update from Your Committee Chair

PLSO Office — Thu, 11 Nov 2021 22:06:48 GMT

Legislative Update from Dave Williams:

I am pleased to report that PLSO had a very successful 2021 Legislative session. Both Bills we sponsored were signed by the Governor and become effective on January 01, 2022. HB2312 – Amends ORS 92.017 regarding Judicial Property Line changes. Provides that lawful units of land whose property lines are relocated by certain judgments remain lawful units. Prohibits requiring additional validating procedures or denying permits because of judicial boundary changes. HB2884 – Amends ORS 92.176 extending the time for recording partition plat incorporating city or county’s permit validating a unit of land from 90 days to 365 days.

We supported legislation, HB 3082 - that eliminates the inconsistency between minimum thresholds that require a competitive bid process in ORS 279B (goods and services) and ORS279C (public improvements/construction services). It amends ORS 279C.335 raising the contract price at which public improvement contract solicitations are exempt from competitive bidding requirement from $5,000 to $10,000. Additionally, we supported HB213 – which voids certain provisions in construction agreement requiring design professional to defend or indemnify against certain claims except to extent design professional’s negligence caused indemnitee’s damages. Provides that design professional may not be held liable for attorney fees incurred to defend claims against indemnitee before design professional’s fault is determined. We will be looking to future Sessions to advance this legislation.

I cannot overstate how important the efforts of our Lobbyist, Darrell Fuller, were to the success of this legislative session. Without him, navigating the legislative process, especially during COVID, would be immeasurably more difficult.

At last weeks Board Meeting we looked into an issue reported to me by Ryan Erickson regarding certain property line adjustments in Lane County. The substance of the email is as follows:

The PLA in question was done in 2003 and at the time Lane County did not regulate property line adjustments so they would just tell folks to comply with ORS 92. The PLA in question involved 3 maybe 4 property lines and the adjustment was done in one PLA deed. Apparently, there have been recent LUBA decisions that say adjusting multiple lines in one deed is incorrect. This causes Lane County to issue the determination that all these properties are not legal lots. Basically there is no remedy other than possibly trying to unwind everything back 20 years and start over again with multiple land use applications and multiple owners working together to “fix” this.

The Board directed the Legislative Committee to look into this problem, find out if this is an issue in other areas of the State and determine if a legislative fix is the best course of action. I will be contacting the committee members and requesting that they bring this to the attention of their chapters for discussion.

Finally, I would like to begin the search for the next Legislative Chair. I accepted this position while still actively running the company I cofounded in the late 1980’s. Five years into retirement I find myself increasingly distant from the issues that once were in the forefront of my day-to-day life. I believe the organization would benefit from someone younger and more engaged in the everyday details of the surveying profession. I encourage anyone interested in this position to contact me and I will outline the duties and time commitments and benefits related to being the chair.

2021 ALTA/NSPS Land Survey Standards Update

PLSO Office — Sat, 26 Jun 2021 03:36:58 GMT

The National Society of Professional Surveyors ("NSPS") has updated the ALTA/NSPS standards for an ALTA ("American Land Title Association") Survey, effective February 23, 2021. Revisions and clarifications were made to both the Minimum Standard Detail Requirements ("Standards") and Table A Optional Requirements ("Table A").

Of particular note, pursuant to the NSPS website, the U.S. Supreme Court in the 1995 case of Gutierrez de Martinez v. Lamagno, 515 U.S. 417, through its interpretation of a portion of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, found that the word "shall" is used frequently as a synonym for the word "may", neither of which is indicative of the word "must". A Joint Committee, comprised of members from both the NSPS and ALTA, reviewed each use of the words "must" and "shall" and used the one that was most appropriate in each case, with "must" indicating an imperative. Throughout the Standards, the term "property" is now referred to as the "property to be surveyed" or the "surveyed property".

In additional to many minor revisions to the Standards, the Joint Committee added a provision to require that evidence of utility poles on or within ten feet of the surveyed property be marked on a plat or map without expressing a legal opinion as to ownership or nature of any potential encroachment of the utility pole or its crossmembers or overhangs. Utility locate markings are also to now be included on a plat or map, including the source of the markings with a note if unknown. In addition to all easements identified in title evidence provided, if a surveyor finds a recorded easement that is not otherwise included, the surveyor must advise the insurer, show or otherwise explain it on the face of the plat or map and make a note that the insurer has been advised.

Fewer revisions were made to Table A; however, there are three that are substantive. First, item 6(a), which relates to zoning of the surveyed property, adds to the first sentence, "(a) If the current zoning classification, setback requirements, the height and floor space area restrictions, and parking requirements specific to the surveyed property are...". These items are to be added to the plat or map. Second and third, item 10(b) which relates to party walls being plumb was deleted, as well as item 18 pertaining to wetlands.

Student Requests Input from Surveyors

PLSO Office — Thu, 22 Apr 2021 15:52:31 GMT

NSPS
Please consider assisting a young student who has reached out to NSPS seeking input for a project he is working on. He says, For my project I would need to get at least a few responses, I have created google forms to collect some simple data and will add the link below. It is a very short survey and does not require any personal information, nor to be logged in. The application I proposed to research is about finding benchmarks (the reference points) and making it easier and more efficient for Surveyors. If there are any Surveyors that could potentially help out that would be greatly appreciated.

The link is: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSed9RQYZzxQnR1hwqc9hUvncs8p7ycCmrgBNXXuE7RLyMYEVA/viewform?usp=sf_link

Thanks to all who can participate!

PROPOSED PLSO VISION STATEMENT

PLSO Office — Wed, 17 Mar 2021 15:31:45 GMT

The Board is asking members to review the Steering Committee’s proposed PLSO Vision Statement before adoption. The purpose of this review is to inform those members that have been left out of the process due to the Pandemic and refine it grammatically. Once the results are collected, it will be sent to the Board of Directors for final review before the next Board meeting. Please take a moment to respond to a short survey that will be emailed out to each member. For those that need a refresher or have been left out of the process, here is a summary of the process with links:

PLSO’s Strategic Plan was adopted in 2019 with goals to:

1) Increase Membership

2) Promote the Profession

3) Improve Leadership.

The “Plan” is based on general topics that allow for flexibility over a three year review period. During the review, it became increasingly apparent that the goals need a unifying direction toward a vision.

A Steering Committee was formed in January 2020 to develop a Vision Statement and to report to the Board its recommendations. The Board reviewed two proposals during the October 2020 meeting, which was sent to the Chapters for discussion. At the December meeting, the Board chose the best statement version, then sent it back to the Steering Committee with a few minor edits. The changes were made and brought back to the January 2021 Board meeting.

The Vision Statement is based on our Mission Statement and gives direction to the Strategic Plan. The direction is based on the general idea of a good Surveyor (Increase membership with good Surveyors), excellence in our profession (Promote the Profession through excellence), and our duty to society and our organization (Improve Leadership through education).

If you have questions regarding the process, please feel free to contact me.

Respectfully Submitted,

Jeremy A. Sherer

Professional Practices Committee Chair

State Chair Elect/Past Chair

NSPS Announces 2021 'Virtual Day on the Hill'

PLSO Office — Tue, 16 Mar 2021 18:23:48 GMT

NSPS will host a “Virtual Day on the Hill” on April 20 and 21 to match surveyors with their state’s Congressional delegation for a series of web-conference meetings. In these meetings, NSPS members will educate Congressmen, Senators, and their staff of the role surveying and geospatial activities play in major legislation likely to be considered in Congress this year. There is no fee to participate. For information and registration, click here. NSPS will host a training webinar on April 7, 2021 at 2:00 pm EDT to prepare all participants for their Congressional meetings.

Visit the Virtual day on the Hill website.

2021 Defense Act signals turning point for Congress and PNT

PLSO Office — Fri, 08 Jan 2021 20:43:59 GMT

By Dana Goward

Senate poised to join House this week and override Trump’s veto

The U. S. Congress, especially the Armed Services Committees, have long been concerned about GPS and positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) issues. Over the last two decades Congressional hearings, demands for reports, and investigations have dealt with acquisition, contingency plans for when space is not available, deliberate interference, and a host of other issues.

While these all evidenced Congress’ interest and concern, they were relatively passive measures.

The NDAA for 2021 seems to finalize Congress’ transition from an interested observer, mostly on the sidelines, to an active player in national PNT issues and policy.

This began to change in 2018 with passage of the National Timing Resilience and Security Act. It requires the Department of Transportation to establish a terrestrial timing system to backup GPS signals.

Then in 2019, Congress appropriated money for a GPS Backup Technology Demonstration. And the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for 2020 required the Air Force to develop a prototype multi-GNSS receiver as part of its resiliency efforts.

The NDAA for 2021 seems to finalize Congress’ transition from an interested observer, mostly on the sidelines, to an active player in national PNT issues and policy.

Capitol Hill observers say this is the result of several things that have come to a head over the last year. Taken together, they have convinced many legislators that GPS is under threat and PNT issues are not being taken seriously enough by the executive branch. These include increased jamming and spoofing (especially by China and Russia), full implementation of China’s BeiDou system and its marketing to other nations as a superior alternative to GPS, the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) decision on Ligado Networks, and the Pentagon’s failure to respond to combatant commanders’ Joint Urgent Operational Needs Statements for non-GPS PNT.

Here are some of the provisions of the 2021 NDAA of interest to the PNT community.

Military Multi-GNSS Receiver Prototype

The 2018 NDAA required the Defense Department to incorporate Europe’s Galileo and Japan’s QZSS satellite navigation signals into military user equipment. The idea was to make it more resilient to disruption. Also required was an investigation into using non-allied signals.

Apparently not satisfied with progress on this project, Congress mandated a project to develop a prototype multi-GNSS receiver as part of the 2020 NDAA.

The 2021 NDAA seems to indicate the Congress is still not happy. It withholds 20% of the funding for the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force until such time as the department certifies the prototype project is underway and provides briefings to the Senate and House Armed Services Committees.

Resilient Survivable PNT

Language in the 2021 NDAA also seems to show Congress is impatient with the Pentagon’s lack of responsiveness to combatant commanders’ requests for non-GPS PNT systems.

Section 1611 of the Act is entitled “Resilient and Survivable Positioning, Navigation, and Timing Capabilities.” It requires development, integration, and deployment of these capabilities for combatant commanders within two years. This, it says, is “… consistent with the timescale applicable to joint urgent operational needs statements…”

The act says the new PNT capabilities shall “generate resilient and survivable alternative positioning, navigation, and timing signals” and “process resilient survivable data provided by signals of opportunity and on-board sensor systems.”

The act also reverses the Defense Department’s 2018 PNT Strategy’s plan for future systems to be classified and for military use only. It directs the department to work with the National Security Council, Departments of Transportation, Homeland Security and others “to enable civilian and commercial adoption of technologies and capabilities for resilient and survivable alternative positioning, navigation, and timing capabilities to complement the global positioning system.”

To help ensure prompt action on this, the act requires a report to Congress within six months and authorizes the department to reprogram funds from other areas to finance the effort.

Responding to FCC’s Decision on Ligado Networks

By far the most PNT-related text in the 2021 NDAA includes a host of measures responding to FCC Order 20-48 approving an application by Ligado Networks. An order which the executive branch is on record as strongly opposing saying it will degrade GPS service for many.

Senator Jim Inhofe, chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has regularly expressed outrage at the FCC’s decision and has called for its reversal.

Among its provisions the act:

Requires the Department of Defense to estimate and report to Congress the cost of damage to department systems as a result of the FCC order.
Prohibits using department funds to upgrade or modify military equipment to make it resilient to interference caused by broadcasts in the spectrum allocated (the FCC order requires this to be funded by Ligado)
Prohibits contracting with any entity using the frequency bands allocated to Ligado unless the Secretary of Defense certifies the use will not interfere with GPS services
Requires the Secretary of Defense to contract with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine for an independent technical review of the FCC order.

President Trump Signs “Digital Coast” Act into Law

PLSO Office — Mon, 21 Dec 2020 22:43:36 GMT

Fairfax,VA – Legislation to establish a constituent-driven program in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to provide a digital information platform capable of efficiently integrating coastal data with decision-support tools, training, and best practices and support collection of priority coastal geospatial data to inform and improve local, State, regional, and Federal management of the coastal region became law Friday when President Trump signed S. 1069, the Digital Coast Act.

“As the leading proponent of this important legislation, we’re pleased that Congress, on a bipartisan basis, and the President, came together to pass the Digital Coast Act into law,” said John M. Palatiello, partner in Miller/Wenhold Capitol Strategies, LLC, parent of John M. Palatiello & Associates, Inc. (JMP&A).

The Digital Coast Partnership Advocacy Coalition, the broad alliance of organizations supporting the legislation in Congress, was managed by JMP&A. Member organizations include: American Planning Association (APA); Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM); Coastal States Organization (CSO); National Association of Counties (NACo); National Estuarine Research Reserve Association (NERRA); National Flood Association (NFA); National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS); National States Geographic Information Council (NSGIC); The Nature Conservancy (TNC); and U.S. Geospatial Executives Organization (U.S. GEO). NSPS and U.S. GEO are JMP&A clients. Passage of the bill was a 10-year effort.

The bill’s sponsor, Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) said, “This legislation will strengthen the incredibly popular Digital Coast Program, which makes it possible for local leaders in our coastal communities to make decisions with clear, current, and useful information. While Digital Coast helps make management choices clear, the work behind those decision tools is incredibly complex. I am proud to support the great work of geospatial professionals and coastal management experts in the private sector and at all levels of government who make it possible for local leaders to have clear data that informs their decisions. The Digital Coast Act will strengthen this important program and support the great work they do to deliver top notch, reliable information relied on by emergency responders, coastal planners, and businesses.”

“Wisconsin’s Great Lakes are a great asset for our quality of life and also for our long-term economic security,” said Senator Baldwin. “I’m proud that this bipartisan legislation has passed both chambers of Congress to strengthen our shoreline communities, which face a variety of challenges to keep their harbors open, their waters clean and their beaches ready for visitors. This bipartisan bill ensures that our Great Lakes communities have the resources and tools they need to adapt to changing environmental conditions, maintain healthy shores, and make smart planning decisions to support their local economies and way of life."

Representative Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD), sponsor of the companion bill in the U.S. House of Representatives, said, “While it is critical to coastal communities like mine in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, we all have a stake in protecting America’s shorelines. This bill is more important now than it was when I first introduced it ten years ago. We’re seeing more storms that are stronger and sea level rise is accelerating. We can’t wait any longer. Today, we’re arming local planners and managers with the tools they need to save people and property.”

The primary cosponsor in the House, Rep. Don Young (R-AK), said, “No other state in the nation understands the need for coastal resilience and mapping more than Alaska. With more than 44,000 miles of coastline, much of which is not fully mapped, Alaska’s coastal communities rely heavily on our waterways and shipping channels to support all forms of social and economic prosperity: goods from the Lower 48, critical transportation needs, search and rescue operations, and the state’s largest private-sector employer – our fishing industry. The Digital Coast Act is an important step towards developing a system that supports our coastal communities, and serves our national security and economic needs. I am grateful to my colleagues in both the House and Senate for supporting its passage."

The lead Senate co-sponsor is Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), chair of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

“The enactment of this bill is a testimony to the extraordinary leadership and tenacity of John “JB” Byrd of our firm”, Palatiello said. “JB patiently and methodically coordinated efforts among the coalition partners and supported members of Congress and staff, engaged a number of geospatial firms, and kept key NOAA staff aware of progress on the legislation throughout the long, arduous process. His professionalism, knowledge of Congress, and consensus building was evident and a major reason for the success of the Digital Coast Act.”

About JMP&A

John M. Palatiello & Associates, Inc., (www.jmpa.us) a public affairs consulting firm based in the Washington, DC suburb of Fairfax, VA, provides government relations, public relations, association management, strategic planning, event planning, and management and marketing consulting services to private firms, associations, and government agencies with an emphasis on the architecture and engineering; geospatial, mapping and GIS; construction; transportation and infrastructure, and land use sectors. The firm is a subsidiary of Miller/Wenhold Capitol Strategies, LLC (www.mwcapitol.com).

-30-

CAT forms now available online

PLSO Office — Wed, 16 Dec 2020 23:39:40 GMT

Forms for Oregon’s Corporate Activity Tax are now available on the Department of Revenue website. Go to the Revenue forms page and scroll down to Corporate Activity Tax or type “corporate” in the search box. Forms now available include:

Form OR-CAT, Oregon Corporate Activity Tax Return.
Form OR-CAT, Oregon Corporate Activity Tax Return Instructions.
Form OR-CAT-EXT, Application for Extension of Time to File an Oregon Corporate Activity Tax Return.
Form OR-CAT-V, Oregon Corporate Activity Tax Payment Voucher.
Form OR-QUP-CAT, Underpayment of Oregon Corporate Activity Estimated Tax.
Publication OR-CAT-BRO, Corporate Activity Tax Brochure.
Schedule OR-AF-CAT, Schedule of Affiliates for Form OR-CAT.
Schedule OR-EXC-CAT, Exclusions From Commercial Activity.
Schedule OR-EXC-CAT, Exclusions From Commercial Activity.
Worksheet OR-CAT, Instructions for calculating tax on corporate activity.

Taxpayers with general questions about the CAT can email cat.help.dor@oregon.gov or call 503-945-8005.

Nominations Being Accepted for 2020 Awards

PLSO Office — Thu, 10 Sep 2020 03:52:04 GMT

Nominations Being Accepted for 2020 Awards

Let's be honest - this year has been rough for quite a few reasons and it's not even over! However, business hasn't stopped and celebrating our members is more important than ever. Awards Committee Chairman, Dan Nelson is now accepting nominations. You may download a form here or write-up your nomination on a separate sheet and email them to the PLSO Office.

Life Membership

Career long service to the profession & PLSO
Previously served as chapter officer or on a committee
Is currently and has been a PLSO Corporate Member for 10 years prior to the nomination

Surveyor of the Year

Career long service to the profession & PLSO
Is currently and has been a PLSO Corporate Member for 5 years or more prior to the nomination
Have a demonstrated history of high competence, integrity, and professionalism
Assisted qualified and interested people in advancement within the profession

Outstanding Associate or Special Member of the Year

Exemplary work and demonstrating professionalism during the year.

Article of the Year

An award given to the author of the best article that has been published in the Oregon Surveyor within the last year. (Typically, from October to September, but may be shifted to coincide with the annual meeting).

In addition, Local Chapters or the Board may present additional awards such as:

Outstanding Associate or Special Member Award
Good Humor Award
Brush Cutter Award
Team Player Award
Bright Idea Award
Contagious Attitude Award
Diversity Award
Hidden Talent Award
Community Service Award

Emergency Legislative Session Wrap Up

PLSO Office — Wed, 08 Jul 2020 20:05:50 GMT

The Oregon Legislature held an Emergency Session last week, ending late on Friday, June 26th. During the three-day marathon, the Capitol was closed to the public and to lobbyists. Nonetheless, I actively advocated on your behalf, testifying remotely, and connecting with lawmakers over the phone and by email.

The Emergency Session had two purposes: it dealt with COVID-19 related issues, but it was dominated by bills related to policing and the race-related civil unrest gripping our country right now.

With no industry-specific legislation, most of my advocacy was as part of the Oregon Employer Roundtable. During the Special Session, the Roundtable advocated for a liability shield for businesses who are making a good faith effort to follow through on COVID-19 guidance for employers. Sadly, Democratic leadership kicked the can down the road, creating a work group rather than creating protections for businesses. This was particularly disappointing because there were enough votes in both the Senate and House to pass protections for businesses.

Trial lawyers and labor groups exerted enough pressure to stop our amendment. More information is detailed below. I am hopeful protection will be adopted during the next Special Session, which will come in late July or early August.

As the COVID-19 Pandemic continues to evolve, along with the ever-changing responses from Federal, State and Local governments, I also continue to monitor these changes and advocate on your behalf, and on behalf of the business community in general. Below are updates on just some of what has been happening.

GENERAL GUIDANCE FOR EMPLOYERS

On June 11, the Oregon Health Authority provided new guidance for businesses. If you haven’t reviewed this document, it should be high on your “to do” list for this week.

General Guidance for Employers / June 11, 2020

COUNTY SPECIFIC MASK REQUIREMENTS

Beginning June 24, Governor Brown required everyone in Clackamas, Hood River, Lincoln, Marion, Multnomah, Polk, and Washington counties to begin wearing masks or face coverings when in indoor public spaces. She has since added Clatsop county beginning July 1. This new requirement will likely impact your members, especially if they have an area of their place of businesses where customers visit and/or if they visit workplaces which are open for business, or occupied homes.

County Specific Mask Guidance / June 22, 2020

GET REAL TIME UPDATES FROM OREGON HEALTH AUTHORITY

You can review the ever-changing guidance from the Oregon Health Authority at their dedicated website, and register to receive their email updates below:

Oregon Health Authority COVID-19 Website

COVID-19 Guidance Email Sign Up

EMERGENCY SESSION FAILS TO PROTECT BUSINESSES

The threat of lawsuits from employees, or members of the public, related to COVID-19 is both unlimited and very real. And the threat isn’t limited to businesses. The Oregon Employers Roundtable efforts to provide liability protections included a partnership with local governments and nonprofits across the state who are facing the same uncertain future as businesses.

More than 50 organizations signed on to a letter requesting protections. Rep. David Gomberg (D-Lincoln City) — a small business owner — spearheaded a letter signed by ten Democratic House members asking leadership for our amendment. These ten Democrats, when added to the Republicans, ensured enough votes to pass a liability protection amendment. Rep. Caddy McKeown (D-Coos Bay) drafted the amendment and had it ready for adoption by the Joint Committee. However, the Speaker of the House, Tina Kotek (D-Portland), announced after a break in testimony before the committee that the amendment would not be adopted.

Speaker Kotek did say a work group would discuss the issue and some kind of liability protection may be considered by a future Emergency Session of the Legislature.

Below is a link to all of the bills passed by the Emergency Session of the Legislature. You can click on any bill number to read the actual legislation. There are also links to the letter by the ten Democrats and the amendment they drafted, and links to the testimony requesting protection and an earlier letter from Labor groups opposing efforts to protect businesses.

Bills Passed During the Emergency Session

Employers Plead for Liability Relief

Ten House Democrats Help Employers

Employer Protection Amendment

Labor Groups Weigh In

WORKERS COMPENSATION STILL AN UNRESOLVED ISSUE

One of labor’s demands during the Emergency Session was a new presumption in Workers Compensation law that all positive COVID-19 cases are covered by Workers Compensation insurance. The business community strongly opposed this demand. To her credit, Governor Kate Brown pushed the issue away from the Emergency Session and to MLAC (the Management-Labor Advisory Committee). The Legislature created MLAC in 1990 to ensure changes to Oregon’s highly successful workers compensation system are deliberate and thoughtful. I applaud Governor Brown for her letter (see link below to read her letter).

Governor Brown's letter to MLAC June 23, 2020

If you have any questions about any of the information provided here, please email or call me at 971-388-1786.

Association Membership and the Surveyor from NSPS

PLSO Office — Tue, 07 Jul 2020 20:29:55 GMT

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines membership as follows:

Membership noun

mem·ber·ship | \ˈmem-bər-ˌship

plural memberships

Definition of membership

1: the state or status of being a member

2: the body of members // an organization with a large membership

Membership is implied to be individuals who have something in common and therefore wish to belong to a group or organization that promotes that commonality. This is not a new concept, as various memberships have existed for centuries. The groups can be formal or informal, business or social, public or private, but the common interest is key to them all. For instance, membership was a status symbol if you and/or your family belonged to a country club, hunting club or equestrian club. Groups have gathered socially in automobile and motorcycle clubs for the past century. Civic clubs, including Kiwanis, Lions Club, and the Jaycees, were created to provide organized assistance to municipalities and neighborhoods. Museums are well known for their membership programs and those donations help keep the institutions thriving. Other membership organizations were established to help people with various causes, including civil liberties, Second Amendment rights, and retiree programs and discounts. All serve a good and dedicated purpose; however, the most important one that will most likely provide the most benefit is the professional membership.

MEMBERSHIP IN PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS

Membership in a professional society, especially in times like these, is also important on many levels. For the surveying profession, it provides advocacy and representation for not just the licensed practitioner, but anyone who works in surveying. Some of the benefits of being a member of state and national surveying associations include:

REGULATION & ADVOCACY

Part of the association’s role for professional oversight is regulatory advocacy. Professional licensing has come under fire in recent years as deregulation groups seek to eliminate licensing they see as a barrier to entry rather than to protect the integrity of the interests. State and national associations are working together to defend our profession against these efforts and maintain the regulatory requirements of the surveyor.

Another area of advocacy is political representation at both the federal and state levels. From UAV uses to fighting back against infringing uses of radio signals used by GNSS satellites, the associations work together to represent the surveying profession’s best interest in potentially damaging policies and lack of funding for essential surveying and mapping activities.

PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS

Besides advocating for licensing, the associations provide input and guidance for professional standards for technical documents and services. From working with the title examiners group to establish a national land title survey standard to specific guidelines for deliverables, our association groups work together to raise the standard of the profession. They also advocate for a higher ethical standard for all practitioners in surveying so to be seen in a respectable light.

Various certification programs are available through the national and state associations, including:

Certified Survey Technician
Certified Hydrographic Surveyor
Certified Floodplain Surveyor

These certifications allow Surveyors to promote their skill set further as one who is specifically trained for a particular task.

EDUCATION

The surveying associations provide continuing education (whether statutorily required or not) for all levels and tasks of surveyors, from introductory field and office to advanced technology and legal curriculum. Many also provide material refreshers for those preparing for their licensing exams. Many of these educational opportunities are held during annual conferences and seminars specifically targeted for surveyors, whether members or not.

Labor shortages are happening in most professions and surveying is no different. Our organizations provide educational outreach for future surveyors through various conduits, including elementary and high school programs and college career days through engineering and mapping-related curriculums. We also promote scholarship opportunities for two- and four-year degree college programs through a variety of channels.

TECHNOLOGY

Along with formal surveying education topics and discussions, another substantial portion of an association’s conference or seminar is an exhibitor’s hall showcasing the latest and greatest in surveying technology. It is also a place for vendors to present new data services to augment existing surveying tasks.

Technology providers often utilize these associations for advertising and marketing so members are exposed to new equipment, software, and processes more directly than simply advertising in trade magazines.

AND MUCH MORE!

Many of these organizations offer member discount programs for insurance, travel, products, and more. They can provide these discounted options simply because of the buying power of more users, so the savings are passed on directly to the Surveyor.

Associations also often offer career centers for connecting people and open positions. Many also offer resume services to help the job seeker capture their best qualities for inclusion on a job application.

THE INTANGIBLES

While the aforementioned are the main examples of the benefits of membership in your state and national surveying association, for many it is simply the opportunity to connect with fellow professionals and technicians. Whether it be for job openings, questions regarding a specific survey or simply engaging another professional in peer review, your membership in these groups helps to pave the way to completing these tasks and more.

TAKING CARE OF TODAY AND PLANNING FOR TOMORROW

Although we are living in unprecedented times, maintaining your memberships, both state and national, may become a question of necessity. For most, prioritizing expenses has become more scrutinized and membership is easily seen as non-essential cost. These memberships are an investment in your profession and career, so consider that return when your next renewal form comes in the mail. The money spent now on professional memberships can go a long way in keeping your profession and career acknowledged as an essential service for years to come.

Governor Kate Brown Extends Face Coverings Requirement Statewide

PLSO Office — Tue, 30 Jun 2020 17:54:23 GMT

------
Governor Kate Brown Extends Face Coverings Requirement Statewide

Face covering requirements apply to indoor public spaces, take effect on Wednesday, July 1

(Portland, OR) — Governor Kate Brown announced today that Oregonians statewide will be required to wear face coverings in indoor public spaces, beginning this Wednesday July 1. The guidance applies to businesses and members of the public visiting indoor public spaces. Face covering requirements are already mandated in eight counties.

“From the beginning of the reopening process, I have said that reopening comes with the risk of seeing an increase in COVID-19 cases beyond our health systems’ capacity to test, trace, and isolate them,” said Governor Kate Brown. “Over the last month, we have seen the disease spread at an alarming rate in both urban and rural counties. The upcoming July 4th holiday weekend is a critical point for Oregon in this pandemic, and we can all make a difference.

“Modeling from the Oregon Health Authority shows that if we don’t take further action to reduce the spread of the disease, our hospitals could be overwhelmed by new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations within weeks.

“The choices every single one of us make in the coming days matter.

“Face coverings that cover your nose and mouth play a critical role in reducing the spread of this disease because droplets from our breath can carry the virus to others without us realizing it. If we all wear face coverings, practice six feet of physical distancing in public, wash our hands regularly, and stay home when we are sick, then we can avoid the worst-case scenarios that are now playing out in other states.

“I do not want to have to close down businesses again like other states are now doing. If you want your local shops and restaurants to stay open, then wear a face covering when out in public.

“Please keep your Fourth of July celebrations small and local. We saw a lot of new COVD-19 cases following the Memorial Day holiday. Another spike in cases after the upcoming holiday weekend could put Oregon in a dangerous position.

“Oregonians have all made incredible sacrifices over the last several months that have saved thousands of lives. The actions we take now can protect our friends, neighbors, loved ones, and fellow Oregonians from this disease, and prevent the need for another statewide shutdown. We are truly all in this together.”

Oregon Occupational Safety and Health (OSHA) will take the lead, along with other state and local agencies, in enforcing face covering requirements for all covered Oregon businesses.

Land Surveyor - North Dakota

PLSO Office — Thu, 18 Jun 2020 01:25:17 GMT

The Northern Region, East-Side Lands and Boundary Management Zone (ESLBZ) for the Beaverhead-Deerlodge, Custer-Gallatin, Helena Lewis & Clark National Forests, and the Dakota Prairie National Grasslands (“East - Side Lands & Boundary Zone”) will soon be advertising to fill one permanent career ladder position – Land Surveyor, GS-1373 5/7/9. The position is for a Permanent Full Time employee and is geared toward training the incumbent for licensure in the future. This position will be advertised under Merit and Demo authority procedures.

Duty Station

The duty station for this position is located in Dickinson, North Dakota, Dakota Prairie Grasslands, Medora Ranger District.

Supervision

The incumbent will report to the Supervisory Land Surveyor for the East - Side Lands & Boundary Zone. The Supervisory Land Surveyor assigns specific projects and duties to the incumbent based on the approved program of work for the East - Side Lands & Boundary Zone. A Board of Directors, consisting of the Forest/Grassland Supervisors for the four Units and the Regional Director of Recreation, Minerals, Lands, Heritage, & Wilderness, provide oversight and set the priorities for the program of work and budget for the East - Side Lands & Boundary Zone.

Position Overview

This position is part of the Northern Region Eastside Land Adjustment and Boundary Management Zone, serving three national forests and one national grassland in Montana, North Dakota, and northwestern South Dakota. The successful candidate is expected to fully support and work towards the success of the East – Side Lands & Boundary Zone’s mission and programs.

Land Surveyor, 1373 GS – 5/7/9: performs duties which are designed to orient the incumbent in the application of academic theories and basic professional land surveying principles to a variety of work situations. Duties include boundary surveys, road and trail right-of-ways and maintenance of property boundary lines. The position provides the opportunity to use the latest GPS technology working in the Public Land Survey System, and is a great job training for licensing needs or advancing your surveying career.

This position is field going and requires a valid driver’s license.

Position requires a considerable amount of travel throughout Montana, North Dakota, and northwest South Dakota, with overnight stays. Government Vehicle and travel expenses will be provided while in travel status.

For more information

For more information about the application and recruitment process, please contact the Forest Service Albuquerque Service Center (ASC) Human Resource Management (HRM) Staffing,1-877-372-7248, or fsjobs@fs.fed.us.

For more information about the East - Side Lands & Boundary Zone, this position, programs of work, roles and responsibilities, and operating plans and procedures, please contact Mark Aughtman, Supervisory Land Surveyor, (701)-227-7835, mark.aughtman@usda.gov, or Kathryn Nash, Supervisory Realty Specialist, (406) 587-6784, kathryn.nash@usda.gov.

If you are interested in this position and want to receive notice when the Vacancy Announcement will be posted on the USAJOBS website, please contact Mark Aughtman, Supervisory Land Surveyor, mark.aughtman@usda.gov

The Difference Between Electronic and Digital Signing

PLSO Office — Tue, 09 Jun 2020 23:00:02 GMT

By Tim Fassbender & Renee Clough, OSBEELS Board of Directors

Recent concerns and questions raised by the professional community regarding Oregon Administrative Rule (OAR) 820-025-0010, digital seal and signature requirements, have been received by the Oregon State Board of Examiners for Engineering & Land Surveying (OSBEELS) and prompted a discussion about digital signatures and signing final documents. To address these questions and concerns, we have developed this article that will share resources and information to help professional registrants, and the users of their documents, to understand the differences between an electronic signature and a digital signature.

Relevant rules to this topic include:

OAR 820-025-0001 – defines digital signature and digital certificate.
OAR 820-025-0005(5) – specifies digital signatures as an acceptable alternative to a wet signed signature if specific criteria are met
OAR 820-025-0010 – outlines requirements for digital seal and signature for electronic final documents.

A digital signature in compliance with OAR 820-025-0010 utilizes a public-private digital key pair provided through the services of a certificate authority. The private key is known only to the signer and is often in the form of a password. The public key is utilized by the certificate authority to validate the document. To verify a digital signature, the verifier must have access to the signer’s public key and have assurance that it corresponds to the signer’s private key. In the case of OAR 820-025-0010 this assurance must be provided by using a certificate authority as a trusted third party to associate an identified signer with a specific public key; essentially the certificate acts like a notary. A self-signed certificate is one that is created by the individual signer without the services of a certificate authority; this is not sufficient for purposes of compliance with OAR 820-025-0010.

The term “third party” in all the above cited OAR sections requires specific discussion. Some software will allow the user to make their own digital signature certificate which is often referred to as a self-signed certificate. This is often made in the same software being used to create the particular document but could be made in some other software. The upshot though is that anyone seeking to verify the authenticity of the digital signature will be coming back to signer for that authentication. In the case of a non-self-signed certificate, an entity known as a “Certificate Authority”, has made the certificate and verified your identity as part of the process. When the digital signature is applied to the document the local software communicates with that Certificate Authority. Later when someone verifies the signature their local software also communicates with that Certificate Authority. Hence the term “third party”, that certificate authority is not you, it is not the person receiving the document - it is a third party. A “third party” Certificate Authority is equivalent to a notary.

The table and discussion below summarize the differences:

Electronic Signatures	Digital Signatures
A Functional term	A legal term
Not technically bound to a specific individual or the result of a validation process	Tied to a specific individual via a PKI-based digital certificate
Created via options such as typed names, scanned images, online tools, or a “click wrap” agreement	Created using a digital algorithm to bind the document using a certificate, resulting in a unique “fingerprint”
Legal, but not easily identifiable to one unique user and can be replicated	Easily identifiable to a unique individual, auditable, and non-replicable
Does not meet OAR 820-025-0010 requirements	Does meet OAR 820-025-0010 requirements

Numerous certificate authorities are available with the ability to interface with a variety of software. Consequently, the process of utilizing a digital signature in compliance with OAR 820-025-0010 is too variable to provide a step-by-step description here.

It should be noted that, with a digital signature, the original is the digitally signed file. Prints of that file, whether to paper or to another digital format (such as pdf), are equivalent to photocopies of a wet signed document. Those prints can be used when a photocopy would be acceptable but not when an original is required. Most software capable of opening a specific file type is also capable of confirming the validity of a digital signature when it necessary to confirm the original has been received. Some software will display this confirmation prominently at the top or side of the screen, others need the user to interact with several layers of menus.

Lastly, it is important to note that OAR 820-025-0005(e) requires a digitally signed document to have the words “digitally signed” in the location where a wet signature would traditionally be placed.

In an effort to continue to address questions from the professional community, as well as provide further direction, the Board will be reconvening the Digital Signatures Task Force. Actions taken by the Task Force may cause information within this article to become outdated. To stay up-to-date on the latest information and resources, we recommend visiting the Board website.

Please refer to the below resources for additional information on the differences between electronic and digital signatures.

Recent Threshold Changes to Corporate Activity Tax

PLSO Office — Thu, 30 Apr 2020 14:51:25 GMT

Dear Corporate Activity Tax stakeholder:

The Oregon Department of Revenue is adjusting requirements of businesses making estimated quarterly payments of the Corporate Activity Tax.

Beginning immediately, Revenue has revised OAR 150-317-1300, dated April 27, 2020, to reflect a change in the threshold for making estimated tax payments from $5,000 of annual tax liability to $10,000 of annual tax liability for the first year of the tax. This means businesses that will owe less than $10,000 are not required to make quarterly estimated tax payments during 2020.

Revenue also won’t assess penalties for underestimated quarterly payments or for not making a quarterly payment, if businesses don’t have the financial ability to make the estimated payment.

If businesses know they’ll owe $10,000 or more in annual Corporate Activity Tax in 2020 and can pay, they should make estimated quarterly payments and comply with the law to the fullest extent possible.

Information and a worksheet for calculating quarterly payments can be found on the CAT page of the agency website under the Beyond the FAQ “When are estimated payments required?” The information has recently been updated to reflect the higher threshold of $10,000 or more.

The Department of Revenue will honor a business taxpayer’s good-faith efforts to comply and not assess penalties if they document their efforts to comply, including how COVID-19 has impacted their business.

If businesses have been impacted by COVID-19 and are finding it difficult to calculate or pay an estimated quarterly payment, they should keep documentation showing:

Their inability to pay a quarterly payment because of insufficient funds due to COVID-19.
Their inability to reasonably calculate a quarterly payment or annual tax liability due to their business being impacted by COVID-19.
That the taxpayer is unclear at this time whether the business will owe Corporate Activity Tax in April 2020 due to COVID-19 impacts, after taking into consideration exclusions and subtractions in the law.

Businesses uncertain about their economic future due to the COVID-19 crisis, or those that have been closed during this crisis and have no ability to determine that they will owe a tax this year, won’t be penalized.

Stakeholders can direct questions or comments about the CAT via email to cat.help.dor@oregon.gov or call 503-945-8005.

Thank you.

Corporate Activity Tax Policy Team

Oregon Department of Revenue

cat.help.dor@Oregon.gov

Corporate Activity Tax Update

PLSO Office — Fri, 24 Apr 2020 18:22:30 GMT

First quarter 2020 estimated payments for Oregon’s new Corporate Activity Tax are due by April 30. Taxpayers expecting more than $5,000 of Corporate Activity Tax liability for the calendar year must make estimated payments.

The department understands that the COVID-19 pandemic may impact commercial activity, up or down, to an extent that makes it difficult for businesses to estimate their first payment. The department will not assess underpayment penalties to taxpayers making a good faith effort to estimate their first quarter payments for the CAT.

Taxpayers may demonstrate good faith effort by using the best information available to them at the time to estimate their payment. Taxpayers should document and retain the information they used to estimate their commercial activity as well as documentation used to show how they calculated their estimated payments. Taxpayers will not be required to submit this information to the department when they file their return or make estimated payments, but should keep the information in their records.

Guidance about making CAT quarterly payments can be found on the CAT page of the Department of Revenue website: https://www.oregon.gov/dor/programs/businesses/Pages/corporate-activity-tax.aspx

Information available by following the Beyond the FAQ link includes answers to the questions:

How to calculate CAT liability?
When are estimated payments required?
How do I pay my estimated taxes?

The CAT page also includes links to a video of the presentation made by CAT policy staff during the March CAT update tour, which was cut short by concerns about the spread of the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, and a PDF file of the PowerPoint presentation used during the tour. Guidance and examples of how to calculate CAT liability can be found in slides 30–38.

Additionally, taxpayers can access a PDF of a PowerPoint presentation on “How to make a CAT payment” and links to register and make payments for the CAT through Revenue Online.

The CAT webpage also includes a link to the administrative rules for the CAT.

The 2019 Legislature created the CAT to boost funding for public schools. The CAT is imposed on businesses for the privilege of doing business in Oregon, including those located inside and outside of Oregon. It’s measured on a business’s commercial activity—the total amount a business realizes from activity in Oregon.

Businesses with taxable commercial activity in excess of $1 million must pay the Corporate Activity Tax. The tax is $250 plus 0.57% of gross receipts greater than $1 million after subtractions.

The CAT applies to all business entity types, such as C and S corporations, partnerships, sole proprietorships, and other entities. Businesses with more than $750,000 in Oregon commercial activity are required to register for the CAT.

Taxpayers can email questions about the CAT to cat.help.dor@oregon.gov or call 503-945-8005.

Thank you.

Corporate Activity Tax Policy Team
Oregon Department of Revenue
cat.help.dor@Oregon.gov

FREE Webinar Held on April 23: Coping with Coronavirus: Design Firm Challenges

PLSO Office — Tue, 21 Apr 2020 16:09:20 GMT

Coronavirus, Your Business and Drinking from a Fire Hydrant

PLSO Office — Thu, 09 Apr 2020 20:36:22 GMT

Coronavirus, Your Business and Drinking from a Fire Hydrant

By: Darrell W. Fuller, PLSO Lobbyist*

You will find more information on the CARES ACT and other state and federal update summaries (as well as a PDF of this article) here: www.plso.org/COVID-19

Staying up-to-date on COVID-19 is like drinking from a fire hose. Information changes daily — sometimes hourly. In terms of managing your business, your best resources are your tax adviser, your attorney and your banker.

This update aggregates some information from reliable sources. I’m here to help if you have any questions, especially with how state government is handling COVID-19. Just send your emails to fuller_darrell@yahoo.com or call 971-388-1786.

We’re all in this together – six feet apart.

FEDERAL

Applications Now Open for Federal Paycheck Protection Program:

Starting Friday, April 3, businesses can apply through their local lender for the Paycheck Protection loan program that will provide businesses with up to eight weeks of funding to keep employees on the payroll. The Treasury Department released useful information for lenders and borrowers, just click here.

(As you might expect, early feedback is that banks are understaffed, underinformed and overwhelmed. Don’t expect a quick and simple process. Websites will crash or freeze and phone lines will be busy or hold times will be extraordinarily long. It is also possible some applications will be put on hold as the Federal government runs out of money allocated for this program. It is expected additional funds will be provided soon.)

SBA COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan Application SBA is collecting the requested information in order to make a loan under SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program to the qualified entities listed in this application that are impacted by the Coronavirus (COVID-19). The information will be used in determining whether the applicant is eligible for an economic injury loan. If you do not submit all the information requested, your loan cannot be fully processed. For the online application click here.

Members of Congress are already talking about what comes next

Lawmakers are already publicly floating ideas for a fourth coronovirus relief bill only days after Congress passed a massive $2.2 trillion package. The talks are in their preliminary stages, and any bill is unlikely to come together before both chambers return to DC as soon as April 20…

The Hill - Five Things Being Discussed For The Next Relief Bill

STATE

Oregon COVID-19 Small Business Navigator

Business Oregon, alongside the Oregon Employment Department, the Oregon Secretary of State, and the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services has compiled information to assist Oregon small businesses dealing with the impacts of COVID-19. Click here or call the Business Navigator hotline

at 833-604-0880.

Moratorium on Commercial Evictions

Governor Brown has issued an Executive Order creating a 90-day moratorium on commercial evictions. For an article on OregonLive, click here. To read Governor Brown’s Executive Order 20-13 click here.

Complaints against employers flooding in

Since announcing her Executive Order shuttering specific “non-essential” businesses, but allowing most others to stay open, state regulators have been flooded with employee complaints. And it isn’t surprising considering the Governor tweeted out a request for employees to file a complaint. For a couple of news articles about what YOUR business could face, click here or here.

OHSA Complaint Form

If an employee files a complaint against their employer, click here to see the form they will complete.

Governor Kate Brown’s Coronavirus page

The Governor has her own dedicated COVID-19 page. You can read all of her several Executive Orders and find links to useful tools here.

Legislature hot and cold on Special Session for Cornoavirus

Legislative leadership hastily assembled a joint committee to address COVID-19. It met all day, for several days, forwarding emergency recommendations to the Senate President and Speaker of the House. Everyone was set for an urgent and quick Special Session. Then it just didn’t happen. Click here for a recent story on the legislative soap opera. The latest rumor is leadership wants to hold off until after the next quarterly state revenue forecast, coming in early May, so they can make adjustments to the state budget based on falling taxes. Another hot topic will be whether the Special Session is limited to just COVID-19, or will they take up other issues which died when the Republicans walked out of the February session to stop passage of a Cap and Trade bill. Senator Betsy Johnson (D-Scappoose) suggested other items were on the table in an article here.

NFIB

The National Federation of Independent Business has created a “Guide to New Federal Lending Options” webpage here. They also have “Small Business Resources in Response to Coronavirus” page here.

OTHER

Experts suggest Oregon cases will peak around April 24 or 25 (meaning it’s not even half time yet)

Oregon’s hospitals aren’t filled to capacity now. The governor’s stay-at-home order and social distancing has helped. According to the latest model, the state is expected to reach its peak of cases around April 24 or 25. To read the entire article on OregonLive, click here.

The estimated “peak” date changes frequently, however The new forecast from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation shows Oregon’s hospital system is capable of handling coronavirus patients. But it still predicts 171 Oregonians will die by May 27. It projects a peak on April 20, with about five deaths. Because of uncertainties inherent in modeling, the peak could see as many as 10 deaths in a day -- and potentially more. Between 145 and 209 could die. Read the article here.

Not everyone agrees with the experts

An anonymous blogger calling himself “Professor Hinkley”, to protect his employment, suggests the surge has already peaked. He writes, “it’s mathematically impossible that the surge happens here in Oregon 16 days from now, and I will lay it out for you…” To read his take, click here. Only time will tell who is correct.

* Disclaimer: Darrell Fuller is not an attorney or tax advisor and this is not intended to offer legal or financial advice. Contact your attorney or tax advisor.

Federal and State Coronavirus Updates with Local Assistance Resources

PLSO Office — Fri, 27 Mar 2020 21:47:38 GMT

Federal and State Coronavirus Update

By: Darrell W. Fuller, PLSO Lobbyist*

You will find more information on the CARES ACT and other state and federal update summaries (as well as a PDF of this article) here: www.plso.org/COVID-19

FEDERAL UPDATE

Congress has passed, and the President will sign (or has signed), the Federal Stimulus package. Many benefits from the package will likely not be available for 2-3 months. In the meantime, I will try to find the best links and resources to explain benefits, requirements and processes once they are available. Stay tuned.

__________

The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) is an outstanding resource for information. NFIB has scheduled a webinar open to nonmembers. It is scheduled for 9:00 AM on Monday, March 30. To learn more and register for the NFIB webinar, click here.

If you are not a member of NFIB, this would be a good time join. They will be able to provide you with crucial information and access during the COVID-19 pandemic.

__________

Getting updated and accurate information may be difficult. So, going straight to the source of Federal legislation may be helpful.

For links on information and benefits through the White House, click here.
For links on information and benefits through Senator Ron Wyden’s office, click here.
For links on information and benefits through Congressman Kurt Schrader, click here.
For links and information and benefits through Congressman Greg Walden, click here.

STATE UPDATE

On Monday, March 23, Governor Brown issued Executive Order 20-12 and launched the "Stay Home. Stay Safe" informational campaign to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

An Oregonian article explains Executive Order 20-12 and how citizens and businesses are affected by the directive.

On Friday, March 27, Governor Brown issued a news release to clarify certain points of Executive Order 20-12. To read this guidance, click here.

Executive Order 20-12 is not the Governor’s first EO related to COVID-19. EOs 20-03 through 20-12 are all COVID-19 related. To read the other COVID-19 EOs, just click here.

Helpful information from the Corporation Division is found here.

Other Resources /Stay informed about COVID-19:

Oregon response: The Oregon Health Authority and Oregon Office of Emergency Management lead the state response.

United States response: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention leads the U.S. response.

Global response: The World Health Organization guides the global response.

General Resources

211info connects people with health and social service organizations. At our heart is our core Community Information Center, supported by Resource Database team. We’ve expanded to include enhanced information & referral and assistance programs that target specific services. Call 211 or 1-866-698-6155

Employment

For information about unemployment benefits & COVID-19, please visit

Bureau of Labor and Industries website for Additional Information

Business Assistance - Federal guidance for small businesses, including information on the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program.

Oregon Work-share Program - Work Share provides an alternative for employers and workers who may be facing the prospect of a lay off situation. With Work Share, instead of reducing staff, an employer reduces the hours of work for a group of workers. Partial Unemployment Insurance benefits are then paid to supplement workers' reduced wages.

https://www.oregon.gov/employ/Unemployment/Pages/Work-Share-Program.aspx

Business Organizations links for assistance and information

Business Oregon https://www.oregon4biz.com/Coronavirus-Information/

Rental, Mortgage or Housing Assistance

The Federal government announced yesterday that HUD has authorized the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) to implement an immediate foreclosure and eviction moratorium for single family homeowners with FHA-insured mortgages for the next 60 days.

211.org and Community Action may be able to direct you to resources for payment assistance.

Food Assistance

211 is a statewide resource:
- Call 211 or 1-866-698-6155
- Text your zip code to 898211 (TXT211)
- EMAIL help@211info.org
Partners for a Hunger Free Oregon https://oregonhunger.org/covid-19/
Marion Polk Food Share Covid-19 Info https://www.marionpolkfoodshare.org/covid-19-update/

Insurance

If Oregonians have questions or concerns about their insurance company or agent, they can contact the department’s advocacy team at 888-877-4894 (toll free) or visit dfr.oregon.gov for more information or to file a complaint.

For insurance and financial services information related to COVID-19, visit the department’s website: https://dfr.oregon.gov/insure/health/understand/Pages/coronavirus.aspx.

General Health Information

How to protect yourself:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prepare/prevention.html
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public

What to do if you're sick:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/steps-when-sick.html

Mental Health Resources

Lines for Life https://www.linesforlife.org/blog/lines-for-life-is-with-you-24-7/
Marion County numbers for mental health outreach if an individual is seeking services in our community:
- Adult Behavioral Health program -503-588-5351
- Crisis Services -503-585-4949

* Disclaimer: Darrell Fuller is not an attorney and this memorandum does not offer legal advice. Contact an attorney for legal advice. Darrell Fuller is a lobbyist with more than 30 years of experience at the Capitol in Salem, Oregon. But no one living in Oregon has experience in advising businesses on surviving a pandemic.

Coronavirus, Your Business and Complying with the Governor’s New Executive Order

PLSO Office — Tue, 24 Mar 2020 18:06:08 GMT

Coronavirus, your business and complying with the Governor’s new Executive Order

By: Darrell W. Fuller*, PLSO Lobbyist
You will find more information and a PDF of this article here: www.plso.org/COVID-19

On Monday, March 23^rd, Governor Kate Brown issued an Executive Order (EO) immediately shutting down many Oregon businesses in an effort to slow the spread of Coronavirus. (To read the order, click here).

Governor Brown’s Executive Order is unlike the EOs issued by every other Governor. In other states, Governors issued Executive Orders shutting down businesses, except those considered “essential”. Their EOs included detailed lists of which businesses are deemed essential. Some referenced a Department of Homeland Security document issued March 19^th. (To read the DHS advisory, click here.)

Governor Brown flipped this concept on its head and issued an Executive Order specifically listing which businesses are not essential, shutting them down. Businesses not on her list are allowed to continue operating with some new rules. Governor Brown’s Executive Order requires the following businesses to close immediately:

Closure of Certain Businesses

(Executive Order 20-12, Page Four)

2. …Amusement parks; aquariums; arcades; art galleries (to the extent that they are open without appointment); barber shops and hair salons; bowling alleys; cosmetic stores; dance studios; esthetician practices; fraternal organization facilities; furniture stores; gyms and fitness studios (including climbing gyms); hookah bars; indoor and outdoor malls (i.e., all portions of a retail complex containing stores and restaurants in a single area); indoor party places (including jumping gyms and laser tag); jewelry shops and boutiques (unless they provide goods exclusively through pick-up or delivery services); medical spas; facial spas; day spas; and non-medical massage therapy services; museums; nail and tanning salons; non-tribal card rooms; skating rinks; senior activity centers; ski resorts; social and private clubs; tattoo/piercing parlors; tennis clubs; theaters; yoga studios; and youth clubs.

If your business is not on the Governor’s list above, then good news -- you can stay open (for now). But there are new rules you must follow:

Required Social Distancing for Other Retail Businesses

(Executive Order 20-12, Page Five)

6. …I prohibit the operation of any other retail business not subject to paragraph 2 of this Executive Order, unless the business designates an employee or officer to establish, implement, and enforce social distancing policies, consistent with guidance from the Oregon Health Authority.

7. Retail businesses that fail to comply with paragraph 6 of this Executive Order will be closed until they demonstrate compliance.

So, if you are a retail business, which means you sell something -- including services -- and your employees interact with members of the public, you need to:

(a) Designate – in writing -- an employee or officer to establish, implement and enforce social distancing policies;

(b) Establish, implement and enforce written social distancing policies for all employees and customers, indicating that everyone must maintain six feet of separation from one another while at the business and on any jobsite;

(c) Ensure all employees receive a copy of the written policies and acknowledge that they have received it, read it, and will comply with it. An initial or signature is preferable;

(d) Make copies of the policies available to all customers, whether they visit your place of business or employees travel to their location;

(e) Require your manager of social distancing policies to indicate, in writing, who is responsible for enforcing the social distancing policies during all hours that your business is open, or when an employee is on a jobsite;

This can be as simple as designating the manager on duty as the responsible person, or designating each field tech as responsible when they are in the field. Businesses need a paper trail showing a good faith effort to comply with establishing, implementing and enforcing social distancing policies;

(f) Your written social distancing policies should include explicit instructions to employees that they are not to use company time or vehicles to travel for any nonessential, non-work related purposes, to the maximum extent possible; and

(g) Use this link to download specific advice for employers from the Oregon Health Authority on social distancing policies.

Workspace Restrictions

(Executive Order 20-12, Page Five)

9. …Facilitate telework and work-at-home by employees, to the maximum extent possible. Work in offices is prohibited whenever telework and work-at-home options are available, in light of position duties, availability of teleworking equipment, and network adequacy.

10. When telework and work-from-home options are not available, businesses and non-profits must designate an employee or officer to establish, implement, and enforce social distancing policies, consistent with guidance from the Oregon Health Authority. Such policies also must address how the business or non-profit will maintain social distancing protocols for business-critical visitors.

11. Businesses and non-profits that fail to comply with paragraph 9 and 10 of this Executive Order will be closed until they demonstrate compliance.

So, if you plan to keep your business open, you need to:

(a) Comply with everything listed above; and

(b) Create written protocols facilitating, to the maximum extent possible, which employees, if any, can telework or work-at-home. Document in writing specific reasons why employees (especially office employees) cannot telework or work-at-home. If nothing else, allow office employees to work from home for part of the day or part of the week, if at all possible.

Everything about Coronavirus and Executive Order 20-12 is new. The paint just isn’t dry, yet. That being said, I hope this information is helpful as you try to understand and comply with the new rules. If you have any questions, please let me know. I cannot guarantee a quick answer or an answer at all, but I will do my best. (I am volunteering at the Office of Emergency Management’s Emergency Coordination Center in Salem representing the Red Cross.) You can reach me at fuller_darrell@yahoo.com, or my mobile number is 971-388-1786.

OSBEELS Response to Situation Surrounding COVID-19 and Status of Board Operations

PLSO Office — Thu, 19 Mar 2020 17:24:32 GMT

The Oregon State Board of Examiners for Engineering & Land Surveying (OSBEELS) would like to provide our registrants and stakeholders with an update as a result of the recent news and uncertainty surrounding COVID-19. We are actively monitoring the situation around COVID-19 and how it may affect the status of our agency and it processes. As of March 18, the agency and staff are maintaining normal business operations and will continue to adhere to the direction provided by the State of Oregon Governor’s office. Please review the below sections for information pertaining to specific Board services and meetings. [Continue Reading]

Recent Federal Actions in Response to the Coronavirus that Affect Businesses

PLSO Office — Tue, 17 Mar 2020 00:17:33 GMT

American Council of Engineering Comanies' advocacy team has assembled information below on recent federal actions in response to the coronavirus as they may impact firms. Throughout the week ACEC will be posting new information through their various communication portals to provide you with the latest information. PLSO will do the best it can at sharing them.

Small Business Assistance

As part of the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2020, cleared by Congress the first week of March, SBA can offer qualifying small businesses loans of up to $2 million to pay fixed debts, payroll, and other bills that cannot be paid because of the disaster’s impact. According to the agency, the interest rate is 3.75% for small businesses without credit available elsewhere; businesses with credit available elsewhere are not eligible. The interest rate for non-profits is 2.75%. SBA offers loans with long-term repayments in order to keep payments affordable, up to a maximum of 30 years. Terms are determined on a case-by-case basis, based upon each borrower’s ability to repay. Click here for more information.

Family/Sick Leave and Assistance to Employers

On March 14, 2020, the House passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (H.R. 6201) by a vote of 363-40. The House is working on technical corrections that it intends to pass by voice vote as they are not in session this week. Once the House approves the technical fixes, the Senate will consider the legislation this week. There are some concerns among Senators that H.R. 6021 requires employers to provide paid leave up front and then apply for tax credits, which could cause cash flow problems. ACEC is coordinating with other business association stakeholders to look for solutions as lawmakers move forward with this latest legislative response to COVID-19.

Employer-related provisions in the House-passed bill include:

Testing: Insurers would be required to cover testing for COVID-19 without cost-sharing or prior authorization requirements.
Emergency paid leave: Private sector employers with fewer than 500 employees and government entities would have to provide 12 weeks of job-protected leave under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to employees who have to quarantine, care for a family member in quarantine, or care for a child under 18 whose school or day care has closed.
- The first 14 days of leave could be unpaid, although employees could use accrued PTO during this period.
- Following the first 14 days, employees must be paid at least two-thirds of their normal pay.
- DOL would be authorized to exempt businesses with fewer than 50 employees from the paid leave provisions.
Emergency sick leave: Private sector employers with fewer than 500 employees and government entities would have to provide paid sick leave to self-quarantine, get a diagnosis for COVID-19, or provide care for a family member in quarantine or a child whose school has closed.
- 80 hours of paid sick leave for full-time employees.
- Paid sick leave for part-time employees based on their work hours over a two-week period.
- The emergency sick leave is on top of any other paid leave provided by the employer.
Employer tax credits: The bill would provide payroll tax credits to employers to cover wages paid while employees are using the emergency paid leave and sick leave established by the legislation.
- Sick leave credit of as much as $511 per day if the employee is caring for themselves, and as much as $200 per day if the employee is caring for a family member.
- Family leave credit of as much as $200 per day, or an aggregate of $10,000.
- Employers could receive the tax credit even if the credit exceeds the amount the employer owes in payroll tax.

More detailed information can be found here and here. Also, please note that we expect additional congressional assistance packages in the coming days and weeks to respond to specific challenges, and we will keep you posted as these new initiatives develop.

FHWA/State DOT Coordination

ACEC staff participated in a call last week with U.S. DOT representatives and officials from the modal administrations, e.g. FHWA, FTA, FRA. They made clear they are focused on unified federal government response actions to protect at-risk populations, in conjunction with CDC and HHS; state and local transportation agencies should follow guidance from local public health authorities on specific operational guidelines for mitigating the spread of the virus. The modal administrations are tracking the economic impact of the disruptions and providing guidance to their grantees and partners on federal funding eligibility and flexibilities for emergency response costs, operating expenses, etc. Of interest to some ACEC member firms, FHWA is reviewing NEPA regulations to determine whether virtual public meetings can satisfy the existing legal requirements for public engagement.

Updated FEMA Elevation Certificate

PLSO Office — Tue, 25 Feb 2020 17:09:26 GMT

The FEMA Elevation Certificate has been updated. You may find the updated form and instructions here.

Oregon Department of Revenue Traveling Across the State to Answer Questions about New Corporate Activity Tax

PLSO Office — Fri, 07 Feb 2020 19:33:55 GMT

SALEM - The Oregon Department of Revenue will host a series of meetings across the state in March to provide information to business taxpayers and tax professionals about the administrative rules for Oregon's new Corporate Activity Tax.

Department representatives used input collected from stakeholders during a 12-stop tour in fall 2019 in prioritizing and writing the rules. March's meetings will include a presentation and discussion of the initial temporary rules - the last of which will be filed with the Secretary of State on March 1. To see the tour schedule, click here.

"Our CAT team will personally engage our taxpaying communities in March to provide important compliance information. We consistently strive to help taxpayers comply with the law. The CAT team will also solicit feedback on the temporary rules completed to date," said Nia Ray, director of the Oregon Department of Revenue.

The 13-city tour kicks off in Bend on March 2 on the campus of Central Oregon Community College. Meetings on the east side of the state are set for March 3 in Ontario at Treasure Valley Community College and March 4 in La Grande at Zabel Hall on the campus of Eastern Oregon University. The La Grande meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Additional meetings are planned in The Dalles, Klamath Falls, Ashland, Eugene, Gresham, Coos Bay, Lincoln City, Seaside, Beaverton and Keizer.

House Bill 3427 created Oregon's Corporate Activity Tax and granted DOR the responsibility of writing rules to implement it.

All of the rules will be filed as temporary rules with the permanent rule process scheduled to begin April 1. The timing will allow business taxpayers and tax professionals to provide comment on the temporary rules during the upcoming meetings in March, as well as during the public comment period.

The Corporate Activity Tax imposes a 0.57% tax on gross receipts greater than $1 million after subtractions plus $250, beginning Jan. 1. It is expected to generate $1 billion a year to boost funding for public schools.

Those who are unable to attend but want to provide input may email questions or comments to cat.help.dor@oregon.gov. The department is planning a series of conference call meetings for out-of-state taxpayers and Oregon stakeholders who are unable to attend the in-state meetings. Those meetings will be scheduled once the in-state tour is complete.

New Survey: Consumers Concerned About Rush to Eliminate Professional Licensing

PLSO Office — Thu, 06 Feb 2020 19:14:36 GMT

Clear Support for Rigorous Professional Licensing to Protect the Public Exists
Findings Come as State Legislatures Weigh Weakening or Eliminating Licensing

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Alliance for Responsible Professional Licensing (ARPL) today announced the results of a national survey that indicated widespread public support for maintaining rigorous professional licensing standards for professions that have a clear impact on public health, safety and welfare. These findings were announced as many state legislatures are considering broad proposals to overhaul or eliminate state licensing requirements in the current legislative session. Legislation weakening state professional licensing requirements was introduced in the West Virginia legislature earlier this month. Similar legislation is expected to be introduced in other states in the coming weeks and months.

Eliminating licensing has become a top priority of groups such as the conservative American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and the Koch-funded Americans for Prosperity, with model legislative proposals that include the complete elimination of all professional and occupational licensing.

The survey was conducted by Benenson Strategy Group and yielded these key findings:

▪ 75% of voters believe that it is important to ensure qualifications for professionals in certain industries. A majority of voters believe that current professional licensing requirements protect the public and should not be reformed.

▪ More than 70% of voters believe that regulating professionals in accounting, engineering, architecture, landscape architecture, and related fields with high impact on public safety and welfare is important.

▪ 71% of voters believe professional licensing should be required unless it can be proven that eliminating licensing will not have a negative impact on public health and safety. The public is wary of the alternative approach: requiring licensing only when it is proven necessary for health and safety.

▪ 67% of voters believe that consumers are best protected by a system that regulates education, examination and experience standards—all of which are overseen by a professional licensing board.

“An overwhelming, bipartisan majority of the American people understand that professional licensing is rigorous for good reason and they want to keep it that way,” said Skip Braziel, a member of the ARPL, who also serves as Vice President for State Regulatory and Legislative Affairs at the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA). “Consumers want to know that the professionals they hire are qualified and as this survey makes clear, voters want to see responsible licensing protected.”

“The public recognizes the critical role that licensing and licensing boards play in protecting the public,” said Marta Zaniewski, an ARPL member who also serves as the Assistant Vice President of External Engagement for the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB). “This is why consumers are understandably wary of the anti-licensing proposals being floated in their state capitals. Licensing boards not only establish qualifications for a profession, but act on the public’s behalf to uphold the highest standards for our profession and take action against bad practitioners. This indispensable public protection role will be lost if licensing is eliminated.”

You can read the survey summary here.

2020 Early Bird Savings Ends December 31st!

PLSO Office — Mon, 04 Nov 2019 19:36:02 GMT

2020 Conference at Sheraton Portland Airport Hotel

Save money when you register early for the 2020 PLSO Conference - Your Place for Continuing Education and Professional Networking! Held at the Sheraton Portland Airport Hotel, January 22-24, 2020, you an opportunity to have opportunity to:

Don't miss out! Register to at plso.org/conference.

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Thank you to the following companies that have come on board to support the 2020 PLSO Conference so far!

STOLEN PROPERTY ALERT: Trimble S7

PLSO Office — Wed, 23 Oct 2019 19:10:57 GMT

STOLEN PROPERTY ALERT

A Trimble S7, serial number 37310406, with case was stolen October 8th on Highway 197 just north of Dufur, Oregon. Please contact Ben Beseda with Tenneson Engineering at 541-296-9177 with any information.

2019 BLUE MOUNTAIN CHAPTER WORKSHOP

PLSO Office — Wed, 23 Oct 2019 17:10:03 GMT

2019 BLUE MOUNTAIN CHAPTER WORKSHOP

NOVEMBER 16, 2019, 8:30 AM (Pacific)

Blue Mtn. Community College, 2411 N.W. Carden Ave., Pendleton OR

Cost: $50 7.0 +/- PDH’s, plus meal ($25 guest meal)

Contact Remi Fritz to Attend

Agenda | Speaker Presentations & Bios

9:00 am – 10:00 am

ODOT: Online resources

Speaker: Bret Elithorp, PLS

This session Bret will go over ODOT's online resources. How to access and find ODOT surveys and maps. What types of information is available online and what additional information that may be requested from ODOT's offices.

10:30 am – 12:00 pm

DLCD: Building in the Flood Plain

Celinda Adair, CFM; Katherine Daniel, CFM, AICP

This session will provide updates regarding the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) as relevant to Oregon, including the status of the FEMA Elevation Certificate (EC) update, and how a new way of rating flood insurance policies may impact the demand for ECs. Information will also be provided regarding best practices for completing ECs and Letters of Map Amendments (LOMAs). Finally, this presentation will cover state specialty code requirements for Elevation Certificates when structures are being built or substantially improved.

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm

Catered Lunch Break and discussion time

1:00 pm -2:30 pm

BLM: Case Studies in the Public Land Survey System

Mary J.M. Hartel

This session will provide a Case Study into the Public Land system and the history behind it.

3:00 pm – 4:30 pm

NGS 2022, an Overview - “Grid to Ground” Modifications Explained

Bob Green, PLS

This session will discuss the last NGS adjustment schedule for 2022 and Grid to Ground modifications.

4:30 pm – 5:00 pm

Blue Mountain Chapter meeting to discuss presentations and vote on earned PDH’s

Scholarship Fund Raffle - Win a Jet Boat Tour up the Rogue River

PLSO Office — Fri, 11 Oct 2019 14:29:07 GMT

2020 Scholarship Fund Raffle

Help build the future of our professional land surveying community when you purchase a chance to win a one-day trip up the Rogue River for (4) people with Jerry's Rogue Jets out of Gold Beach, plus a $500 Visa Gift Card! All proceeds go to support the PLSO Scholarship Fund, which gives out $18,000 in scholarships each year. Click here to find out more information on scholarships.

Click here to Purchase Tickets

104-Mile Wilderness Whitewater Jet Boat Tour With A $500 Visa Gift Card

Raffle prize winner will enjoy a one day 104-Mile Wilderness Whitewater jet boat tour, travelling into the ‘Wild’ section, an area only accessible by jet boating, rafting and hiking. Jerry's Rogue Jets is the only commercial jet boat trip allowed to operate in this remote twelve mile section. The base of Blossom Bar Rapid marks the end of upstream travel and is not navigable by jet boat.

Skilled pilots will entertain you with tall tales, rich history and help you relax as they navigate the swift currents, still waters, rugged canyons and spectacular whitewater. Keep your camera handy. Black bear, black tail deer, river otter, mink, bald eagle, osprey, and beaver all call the Rogue River canyon home.

The value of this prize is $880.00. Winner will be announced on January 23, 2020 at the Annual Education & Outreach Auction (held during the PLSO Conference). Attendance is not necessary to win. Winner must be 18 or older.

Items for Sale

PLSO Office — Mon, 19 Aug 2019 02:50:49 GMT

Glenn Eastmann's wife is selling his equipment with the help of her son Dave. She posted the various items on the Bend, Oregon Craig's List. Not knowing the going prices for these items she has them listed as "make an offer". She will have some of us local surveyors vet the offers so nobody tries to take advantage of her.

The items and links (w/photos) are as follows:

1 Prisms: https://bend.craigslist.org/tls/d/bend-survey-equipment-prisms/6958372235.html

2. Tripods and prism poles: https://bend.craigslist.org/tls/d/bend-survey-equipment-tri-pods/6958369367.html

3. Subsurface Magnetic Locator Model ML-1 : https://bend.craigslist.org/tls/d/bend-survey-equipment-subsurface/6958367640.html

4. Ashtech GPS unit: https://bend.craigslist.org/tls/d/bend-survey-equipment-gps-survey-system/6958366132.html

5. Schonstedt XT GA-92: https://bend.craigslist.org/tls/d/bend-survey-equipment-schonstedt-xt-ga/6958362496.html

6. Nicon Pulse Laser Station NPL-350: https://bend.craigslist.org/tls/d/bend-survey-equipment-nikon-pulse-laser/6958359922.html

7. Zeiss Elta S20 & Rec Link Robotic Total Station: https://bend.craigslist.org/tls/d/bend-survey-equipment-zeiss-elta-s20/6958357580.html

8. Lufkin 300' survey tape: https://bend.craigslist.org/tls/d/redmond-survey-tape-300/6957380919.html

If you are in the area I can facilitate meeting with the seller to test out the equipment.

Mike Berry

Bend, Oregon

Oregon Surveyor in Search of Assistant Editor

PLSO Office — Sat, 03 Aug 2019 18:40:34 GMT

Oregon Surveyor Wins NSPS Award Again!

Congratulations to Greg Crites for winning Best Editorial from NSPS for the second year in a row! This year's entry was from Volume 41, No. 5. Click here to check it out!

As a reminder, Greg would like to find an Assistant Editor for the magazine so that when he is ready to step down in the next year or two, the transition is seamless.

Below is the current job description for the EDITOR position.

Editor Job Description

Review/revise submissions for publication including checking of spelling, grammar and punctuation
Review Executive Secretary and Chair’s letter, similar to above
Submit Editor's letter
Correspondence with Executive Secretary/Chair regarding content
Determine article suitability in consultation with editorial committee (when necessary)
Consult with authors regarding clarifications/edits
Fact/reference checking for content accuracy, as needed
Submission of articles to publisher
Review/edit proofs produced by publisher for layout, content and style
Correspond w/editor-publisher regarding revisions
Approve final proof prior to publication in consult w/Executive Secretary/Chair
Suggest article topic ideas to appropriate writers if needed

Greg has noted that his involvement as Editor requires no more than four hours per issue. It would also be helpful if the person who expresses interest in shadowing his position has Adobe Acrobat Professional or Bluebeam review software (or suitable equivalent). As he's now retired, he no longer has access to this, or any other .pdf file editor.

Please email Aimee McAuliffe at execdirector@plso.org for more information.

In Loving Memory of PLSO Founder Clair Pense

PLSO Office — Mon, 20 May 2019 18:01:45 GMT

In Loving Memory of PLSO Founding Lifetime Member

Clair Ernest Pense

December 21, 1927 - May 7, 2019

Clair Ernest Pense was born at home on Dec. 21, 1927 in Bonesteele,S.D. to parents, Charles Abraham Pense and Grace Elizabeth Pinkham Pense, and passed away at his home in Gresham, Ore. on May 7, 2019.

His wife of over 50 years, Violet Naomi Pense; and daughter, Virginia Rae Pearce preceded him in death. He is survived by children, Cynthia June Reynolds (Bob) and Dr. Stanley Clair Pense (Sharon); 17 grandchildren; 25 great-grandchildren.

Pense graduated from Gresham High School in 1945 and proudly served as a Submariner in World War II and the Korean War. He later attended Multnomah College (later merged with University of Portland) and attended Portland State. He served as Multnomah County Surveyor in the 1960's and later became a Land Surveyor in private practice until retirement.

He was actively involved in his community on many levels. Pense was a founder, past president and Lifetime Charter Member of the Professional Land Surveyors of Oregon, a director of the Convention of the American Congress of Surveying and Mapping, a past president of the Engineering Architect Council of Oregon, a school board member for the Centennial School District and a board member for Mt. Hood Community College and adviser for their Civil Engineering Technology Committee. He was part of the American Legion and a designer of Heroes Memorial Park at Main St. Park in Gresham, Ore.

Pense was also keenly interested in politics as a proponent of things that promoted ethical and moral practices according to the U.S. Constitution. He would continually submit letters to public officials including our Presidents advocating that the laws were for the people and of the people, sealing the back of his letters with "In God We Trust." He served mankind well, being interested in others and loving his family and friends. He was forever teaching his great-grandchildren and very patiently learning from them as well. In fact, he was a friend wherever he went….he just loved people.

In his retirement he enjoyed working with the Submariner Veterans Group and Willamette National Cemetery. His love of country was very passionate. His sense of humor was a treasure to all and is carried on through his family through the many stories and jokes he told.

His family has said how proud they are of their father and grandfather, who lived knowing that his life was in his Heavenly Father's hands and are at peace knowing he is with their mother and grandmother, and most of all with His Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

There will be a Celebration of Life service at 1 p.m., June 1, 2019, at Pleasant Home Community Church, 32120 Dodge Park Blvd., Gresham. A burial service will be held at 11 a.m., May 31, 2019, Willamette National Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, any contributions may be made to: Eagle Fern Camp, Estacada, OR 97023. Please sign the online guest book at www.oregonlive.com/obits

Registration is Open for the 2019 OSU Student Appreciation Dinner

PLSO Office — Mon, 13 May 2019 21:01:50 GMT

2019 OSU Student Appreciation Dinner

Professional Land Surveyors of Oregon - Willamette Chapter

Annual Dinner Meeting

When: Thursday, May 30; 5:30 p.m. Check-in; 6 p.m. Dinner

Where: The LaSells Stewart Center, Guistina Gallery

Cost: $55 (free for current students)

Please join us for this special evening in honor of surveying and geomatics education.

We will also celebrate the career of Professor Robert J. Schultz and his legendary service to education and the surveying profession over the last 56 years at Oregon State University. Dr. Ramesh Strestha from the University of Houston and National Center on Airborne Lidar Mapping (and OSU graduate) will be giving the keynote talk, "Life and Legacy of Bob Schultz".

Click Here to Register

(https://cce.oregonstate.edu/2019-plso-student-appreciation-dinner-registration)

And from the Dean:

"I’d like to take a moment to recognize an outstanding educator, Robert “Bob” Schultz, professor emeritus of geomatics, for his extraordinary service to our college, the university, and the people of Oregon. He recently retired after 56 years teaching. The Oregon Beach Bill, which secures public access to our state’s wonderful coastline, wouldn’t have been passed without his work and will remain his defining legacy to the public. Bob is also deeply appreciated on a personal level by those he taught, with many sharing fond memories of his high standards tempered by his willingness to give freely of his time to those who needed it."

OSBEELS Open Board Position Announcements

PLSO Office — Tue, 19 Mar 2019 02:50:20 GMT

The Oregon State Board of Examiners for Engineering and Land Surveying will soon be looking to fill both its land surveyor positions on its volunteer board.

The Governor-appointed Board consists of eleven volunteer members:

two members of the general public
two professional land surveyors
five professional engineers
one professional engineer and professional land surveyor
one registered photogrammetrist

PLSO has two members that are interested in these positions, Tim Fassbender and Robert Lennox, who will be seeking the Board's endorsement. If you are also interested in applying for OSBEELS Board Membership and PLSO endorsement, please notify Chairman Shawn Kampmann.

672.240 State Board of Examiners for Engineering and Land Surveying; appointment; qualifications; officers. (1) The State Board of Examiners for Engineering and Land Surveying shall operate as a semi-independent state agency subject to ORS 182.456 to 182.472 for the purpose of carrying out ORS 672.002 to 672.325. The board shall consist of 11 members appointed by the Governor as follows:

(a) Two members shall be members of the general public.

(b) Two members shall be registered professional land surveyors.

(d) One member shall be registered both as a professional engineer and as a professional land surveyor. However, if a qualified individual is not available, the Governor may appoint either a registered professional engineer or a registered professional land surveyor.

(e) One member shall be a registered photogrammetrist. However, if a qualified individual is not available, the Governor may appoint either a registered professional engineer or a registered professional land surveyor.

(2) The Governor shall appoint members to the board so that there is at least one member of the board from each congressional district in this state.

(3) Each engineer, land surveyor or photogrammetrist member of the board shall have been:

(a) A resident of this state for at least three years immediately preceding appointment; and

(b) Practicing as a registered professional engineer, registered professional land surveyor or registered photogrammetrist for at least five years since the date of the individual’s initial registration.

(4) The board shall elect biennially from among its members a president and vice president for the ensuing biennial term.

Helpful Links:

OSBEELS Board

Apply for Board Membership

Board & Commissions Page

PLSO Bylaws Regarding Endorsement

PLSO Announces 2018 Award Winners

PLSO Office — Sun, 20 Jan 2019 17:32:21 GMT

PLSO Announces 2018 Award Winners

Congratulations to our 2018 Award Winners! Your dedication to the professional surveying community is incredibly appreciated and respected throughout the state.

2018 Surveyor of the Year

Chris Glantz

Life Membership

Carl Clinton

Associate of the Year

Wes Addington

Special Member of the Year

Kelly Miller

Article of the Year

"The Lost Surveyor" column by Pat Gaylord

September/October, July/August, May/June, March/April

Team Player Award

Eric Osman

Bright Idea Award

Rebranding Task Force

Oregon Tech Today Features PLSO Member Rhonda Dodge

PLSO Office — Fri, 14 Dec 2018 18:19:37 GMT

Geomatics, Math and Athletics: The Magic Success Mix for Alumna Rhonda Dodge

Name: Rhonda Dodge, Class of 2016, Klamath Falls Campus

Degree(s): BS Geomatics/Surveying Option and BS Applied Mathematics

Accomplishments while at Oregon Tech: Only student to ever receive NAIA recognition 6 times, Team captain for Cross Country, Professional Land Surveyors of Oregon Scholarships

Current job title & place of employment: Oregon Department of Transportation in Salem, OR

What did you like most about your time at Oregon Tech? I liked the small size and how focused students are on their program.

What do you like most about your profession? I enjoy being outdoors and the math and problem solving that is involved on a daily basis. It never gets old!

How long after graduation did it take you to find a job? After I graduated, I was encouraged by one of my professors, Jack Walker, to attend Purdue University’s graduate program in Remote Sensing. It is a 2-year program but I finished in one year while also being a TA in the surveying classes. I got my job at ODOT three months later.

Did you participate in any intern/externships during your time at Oregon Tech? I spent a summer working at Hawaiian Electric Company in Honolulu.

How do you feel your time at Oregon Tech prepared you for your current job/continuing studies? All of the hands-on classes at Oregon Tech really prepared me well for my job. At other schools, students learn the theory but at Oregon Tech we were actually working with the instruments starting our first year. The CAD classes were also very important for the work I do, and if I had not had those courses, I wouldn’t know what to do. Employers don’t have time to train employees so my coding classes at Oregon Tech were really important.

Do you maintain professional relationships with any of your professors? I stay in touch with professors Mason Marker and Jeff Walker. There were only two women in my class of 12 students that graduated together and we all keep in touch and still get together.

What advice would you give to a current student at Oregon Tech? Spend as much time with your professors outside of class, and during their office hours. They have industry experience and you can learn so much from them, even outside the classroom.

2019 PLSO Conference Registration is LIVE - Save Money through December 31

PLSO Office — Mon, 19 Nov 2018 21:17:56 GMT

January 16-18 s Eugene

Save money when you sign up for
Early Bird Registration Discounts by
December 31st...

You can pack a lot into three days at the Annual PLSO Conference. Held in Eugene, Jan. 16-18, PLSO offers a diverse seminar schedule for required PDH hours, including nationally recognized speakers and important topics such as water boundaries, boundary evidence, adverse possession, new tax law, QBS, judicial responsibility, drone data collection and more!

Conference Highlights

Discounted Hotel Room Rates Available through January 5!

The Hotel Eugene (formerly known as Hilton Eugene)

66 East 6th Avenue, Eugene, OR 97401 / Click for Directions

Discounted Rates

Room reservations are available starting at $134+ for a Standard Room. To receive the discounted rate, call Allie Nutting at 541-342-6651 by January 5, 2019 and tell them you're with PLSO. Check-in time is 4 PM.

Thank you to the following partners for supporting the PLSO Conference:

Call for Papers - FIG Working Week 2019, Hanoi, Vietnam

PLSO Office — Fri, 14 Sep 2018 15:26:40 GMT

CALL FOR PAPERS

FIG WORKING WEEK 2019

22-26 April 2019 in Hanoi, Vietnam
at Vietnam National Convention Center
www.fig.net/fig2019

Few countries in the world have had such a rapid development as Vietnam during the last decades. Hanoi, the city where the FIG Working Week 2019 will be held, has grown extremely quickly during the last decades. This urban transition puts intense pressure on keeping the pace with rising demands for transport, infrastructure, social services, housing, environmental controls, data management and public amenities. Further to this development, Vietnam is considered as one of the countries most affected by climate changes. Hanoi is particularly at risk as it is situated in a low-lying area near the mouth of a major and unpredictable river.

Smart living is a major key to the fight against climate change. Spatial information, big data, surveying, BIM, land administration, real estate management and much more are essential factors in this development. The theme of the Working Week:

Geospatial information for a smarter life and environmental resilience

addresses these challenges that are crucial not only in Vietnam but for many all over the world.

The three conference days will focus on how to deal with these challenges by working towards a smarter life both through the development of smart sustainable cities and the development of rural areas.

Are you interested in presenting at FIG Working Week? Do you have an inspiring story to tell and interesting findings to present? Please check out the Call for Papers at www.fig.net/fig2019/call.htm.

The deadlines are coming up soon:
Peer review abstracts AND full papers: 1 October 2018
Non peer review abstracts: 1 November 2018 l non peer review papers: 1 February 2019

For more information about the conference, please go to www.fig.net/fig2019

We look forward to receiving your abstract

Kind regards,
Ms. Claudia Stormoen
FIG Event and Support Manager

International Federation of Surveyors
Fédération Internationale des Géomčtres
Internationale Vereiningung der Vermessungsingenieure

Kalvebod Brygge 31-33
DK-1780 Copenhagen V
Tel. + 45 3886 1081
Direct: + 45 9391 0812
Claudia.stormoen@fig.net
www.fig.net

Where We Live: The Willamette Stone (KOIN)

PLSO Office — Mon, 06 Aug 2018 22:49:12 GMT

Where We Live: The Willamette Stone

It established the basis for land claims in Oregon and

Washington

By: Ken Boddie (Click for original article with photos)

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- One of Oregon's most important historical landmarks is also one of its least known.

Surrounded by forest, down a tree-lined path in Portland's West Hills, you'll find the Willamette Stone.

It's the exact spot where the first official government surveys were done, establishing the basis for land claims in Oregon and Washington as settlers flocked to the Oregon territory in the 1850s after the Donation Land Act.

"And they could say, 'This is the block of land that goes to this family,' and 'This is the block of land that we're going to give to that family for them to start settlement on,' so it made a clear grid-like system that made the whole process easier," Oregon Park Ranger Deb Hill said.

The project was led by John B. Preston, Oregon's first surveyor general. His crew used solar compasses, from the initial point to establish the Willamette Meridian and the Willamette Baseline.

The surveyed lines run all the way from Puget Sound to California, from the Pacific Ocean to Idaho -- avoiding the Columbia River and Vancouver Lake.

Many of the original surveys are still used today.

Hill told KOIN 6 News, "So it's pretty amazing how accurate they were, given the time and the tools that they had."

From a wooden stake in 1851, a stone obelisk was installed as the marker in 1885 -- the Willamette Stone. But after constant vandalism, the federal government replaced it with another marker in the 1980s.

The Willamette Stone State Park was established in 1945, which is where the Willamette Stone marker can be found. It's located just off Skyline Boulevard in the West Hills. It's one of 37 initial survey points throughout the U.S.

So, when you take a look at the skylines and neighborhoods for towns in Oregon and Washington, know that it all started with the Willamette Stone.

BPA Cadastral Records Online

PLSO Office — Wed, 11 Jul 2018 15:10:36 GMT

The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) has been providing the Pacific Northwest with clean energy since 1937, and it has been responsible for surveying its infrastructure since inception. Over the course of our 80 year history, we have been fortunate to preserve cadastral records across our seven state territory. We are in the process of creating an ArcGIS Online (AGOL) environment where the individual cadastral records are georeferenced and original field notes can be searched. We now have Idaho, Montana, and Oregon available for research and want to share this information with you!

The data can be accessed through ArcGIS Online by searching for ‘BPA Cadastral’, then open the ‘APP’ icon at the bottom of the search. You can also reach the same maps here:

BPA Cadastral Control - Idaho

BPA Cadastral Control - Montana

BPA Cadastral Control - Oregon

Please note that the location data was pulled mostly from GCDB values and should be used for research purposes only. There is no warranty that monuments as noted should be held. Please be sure to perform additional research and utilize this information for its’ historical value in perpetuating evidence.

We will be periodically adding to the database, with Washington cadastral records to follow. We continue to survey across BPA’s service area and will update current records at a regular interval, to be determined. Please share this with others who may benefit as well.

ODOT Maps and Plans Center is Now Online

PLSO Office — Fri, 15 Jun 2018 19:14:10 GMT

ODOT Maps and Plans center is now online and open to the Public. The following link will take you to the web page where you can link to the “TransGIS” data portal to graphically locate the highway, route No.(ODOT secret highway number), and Mile Point (ODOT official MP) for your area of interest.

Then go to the “Online Map Center” link and search for RW maps or Construction Plans using the information you got from the “TransGIS” to search, view and download PDF copies.

https://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/ETA/Pages/Tools.aspx

Help Willamette Chapter Celebrate Student Appreciation Night

PLSO Office — Mon, 14 May 2018 20:37:02 GMT

Help Willamette Chapter Celebrate Student Appreciation Night

The eighteenth PLSO Willamette Chapter Surveying Student Appreciation Night will take place on Monday, May 21, 2018 at OSU in the AG Science Room at La Sells Stewart Center from 6 to 9 PM. Social period will start at 6 PM and dinner will start at 6:30.

The speaker will be Leonard A. Rydell, PE, PLS and WRE. He will be speaking on "What Do You See". He is a fiftieth year graduate of OSU in Civil Engineering and he will be sharing his reflections on his life and his profession.

The event is free for surveying, geomatics, students and $35 Dollars for PLSO members and other attendees. There will be a drawing for student door prizes at the end of the meeting.

The Caterer needs a head count so interested parties need to have their registration completed by Monday, May 14th.

Time to Take Advantage of the Summer Internship Program

PLSO Office — Mon, 07 May 2018 20:15:34 GMT

By: Lee Spurgeon, Education & Outreach Chair

Last year there were more summer internships available than we had surveying students to fill those positions. There were about a dozen positions open that we were unable to fill. If you are thinking about hiring a summer intern, go to the PLSO Job & Internship Board and set up an ad earlier, rather than later. Once again, our goal is to get a surveying internship for every student that wants one. Last year, we had one-hundred percent of the students who wanted an internship placed for the summer and we hope to repeat that success.

If you are a student and want an internship, please go to the online Resume Bank and place your ad there. Remember that you are in very high demand, so you can be a little bit picky about finding the situation which will best fit your needs in terms of salary, but infinitely more important, the learning opportunities you can hope to pick up this summer which will bolster the relevance of your course work and provide a better chance to put what you do in school into a real world context.

This is truly a win-win program and I hope everyone can take advantage of what this program has to offer you.

President Trump Recognizes National Surveyor Week

PLSO Office — Wed, 21 Mar 2018 21:53:13 GMT

Oregon Tech Takes Home First Prize!

PLSO Office — Mon, 05 Mar 2018 23:40:14 GMT

NSPS STUDENT COMPETITION RESULTS

February 28, 2018 – Las Vegas, Nevada

The onsite part of the 2018 NSPS Student Competition began on Saturday February 17th with a logistics meeting and reception. The field exercise was done on Sunday on 80 acres of BLM land that was marked off into 12 individual sites (one for each team) upon which the only reference marker was the center point of what was to be a one-acre square parcel. Each team was instructed to lay out a one-acre square parcel and conduct a topographic survey of the parcel. A plat was to be drawn showing the boundary lines/monuments and the contours of the parcel. On Monday the teams moved inside to do their computations and create a boundary/topographic plat, and prepare for presentations to a panel of judges on Tuesday. The Competition concluded with presentation of awards on Wednesday 21st

Regardless of their placement in the results, the teams showed visible relief that this intense time was over. Professional Surveyors who visited the presentation of results were impressed by the high standard of work done by ALL of the teams.

2 year degree program first place went to: Northeast Wisconsin Technical College (Green Bay)

4 year degree program first place to Oregon Institute of Technology (Klamath Falls); second place to Texas A&M- Corpus Christi; third place to Utah Valley University (Orem).

Congratulations to them and the other eight teams who received honorable mentions which are listed below in no particular order:

University of Akron Great Basin College (Elko, NV) Northern Illinois University (DeKalb) East Tennessee State University (Johnson City) Idaho State University (Pocatello) California State University (Fresno) University of Puerto Rico (Mayaguez) New Mexico State University

Video interviews with the teams at their posters, and videos showing each team’s oral presentation, are being processed and soon will be available on the NSPS YouTube channel.

In honor of Mike and Anne Besch, University of Akron, the First Place award, in both divisions, has been named after them

National Surveyors Week is Coming Up

PLSO Office — Mon, 05 Mar 2018 22:12:29 GMT

National Surveyors Week is Coming Up

By: Frank Lenik, NSPS

The theme for this year’s National Surveyors Week is communication.

A few years ago, then NSPS vice-president Cavell placed National Surveyors Week under the charge of the publicity committee, understanding then that the purpose of NSW is to get the word out. That the land surveying profession is vital to a stable democracy where land ownership is the basis for most family wealth accumulation. He never directed how it should be done, only that it become a part of the bigger picture of how the National Society of Surveyors engage with our constituents and the public.

There are many ways to address surveyors in general and the public and we have continued in those tried and true veins. NSPS is again working with NOAA and the National Geodetic Survey on how to improve the geoid models for elevation so we can move towards better elevations from our instruments and migrate our data, both vertical and horizontal in 2022. This is a call for more GPS on Benchmark observations. We have done this for years but it is still an important educational tool for surveyors and the public. Many of you are already alerting the public and political entities in our regions through displays, news articles and proclamations. But there is more work to be done.

I often hear surveyors lament about how GIS has negatively affected our profession. This is a misunderstanding of the problem caused by a misreading of the symptoms. GIS was perhaps the second major event caused by the democratization of technology in our field. The hand-held calculator was probably the first but I expect this will cause many discussions (steel tape, edm, etc). The development of hand held computing devices coupled with GNSS antennas has placed the ability to locate oneself on the earth at everyone’s finger tips. Everyone now has an answer, but few know where it comes from or how it was determined.

This is an opportunity for the National Society of Professional Surveyors, and every state society to stake our claim as the experts in mapping points on the Earth. We can do that by opening our umbrella a little wider and reaching out to all those organizations who are using mapping tools in their work. This means departments of transportation, the US Army Corps of Engineers, the United States Geological Survey, the Department of the Interior, universities and technical schools, construction companies, geographic information systems purveyors, drone operators and others who may possess the tools but not the understanding of accuracy and precision. It should be an educational effort not a prescriptive effort, using our knowledge as doorway to attract new members and perhaps even new customers.

This is a call to arms that each one of you speak with, call, write or email someone in your circle and invite them to participate in National Surveyors Week. Remember that we are following in the footsteps of your forebears, Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and so many others. Rise to the challenge and make a difference.

PLSO Scholarship Deadline is March 1

PLSO Office — Thu, 08 Feb 2018 22:10:58 GMT

Each year, PLSO awards scholarships to individuals pursuing a land surveying career, including those community college applicants who intend to transfer to eligible four-year college or will complete a degree leading to land surveying at the community college level.

Application deadline is March 1st!

CLICK FOR MORE INFORMATION...

NSPS Scholarship Deadline January 15th

PLSO Office — Mon, 20 Nov 2017 20:04:11 GMT

NSPS Scholarship Deadline January 15th!

Each year, through the National Society of Professional Surveyors Foundation, over $30,000 dollars in scholarships funded by a variety of individuals, companies, and organizations are made available to encourage and support college education in geospatial sciences. These scholarships are a great opportunity for college students in surveying, mapping, geographic information systems, and geodetic science programs. The application deadline is January 15, 2018.

PLSO Announces New Rebranding Partnership

PLSO Office — Fri, 06 Oct 2017 16:57:23 GMT

PLSO Announces New Rebranding Partnership

PLSO is excited to announce its new partnership with creative services firm Pivot Group. Pivot is a Portland-based customer engagement company that specializes in telling their clients stories in a compelling way. And that is exactly what PLSO wants to do. Tell our story to the professional community, public and future workforce. PLSO's ultimate goals during this process are:

1. Increase the public awareness of the importance of the surveying profession and promoting the image of the profession.

2. Increase the number of young people coming into the profession.

3. Make PLSO an easily recognizable organization to the public, Oregon legislature, and partner professions.

4. Make PLSO relevant to Oregon surveyors and increase membership by giving a clear message about who we are and our value to professionals.

With over half of their clients being non-profits, Pivot Group understands the unique culture PLSO brings to the table. The firm has dedicated staff members working in tandem on non-profit accounts, ensuring they are immersed in the language, trends, challenges, and opportunities unique to the non-profit world.

Most recently, they have won national awards for their work, including projects recognized by American Marketing, MUSE, How Magazine, Print Magazine, and Graphis.

The planning, approval and selection process went through multiple discussions at the PLSO State Board level prior to creating a member driven task force to work exclusively on the project. This summer the group selected three firms to interview from a larger pool that had responded to an RFP and unanimously voted on Pivot Group before sending it to the State Board for approval. Minutes of the State Board meetings are all kept online in the Membership Resource tab of Members Only section.

PLSO Member Scott Fein to be Featured on NSPS Radio Hour

PLSO Office — Thu, 06 Apr 2017 15:33:20 GMT

NSPS Radio Hour — April 10 at 11 a.m. EST

NSPS
After a couple of unavoidable postponements for his appearance, Scott Fein (PLS, CWRE, CFedS) will join host Curt Sumner to discuss the far reaches of surveying in the modern world, beyond making maps and marking lines/corners. Scott is the County Surveyor for Jackson County, OR. He says that marijuana legalization has brought the need and desire to know who's is what and where it is to a new level in Southern Oregon. State law regulating the new legal crop points directly to platting statutes which have a multitude of related land use implications. To listen to archives of previous shows, visit americaswebradio.com/nsps-radio-hour. Archives for each show are typically available for listening within a few days after the show airs. Also check out this cool video created for the NSPS Radio Hour by GeoLearn: https://youtu.be/cwRjmfXE2Zw.

Point of New Beginning Article Features Lee Spurgeon and PLSO Mentor Program

PLSO Office — Mon, 03 Apr 2017 17:54:46 GMT

Surveying Mentorships: From Prospects to Veterans

(POB MAGAZINE ARTICLE)

When a surveyor retires, a wealth of knowledge goes with them. Mix that reality with the fact that there is not necessarily a sufficient stream of incoming surveyors to replace their aging predecessors and it becomes clear that action must be taken. One way to address the issue is through mentorship.

Lee Spurgeon, LS, is the chairman of the Educational Goals and Outreach Committee for the Professional Land Surveyors of Oregon (PLSO). The land surveyor of 40 years oversees the group’s mentoring program and says mentorship in the surveying profession is really important. “The average age of a surveyor in Oregon, I think, is 56 years old, which means we’re all going to retire in the next eight or nine years. So we need to find replacements or we might end up with things like a paralegal — a para-surveyor,” he says. “Institutional knowledge is lost when the old-timers retire, so mentoring will be able to pass that information on and just have a much more informed profession so everyone can do a better job of retracing those original monuments.”

[REAM MORE]

Upcoming OSBEELS Board Meeting: March 14

PLSO Office — Fri, 10 Mar 2017 00:13:36 GMT

The Oregon State Board of Examiners for Engineering & Land Surveying (OSBEELS) is holding a Board meeting on Tuesday, March 14, 2017. The meeting will convene at 9:00 a.m. Interested parties are encouraged to attend. Please see the attached meeting notice and agenda for more information.

Additional information about OSBEELS can be found at: http://www.oregon.gov/OSBEELS/pages/index.aspx.

Please direct any questions about the upcoming meeting to the Board office.

9:00 a.m. – CALL BOARD MEETING TO ORDER1

1. ROLL CALL

2. PUBLIC INPUT

3. NCEES Presentation – Brian Hanson, NCEES WZ Vice President

4. BOARD CONSENT AGENDA

A. Approval of the March 14, 2017 Agenda

B. Approval of January 10, 2017 Board meeting minutes

C. Approval of January 19, 2017 Special Board meeting minutes

D. Approval of February 9, 2017 Law Enforcement Committee meeting minutes

E. Approval of February 10, 2017 committee meeting minutes

F. Registration Approval List

G. LEC Final Orders

i. Case #2887 – Comfort Flow Heating Default Final Order

ii. Case #3023 – Karr Default Final Order

iii. Case #3024 – Uzman Default Final Order

5. ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT – Mari Lopez

6. PRESIDENT’S REPORT – Jason Kent

7. EXAMINATIONS AND QUALIFICATIONS COMMITTEE – Shelly Duquette

A. OAR 820-010-4000

B. Engineering experience gained under supervision of a PLS [ORS 672.005(1)(c), (d), (e)]

C. EQC Denial Recommendation - Kloehn, Kurt

D. Lentz, Gordon – Proposed Order

E. Leshchinsky, Ora – Proposed Order

8. OREGON SPECIFIC EXAMINATION TASK FORCE – Oscar Zuniga

Schroeder Measurement Technologies, Inc. (SMT) update

9. EXTERNAL RELATIONS COMMITTEE – Amin Wahab

A. Surveyor registration record search / PLSO

B. 2017 Symposium update

C. Oregon Examiner Articles

i. May Board meeting to be held at OSU

ii. Upcoming legislative session and professional organization involvement

iii. 2017 Symposium introduction

iv. Board members wanted

v. Farewell to Ron Singh

vi. Investigation and Enforcement

vii. Preparing for retirement

viii. Social Security number reminder for license renewal

ix. What types of courses meet PDH requirements

D. Website update – Keith Van Norman

10. FINANCE COMMITTEE – Jason Kent

A. 2017 – 2019 Budget / OAR 820-080-1000

B. Review of financial information

11. LAW ENFORCEMENT COMMITTEE – Bill Boyd

A. Case #2964 – Camp, Jack

B. Case #3017 – Yang, GuiJang

C. Case #2989 – Hupy, Brad

D. Case #2925 – Smith, Joel

12. PHOTOGRAMMETRIC AND REMOTE SENSING TASK FORCE – Chris Aldridge

UAS and Land Surveying Regulations Brochure

13. CUSTOMER SERVICE AND COMMUNICATIONS STANDARDS TASK FORCE – Jason Kent

Draft Policy

14. LEGISLATIVE

A. Legislative Committee membership

B. HB 2935 (Sponsored by Representative Boone)

a. PEO Draft Language

b. SB 885 (Sponsored by Senator Roblan)

C. HB 3168 (Sponsored by Committee on Business and Labor)

15. UNFINISHED BUSINESS

A. Discussion of PDH requirements

B. Discussion on Academic Experience

16. NEW BUSINESS

A. Nominating Committee

B. GIS in Action Conference / Presentation on PRSTF

17. LEGAL BRIEFING – Katharine Lozano

Property Line Adjustments

18. BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS

19. NEXT MEETINGS

May 9, 2017 at Oregon State University (OSU)

National Surveyors Week is March 19-25, 2017

PLSO Office — Wed, 22 Feb 2017 21:03:42 GMT

It’s not breaking news that the annual number of retiring surveyors far exceeds the number of those entering the surveying profession. It’s up to us to reverse this trend. One of the best ways to do that is to introduce the newest generation to the surveying profession. Show them how interesting your job is and how it relates to their local community

Help PLSO, NSPS and NCEES get the word out! Check out the tool kit designed to help you promote the profession here.

A “live” link to the GPS on Bench Marks activity mentioned in Section 3 of the kit is found here.

Other great suggestions that some state societies and individual NSPS members are doing include: Geocaching activities, Survey Day in Mall, request to speak to a local civic club (Elks, Grange, Kiwanis, Lions, Rotary, Ruritan, VFW, etc.), Professional Organization (Realtors/Attorneys/Bankers/Title Agents/etc.), or Teachers organization (School Counselors, Teachers of Math and Science, etc.)

National Engineers Week is Feb. 19–25

PLSO Office — Tue, 21 Feb 2017 00:49:42 GMT

COOS BAY — National Engineers Week is Feb. 19–25, and the local chapter of Professional Engineers of Oregon and Professional Land Surveyors of Oregon have coordinated an exhibition program involving high school students from Coos, Curry, and Douglas counties, as well as students from Southwestern Oregon Community College. The exhibition will take place from 4:30-8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 22, at Southwestern Oregon Community College, 1988 Newmark Ave., Coos Bay. A buffet dinner will follow the program. The buffet will cost $15 per person; students will eat for free.

March 15: Oregon Coordinate Reference System Workshop

PLSO Office — Mon, 12 Dec 2016 23:44:17 GMT

March 15: Oregon Coordinate Reference System Workshop

7:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Umpqua Community College

Click for More Info and Registration

PLSO Affiliates with the American Association for Geodetic Surveying

PLSO Office — Tue, 06 Sep 2016 23:42:44 GMT

New Member Benefit - Discount membership to American Association for Geodetic Surveying

On September 2nd, PLSO became an affiliate member of the American Association for Geodetic Surveying (AAGS). This is at no cost to PLSO and offers discount membership to its members. Joining AAGS as an Affiliate Member costs $40 per year. Membership is not required, only offered as a benefit to our members.

The AAGS vision is to lead the community of geodetic surveying, surveying, and land information data- users through the 21st century. In this vein, AAGS is working to develop educational programs through presentations, seminars, workshops, and on-line videos related to the topics of geodetic surveying. In the near future, AAGS will be providing a Geodetic Certification program, which will be available on-line. All PLSO members who become affiliate members of AAGS will get webinars and Geodetic Certification materials at regular AAGS member prices. We can also join AAGS as Regular members and will get Surveying and Land Information Science, which is the only journal that routinely accepts – or even accepts at all – papers on boundary issues and is the profession’s only refereed journal. SaLIS has published four boundary-related papers in its last five publications. As GNSS, laser scanning, and other new technologies come into common use, AAGS will be at the forefront in developing the necessary education for proper use of these technologies.

Currently, the Alaska Section of the ACSM, Arizona, Connecticut, Georgia, and Rhode Island and Oregon have agreed to affiliate with AAGS. More state societies will hopefully become affiliates of AAGS following their upcoming board meetings.

CLICK HERE JOIN AAGS TODAY!

NSPS workforce development campaign yields immediate results

PLSO Office — Mon, 05 Sep 2016 17:30:00 GMT

Within 24 hours of submitting a letter to his state’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) office, TJ Frazier, President of the Maryland Society of Surveyors received a response and a scheduled meeting to discuss workforce development in the surveying and geospatial community.

The Maryland effort is part of the NSPS national workforce development initiative, designed to help attract the next generation of professional surveyors and technicians. That program begins with a letter-writing campaign by state surveying societies, as well as by local chapters and individual surveyors and firms. [READ MORE]

OREGON STATE TRIG-STAR CHAMP IS FROM WEST SALEM HIGH SCHOOL

PLSO Office — Wed, 01 Jun 2016 16:51:30 GMT

May 31, 2016, Tigard, Ore. – Oregon high school students competed in the state-level Trig-Star competition this past month as part of a national movement to introduce land surveying as a career. Participating schools hosted the annual high school mathematics competition based on the practical application of Trigonometry. The program recognizes the best students from high schools throughout the nation. The top three winners of each school earned cash prizes. The first place students from each school then competed for $500 prize money, Oregon State Trig-Star Champion title and a chance to go on to win $2,000 as the Richard E. Lomax National Trig -Star Award Winner, sponsored by the National Society of Professional Surveyors.

This year’s 2016 Oregon State Trig-Star Champion is Andrew Reimer-Berg of West Salem High School. As a senior, he will graduate in June and attend Eastern Mennonite University, a private liberal arts university near Harrisonburg, Va. in the fall, where he has been awarded an Honors Scholarship. While his favorite subject is math, extracurricular interests involve music. Not only does Reimer-Berg play the piano, but also the cello in the school orchestra. He is a member of the 2015 and 2016 Salem All-City Orchestra and a vice president of West Salem High School’s National Honor Society.

“We would be lucky if someone like Andrew considered surveying as a profession. Trig-Star is a great way to introduce students to the building blocks used in land surveying,” said PLSO Executive Director Aimee McAuliffe. “The retirement rate of many of today’s surveyors is creating a huge demand for entry-level employees. Surveyors and mapping technicians can work in government, engineering, architecture, construction, real estate, transportation, utility companies, and other industries. This year alone, PLSO is giving out $15,000 in scholarships. The money is out there. Students just need to find the right opportunities.”

# # #

The Professional Land Surveyors of Oregon represents more than 500 land surveyors and associated suppliers. It serves the land surveying industry in Oregon through professional education and outreach, holding paramount the interests of the public. To learn more about surveying as a career visit www.plso.org/education&careers.

May 16 - PLSO Willamette Branch Surveying Student Appreciation Night

PLSO Office — Tue, 19 Apr 2016 23:05:07 GMT

The sixteenth PLSO Willamette Branch Surveying Student Appreciation Night will take place on Monday May 16, 2016 at Oregon State University in the Gallery in front of the Ag Production Room at the La Sells Stewart Center from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

The speaker is being supplied by Marcus Reedy with DEA and the topic will be collecting data for a GIS.

The event is free for surveying, geomatics, students and $ 40 for PLSO members and other interested persons. PLSO is requesting help from its members by having them pick up the cost of a student dinner. There will be a drawing for student door prizes at the end of the meeting.

The link is: http://cce.oregonstate.edu/2016-plso-student-appreciation-dinner-registration.

The caterer needs a head count so interested persons should have their registration in by Monday May 9, 2016 when the final meal count will be sent to Valley Catering.

Help design landmark retirement savings plan, which launches in 2017

PLSO Office — Tue, 19 Apr 2016 16:21:17 GMT

News Release

Ted Wheeler

Oregon State Treasurer

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 14, 2016

Contact: James Sinks, 503-881-4747 (cell)

James.Sinks@ost.state.or.us

Web: Oregon.gov/treasury

Twitter: @OregonTreasury

Input sought from Oregon employers statewide to help design landmark retirement savings plan, which launches in 2017

Surveys and interviews will help shape savings plan approved by lawmakers

SALEM – When it launches in mid-2017, the Oregon Retirement Savings Plan will benefit hundreds of thousands of workers and businesses.

To help design the plan, input is being sought from employers statewide.

“This is an opportunity to help shape the best possible plan for employers and workers, and help every Oregonian build toward a more secure future,” said State Treasurer Ted Wheeler, the chairman of the Oregon Retirement Savings Board.

The current opportunity to engage is an online survey, which can be found here. In addition, a sampling of employers and sole proprietors who volunteer will participate in a wide-ranging interview with researchers from the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College.

The survey is targeted toward employers who do not offer their own workplace retirement plans, and gathers information about why they don’t currently offer a plan, such as cost or complexity. Owners and any workers at those businesses are expected to be able to participate in the Oregon Retirement Savings Plan.

The deadline for responses to the survey is April 28.

The Center for Retirement Research of Boston College has worked with other states on similar programs and is performing the required market analysis and feasibility study for the Oregon plan.

Businesses also are invited to help guide the construction and rulemaking for the new plan by engaging with the Oregon Retirement Savings Board, which holds public meetings, and by participating in working groups that are considering plan design, program design, financial literacy and outreach opportunities. Learn more at www.oregon.gov/retire.

Today, roughly half of Oregon workers do not have access to an option to save for retirement through their employer, even though research says people are most likely to save and will save more when that opportunity is available.

The plan will offer Oregonians a worry-free way to save for retirement. In addition, employers that currently don’t offer plans to employees – many of them small businesses -- will benefit because the state-administered plan will offer a simple and convenient path to help their workers start saving. The plan will impose no fiduciary risk to employers, and their clerical responsibilities will be kept low.

All Oregonians will benefit when more people save, because it will reduce the pressure on already strained, taxpayer-funded safety net programs.

Retirement savings rates are lower among women, minorities and people with a high school education level or less. Insufficient retirement savings can force tough sacrifices, such as skimping on food, housing and health care.

Approved by the 2015 Legislature, the envisioned Oregon plan will not be a pension, will not be connected in any way to the Oregon Public Employee Retirement Fund, and will not offer any matching funds or any guarantee of performance by the state or employers.

The Oregon State Treasury protects public assets and saves Oregonians money through its investment, banking, and debt management functions. State investment policies are set by the Oregon Investment Council. The State Treasury also promotes public outreach and education to help Oregonians learn strategies to save money, invest for college and make smart financial choices.

The Future of Surveying & Geomatics Education in Oregon

PLSO Office — Thu, 07 Apr 2016 23:02:19 GMT

By Tim Kent

The past few months has brought changes to the educational opportunities for geomatics and surveying that will affect the future of our profession. If there ever is a time to be aware of and become active in supporting the surveying and geomatics education programs, it is now. This of course is not news to many but with the continued dwindling of students in surveying and geomatics programs across the nation, it has become a crisis. No longer can we support a program that has low enrollment by writing letters and calling the college president or dean stating how much we need the program. The time is now for all of us to recruit new students and to contribute monetarily to college programs.

Last year brought a new model for managing and directing all colleges in Oregon. Each college became an independent public body and has its’ own Board of Trustees that has the authority to approve the mission, programs, budgets and strategies of the university and then forward them to the higher education commission for final approval. Add to the new model of doing business the recent announced retirements of the Dean, College of Engineering, Technology and Management (where the Department of Geomatics is located), the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, and the request by the college president to not renew his contract for next year, there will be some changes at Oregon Tech. Change is inevitable when the top three positions of leadership are new to an institution and time will tell how this will affect the college programs.

Last month brought another change to the Geomatics program. The Provost announced the suspension of the upper two years of the Geomatics program at Wilsonville effective June 30^th. This came as a mild surprise to the Geomatics staff but not entirely unexpected. The decision to offer the program at Wilsonville beginning in 2012 was based upon a polling of surveying professionals that indicated over fifty people would attend classes at that location. There were none the first year which was expected but then there were none in the following years either. The only students that ever attended were transfer students from Clark College in Vancouver. An opportunity to obtain a bachelor’s degree in surveying in the Portland metro is no longer available. The program can be revived if it can be documented (not merely surmised) that a sufficient number of students will enroll and the profession assists with providing equipment for the program.

If you believe in your profession and feel committed to keeping it a profession, then the time is now to make sure it continues. Recruitment and mentorship of new surveyors and contributions to college programs needs to occur now. Like it or not, education is the key to our profession. We can no longer be competitive without it, or continue to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public.

April 16-19: NALS-WFPS Western Regional Conference

PLSO Office — Wed, 30 Mar 2016 22:46:20 GMT

CLICK IMAGE FOR REGISTRATION, HOTEL AND SEMINAR INFORMATION

OIT Land Surveying Workshop Scheduled for March 25th

PLSO Office — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 20:31:27 GMT

OIT Land Surveying Workshop

Oregon Tech Alumni Association and Geomatics Program are proud to present this year's Land Surveying workshop on March 25th in Wilsonville. Click for more information.

National Surveyors Week - March 21-26, 2016

PLSO Office — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 18:45:23 GMT

It's that time again! National Surveyors Week is this month. Here are ways you can help raise awareness about the profession:

1.) Support NGS Efforts by recovering Bench Marks

For details on the NGS national effort click here.
Watch the one-hour NGS webinar on the 2015 program here.
If you choose to observe a mark with a 4+ hour session, please share your solution here.

2.) Share surveying photos and promote the profession through your company and personal social media accounts. Great platforms include: Facebook, Instagram, Blogging, YouTube, Twitter, Pinterest, Reddit. To read more about integrating social media platforms into your company communications, click here.

3.) Contact a local elementary school or your child's teacher and request to make a 20-minute presentation on what surveyors do.

4.) Share everything you did with PLSO

BEAVERTON PROFESSIONAL AWARDED SURVEYOR OF THE YEAR

PLSO Office — Sun, 28 Feb 2016 22:40:19 GMT

The Professional Land Surveyors of Oregon (PLSO), a non-profit trade association that represents the surveying profession in Oregon, announced Albert Hertel as the 2015 Surveyor of the Year. Hertel is President of Caswell/Hertel Surveyors, Inc. in Beaverton.

“Surveyor of the Year is one the highest honors that PLSO bestows,” explained Aimee McAuliffe, Executive Director of PLSO. “The honoree has to demonstrate a history of high competence, integrity and professionalism, as well as assisted other surveyors in advancement within the profession. Al Hertel has demonstrated this throughout his career.”

After graduating from Oregon Technical Institute, Hertel worked for a local engineering firm for a time before a four-year enlistment in the United States Navy – including an “all-expense paid” trip to Viet Nam for a year. Upon returning, Hertel progressed from survey technician to owner at Caswell/Hertel Surveyors. He has been involved in many projects from both the public and private sectors, from boundary and subdivision work to utility and street surveys. Having filed over 1,200 Records of Survey and Plats in Washington, Clackamas and Multnomah Counties alone, Hertel has left his mark on the development of the local community.

In addition to his firm, Hertel has been a member of PLSO since 1988. He has served as the local Pioneer Chapter’s Secretary-Treasurer for the years 2013, 2014 and 2015. He is a steady volunteer at numerous Career Fairs and has sponsored the Trig Star program at Valley Catholic High School, as well as proctoring exams at Beaverton School of Science Technology, Glencoe High and St. Stevens High School. Trig Star is a national program set up to promote the study and mastery of trigonometry by honoring the individual student who has demonstrated superior skill among classmates at the High School level. It is a gate way to acquaint students with the use and practical application of trigonometry in the surveying profession.

“In joining PLSO, I have grown in leadership,” said Al Hertel. “I have been on the Curriculum Advisory Committee at PCC, been to a Boy Scout jamboree in Scappoose, given a Trig Star talk at 4 different High Schools--multiple years, been to several High School Job Fairs, helped Proctor the Oregon LSIT/LS test in several cities throughout Oregon, and served as the Sec/Tres of the Pioneer Chapter for several years. Throughout all this I have gained the friendship of many colleagues, government planners & surveyors, and teachers, both high school and college. Thank you for this great opportunity. I have been blessed by each contact that I have made.”

# # #

The Professional Land Surveyors of Oregon, based in Tigard, represents more than 500 licensed land surveyors and associates throughout the state. It serves the land surveying industry in Oregon through professional education and outreach, holding paramount the interests of the public. To learn more visit www.plso.org.

Upcoming OSBEELS Committee Meetings

PLSO Office — Mon, 22 Feb 2016 22:41:47 GMT

The Oregon State Board of Examiners for Engineering & Land Surveying (OSBEELS) is holding the following Committee Meetings on Friday, February 26, 2016 in the Conference Room of the Board office at 670 Hawthorne Avenue, SE, Suite 220, Salem, OR 97301.

Rules & Regulations
Examinations & Qualifications
External Relations
Finance
Oregon Specific Examination Task Force
Professional Practices

Additional information about OSBEELS can be found at: http://www.oregon.gov/OSBEELS/pages/index.aspx.

Please direct any questions about the upcoming meetings to the Board office.

2016 Standard Mileage Rates for Business, Medical and Moving Announced

PLSO Office — Tue, 19 Jan 2016 01:42:20 GMT

IR-2015-137, Dec.17, 2015

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today issued the 2016 optional standard mileage rates used to calculate the deductible costs of operating an automobile for business, charitable, medical or moving purposes.

Beginning on Jan. 1, 2016, the standard mileage rates for the use of a car (also vans, pickups or panel trucks) will be:

54 cents per mile for business miles driven, down from 57.5 cents for 2015
19 cents per mile driven for medical or moving purposes, down from 23 cents for 2015
14 cents per mile driven in service of charitable organizations

The business mileage rate decreased 3.5 cents per mile and the medical, and moving expense rates decrease 4 cents per mile from the 2015 rates. The charitable rate is based on statute.

The standard mileage rate for business is based on an annual study of the fixed and variable costs of operating an automobile. The rate for medical and moving purposes is based on the variable costs.

Taxpayers always have the option of calculating the actual costs of using their vehicle rather than using the standard mileage rates.

A taxpayer may not use the business standard mileage rate for a vehicle after using any depreciation method under the Modified Accelerated Cost Recovery System (MACRS) or after claiming a Section 179 deduction for that vehicle. In addition, the business standard mileage rate cannot be used for more than four vehicles used simultaneously.

These and other requirements for a taxpayer to use a standard mileage rate to calculate the amount of a deductible business, moving, medical or charitable expense are in Rev. Proc. 2010-51. Notice 2016-01 contains the standard mileage rates, the amount a taxpayer must use in calculating reductions to basis for depreciation taken under the business standard mileage rate, and the maximum standard automobile cost that a taxpayer may use in computing the allowance under a fixed and variable rate plan.

Carl Clinton Retirement

PLSO Office — Wed, 13 Jan 2016 03:50:18 GMT

AFTER 26 YEARS OF SERVICE AT CLACKAMAS COUNTY AND 40 YEARS IN HIS SURVEYING CAREER, CARL’S NEW ADVENTURES BEGIN……

YOU ARE INVITED TO JOIN US IN CELEBRATING CARL!

WHEN: FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2016

TIME: 4-6:30 p.m.

WHERE: Caufield House

723 Main Street Oregon City

Hor d’oeuvers Buffet $18 per person

No Host Bar

Please RSVP and pay Debbie Fuller by February 12:

debbieful@clackamas.us or 503.742.4492

Willamette Promise Educational Outreach

PLSO Office — Tue, 12 Jan 2016 21:58:47 GMT

We would like to begin participating in an outreach group that works with High School students - perfect for PLSO's strategic plan. Volunteers are needed to help me get us involved. There are several areas that we can get involved so depending on a person’s skill sets and available time there is probably a great spot for them. Events are happening soon so quick responses are appreciated.

Take a leap of faith and step outside your comfort zone and help promote our wonderful profession by presenting to High School students and ideally some future surveyors about a career to consider! Remember it is easy to talk about something you love that has treated you well! Also it is a way of giving back to others and your professional community. We would love to have some Technicians be a part of this too for you are the ones who use the tools and most often closer to High School ages. Here is a great chance for Technicians to get involved and share.

More details about program and how this started!

http://www.pamplinmedia.com/wbi/152-news/282613-159241-gervais-high-school-hosts-regional-trades-day-partners-with-local-businesses

Willamette Promise - www.wesd.org/willamettepromise

Willamette Promise Industry involved - http://www.wesd.org/domain/131

Regional Events:

Jan 22 Woodburn High School
Feb 5 Gervais High School
Feb 26 Stayton High School

Three ways to participate:

We need 2 keynote speakers at each Regional Event to start the conversation with Junior’s about Oregon Industry. 350- 450 students will meet in an auditorium/ gym to start their Industry Exploration: Application, Resume, Interviews and Industry Search.
We need 25 participants at each Regional Event for a 3.5 hour block of time to give 8- 10 minute interviews to students. 350 -400 students
We need 5 Industry Partners at each Regional Event to work with a group of students to learn the process of researching a company (the company could be your company), the facilitator will facilitate 4 groups of students in a 3.5 hour time frame. 350- 400 students

Build Oregon Trades Day:

Feb 19 Yamhill Carlton High School
March 11 Central High School, Independence
April 18 Sprague High School
April 26 St. Helen High School

How to participate:

We need industry to provide an engaging presentation and information about Oregon Industry. We love having equipment on site that students can become familiar with as well as materials that students can learn “how it works”, as well as to gain an understanding of the wide variety of jobs within Oregon industry. Trades Day/ Career Expo event 500 – 2000 students.

We are currently looking for cool technology and geard, such as Robotic Total Stations, GPS Rovers, 3D Scanners, Lazer Distomat, UAV or Drones, 3D CAD drawings and more. We will still need Surveyors to help show how the gear is used and provide stories that get the students interest.

I need to let the organizers know where we can support and put the right people in the right spots to highlight what we do and support their efforts. Have people contact me who have interest in stepping outside their comfort zones to help with these great opportunities!

Tony Brooks and Gary Anderson

Clark College Surveying & Geomatics Program to Continue

PLSO Office — Fri, 08 Jan 2016 03:10:10 GMT

A huge THANK YOU for your support to the Clark College Surveying & Geomatics program. We have a lot of work ahead of us but I am confident we can meet President Knights decision.

I will be in touch as we move forward and look forward to continue the Surveying & Geomatics program for years to come.

What a great way to start the new year!

Tim Kent

=================================================================================================

From: Knight, Robert
Sent: Thursday, January 7, 2016 11:01 AM
To: College Master List
Subject: Message from President Knight

Dear college community,

Happy New Year! As we start winter quarter, I want to update you on four of the topics I will be discussing at the annual State of the College address on Thursday, January 21 at 11 a.m. in Gaiser Student Center: Instructional Budget Recommendations, overall college budget, hiring leadership for our key administrative positions in HR and the Office of Diversity and Equity, and the timeline for and current discussions on food service and culinary programs.

Instructional Budget Recommendations
The instructional budget reduction process is moving forward in accordance with the faculty contract. I have received and accepted the recommendations of the Reduction in Force (RIF) committee. The final recommendations can be found on ClarkNet<http://www.clark.edu/clark-and-community/about/strategic_plan/academic-planning/index.php>. The RIF committee recommendations include a financial incentive for affected faculty members. This part of the proposal must be approved by the state’s Office of Financial Management (OFM) so my acceptance is pending that approval by OFM.

I have also confirmed the other parts of the proposal and support Instructional Council as they work with the formal Instructional Planning Team (IPT) process to eliminate the Fitness Training, Medical Radiography, Nursing Assistant Certified and Paralegal programs. Based on a commitment from community members to temporarily cover costs needed to sustain the Surveying & Geomatics program, I have decided to continue the Surveying & Geomatics program for up to three years. If enrollment and completions are not improved within those three years to a sustainable number, we will move forward with the elimination.

I also support the other recommendations to reduce programs and departments as found in the final Instructional Council Report<http://www.clark.edu/clark-and-community/about/strategic_plan/academic-planning/index.php>. The final stages regarding program and department elimination will take place with IPT or Curriculum Committee in January and February.
While this has been, and will continue to be, a challenging process for us all, I am extremely proud of our faculty and the staff—particularly those in instruction—as they have thoughtfully compiled and reviewed the data, kept students and student success at the forefront of conversations, and worked through difficult decisions thoughtfully and professionally.

The new academic plan is nearly complete and will provide strategic direction for our programs and offerings as the college moves forward. Opportunities for developing structured pathways, additional teaching modalities, and increased integrative learning will help address ongoing enrollment and retention concerns.

Overall College Budget
Currently, we are not meeting our budgeted enrollment target for state-supported FTES. However, Running Start is coming in stronger than expected. By late January or February, we should know if the additional Running Start revenue is enough to avoid mid-year reductions. Because our revenue picture remains unclear, we are continuing to watch spending very carefully, particularly in the areas of IT equipment, operating supplies, and out-of-state travel.

The state’s new funding allocation model, which goes into effect July 1, 2016, is still being fine-tuned. Until we see the final version of the model, we can't safely say whether it will provide enough new state funding to help address our operating budget shortfall. Additionally, the Planning and Effectiveness Office is projecting that we will continue to see enrollment declines next year. While there are some parts of the state that have started to see slight improvements in enrollment, a decline in enrollment is consistent with the overall picture across Washington and Oregon.

With the efforts of the Strategic Enrollment Management team, the Retention Committee, and ongoing efforts across the college—including new program growth and retention initiatives—we are aggressively seeking ways to reverse this enrollment trend. I will be in touch as the budget process continues to share some of these strategies and how they will affect next year’s budget.

Key administrative positions
This fall quarter the college was without a Special Advisor for Diversity and Equity, and it is a priority for me to fill this position. To do this, it is important to work with the constituent groups and hear feedback from across the college about what was needed in this role. Conversations with the Office of Diversity and Equity staff, the Cultural Pluralism Committee, and others helped us move this conversation forward.

I want to thank Vice President Bill Belden, Felis Peralta and the staff in the Office of Diversity and Equity for their continued good work this fall as we were short staffed in that office. The ODE staff have accomplished a great deal including leading the process of drafting the Social Equity Plan, which is one of the core themes in the Strategic Plan and will be released to the campus shortly before the State of the College.

In January, the college will be conducting searches for both the Special Advisor for Diversity and Equity and Vice President of Human Resources and Compliance. I want to thank Vice President Bob Williamson for filling in and moving key projects forward including standardizing training for hiring committees and several other initiatives while short staffed. The HR position will include new responsibilities for ensuring College compliance with Title IX and state and federal laws on sexual misconduct and violence. On that subject, I want to thank all of you who have completed the mandatory, online Title IX training. We’re not at 100% yet and encourage those who haven’t finished the training yet to do so as soon as possible. Please contact HR if you have any questions

Culinary and Food Service
The college and the Clark College Foundation are both fully committed to restarting the culinary program in the fall of 2016 and remodeling the space previously occupied by the program. Some tremendous progress has taken place lately with new faculty being hired, community partnerships formed, and more. We have some exciting news to unveil about a recent donation commitment we received over the holidays. An announcement will be coming out at a later date.

This is an expensive and complex project. There will be continued disruptions both to food service on the main campus and on some events. We anticipate the new culinary space will open in early 2017, and will provide new dining options and much better space for students, faculty, and staff. The current plans include bringing back the dining room, as well as providing space for food vendors. We hope to unveil final plans later this spring.

In the meantime, we are reviewing the food options on campus and exploring new ways to attract vendors. We also will need to make final determinations about the food carts as our agreement with the city states they will need to move at the end of this academic year.

Final thoughts
The start of a new year is always a good time to reflect on the past and prepare for the future. We certainly faced challenges in 2015, particularly the impact of declining enrollment on our budget. However, this past year we also saw the fortitude and commitment of our faculty and staff in meeting these challenges. As I look ahead, I am excited for what 2016 has in store for us as we continue to implement our strategic plan, prepare for the opening of our new STEM facility, and strengthen our local community.

Best regards,

Bob Knight
President

=============================================================================================

Tim Kent

PLSO Charter Member Passes...

PLSO Office — Sat, 02 Jan 2016 20:13:43 GMT

It is with great sadness that PLSO announces the passing of B. Osburn “Ozzie” Shaw. A charter member, Ozzie has been well known to our membership as a two-time recipient of Surveyor of the Year (1985 and 1993), Past-President of the Willamette Chapter and Life Member of PLSO.

Services will be held on Saturday, January 9^th at 11 a.m. at the Evangelical Church in Sweet Home, 1347 Long Street. Private interment to follow. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Sweet Home Pregnancy Care Center or Linn County Parks.

To learn more about Ozzie, please click and read the articles below from the Democrat-Herald.

OSU Geomatics Workshop Registration Open

PLSO Office — Tue, 24 Nov 2015 19:47:27 GMT

Geomatics Workshops

OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY

Quick Links

Visit Corvallis

Parking Information: Visitor parking permits are available at a rate of $12/day. Select Zone A.

OREGON LAND SURVEY LAW #1

January 7-8, 2016

Registration is open now for the OSU Geomatics workshop, Oregon Land Survey Law #1. This workshop explains the basic Oregon land surveying statutes and common law decisions. It introduces the surveyor to the legal portion of the profession and is helpful in taking the four-hour Oregon Specific Land Surveying Examination. Minimum enrollment is 12.

Staff:

Professor Robert J. Schultz, PE and PLS

Tyler B. Parsons, PLS, WRE, and CFedS

Dates:

January 7-8, 2016

Thursday/Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Lunch venues are within walking distance.

Location:

110 Owen Hall

Oregon State University

Fee:

$310/person • $100/class notes only

To register, visit cce.oregonstate.edu/geomatics-workshops.

Full payment (Visa/MC are accepted) must be received before the first class meeting to assure space in the workshop.

School of Civil and Construction Engineering

101 Kearney Hall

Corvallis, OR 97331

(541) 737-1207

Questions? Contact Johanna Carson at johanna.carson@oregonstate.edu or

(541) 737-1207.

Oregon Tech Workshop Postponed

PLSO Office — Thu, 29 Oct 2015 18:46:00 GMT

The annual Oregon Tech workshop normally held in November has been postponed until Friday, March 25th, 2016. It will be held at the Oregon Tech Wilsonville campus. Additional info will be forthcoming after the first of the year.

Clark College Budget Cut Considerations

PLSO Office — Thu, 29 Oct 2015 18:14:09 GMT

Clark College has been working through budget cuts that may impact the Land Surveying and Geomatics Program. Tim Kent asked several key organizations in the profession to send letters of support for the program, including PLSO.

Click here to see PLSO's letter to Clark College President Bob Knight.

In Memory of Life Member Harry Heislein

PLSO Office — Tue, 27 Oct 2015 18:59:07 GMT

Harry Heislein, of Roseburg, Oregon, passed away after a valiant battle with pneumonia on Tuesday, October 13, 2015. He was born February 12, 1927, in Rochester, New York, the oldest of three sons, to Harry Philip and Muriel Catherine (Popp) Heislein. Harry grew up in Irondequoit, graduated from Webster High school and from The New York State College of Forestry at Syracuse in 1950. After a brief employment by the New York State Highway Department, he traveled to Oregon for his first assigned employment with the United Stated Forest Service on the Umatilla National Forest in Pendleton. It was there that Harry met his future wife, Leila Beard, and they were married September 7, 1957. They resided in Pendleton until 1959, when Harry was transferred to the Forest Service Region Six office in Portland, OR. In this position, he helped pioneer the computerized design of forest roads for the Pacific Northwest Region. In 1963, Harry was transferred to the Umpqua National Forest in Roseburg, OR, where he was employed as a civil engineer until his retirement in 1987. He also flew fire patrol for ten years, which led to obtaining a private pilot’s license. He was a member of the Civil Air Patrol, the Pendleton Jaycees, St. Joseph Catholic Church, and Professional Land Surveyors of Oregon, which honored him as a Life Member in 1987, after his service to the local Umpqua chapter. Harry enjoyed a life-long interest in trains– especially steam engines– rail travel and model railroading, becoming a charter member of the Umpqua Model Railroaders in 1964. He continued the social aspect of the organization after the loss of his vision and was awarded a Life Membership. Harry enjoyed many years of Tuesday Morning coffee breaks with employees of the Douglas County Title Company. His vision handicap ended his active participation in the Canal Zone Postal Study Group and family history research. He and Leila enjoyed traveling, whether in Oregon or around the world. He was proud to have visited all 50 states, all the provinces of Canada and many countries around the world. On the occasion of their 50th wedding anniversary, a celebration was held with family and friends; with a family holiday cruise around the Hawaiian Islands.

Harry is survived by his wife of 58 years, Leila Heislein, of Roseburg; daughters Lynn Heislein of Reno, Nevada, and Anne (Scott) Nakagawa and their daughter Sydney, of Vancouver, Washington; his brother John (Virginia) Heislein of Salem, New Hampshire, together with two nieces and two nephews; and friend Elisabeth Straumann of Kaiseraugst, Switzerland, also survive him. Another brother, James Richard, preceded him in death at the age of six.

Services are scheduled for Friday, October 30, 2015, at 12:10 p.m. at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 800 W., Stanton St. A memorial reception will follow at St. Joseph School, with the family greeting friends. In lieu of flowers, remembrances can be made in Harry’s name to Macular Degeneration Center Fund, Casey Eye Institute, 3375 Terwilliger Boulevard, Portland, OR, 97201; or to Oregon State Library, Talking book and Braille Services, 250 Winter St. NE, Salem, OR 97301.

Hydrography Workgroup Meets in Salem

PLSO Office — Wed, 07 Oct 2015 16:23:00 GMT

Hydrography Workgroup Meets in Salem

By Darrell W. Fuller, PLSO Lobbyist

It's Thursday, October 1st, and the small conference room in the Capitol Building in Salem is quickly running out of room. Staff for State Rep. Paul Holvey (D-Eugene) look for extra chairs. The subject: hydrography in Oregon.

But let's back up for just a moment: During the Legislative Session, OSBEELS initiated Senate Bill 297 which would revise qualifications for registration to practice professional engineering, land surveying or photogrammetric mapping. An amendment was then proposed by partner organizations that would have further clarified Oregon statute ensuring that all hydrographic surveys were conducted by professional land surveyors or engineers. Land Surveyors and Professional Engineers have long believed that Oregon law already has such a requirement, but the language of the statute is not written with indisputable clarity.

Rep. Paul Holvey, the Chair of the House Business & Labor Committee, did not support the amendment to SB297, but he did commit to gathering interested parties during the interim to discuss the issue thoroughly.

Good to his word, Rep. Holvey gathered stakeholders for the first of what will likely be several meetings to discuss the role of hydrographers in Oregon -- and by extension -- across the country. A possible outcome of the meetings could be legislation for the 2017 session to settle the issue.

It should be noted that the meeting was informative and cordial. Everyone learned something. And the meeting concluded with a lot of hand-shaking and a commitment to work cooperatively. A couple of issues were also clarified. First, hydrographers acknowledged that they are still in the early stages of formulating their goals. Second, a survey of how other states regulate hydrographers -- collected with the assistance of Curtis Sumner and NSPS -- strongly suggests that Oregon may well be the tip of the spear in developing model legislation. This legislation would likely incorporate a proper role for hydrographers -- including appropriate limitations on their scope of work -- within Oregon law and regulated by OSBEELS.

PLSO was represented at the meeting by State Chair John Thatcher, former State Chair Lee Spurgeon and Legislative Chair David Williams, along with lobbyist Darrell Fuller. They will continue to actively participate in workgroup meetings while seeking input from PLSO members across the state once hydrographers have actually created a written proposal for consideration. So, stay tuned...

Central Coast GIS Users Group Symposium

PLSO Office — Mon, 21 Sep 2015 18:02:06 GMT

The Central Coast GIS Users Group (http://www.orurisa.org/2015_Cartography_Symposium) is pleased to invite you to the 2015 Cartography Symposium by the Sea on Friday, September 25th at the Oregon Coast Community College in Newport, OR. Register here: https://ccgisug2015cartography.eventbrite.com

Leading cartographers will cover a variety of different guidelines and principles to help make your maps the envy of all your friends. We all know a great map when we see it, but what are the principles behind making a good map yourself? GIS has impacted map making for both better and worse from a time honored handmade labor, to mass producing large, data filled maps in minutes. This all-day symposium will introduce you to the basic principles of cartography, guidelines you can follow for nearly every map, and tips and tricks for making your map fabulous. More details, including the agenda, are available on the symposium website (http://www.orurisa.org/2015_Cartography_Symposium).

Lunch and snacks are included in the registration fee ($35). If this registration fee is difficult for you, please contact us for alternate options. In an effort to reduce waste we will not be providing individual bottled water this year. Please consider bringing a reusable water bottle or other container for drinking water during the symposium. We will also have cups available in case you forget. Thank you!

OSBEELS Update: Timeline for the Rulemaking Process due to SB 297

PLSO Office — Fri, 18 Sep 2015 19:10:27 GMT

Below is the timeline for the rulemaking process on proposed rules as a result of SB 297, along with a clean copy of the proposed rule language. For your reference, a copy of the deleted text and proposed text is also attached.

If you have any questions or would like more information, feel free to contact Jenn Gilbert at OSBEELS.

SB 297 timeline.pdf

Marked_Draft_Rules_SB297_Rulemaking.pdf

Clean_Draft_Rules_SB297.pdf

Award Your Fellow Members

PLSO Office — Thu, 17 Sep 2015 20:16:57 GMT

Member Award Nominations

Do you know someone that adds value to PLSO and the surveying profession in general? Award them for it! PLSO is now taking nominations for:

Surveyor of the Year
Life Member
Article of the Year

Chapter Officers will be submitting nominations to the board for:

Associate of the Year
Good Humor Award
Brush Cutter Award
Team Player Award
Bright Idea Award
Contagious Attitude Award
Diversity Award
Community Service Award

Awards will be given out at the Annual Conference in January. To see award criteria and nominate your professional colleagues, click here for the nomination form.

Upcoming Educational Opportunities and Professional Events

PLSO Office — Mon, 31 Aug 2015 23:48:56 GMT

Upcoming Educational Opportunities and Professional Events

Geomatics Workshops

Geomatics and survey workshops hosted by the OSU School of Civil and Construction Engineering:

http://cce.oregonstate.edu/node/226

Oregon Land Survey Law Workshop #1: Register Online • Workshop Brochure

The workshop explains the basic Oregon land surveying statutes and common law decisions. It introduces the surveyor to the legal portion of the profession. The information is helpful in the Oregon four-hour session of the Principles and Practice of Surveying (PS) exam.

Staff: Prof. Robert J. Schultz, PE and PLS; Tyler B. Parsons, PLS, WRE and CFEDS
Dates: September 10-11, 2015; Thursday/Friday
Fee: $310/person

Surveyor's Rendezvous

Register by Tomorrow - August 26

Hosted by the LSAW and the SURVEYORS HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Rendezvous 2015 will take place at the Silver Reef Hotel & Casino near Bellingham.

YOUR REGISTRATION INCLUDES ALL MEALS FOR THREE FULL DAYS. Free Hot Breakfast is included with your room fee.

Register online or visit the event website for a printable registration form.

Water Rights Courses

Register by September 1

The Oregon Department of Water Resources will be having the 2015 Fall CWRE workshops in October. The following is a list of dates and locations for the workshops.

Date, Location & City:

October 6th, Blue Mountain Conference Center, LaGrande

October 8th, McMenamins Old St. Francis School, Bend

October 14th, Taprock Event Center, Grants Pass

October 21st, Fish & Wildlife Headquarters, Salem

October 22nd, Fish & Wildlife Headquarters, Salem

Registration deadline has been changed to September 1.

Seminar Information

Water Rights Courses

PLSO Office — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 00:20:09 GMT

The Oregon Department of Water Resources will be having the 2015 Fall CWRE workshops in October. The following is a list of dates and locations for the workshops.

Date Location City

October 6th Blue Mountain Conference Center LaGrande

October 8th McMenamins Old St. Francis School Bend

October 14th Taprock Event Center Grants Pass

October 21st Fish & Wildlife Headquarters Salem

October 22nd Fish & Wildlife Headquarters Salem

Registration deadline has been changed to September 1.

Seminar Information

OSU Geomatics Workshops

PLSO Office — Fri, 21 Aug 2015 22:42:45 GMT

Geomatics Workshops

Geomatics and survey workshops hosted by the OSU School of Civil and Construction Engineering:

http://cce.oregonstate.edu/node/226

Oregon Land Survey Law Workshop #1: Register Online • Workshop Brochure

Staff: Prof. Robert J. Schultz, PE and PLS; Tyler B. Parsons, PLS, WRE and CFEDS
Dates: September 10-11, 2015; Thursday/Friday
Fee: $310/person

Parking: Visitor parking permits are available at a rate of $12/day. To purchase a permit, visit my.parking.oregonstate.edu/sales/daily and select Zone A.

Please note: If a registration must be canceled, a full refund can be made only if a notice of withdrawal is received at least one week prior to the course starting date. A fee of one‑half of the course tuition will be charged for cancellations after that period. Substitute attendees are encouraged. Once registration is received, a confirmation email will be sent within two to three business days.

OSBEELS Conference Coming this September

PLSO Office — Fri, 07 Aug 2015 18:50:33 GMT

The Oregon State Board of Examiners for Engineering and Land Surveying (OSBEELS) will be holding its annual Symposium on Friday, September 11^th. As background, OSBEELS registers professional engineers, professional land surveyors, professional photogrammetrists, and certified water right examiners to perform services in the state of Oregon. To renew registration, 30 professional development units are required for each two-year renewal period. To assist registrants in obtaining these units, each year OSBEELS holds a one-day symposium in which 8 professional development units may be earned. This year’s theme is Transportation & Infrastructure.

Download More Information Here.

Passing of Alan Young

PLSO Office — Fri, 24 Jul 2015 17:38:43 GMT

We regret to inform you of the passing of Alan Young. Alan served Multnomah County since 1968, having worked in Road Services Right of Way Permits for many years. He will be missed.

Wednesday, August 12, 2015
10:00am
Saint Cecilia Catholic Church
5105 SW Franklin Ave, Beaverton, OR 97005

Please note the contact information for Multnomah County Right of Way Permits is:

Riad Alharithi

Capital Improvement Program Manager

1620 SE 190th Ave, Portland, Oregon 97233

(503) 988-0181

riad.alharithi@multco.us

BOLI Decision Change

PLSO Office — Wed, 22 Jul 2015 18:53:14 GMT

Dear Prevailing Wage Advisory Committee Members and Persons with Standing,

The Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor and Industries has approved adding “Construction Site Survey Party Chief” as a sub-classification of BOLI’s Occupational Definition under Group 2 of the “Power Equipment Operator” (see attachment). It will soon be posted to BOLI’s PWR website at http://www.oregon.gov/boli/WHD/PWR/Pages/Results_Proposed_Revisions.aspx and become effective on January 1, 2016.

PLSO Members that appeared at the open meeting for reconsideration and discussed their opinion for either side:

Lee Spurgeon
Jim Greenman
Earl Ming

Aimee McAuliffe appeared, but did not speak.

Summer Safety

PLSO Office — Wed, 08 Jul 2015 20:25:22 GMT

SUMMER SAFETY

Summer is in full swing, and while safe practices in the field, office and home are important year round, let’s take a look at some safety issues apropos to the summer season.

Sun and heat: The cultural emphasis on sports and fitness has given us an awareness of the importance of staying hydrated. It is very critical for those working outdoors to stay hydrated throughout the day. Make room in your survey rig for a big jug of water. Carry a canteen or sports drinks if you are away from the truck for long periods. Don’t fall victim to dehydration or heat exhaustion. Keep a supply of sun block handy – 15 SPF minimum. And remember, you can get burned on an overcast day. I highly recommend wearing a hat with a brim.

Wasps: Anyone who works in the woods knows that yellowjackets often build their nest in the ground. They don’t like it when you walk all over their front door, and they have their own way of communicating their displeasure. If you are allergic, make sure to carry your EpiPen. If you can’t take out the nest, flag it up for the next person who ambles along, or to remind you on your next visit. Deep within a blackberry patch is an area of prime real estate for paper nests. Be aware and careful when brushing.

Poison Oak: Leaves of three, let them be. Poison Oak is usually found east of Cascade Locks and in southern Oregon but will grow in wetter climates in rocky areas where the soil is well drained. The plant’s urushiol oil can be picked up from all parts of the plant. It can be a problem for others if you take the oil back to the truck and spread it on the seat and steering wheel. If you know you will be working in poison oak, you may want to invest in Tyvek jump suits, which can be removed and sealed in a plastic bag at the end of the day, before you jump back into the rig. Five years ago I discovered a product that actually removes the oil and relieves the poison oak rash. It is called Zanfel. It is very expensive, but it works and can prevent misery and lost time at work. More info: http://www.oregonhikers.org/field_guide/Poison_Oak

Ticks: In Oregon, ticks are most common east of the Cascades and in the Southern part of the state at lower elevations. Some areas to be especially careful in are Dog Mountain, Catherine Creek, McCall Preserve in the Gorge and along the Rogue River. If you work in these areas, you need to educate yourself on tick prevention, tick inspection and removal and Lyme Disease. You do not want to contract Lyme Disease. If not treated immediately, it can ruin your life. An excellent, scary and informative article about Lyme, published in the Spring 2012 issue of the California Surveyor: http://www.californiasurveyors.org/calsurveyor/CalSurv169.pdf

More info on ticks in Oregon: http://www.oregonhikers.org/field_guide/Ticks

Office Safety: Let’s not forget safe practices in the office. A few of the most common office safety issues:

Using stairs? Use the handrail.
Got a lot of appliances? Use a power strip, and do not daisy chain them.
Make sure your fire extinguishers are appropriately placed and labeled.
Make sure walkways and doorways are free of obstructions. Have an evacuation plan.
Make sure you have enough people trained in First Aid and CPR.
And don’t forget that we office people need to stay hydrated, just like our field crews.

Passing of Phil Peterson

PLSO Office — Mon, 22 Jun 2015 20:31:26 GMT

Phil Peterson, the Berntsen International chairman and co-founder who pioneered new marking products for the survey industry, passed away June 18 at the age of 90.

During his more than four-decade career, Phil Peterson helped transform how surveyors mark land boundaries. “The surveying industry has lost a visionary and champion and we have lost an amazing man, said Rhonda Rushing, Phil’s daughter and President of Berntsen. We will honor his memory by dedicating ourselves to continuing the work he loved so much."

Phil and friend, Peter Berntsen co-founded Berntsen Cast Products, Inc. (now Berntsen International) in 1972 based on their 'restaurant napkin design' of the W-1 monument – a cast aluminum breakaway marker that was light-weight, resistant to corrosion, and detectable with a magnetic locator. The W-1 won the Governor’s New Product Award in 1975 and it became the core of a business that today sells survey monuments, caps, rods, and posts throughout the world.

Phil never stopped being an entrepreneur or a tireless promoter of surveying. He was responsible for many product innovations throughout his career and remained an active advocate to the end with his push to move Berntsen into a ‘smart’ marking world.

At the end of the day, Phil was committed to his family, his employees, and his customers – the surveyors in the field. “Salt of the earth people”, he called them, “we’re here to make sure that they can do the best job possible.”

Philip R. Peterson 1924-2015

In remembrance of Phil Peterson, our offices will be closed Tuesday, June 23rd, 2015

Light at the End of the Tunnel - Update on the 78th Legislative Assembly

PLSO Office — Wed, 03 Jun 2015 23:18:18 GMT

By Darrell W. Fuller, PLSO Lobbyist

The 78th Legislative Assembly is winding down, and may even complete its work before the end of June. The Oregon Constitution mandates they end (Sine Die) no later than July 11th.

Here is an update on legislation I have been monitoring on behalf of PLSO. This update includes some "late breaking" news on one of the bills.

SENATE BILL 297

This bill, requested by OSBEELS, reorganizes and updates the statutes related to testing and registering Engineers, Land Surveyors and Photogrammetrists. PLSO has been actively engaged with OSBEELS, and other stakeholders, on this bill throughout the session. You can read the final version of the bill by clicking on this link:

https://olis.leg.state.or.us/liz/2015R1/Downloads/MeasureDocument/SB297/A-Engrossed

The PLSO Legislative Committee supported the intent and most of changes incorporated into SB297. Amendments to the original bill were drafted and adopted in the Senate as a result of a stakeholder meeting with OSBEELS in February.

Nevertheless, there was considerable discussion about two issues related to this bill. First, PLSO agreed to assist ACEC-Oregon with an amendment to clarify that hydrography is within the scope of Land Surveying and that hydrographers should be registered as Land Surveyors in order to practice in Oregon. An amendment was drafted, circulated and had some measure of support in the Capitol. However, a group of hydrographers loudly objected to the amendment. In fact, they even had an amendment drafted which would have prohibited OSBEELS from ever testing, registering or regulating hydrography in any fashion whatsoever. As a result of the competing amendments, PLSO, ACEC and PEO agreed to meet with the hydrographers after the session to look at various options with regard to how hydrography will be regulated in Oregon. So, stay tuned on this issue as it develops.

Second, the bill changes the word "curriculum" to "program" in the sections related to using a four-year college degree as the prerequisite to sitting for an exam. PLSO's Legislative Committee objected to the change out of concern that it would limit the kinds of four-year degrees which would qualify an applicant to sit for the exam. Many colleges and universities do not have "Land Surveying" programs even though their curricula includes all the classes needed to qualify to sit for the exam.

PLSO had an amendment drafted restoring the original statutory language. The amendment was supported by both ACEC and PEO. Rep. Paul Holvey (D-Eugene), the Chair of the House Business and Labor Committee -- which has jurisdiction over the bill -- agreed to support adopting the PLSO-requested amendment.

Here's the late-breaking updates: OSBEELS held an emergency Board meeting by conference call on Thursday, May 28th. With no PLSs on the phone, and while in Executive Session so only members of the Board were part of the deliberations, OSBEELS decided to oppose the PLSO amendment restoring the word "curriculum". This unexpected opposition resulted in a conference call between PLSO leadership and Mari Lopez, the administrator of OSBEELS. PLSO invited ACEC and PEO leadership to participate in the conference call, as well.

After a thorough discussion of (1) the current statute, (2) the applicable administrative rules which currently clarify how OSBEELS interprets the word "curriculum", (3) why the word "program" was substituted in the bill draft, and (4) the process for updating the administrative rules if the bill becomes law, PLSO's leadership voted to withdraw its objection to the word change from "curriculum" to "program". PLSO will play a significant role in advising OSBEELS on how to modify their administrative rules to ensure there are no unintended consequences resulting from the statutory change.

On June 3rd, the House Business and Labor Committee voted unanimously to report SB297-A to the full House of Representatives for a final vote. Assuming the bill passes the House (a safe assumption), its final stop will be Governor Kate Brown's desk for her signature.

SENATE BILL 383

This bill changes the pleading requirements to be met in order to file suit against design professionals (Architects, Engineers, Land Surveyors and Photogrammetrists). The bill will require the plaintiff's counsel to include a statement from a similarly licensed design professional that defective work was done. Currently, plaintiff's attorneys can include design professionals in a lawsuit with no substantiating evidence. It is costly for design professionals to remove themselves from these suits even if it is clear they did nothing wrong. The final version of this bill will result from ongoing negotiations between design professionals and the trial lawyers. As of the writing of this update, the bill was scheduled for a Work Session on June 4th in the House Consumer Protection and Government Efficiency Committee after passing the Senate on a 29-0-1 vote early in the session. To read the bill, click on this link:

https://olis.leg.state.or.us/liz/2015R1/Downloads/MeasureDocument/SB383/A-Engrossed

HOUSE BILL 2831

This bill modifies the authority to use property line adjustments in resource zones (Measure 49 claims). The PLSO Legislative Committee was uncertain if this bill was a "Land Surveying" bill or a land use bill. The Legislative Committee voted initially to oppose the bill, subject to learning more about it and its impact on Land Surveying. After some research, PLSO withdrew its opposition and is now neutral on the bill. You can read the bill here:

https://olis.leg.state.or.us/liz/2015R1/Downloads/MeasureDocument/HB2831

The bill passed the House of Representatives on a 40-18 vote and is currently awaiting a vote in the full Senate.

CONCLUSION

This has been a fairly good session for Land Surveying. Nothing truly bad has happened to PLSs and a couple of the bills on track to become law may even improve the profession in the coming year (new laws go into effect January 1, 2016). Of course anything can happen between now and when the politicians finally leave town... it's not over, yet.

If you have any questions about the information presented above, or anything else related to the legislative process or state agency regulation of Land Surveying, please email me any time at fuller_darrell@yahoo.com or call me at 971-388-1786. It is a pleasure working with PLSO leadership and representing you at the Capitol in Salem.

Oregon GPS Users Group 2015 Annual Meeting

PLSO Office — Wed, 03 Jun 2015 19:22:39 GMT

OREGON GPS USERS GROUP 2015 ANNUAL MEETING

Date: June 11, 2015

Time: 9:00 am – 3:00 pm

Place: Hollinshead Barn

1237 NE Jones Rd

Bend, OR 97701

Map

AGENDA:

9:00 – 9:15 Network and coffee – speaker setup

9:15 – 9:45 Introductions and annual business meeting

9:45 – 10:45 Dam Fiasco at Bull Flat

Mike Berry, PLS, - Deschutes County Surveyor

10:45 – 11:00 Break

11:00 – 12:00 Space Weather, Impact of Storms on GPS Observations

Joseph Kunches - Director of Space Weather Services, ASTRA, LLC

12:00 – 1:00 Lunch

1:00 – 2:00 UNAVCO presentation on the future of PBO

Dr. Glen Mattioli - Director Geodetic Infrastructure - UNAVCO

2:00 – 2:15 NGS Update

Mark Armstrong, PLS, WRE, Geodesist - NOAA/NOS/NGS Oregon State Geodetic Advisor

2:15 – 2:30 Online Interactive OCRS and ORGN Tool updates

Ken Bays, PLS - ODOT Lead Geodetic Surveyor and ORGN Technical Manager

2:30 – 3:00 Vendor reports

3:00 Adjourn

If you plan to attend please RSVP to Chris Munson at: chris@munson-assoc.com by the end of the day on Monday June 1, 2015 so we have a good idea how many folks will be eating lunch.

OSBEELS Board Member Wanted

PLSO Office — Wed, 27 May 2015 18:31:57 GMT

OSBEELS Board Member Wanted

The Oregon State Board of Examiners for Engineering and Land Surveying (OSBEELS) is seeking a Professional Engineer (PE) and a Professional Land Surveyor (PLS). As per Oregon Revised Statute (ORS) 672.240, each PE, PLS or RPP Board member must be a resident of Oregon for at least three years immediately preceding appointing and have been practicing as a registered professional for at least five years since the date of the individual's initial registration.

Board meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each odd-numbered month and Committee meetings are held the second Thursday and Friday of each even-numbered month. Board members are eligible for per diem and reimbursements for actual expenses involved in carrying out Board business. For more information on the application process or the role of state Board members, pleasevisit http://www.oregon.gov/gov/admin/Pages/How_To_Apply.aspx and follow the instructions provided.

Memorial for Sue Newstetter

PLSO Office — Thu, 07 May 2015 20:53:44 GMT

Memorial for Susan E. Newstetter

In the May e-Newsletter, PLSO reported on the passing of Sue Newstetter. She was a past President of Blue Mountain Chapter, Board Chairman, and was currently representing the surveying profession on the OSBEELS Board.

A memorial will be held in June at Clyde Holiday State Park followed by an outdoor style pot luck in honor of Sue’s love of outdoor cooking and socializing.

Please send notes about Sue's involvement with PLSO to Pat Gaylord, who will share them with her husband, John. Email Pat here.

Date: June 27; 11 a.m.

Location: Clyde Holliday State Park in Mt. Vernon, Oregon

Accommodations:

Camping is available on a first come, first served basis. Teepees may be reserved online. Camping (tent or RV) is the recommendation. There are several camp grounds in the area and we will have a field or someplace for the over flow to camping.
Hotel space at Dreamers Lodge (541-575-0526) is limited. A block of rooms is being held under John La Liberte for the next weeks. Other room accommodations are available in John Day and Prairie City.

Food: The memorial will include a potluck with outdoor cooking in Dutch ovens or solar ovens encouraged in Sue’s memory.

Memorials:

In lieu of flowers, please consider supporting causes that were near and dear to Sue's heart:

PLSO Scholarship Fund
- Make check out to Oregon Community Foundation, noting Professional Land Surveyors of Oregon Scholarship Fund and Sue Newstetter on the Memo line.
- Mailing Address:

Oregon Community Foundation
Attn: Belle Cantor
1221 SW Yamhill Street, Ste #100
Portland, OR 97205-2108

John Day Community Garden, Mt. Vernon Community Center, Grant County Library Foundation
- Make check out to Driskill Memorial Chapel, noting Charity and Sue Newstetter on the Memo line.
- Mailing Address:

Driskill Memorial
241 South Canyon Blvd.
John Day, OR 97845

Approximate Corners

PLSO Office — Tue, 05 May 2015 23:34:18 GMT

“Approximate Corners”

by Scott C. Freshwaters, PLSO Liaison to OACES

This has been a hot topic of discussion at the most recent Central Chapter meeting and at the OACES meeting held in Roseburg last week. This is a questionable practice at best and an unethical one at least. In my opinion, and the opinion of many others this practice does not serve the profession nor the public well. We all know that regardless of how many disclaimers are used, or how emphatically the fact is stressed that the wooden stake set is only “approximate” either the client or the adjoiner or both will accept it as being the true corner and act accordingly.

Does it really serve the profession and protect the public “safety, health, and welfare” if we set an “approximate” corner in lieu of a permanent monument and filing a record of survey? Furthermore, what are the liability issues associated with this practice? Has anyone checked with their E&O carrier if they will bless the setting of “approximate corners”? OACES will discuss this topic at length June 8-10 at their Spring Conference to be held at Eagle Crest Resort near Redmond. The outcome of their discussion may be a letter requesting OSBEELS author an OAR to eliminate this practice. It would be good if all of the PLSO chapters can have a discussion about “approximate corners” and if there is consensus about this perhaps the BOD could and should coordinate with OACES in the communication to OSBEELS.

It's Halftime at the Capitol in Salem

PLSO Office — Fri, 17 Apr 2015 17:18:40 GMT

IT’S HALFTIME AT THE CAPITOL IN SALEM

By: Darrell W. Fuller

(SALEM, OR) -- The 2015 Legislative Session at the Capitol in Salem reached a midpoint, of sorts, at 5:00 PM on Friday, April 10^th. A deadline, which expired April 10^th, provides an excellent point to stop, pause and reflect on how things are (or are not) progressing in the marbled halls of the Capitol Building.

A quick review of Junior High School civics may prove helpful: For a bill to become a law (remember the Schoolhouse Rock song?), it must pass both chambers -- the House and the Senate -- before going to the Governor.

Since starting in February, State Senate Committees have been hearing Senate Bills while State House Committees have been hearing House Bills. April 10^th was the deadline for Committee Chairs to post notices for work sessions on “original chamber” bills. That is, after April 10^th, Senate Committee Chairs can no longer schedule meetings on Senate Bills and House Committee Chairs can no longer schedule hearings on House Bills. From this point forward, committees can only work on bills already passed by the other chamber.

It can be a bit confusing. But the point is this: Hundreds of bills. Actually a couple of thousand bills introduced at the beginning of the session, are now officially “dead” for the year. The list of bills which are still “active” has been narrowed substantially.

So, how are the bills of interest to PLSO members faring? Let’s take a look:

House Bill 2161 Authorized county to charge fee not to exceed actual cost to county of recording certain instruments. This bill relates to the fund for corner restoration and maintenance. As written, the bill is confusing at it sets the fee based on cost recovery for the service provided, yet the fee is not used by the county for recording the instruments. The PLSO Legislative Committee voted to oppose this bill.

This bill received no hearing and died in Committee.

House Bill 2164 Makes permanent a pilot project that requires certain licensees (including Land Surveyors) to demonstrate and maintain tax compliance as a condition of issuance or renewal of license. The PLSO Legislative Committee voted to oppose this bill.

This bill had a Public Hearing on February 23 and died in Committee.

House Bill 2831 Modifies authority to use property line adjustment in resource zones. The PLSO Legislative Committee is uncertain how, if at all, this bill will impact surveying. They directed the PLSO lobbyist to contact resource-based associations (Farm Bureau, Forest Industry, etc.) to learn more about the bill.

This bill passed out of Committee with a unanimous vote and is awaiting action by the full House of Representatives.

House Bill 3489 Requires OSBEELs to waive fundamentals of engineering examination and practical engineer’s examination requirements for a professional engineer registration applicant who has held a professional engineer registration or license in another jurisdiction for a specified period. The PLSO Legislative Committee voted to support the position of Engineers who oppose this bill as currently written.

This bill received no hearing and died in Committee.

Senate Bill 166 Establishes International System of Units as state’s official system of measurement. The PLSO Legislative Committee voted to oppose this bill.

This bill received no hearing and died in Committee.

Senate Bill 297 Revises qualifications for registration to practice professional engineering, land surveying or photogrammetric mapping. PLSO participated (via Carl Sweeden) in a work group which drafted amendments to the bill. With the amendments, the PLSO Legislative Committee supports the bill with a recommendation to change one word from “program” to “curriculum”. The Legislative Committee also voted to support an additional amendment to the bill which will clarify that hydrography/bathymetric surveying must be done by a licensed land surveyor. The current statutes do not clearly address under water surveying.

This bill passed the Senate (30-0) and will be heard in the House. If amended in the House, it will have to return to the Senate for re-passage with the new amendments.

Senate Bill 383 Modifies pleading requirements for claims against design professionals (including land surveyors). The bill will make it more difficult to file suit against a design professional by requiring a person with the same or similar credentials to provide a written summary of the defective work by the design professional as part of the legal complaint. The PLSO Legislative Committee voted to support this bill.

This bill passed the Senate (30-0) and will be heard in the House.

Senate Bill 508 Modifies provisions authorizing expedited land divisions. The PLSO Legislative Committee did not take a position on this bill.

This bill received no hearing and died in Committee.

If you have any questions about the bills listed above, or anything else related to the Legislature, please contact me at fuller_darrell@yahoo.com or 971-388-1786.

NSPS Election Results

PLSO Office — Mon, 13 Apr 2015 15:41:04 GMT

NSPS Election Results:

President-elect: Tony Cavell

Vice President: Jan Fokens

Secretary/Treasurer: Bob Miller

Secretary: Tim Burch

Note: The Secretary position was a contingency vote, with the expectation of passage of the Bylaws amendment to separate the Secretary and Treasurer positions. If that vote fails, Bob Miller will serve as Secretary/Treasurer.

URGENT: Request for Party Chief Definition Change to BOLI

PLSO Office — Wed, 08 Apr 2015 17:00:14 GMT

***UPDATE***

On March 13, 2015, the Bureau received a request to revise the occupational definition for the classification of “Power Equipment Operators,” asking BOLI to add “Party Chief” as a sub-classification to Group 2. Commissioner Avakian has issued a decision to leave the existing definition as it is, without making any revision.

***

A Message to all Oregon Surveyors from PLSO Chair John Thatcher:

It came to PLSO's attention late last week that a proposed revision request to Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) has been submitted by the International Union of Operating Engineers/Local 701 . It requests that the Party Chief (construction surveyor) classification be moved to a Group 2 for all public works.

In short, the proposal requests to “…add the Party Chief subclassification to Power Equipment Operator Group 2 as a covered prevailing wage classification under ORS 279C.” The proposal is available on the BOLI-PWR web site - click here to read the entirety.

PLSO Executive Secretary Aimee McAuliffe, PLSO Lobbyist Darrell Fuller and I have been researching the topic, including getting feedback from Surveyors dealing with similar issues in other states and from Curt Sumner of NSPS [read a recent letter from NSPS regarding a similar issue]. PLSO has also been working with other like minded groups and formulating a plan of action. After considering the feedback and conference call Tuesday with Kim Robinson of IPSLA, we have concluded that this request is not in the best interest for our profession. It was explained that the fallout in Illinois has included many onerous additional requirements such as project labor agreements, responsibility for union benefit plans, requirements to carry permanent liability insurance (which don't go away even if the company is sold), DOL union training program requirements and more. In summary - surveyors lose control of their own profession. While Illinois is not Oregon, we are choosing to learn from their experience.

PLSO exists to look after the interests of Oregon Surveyors, and our plan is to submit a letter of opposition.

But time is short. The deadline for comments is April 15. A request for an extension was made and subsequently denied. Mr. Fuller advises that, while it is important for PLSO to respond to this proposal, it is also important for individual surveyors to weigh in. This is where you come in. If you are in agreement with PLSO, please stand behind your professional community and let BOLI know your opinion. PLSO is working with other groups to form a list of appropriate talking points. You may choose to wait for this list or move ahead with your own opinion on the matter.

Requests made by email must be sent to the following address: pwremail@boli.state.or.us. (It is preferred that requests and responses be submitted by email.)

Requests sent by regular mail must be sent to: PWR Coordinator Bureau of Labor and Industries 800 NE Oregon Street, Suite 1045 Portland, OR 97232

Reference The request to revise the BOLI Power Equipment Operator definition by adding the Party Chief subclassification to Group 2.

We appreciate the time you have taken to read about and consider this issue.

Regards,

John Thatcher

PLSO Board Chairman

PROFESSIONAL LAND SURVEYORS OF OREGON TO SPONSOR TEACHERS

PLSO Office — Fri, 13 Mar 2015 17:53:20 GMT

March 13, 2015, Tigard, Ore. – The Professional Land Surveyors of Oregon (PLSO), a non-profit trade association, is partnering with the National Council of Examiners for Engineering (NCEES) as well as 12 other western state land surveying associations to sponsor teachers for the Teaching with Spatial Technology (TwiST) program.

Held at Clark College in Vancouver, June 22-26, TwiST is designed to teach K-12 educators how to use Geographic Information Systems (GIS)and Global Positioning Systems (GPS) in the classroom to create meaningful and challenging lesson plans for students. It is a week-long workshop designed to make teachers proficient in the many aspects of spatial technology. The course is a mixture of classroom study and field exercises while learning to use GIS software, a GPS receiver and other related materials.

Teachers will learn about applications that classroom activities can accomplish around their school and community. Ranging from resource management to environmental assessment, cartography and more, the activities may be taught at various levels of grade appropriate complexity.

“Land Surveyors often use cutting edge technology in our profession and we want to encourage kids to be exposed to the profession early,” explains John Thatcher, PLSO Chair and state representative for the Western Federation of Professional Surveyors. “The surveying profession has a lot of future growth. Many workers will be retiring soon and we will need to fill our workforce. This is a way for us to plant the seed for future generations and that starts with our teachers.”

Oregon teachers are encouraged to log on to http://www.plso.org/twist for an application to attend. PLSO will reimburse travel costs and pay the $600 tuition cost up front, which includes all course teaching materials, ESRI GIS Software, Garmin GPS receiver, PC cable for downloading data, a 2GB thumb drive, hand compass, and other training materials.

# # #

City of Salem Survey Summit

PLSO Office — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 18:54:47 GMT

From: Robin Dalke
Sent: Thursday, March 05, 2015 3:07 PM
To: Robin Dalke
Subject: City of Salem Survey Summit

The City of Salem is inviting local surveyors to attend an outreach event that will unveil recent improvements to its plat review program. The new plat review process is anticipated to more efficiently move final plats to completion by ensuring that all regulatory issues are addressed earlier in the plat review process. A new application form has been created to assist surveyors in making a complete application that can be approved within the time frames established by Oregon Revised Statutes.

In order to maximize participation of local surveyors in the outreach event, please respond to the Doodle poll by March 11, 2015. Once the outreach event is scheduled, you will be receiving a flier inviting you to the event. Feel free to forward to local surveyors or other professionals who might be interested in learning about recent improvements to the City's plat review process.

Doodle Poll Link:

https://doodle.com/t3bctb8gm9hv275u

Dates/Times being considered include:

Wednesday, March 18th- 10am-12pm

Wednesday, March 18th- 2pm-4pm

Thursday, March 19th- 10am-12pm

Thursday, March 19th- 2pm-4pm

Thank you,

Robin Dalke, CFM

Administrative Analyst III

City of Salem

Development Services

Public Works

Engineers and Surveyors to Host Students

PLSO Office — Mon, 16 Feb 2015 18:53:50 GMT

COOS BAY — The local chapters of the Professional Engineers of Oregon and Professional Land Surveyors of Oregon have coordinated a major program for National Engineers Week, Feb. 22–28, that involves high school students from Coos, Curry and Douglas County, as well as students from Southwestern Oregon Community College.

The program will be a dinner event at the Hales Center for the Performing Arts on the Southwestern Oregon Community College campus in Coos Bay on Feb. 18. It will consist of a welcome and introduction from master of ceremonies Dave Holman, P.E., retired executive director of the California Nevada Cement Association and current Southwest Chapter PEO President, followed by presentations from Oregon State University, Oregon Institute of Technology, Portland State University and Southwestern Oregon Community College.

Engineers and land surveyors will occupy tables along the room perimeter and offer informal show-and-tell and question-and-answer sessions with individuals or small groups of students. The buffet dinner will cost $14.95 each, but students will eat for free.

Engineers Week is dedicated to ensuring a diverse and well-educated future engineering workforce by increasing understanding and interest in engineering and technology careers among young students, and by promoting precollege literacy in math and science. National Engineers Week also raises public understanding and appreciation of engineers’ contributions to society.

For more information, email ron_hoffine@cbnbh2o.com.

Original Story here: http://theworldlink.com/reedsport/news/education/engineers-will-host-students/article_bd7c0b5c-e947-536b-8beb-e16581f5c17e.html

Chairman's Message to Chapter Presidents

PLSO Office — Wed, 11 Feb 2015 01:16:39 GMT

To all Chapter presidents and PLSO Board members:

Greetings from your executive committee. This is a request for you to place an item on the agenda for your next chapter meeting. The issue here is clarification on how auction proceeds are used for both scholarships and outreach, and how the scholarship program works.

Over the last two years, the PLSO Board has decided to split the conference auction proceeds between the scholarship fund and the outreach effort, which is administered by the Education Goals and Action Committee, or EGAC. Tim Kent said it best: We won't need a scholarship program if there are no Geomatics students to apply (that's a paraphrase).

At the 2014 conference we started two new fund raisers: the bag-of-cash 50-50 auction and the bag-of-cash raffle. This year, we included an option to donate on the registration form as well as Paddle Raise at the Auction. Here is how things work:

Dollars funneled into scholarships do NOT go straight to scholarships. Rather, they go into the scholarship fund that is administered by the Oregon Student Assistance Commission (OSAC). That money becomes a permanent part of the fund, and the principal cannot be used. Only the investment dividends can be used and are distributed annually in the form of scholarships. As the fund grows, so do the dividends. Presently the fund holds approximately $260,000 (that's over a quarter million dollars), and in 2014 the fund made enough for PLSO to award $14,500 in scholarships. That is actually more than was contributed to the fund.

Over the last two years the Board looked at the fund and the demand for scholarships and decided that the scholarship fund is healthy and that the need for outreach has become critical enough to start splitting the auction dollars between said fund and EGAC. The actual split is decided each year at the board meeting following the conference.

The company or individual donating items to the auction were able to designate which fund their item proceeds would be directed. The proceeds of the newly added donation activities mentioned above are explained below:

The 50-50 Raffle and Registration Donations are directed to the Outreach Fund. The Bag O’ Cash Raffle and Paddle Raise are directed to the Scholarship Fund.

This year PLSO raised $7,200 – thank you to everyone that participated. In April, your Board of Directors, with guidance from Scholarship Committee Chair Ben Stacy and EGAC Chair Lee Spurgeon, will look at amounts not specifically designated to particular funds from this year’s efforts and vote on where the money will be directed. It is important for PLSO members to understand how their donations are being used and to appreciate the critical need for outreach to attract young people to the profession. Members have a voice in how auction funds are distributed. That voice is their chapter's leaders, board members who represent their chapters and who decide how the auction dollars are used.

Thank you for sharing this information with your chapter.

O*NET Again Seeks Help from NSPS Members

PLSO Office — Wed, 11 Feb 2015 00:30:00 GMT

NSPS Executive Director Curt Sumner has recently been approached by the Skill Assessment Team of Occupational Information Network (O*NET) to again assist in a U.S. Department of Labor effort to identify occupation experts who can help to insure that occupation descriptions listed in the O*NET database are current and accurate. The two categories for which descriptions are being updated are Surveyor and Surveying Technician.

Volunteer participants identified by NSPS should have five (5) or more years of experience, or supervisory/training experience, in the respective categories for which they will provide input. Participants will be asked to complete O*NET questionnaires. The O*NET team has specifically asked that NSPS seek out current Surveying Technicians as part of the group that reviews the technician category.

Anyone interested in participating, or has staff they believe can contribute, should contact Curt Sumner. Please include your name, address, phone and email. There is likely to be a time lag between the time a person volunteers and when they are contacted by O*NET.

CENTRAL OREGON PROFESSIONAL AWARDED SURVEYOR OF THE YEAR

PLSO Office — Tue, 27 Jan 2015 18:09:04 GMT

CENTRAL OREGON PROFESSIONAL AWARDED SURVEYOR OF THE YEAR

January 25, 2015, Tigard, Ore. – The Professional Land Surveyors of Oregon (PLSO), a non-profit trade association that represents the surveying profession in Oregon, announced David Williams as the 2014 Surveyor of the Year. Williams is President of Hickman, Williams and Associates in Bend.

“Surveyor of the Year is one the highest honors that PLSO bestows,” explained John Thatcher, Chairman of PLSO’s Board of Directors. “The honoree has to demonstrate a history of high competence, integrity and professionalism, as well as assisted other surveyors in advancement within the profession. David Williams has demonstrated this throughout his career and I am proud to have handed him his award.”

Williams, Oregon PLS 2686, is a graduate of Oregon State University in Mechanical Engineering. He started his career managing pipeline camps in Alaska before settling in Bend in the mid-70’s, where he thrived in the engineering and surveying business as project manager for George Cook Engineering. His years with Cook established William’s local reputation as a bright, hardworking, honest and business savvy surveyor. As he moved on to Century West Engineering Corporation, he and future partner Gary Hickman pushed the envelope of cutting edge technology before forming their own firm in 1987. Hickman, Williams and Associates, a full-service surveying, engineering and land use planning company, is now solely run by Williams and one of the first companies in Bend to fully commit to using GPS and RTK as a standard tool for increasing efficiency without compromising accuracy under our wide open satellite filled skies.

Williams is well known in Central Oregon as an amiable and sensible proponent for the land surveying profession, particularly in the area of conducting business professionally and profitably. He keeps in contact with other local surveyors and is always open to discuss survey related issues, contentious or otherwise, with his peers from competing firms. He has forged friendships and alliances with local builders, developers, realtors, planners and title companies – often stressing the importance of hiring a professional land surveyor to ensure property boundaries are established and marked.

In addition to his firm, Williams has been a member of PLSO since 1977, currently serving on its Board of Directors as the Central Chapter President for the second time and has spent time teaching classes at Central Oregon Community College. He and his wife Trudy have two grown daughters, Katie and Kelly.

# # #

The Professional Land Surveyors of Oregon, based in Tigard, represents more than 500 licensed land surveyors and associates. It serves the land surveying industry in Oregon through professional education and outreach, holding paramount the interests of the public. To learn more visit www.plso.org. Executive Secretary Aimee McAuliffe may be reached at 503.303.1472.

REMINDER: KEEP 2015 PLSO AUCTION FOR YOUR SHOPPING LIST

PLSO Office — Tue, 09 Dec 2014 01:28:51 GMT

Remember to include an item or two for donation to the 2015 PLSO Auction during your shopping this Christmas holiday. You might even find some special bargains by scrutinizing sales after Christmas.

Register your donations early to assist tracking and organizing the auction. Donors will automatically be entered in a raffle with any donation having a fair market value of $50 or more. Donations must be registered by December 31, 2014. The three cash prizes to be awarded are: 1^st - $50; 2^nd - $30; 3^rd - $20.

Click here to register your donation. The blank donation form is to be printed and completed, then sent to the PLSO Office by mail, fax or email. Please contact the PLSO Office if there are questions.

Gary Johnston

Auction Chairman

Children’s book about bridges will be released soon

PLSO Office — Tue, 09 Dec 2014 00:55:30 GMT

Children’s book about bridges will be released soon

By: Inka Bajandas in Architecture and Engineering November 19, 2014 4:31 pm

A five-year volunteer effort to create a children’s book highlighting the history and engineering of Portland-metro bridges will culminate next month when 5,000 printed copies are distributed to public schools in Portland and Vancouver, Wash.

About 1,500 copies of “The Big and Awesome Bridges of Portland and Vancouver – a Book for Young Readers and Their Teachers” will be available for sale to the general public, said bridge historian Sharon Wood Wortman, who co-authored the 240-page book with her husband, Ed Wortman, a retired bridge engineer. The pair also co-authored “The Portland Bridge Book,” a guide to metro-area bridges.

The book soon will be for sale online at bigandawesomebridges.org and in the gift shop at the Oregon Historical Society, 1200 S.W. Park Ave. in Portland, Sharon Wood Wortman said. Copies also will be available for purchase on Dec. 7 from noon to 7 p.m. at the Oregon Historical Society’s “Holiday Cheer: a Celebration of Oregon Authors” event and at the “Big and Awesome Bridges” official launch party on Dec. 13 from 1 to 4 p.m. in the Community Hall Annex at Portland Community College’s Southeast campus, 2305 S.E. 82nd Ave.

A $25,000 donation from Portland Public Schools helped get the books printed. They will be especially helpful for teaching a bridge unit that has long been a part of the district’s third grade curriculum, Sharon Wood Wortman said.

“The Big and Awesome Bridges of Portland and Vancouver” includes historical information about 22 bridges that cross the Willamette and Columbia rivers in Portland, Oregon City and Vancouver, and interviews with bridge operators and engineers. It also has instructions for teachers to help their students build and load-test their own bridge models.

The printing process is nearly finished. Copies will be ready to deliver to school libraries and classrooms in Portland and Vancouver by mid-December, Sharon Wood Wortman said.

Reviewing Chicken Scratches on Unofficial Returns

PLSO Office — Wed, 05 Nov 2014 19:16:13 GMT

Reviewing Chicken Scratches on Unofficial Returns

By: Darrell W. Fuller, PLSO Lobbyist

“It was a dark and stormy night” and when all the ballots are counted, the numbers will have changed little in the Oregon Legislature. All 60 House seats were up for re-election while 16 of the 30 Senate seats were on the ballot (76 total legislative races). Let’s look at the numbers.

After the 2012 election, the Oregon Senate had 16 Democrats and 14 Republicans and the Oregon House of Representatives had 34 Democrats and 26 Republicans. After this year’s election, the Oregon Senate will have 17 Democrats and 13 Republicans*and the Oregon House will have 35 Democrats and 25 Republicans.

Millions and millions of dollars -- much of it from out-of-state billionaires -- were spent on these 76 Legislative races, all for a net partisan shift of only one seat in the State Senate and one seat in the State House. And out of 61 incumbents running for re-election, 59 won.

Of the 16 State Senate races, 15 had an incumbent running and 14 of those 15 incumbents won. The only incumbent to lose: State Sen. Betsy Close (R-Albany). This race is why Democrats gained one seat in the Senate.

Only one State House incumbents lost: State Rep. Jim Thompson (R-Dallas) lost in the May Primary to a more conservative Republican. Of the 60 House members, 46 campaigned for re-election and 45 won.

While a partisan shift of +1 Democrat in the Senate may seem insignificant, next year’s Legislative Session will likely demonstrate how important a one-seat shift can be in politics. With last session’s razor thin 16-14 Democratic majority in the Senate, conservative-leaning Democratic State Sen. Betsy Johnson (D-Scappoose) sometimes sided with the GOP on controversial bills, creating a 15-15 tie. (Controversial? Think gun control, for example.) Those controversial bills never made it to the Governor’s desk. Now, with a 17-13 Democratic majority, even if Sen. Johnson continues to vote with the GOP on controversial issues, they will pass 16-14, assuming Senate Republicans can’t convince another Democrat to cross party lines.

Across the nation, Republicans had a big night on election day. The GOP took control of the U.S. Senate and substantially increased their majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. Oregon was an outlier. Democrats will continue to control the Office of Governor, the state Senate and the state House of Representatives.

Aspirin, anyone?

*The State Senate numbers assume State Sen. Bruce Starr (R-Hillsboro) wins re-election. As I write this,

he has a 123 vote lead out of more than 30,000 votes counted with thousands still to count. (Moral to this story: Yes, every vote does count.) If State Sen. Starr loses, the Democratic majority will be 18-12.

Survey Workshop at OIT: Earn 6 PDH Hours

PLSO Office — Mon, 06 Oct 2014 17:29:33 GMT

Friday, October 31

8:00am – 11:30am “An Inside Look at Donation Land Claims”

Ron Scherler, BLM retired and CFedS Chairperson

This session will examine how the administrative process established by the Surveyor General for the filing, survey and patenting of Donation Land Claims can affect how we survey the claim boundaries today. The discussion will include: 1) The process claimants were required to follow to perfect their claim and receive a patent. 2)The practical effect of filing the Notification. 3)Where the case files can be found. 4)How metes-and-bounds descriptions were amended to aliquot part descriptions.5) The Surveyor General’s role in resolving disputes. 6) How Claims were placed on the rectangular plat and how that has created uncertain rights along section and aliquot part lines.

11:30am – 12:30pm Lunch provided as part of the registration fee.

12:30pm – 4:00pm “A BLM Cadastral Survey Protest”

Stan French, BLM Chief Cadastral Surveyor of Idaho

A case study of legal principles, evidence, local surveys and 2009 Manual verbiage and interpretation.

This is a case study of a 2011 survey protest in Idaho that involved BLM’s rejection of certain corner points determined by local surveys in an area of high value private property that adjoined federal lands. It demonstrates the challenges the land surveyor may face when evaluating evidence of prior local surveys for their ability to serve as proof of the location of the federal estate. The fundamental arguments in the protest, which involved interpretation of verbiage in the 2009 Manual, included: 1) the local surveyor as original surveyor, 2) “positive evidence of intentional departure from legal principles”, and 3) repose as applied to public domain lands. The presentation will include an overview of federal case law that define legal principles for the survey of the remaining federal lands, bonafide rights & good faith location, and unwritten rights as applied to federal lands.

This course will be worth 6 Professional Development Hours (PDH)

Registration Information

DOWNLOAD FLIER HERE

NSPS members urged to contact U.S. Senators to cosponsor the FLAIR Act

PLSO Office — Wed, 03 Sep 2014 21:41:15 GMT

As Congress continues its August recess, Representatives and Senators are in their home states meeting with constituents and taking part in events. NSPS members and state surveying societies should use this time period to contact their Senators and urge them to cosponsor the soon-to-be-introduced "Federal Land Asset Inventory Reform (FLAIR) Act of 2014." Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Mike Lee (R-UT) plan to introduce the Senate companion to H.R. 916, a bipartisan bill in the U.S. House by sponsored by Representatives Ron Kind (D-WI) and Rob Bishop (R-UT), that has already been approved by a House committee.

This bill would formally authorize a comprehensive, multi-purpose inventory of Federal land by the Department of the, Interior which will provide surveying and mapping data for our national assets and liabilities on a parcel-by-parcel basis.

Senators Hatch and Lee have requested help from NSPS in identifying Democrat Senators as cosponsors. The challenge is for surveyors and state societies to contact your respective Senators and urge them to join Senators Hatch and Lee in cosponsoring this important bill. Visits, meetings and communications should be focused on Democrat Senators.

Read Summary Points

Read Issue Paper

Targeted States and Democrat Senators are: AK: Begich; AR: Pryor; CA: Feinstein, Boxer; CO: Udall, Bennet; CT: Blumenthal, Murphy; DE: Carper, Coons; FL: Nelson; HI: Schatz, Hirono; IL: Durbin; IN: Donnelly; IA: Harkin; LA: Landrieu; MD: Mikulski, Cardin; MA: Warren, Markey; MI: Levin, Stabenow; MN: Klobuchar, Franken; MO: McCaskill; MT: Tester, Walsh; NV: Reid; NH: Shaheen; NJ: Menendez, Booker; NM: Udall, Heinrich; NY: Schumer, Gillibrand; NC: Hagan; ND: Heitkamp; OH: Brown; OR: Wyden, Merkley; PA: Casey; RI: Reed, Whitehouse; SD: Johnson; VT: Leahy; VA: Warner, Kaine; WA: Murray, Cantwell; WV: Rockefeller, Manchin; and WI: Baldwin.

You can also contact these Senators’ legislative staff in Washington, DC. To help identify staff, or for further assistance, please contact NSPS lobbyist John "JB" Byrd at jbyrd@jmpa.us or 703-787-6665.

PLSO to Recognize its Membership

PLSO Office — Mon, 25 Aug 2014 22:19:19 GMT

REMINDER: 2015 PLSO AWARDS

January will be here before we know it, and we will be reuniting with our colleagues and friends at the Annual Conference in Salem and enjoying all the programs at the event. It is time to think about nominations for the Awards Banquet.

Surveyor of the Year (SOY) and Life Member are the only awards subject to the bylaws, so let’s start there. The SOY nomination process is covered in Article 15 (1) of the bylaws:

Nominations need to be presented to the Board at the meeting prior to the annual meeting. That meeting is to be announced, but will take place in October.
Nominations must be written, endorsed by five PLSO members in good standing and they must contain a bio, resume, photo and reason(s) for the nomination.
Minimum requirements for SOY:
- Corporate member of PLSO for five or more years.
- Demonstrated history of high competence, integrity, and professionalism.
- Assisted qualified and interested people in advancement within the profession.
- Career long service to the profession.

The Life Member nomination process is covered in Article 3 (3) of the bylaws:

Approved by vote of the Board and awarded at the Annual Meeting.
Life Members retain Corporate membership status.
Nominations shall be presented to the Board and shall include a record and bio.
Minimum requirements for Life Membership:
- Career long service to the profession and to PLSO.
- Served as Chapter President.
- Corporate membership is current and extends back 10 years prior to nomination.
- Approved by vote of 2/3 of the board by secret ballot.

For the other awards, look on the PLSO website for the nomination documents. Click on the Members link, then the “Membership Resources E Binder" link in the left vertical ribbon. That will bring up the section on awards. This is the fun stuff. Each chapter can nominate chapter members for the following awards:

Article of the Year
Outstanding Associate or Special Member
Good Humor Award
Brush Cutter Award
Team Player Award
Bright Idea Award
Contagious Attitude Award
Diversity Award
Hidden Talent Award
Community Service Award

Awards have been scarce the last few years. Let’s have some fun with it and give out lots of awards in 2015. Your Awards Chair is John Thatcher, and he will be happy to assist you or answer any questions about awards. Email him at here.

2015 PLSO AUCTION BENEFITS EDUCATION AND OUTREACH

PLSO Office — Wed, 06 Aug 2014 18:52:09 GMT

In July, an appeal was made for donations in support of the 2015 Education and Outreach Auction. The article also reminded everyone that the auction was renamed “PLSO Education and Outreach Auction,” even though many of us still refer to it as the scholarship auction. This commentary addresses why outreach, as well as the scholarship fund, deserve support.

Each year, PLSO scholarships assist a limited number of students. For the 2014-2015 academic year, a total of $14,500 was awarded to five winning applicants. The scholarship fund presently has a balance of about $250,000. This amount virtually guarantees that annual awards will amount to more than $14,000 whether we add monies to it or not. Funding scholarships is important, but outreach is equally, if not a more important issue for PLSO.

Outreach has risen to a high priority because of numerous challenges and opportunities that confront the survey profession. Enrollments have been declining at survey institutions in Oregon and other states. A large percentage of professional surveyors are well over the age of 50, so there seems to be great potential for young people who choose to enter this field. The survey profession needs to promote a better understanding of its services to allied career fields and to the general public. In recognition of these matters, the PLSO Board recently decided that it should expand and enhance outreach efforts.

In the last issue of “The Oregon Surveyor,” three articles spoke to the importance of outreach, particularly noting that our profession faces extinction if we don’t make a concerted effort to increase public awareness. These articles stated that additional outreach efforts will require increased financial and organizational support from PLSO. Devoting part of the auction proceeds to outreach will help that cause monetarily, and will focus more attention on this important issue.

Proceeds from the auction will either be assigned to outreach or to the scholarship fund. The PLSO Board distributed funds from the 2014 auction to both endeavors. In the future, individual donors might prefer to designate their contribution to a particular program. The auction committee is considering a suggestion that would allow donors to designate their contributions for one of three options: (1) Scholarship; (2) Outreach; or (3) A combination at the option of the PLSO Board. The proposal is still pending final consideration by the auction committee and the Board.

Whether you more strongly support scholarship or outreach, your assistance is essential to the success of the PLSO Education and Outreach Auction. Participate in this important event by donating one or more special items and by making a purchase at the auction. Your generosity will promote the survey profession wherever it is used.

Gary Johnston

Auction Chairman

National Trig-Star Committee Selects Winners

PLSO Office — Tue, 15 Jul 2014 19:24:13 GMT

National Trig-Star Committee Selects Winners of the Richard E. Lomax National Trig-Star and Teaching Excellence Awards

Oregon State Winner Jolyn Chance Came in 8th Place Nationally!

The National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS) is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2014 Richard E. Lomax National Trig-Star Awards. The Trig-Star committee met on July 11, 2014 to determine the three top high school students from the national examinations submitted by state winners. This year there were thirty-seven state winners submitted. A past president of NSPS, Richard Lomax was the driving force behind the elevation of the local Trig-Star program to the national level. In October 1994, Board action named this high school trigonometry skill award in his honor.

The Richard E. Lomax National Trig-Star Awards are as follows:

First Place: Luben Deng, Cherry Creek High School, Greenwood Village, Colorado

Second Place: Benjamin Fawcett, New Hanover High School, Wilmington, North Carolina

Third Place: Natalie Sanchez, Rochester High School, Rochester, Washington

The Richard E. Lomax National Teaching Excellence Awards are as follows:

First Place: Dorothy Dady, Cherry Creek High School, Greenwood Village, Colorado

Second Place: Nicholas Corak, New Hanover High School, Wilmington, North Carolina

Third Place: Carolyn Johnson, Rochester High School, Rochester, Washington

The first place student receives $2,000, second place student receives $1,000, and third place student receives $500. The first place teacher receives $1,000, second place teacher receives $500, and third place teacher receives $250. The Trig-Star Policy states that “the National Student and Teacher Awards be given to the winning students at or before the next state professional land surveying organization conference of the student’s home state.”

The following is a list of the remaining State Winners in the order of finish:

David Stockhouse, Alaska; Stephen Joyce, Minnesota; Russell Kenney, Wyoming; Emily Parnell, Virginia; Jolyn Chance, Oregon; Anna Keri, Ohio; Crystal Nevius, Georgia; Tyler Rosenberger, Pennsylvania; Robert Ross, Indiana; Taylor McCreary, California; Kristopher Schaff, Montana; Jessica Gustad, Michigan; Jacob Zamora, Utah; Shoshaunah Jacob, Wisconsin; Sairahul Pentaparthi, Texas; Cameron Fisk, New Hampshire; Nathan DeGraaf, Iowa; Eric Pitman, Idaho; Alexander Snouffer, Maryland; Alexander Bakker, Massachusetts; James Johnson, Kentucky; Anthony Abbazia, Jr., Connecticut; Katie Kanich, Delaware; Yun Wei Yang, Nevada; Elijah Mathews, North Dakota; Evangimel Miranda, Puerto Rico; Su Yang, New York; Mathias Wingert, South Dakota; Rachel Douglass, Louisiana; Isaac Swiney, Illinois; Nicholas Tice, Maine; Matthew Harrell, Alabama; Elizabeth Goodrow, Kansas; and Zachary Wade, Missouri.

The Richard E. Lomax National Trig-Star and Teaching Excellence Awards are a few of several annual NSPS awards. For more information about the NSPS awards and scholarship programs, please contact NSPS, 5119 Pegasus Court, Frederick, MD 21704, (240) 439-4615, e-mail: Trisha Milburn at trisha.milburn@nsps.us.com, or visit the NSPS web site at www.nsps.us.com.

Jolyn came in 8th Nationally!

Seven Tips for Building Relationships with Property Owners along Your Transmission Lines

PLSO Office — Thu, 12 Jun 2014 23:02:55 GMT

Energy projects impact many people. Whether it's surveying, designing, or constructing transmission, distribution and substation infrastructure, you’re sure to meet neighboring property owners along the way. If your experience is anything like ours, some are friendly, and some...not so much. It’s important to leave a positive impression on these important stakeholders. Like all relationships, your relationship with these neighbors is a product of a thousand small interactions.

Tip # 1 - Keep Good Records

Conversation records are the most effective way to ensure that agreements are documented and mutually understood. All conversations should be recorded to make sure you remain informed of discussions held on your behalf with property owners. These records also serve as documentation of notices given to property owners.

Tip #2 - Do Your Homework

Don’t leave the office without doing your homework first. Make sure you know what the property owners concerns may be before you meet with them. Reach out to the realty and operations / maintenance staff before entering the field. They can help you to understand property owner concerns as well as how to navigate potential land mine discussions. These experts will also provide guidance as to any advance notice requirements that may exist with certain property owners.

Tip #3 - Common Courtesies Create Fans

Always take the opportunity to stop and say Hello. Our property owner relationships are treated like any other relationship. Success is measured in years and is a product of regular cultivation and nurturing.

Tip #4 - A Little Signage Goes a Long Way

Clearly marked vehicles identify who you represent. Not only is this appropriate, it also lends to your credibility. Think for a moment, what it would be like for a stranger to approach you and discuss nearby transmission lines. Be sure to bring business cards with a phone number or your company security badge so stakeholders can call with further questions.

Tip #5 - Respect Boundaries

Always educate yourself on the most appropriate method of access before entering the field (see Tip #2: Do Your Homework). Never take shortcuts and always respect personal property.

Tip #6 - Access Gates Are a Big Deal

Gates are established for a reason. Leave them as you found them. Can you imagine driving through a locked gate, leaving it open and later returning to a field now full of cows? What a mess! Better safe than sorry.

Tip #7 - Plan Ahead and Ask for Backup

Ask for backup when challenging landowners are expected to visit the project. You may need to bring other members of your team from realty, environmental, or engineering, who are uniquely armed to resolve concerns and act for the client.

Developing relationships requires a genuine interest and a willingness to listen.

Project success shouldn't be measured simply on the technical aspect of building, improving and modifying transmission lines. Project success must also reflect property owner interactions.

Do you have any tips to add this this list? If so, I'd love to connect with you to hear about them. You can reach me on LinkedIn, or via email at zmartin@mackaysposito.com

Redistributed with permission from author, Zach Martin

Photo Credit: canstockphoto.com

US Government Investigates Intermittent GPS Outages

PLSO Office — Fri, 16 May 2014 21:36:26 GMT

All CGSIC:

May 15, 2014

Recently, many GPS users have reported intermittent GPS outages in their devices. After investigating, the U.S. government has linked the problem to flawed processing of GPS satellite data within certain GPS receiver chipsets. The GPS Satellite service continues to function as designed and is fully operational and available worldwide.

The problem affects only user equipment that erroneously ignores the satellite health status information broadcast from every GPS satellite. The problem is not related to the April 28, 2014, activation of civil navigation messages on the GPS L2C and L5 signals.

Since March 15, 2014, the Air Force has been conducting functional checkout on a GPS satellite, designated Space Vehicle Number (SVN) 64. SVN 64 broadcasts a data message that clearly indicates SVN 64 is unusable for navigation. Nevertheless, the U.S. government has confirmed that certain GPS receivers are using data from SVN 64, in violation of GPS interface specifications, resulting in outages or corrupted, inaccurate position calculations.

The Air Force testing is scheduled to end in mid--‐May 2014 at which time SVN 64 will begin normal operation. At that point, these problems may stop occurring. Meanwhile, the U.S. government urges all GPS device makers to review their products for compliance with the GPS interface specifications, and if necessary, to issue software/firmware updates to users as soon as possible. View specifications: www.gps.gov/technical/icwg

Users experiencing GPS outages should check with their device manufacturers for available software/firmware updates. In addition, any civil user seeing unusual behavior in GPS user equipment should report it to the U.S. Coast Guard Navigation Center (NAVCEN). Aviation users should file reports consistent with FAA--‐approved procedures. Military users seeing unusual behavior should report it the GPS Operations Center (GPSOC).

Please direct any civil user questions to NAVCEN at (703) 313- 5900,

http://www.navcen.uscg.gov

Please direct any military user questions to the GPSOC at (719) 567-2541, DSN: 560--‐2541,

gpsoperationscenter@us.af.mil

https://gps.afspc.af.mil

Military alternate:

Joint Space Operations Center, (805) 606-3514, DSN: 276--‐3514, jspoccombatops@vandenberg.af.mil

--‐--‐--‐--‐

Oregon Tech Geomatics Students Take Second at National Competition

PLSO Office — Wed, 07 May 2014 18:25:39 GMT

Oregon Tech Geomatics Students Take Second at National Competition

May 7, 2014 – A team of students from the Oregon Tech Geomatics Department took second place in the annual National Society of Professional Land Surveyors Student Competition this April. The National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS) held its 14^th Annual Student Competition in conjunction with the California Land Surveyors Association (CLSA)/Nevada Association of Land Surveyors (NALS) joint conference in San Diego, California on April 12-16, 2014. 12 schools with baccalaureate degree programs in surveying, surveying engineering technology, and/or surveying engineering participated.

Results:

First Place: Southern Polytechnic State University

Second Place: Oregon Institute of Technology- Klamath Falls, Oregon

Third Place: Fresno State University

Honorable Mentions: Penn State, New Mexico State, Michigan Tech, Utah Valley University, and New Jersey Institute of Technology.

The topic for the 2014 competition was ALTA/ACSM Land Title Surveys and consisted of a Project, Project Binder (Project Documentation), Map, and Oral Presentation. The purpose for this four pronged approach is to provide students with an opportunity to hone their skills in organizing and presenting a project using the various mediums (Documentation, Map, and Oral Presentation) regularly utilized in surveying practice.

The Oregon Tech team was led by Josie Campbell, a senior from Portola, CA. Orlando Aquino and Steve Randall, seniors from Klamath Falls; Tim Brown, junior from Vernonia, OR; Arlo Kneeland-MacDonald, junior from McMinnville, OR; Wesley Inman, junior from Red Bluff, CA; and Tyler Puzey, sophomore from Clatskaine, OR made up the rest of the team.

The Oregon Tech team prepared a survey of the Amerititle office in Medford for this competition. The team was responsible for the legal research, field surveying, mapping, documentation and final presentation. Once the first draft of the map was completed, the team sent their map out to 15 professionals around the country including Professional Surveyors and Real Estate Professionals, including attorneys and paralegals that work with these surveys for their comments. These valuable comments were added to the final project that was submitted to NSPS.

For more information, please contact Mitch Duryea, Assistant Professor, Geomatics Department at 541-851-5762, or visit www.oit.edu/academics/degrees/geomatics.

About Oregon Tech Geomatics

At Oregon Tech, the study of geomatics combines theory, problem-solving and field work in a computer-intensive curriculum that prepares students for employment and licensure as Professional Land Surveyors. A shortage of trained personnel makes the employment forecast for geomatics graduates exceptional.

Oregon Tech's geomatics program is accredited by the Applied Science Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), 111 Market Place, Suite 1050, Baltimore, Md. 21202-4012.

About National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS)

NSPS is the national organization representing the Land Surveying profession in the United States and has among its aims and objectives: Advancing the sciences and disciplines with in the profession; supporting new practical methods of surveying; promoting public faith and confidence in the profession; encouraging high standards of ethical and professional behavior; and seeking improvements in higher education curricula for surveyors.

###

Math and Politics

PLSO Office — Tue, 06 May 2014 22:42:14 GMT

Math and Politics

By: Darrell W. Fuller, PLSO Lobbyist

This is for people who like politics or math, or both. If this is not you, then it is possible you will stop reading before the end. But that’s okay. For the rest of you, stay with me.

Today’s important numbers will be 60, 31, 30, 16, 76, 11 and 1.

The Oregon House of Representatives has 60 members who each serve a two-year term. To be in the majority, you need…wait for it…31 members (half of 60 plus one). It’s math, but not quantum algebra. Since all 60 seats are up for re-election every two years, we have NO IDEA who’s going to be in charge, right? Well, wrong.

Of those 60 House members, 26 are running for re-election and no one is running against them. So, they have a pretty good chance of winning. Of the 26, 17 are Democrats and 9 are Republicans. So, already the count is 17 to 9 in favor of the Democrats and no one has voted yet.

Now, let’s be candid: If you are a Democrat running in Portland, or a Republican running in Eastern or Southern Oregon, it doesn’t really matter if you have an opponent. We just know that certain seats are “safe” seats for each party. So, in addition to the races with no opponent at all, there are 13 safe Republican seats and 13 safe Democratic seats.

Add them to the uncontested races and the count is 30 Democrats and 22 Republicans. Remember, you need 31 votes to be in the majority. So, before anyone opens their ballot and casts a vote, the Democrats are only one seat shy of a majority.

That leaves only 8 races out of 60 that will really determine who will be in the majority in the House come January, 2015. And, the Republicans have to win all 8 just to get a 30-30 tie. These races will get a LOT of money and a LOT of attention.

We’ve covered numbers 60 and 31. Let’s move on.

The Oregon State Senate is a little trickier. There are 30 Senators. They each serve a four-year term. Their elections are staggered so about half of the Senators are up for re-election every two years. The other half will return to the Capitol in January without an election. In the Senate, it takes 16 members to have a majority. Among Senators NOT up for re-election, there are 6 Democrats and 8 Republicans. So, the Republican Party, in theory, already has a two-seat edge.

Of the Senators up for re-election, only 5 are Republicans while 10 are Democrats (one Republican isn’t running for re-election). So, the Democrat Party has more territory to defend (but a lot of those 10 seats are in Portland).

Like in the House, some of the Senators are unopposed and some have only “token” opposition since they are in safe seats. Republicans have 1 unopposed and 4 more in safe seats. Democrats have 4 unopposed and 4 more in safe seats. Add these numbers to the incumbents who are not up for re-election and -- without a single vote cast -- we already know the numbers in the Senate are 14 Democrats and 13 Republicans. Pretty close.

This leaves only 3 Senate seats that are really up for grabs.

So, with 60 House seats and 16 Senate seats up for election in November (76 races total), you and I already know which party is going to win 65 of them. That leaves 11 in the balance (3 in the Senate and 8 in the House). 11 seats are all that really matter in November and a lot is riding on who wins those 11 seats.

That leaves only one number left. 1. When the Legislature passes a bill, 1 person has a super-vote. 1 person can sign that bill into law or veto it. That 1 person is the Governor and he is up for re-election, too.

Thus ends today’s lesson. It may be politics, but in the end, it’s all about the math.

And the Winner is...Pennyslvania!

PLSO Office — Mon, 07 Apr 2014 16:24:24 GMT

Thank you to everyone that participated in National Surveyors Week. With nationwide participation, a large contribution was made to the NGS GPS on Bench Marks Campaign.

Below are two NOAA maps depicting the contributions to OPUS DB. The first represents the entire month of March, which saw the largest ever number of submissions, 282 including one from Puerto Rico. Click the image to enlarge.

The second map represents only those submissions made during National Surveyors Week.
The top contributor was Pennsylvania, with 13 marks, others included 9 from OH, 8 each from AZ & CA, 7 from AL, 5 from DE, 3 each from NC & SD, 2 from CO, CT, FL, GA, ID, KY, MI, MO, ND, NJ, OR, VA & WY, and one from LA. Click image to enlarge.

Great job everyone!

NSPS Election Results 2014

PLSO Office — Thu, 20 Mar 2014 20:54:56 GMT

NSPS Election Results for 2014 are as follows:

President-Elect race, the results were: Jon Warren – 780; Debi Anderson – 750.

For the NSPS Vice President race, the results were: Tony Cavell – 620; Jan Fokens – 549; Henry Dingle – 328

Pat Smith was not on the ballot for the Presidency since it is an automatic accession from President-Elect.

Kim Leavitt ran unopposed in the Area 7 Director election.

PLSO UPDATE: New Executive Secretary

PLSO Office — Wed, 12 Mar 2014 18:11:31 GMT

The PLSO Board of Directors is pleased to announce that it has hired Aimee McAuliffe of Associate Solutions Management LLC as its new Executive Secretary. She will work closely with the organization in its professional education and outreach efforts to ensure a vital future for the Oregon surveying industry.

McAuliffe has 10-years of experience in the non-profit management arena as full-time staff of the Oregon Association of Nurseries. During her tenure, she managed member programs, continuing education and events, including the Farwest Show – one of North America’s largest nursery trade shows. She is well versed in marketing and events in both non-profit and for-profit sectors.

Board Chair Lee Spurgeon said, "The ad hoc committee that reviewed our executive secretary’s contract was extremely impressed with McAuliffe’s qualifications, experience, intelligence, demeanor, enthusiasm, and vision."

McAuliffe replaces Mary Louise Van Natta who is working on the transition through March. As reported in the March/April edition of Oregon Surveyor magazine, Van Natta has chosen to step down and pursue other professional goals in the communications and public relations field.

McAuliffe adds, “I am extremely excited about working with PLSO. There is something special about people that spend their valuable time collaborating with peers for the betterment of the industry.”

PLSO PRESS RELEASE: Professional Land Surveyors of Oregon Supports Local Teacher Training in Spatial Technology

PLSO Office — Tue, 11 Mar 2014 20:22:10 GMT

March 10, 2014, Tigard, Ore. – The Professional Land Surveyors of Oregon (PLSO), a non-profit trade association, is partnering with the National Council of Examiners for Engineering (NCEES) as well as 12 other western state land surveying associations to sponsor teachers for the Teaching with Spatial Technology (TwiST) program.

“Spatial Technology includes Geographic Information Systems, Remote Sensing and Global Positioning Systems,” explains John Thatcher, PLSO Chair-Elect and state representative for the Western Federation of Professional Surveyors. “The technology allows us to understand and visualize data in different ways in the form of maps, globes, reports, and charts. Not only are they powerful tools in the future development of our country, but they are extremely helpful in understanding environmental changes and more.”

TwiST is designed to teach grade 6-12 educators how to use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Global Positioning Systems (GPS) in the classroom to create meaningful and challenging lesson plans for students. Held June 23-27 at Clark College in Vancouver, Wash., it is a week-long workshop designed to make teachers proficient in the many aspects of spatial technology. The course is a mixture of classroom study and field exercises while learning to use GIS software, a GPS receiver and other related materials.

Teachers are expected to learn about applications that classroom activities can accomplish around their school and community. Ranging from resource management to environmental assessment, cartography and more, the activities may be taught at various levels of grade appropriate complexity.

Local teachers are encouraged to log on to http://www.plso.org/twist for an application to attend and sponsorship opportunities that will cover costs of tuition and travel. Tuition costs for the week long workshop is $600, which includes all course teaching materials, ESRI GIS Software for teachers, Garmin GPS receiver, PC cable for downloading data, a 2GB thumb drive, hand compass, and other training materials. The deadline to apply is April 14.

Contact: John Thatcher

# # #

The Professional Land Surveyors of Oregon, based in Tigard, represents more than 500 land surveyors and associated suppliers. It serves the land surveying industry in Oregon through professional education and outreach, holding paramount the interests of the public. To learn more visit www.plso.org.

PLSO UPDATE: The Politicians Have Left the Building

PLSO Office — Mon, 10 Mar 2014 15:30:27 GMT

Legislative Update by Darrell W. Fuller, PLSO Lobbyist

In 2010 Oregon voters passed Measure 71, changing the Oregon Legislature from meeting every other year to every year. The even-numbered-year sessions (like this year) are limited to 35-days starting in February. Voters were told these “short sessions” would be used to make incremental adjustments to the state budget and noncontroversial changes to the law – sort of a “clean up” session.

Reality reflected differently. First, Senators and Representatives debated such “noncontroversial” issues as gun control, legalizing marijuana, driver’s cards for people unable to prove they are here legally, and building a new Oregon-Washington bridge (called the CRC or Columbia River Crossing) with Oregon and the Federal government footing the bill (Washington State’s Legislature said “no” to paying their share).

Second, the leadership of the Legislature didn’t roll out their budget rebalance plan until 32 days into the 35 day session. As a result, there wasn’t time for much discussion or public scrutiny of the budget rebalance. The rebalance bill was adopted with little to no input other than from those who crafted it.

The state is broke, pretty much. Most requests for additional revenue fell on deaf ears. But the state is going to make a $200 million donation to the Knight Cancer Institute at OHSU. That money, which will be bonded, doesn’t count as real money in Salem.

As for the land surveying business, not much happened in Salem this February. The PLSO Legislative Committee did not meet and, therefore, made no recommendations to support or oppose legislation.

House Bill 4119, which would have permitted the direct appointment of certain design professionals costing less than $100,000, died without a vote. There was also a short-lived effort to amend the elected county land surveyor statute (which allows the elected surveyors in some less populated counties to live outside the county they are elected to serve) to include the elected county assessor in the non-resident exception. The amendment was never formally introduced to a committee.

Scott Freshwater and I joined with some other like-minded professional associations for “Design Professionals Day” at the Capitol. Individuals met with Senators and Representatives throughout the day. One particular topic of discussion was to increase spending on STEM and CTE programs in public schools and community colleges across the state.

I expect the Legislative Committee will meet sometime in late spring or early summer to begin mapping our strategy for the 2015 session. If you have any thoughts, contact me or a member of the Legislative Committee.

If you have specific questions about the Legislative process or what happened in Salem, please feel free to call me at 971-388-1786 or email me.

National Geodetic Survey - 2014 GPS on Benchmarks Campaign

Thu, 06 Mar 2014 22:33:25 GMT

NGS encourages anyone with survey-grade Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers to join the 2014 GPS on Bench Marks Campaign, a National Surveyors Week (March 16-22) event to raise awareness about professional surveying while improving the National Spatial Reference System (NSRS).

Why Participate?

The nation’s height system, the North American Datum of 1988 (NAVD88), is founded on historic geodetic leveling surveys on thousands of bench marks that are often difficult and expensive to access. By adding GPS coordinates to these marks, the height system can be modeled in GPS survey systems for easier access. The latest hybrid geoid model, GEOID12A , includes many “GPS on bench mark” observations, but would benefit from additional data collection in many areas

Click here to find out how to participate!

National Surveyors Week is March 16-22, 2014!

Wed, 05 Mar 2014 08:00:00 GMT

National Surveyors Week will be celebrated nationwide March 16-22, according to the National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS).

Hundreds of surveyors nationwide are planning activities, such as talks to school groups, contacts with their local news media about the importance of the nation's surveying profession, and booths at popular community locations to describe the importance of the work and role of surveyors and their contributions to society. These activities will enable citizens to look back at the historic contributions of surveying and look ahead to the new technologies that are constantly modernizing the profession.

GPS Day is being held in conjunction with National Surveyors Week, and will be held on March 16 as a lead-in to the week.

The message to be spread, according to NSPS, is that the role of the surveyor has been, and remains, of vital importance in the development of the United States.

"As long as property ownership remains one of the pillars of life in America, the role of surveyors will remain vital," says Curt Sumner, executive director of NSPS. "To this day, owning land, America's greatest asset, remains the American dream. Without the knowledge, abilities and guidance of a professional surveyor to determine boundaries this dream largely disappears."

NSPS has petitioned The White House to proclaim this week National Surveyors Week. In addition, a number of state surveying societies have petitioned their state legislatures to do the same at the state level.

In his request to The White House to declare this week National Surveyors Week, Sumner outlined how "since the colonial days of this nation, surveyors have been leaders in the community, statesmen, influential citizens and shapers of cultural standards. Former surveyors include Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln."

"Today," Sumner notes, "there are over 45,000 professional surveyors in the United States. The value of their work remains vital to the future economic growth of our nation."

For example:

Hydrographic surveys are important to the use bodies of water;
Engineering surveys are utilized in the study and selection of engineering construction;
Geodetic surveys determine precise global positioning for such activities as aircraft and missile navigation;
Cartographic surveys are used for mapping and charting as well as photogrammetry, the science of using aerial photographs for measurement and map production.

For more information about National Surveyors Week, go to www.nsps.us.com.

Modernization of the National Spatial Reference System: A Workshop for Surveyors and GIS Professionals

PLSO Office — Mon, 03 Feb 2014 19:41:24 GMT

Modernization of the National Spatial Reference System
A Workshop for Surveyors and GIS Professionals

Presented by David Doyle - NGS Chief Geodetic Surveyor (Retired)
Base 9 Geodetic Consulting Services

Sponsored by Oregon GPS User’s Group

When: Thursday April 3, 2014 7:30am-4:30pm
Where: NW Eola Viticulture Center of Chemeketa C.C.
215 Doaks Ferry Rd., Salem, OR 97304
Lunch: Yes, tasty lunch is provided

This professional presentation details the efforts to enhance the quality of and availability to the high accuracy positioning elements of the National Spatial Reference System.

These include:
• Enhancements to the On Line Positioning User Service (OPUS)
• Gravity for the Redefinition of the American Vertical Datum (GRAV-D)
• Transition to new horizontal (geometric) and vertical (geopotential) datums to replace NAD 83 and NAVD 88 - targeted to be completed by 2022.

Are you prepared for the change? Continued user demands and shrinking budgets at NGS encourage the transition to the National Spatial Reference Framework (NSRS). This transition is to align with the international IGS-ITRF datum and to a gravity based vertical datum. Attend and learn of the upcoming transition and how best to take advantage of the changes and benefits that may be required of your upcoming surveys.

Take advantage of the seminar to have questions answered during the afternoon session.

When: Thursday April 3, 2014 7:30am-4:30pm
Where: NW Eola Viticulture Center of Chemeketa C.C.
215 Doaks Ferry Rd., Salem, OR 97304
Lunch: Yes, tasty lunch is provided

Check-in: 7:30-8:30 AM (Preregistration onlyundefinedNo registration at the door)

PDH Credits: 7

First come, first served for up to 150 registrants. Cost is $70 and includes buffet style lunch. Attendees will be emailed any handout materials prior to the workshop and should be self printed prior to your attendance. No materials will be provided at the workshop.

Questions: johnminor@stuntzner.com or neathamer@gmail.com
Send one registration per person to: Cael Neathamer P.O. Box 1674, Medford, OR 97501
Make Checks payable to: Oregon GPS Users Group

Printable form here

GPS Workshop at OSU: Feb. 20-21, 2014

PLSO Office — Fri, 31 Jan 2014 23:41:21 GMT

Oregon State University Civil/Construction Engineering is offering two GPS Workshops in February. You can register for either one or receive a discount if you register for both.

Day 1: February 20: Basic GPS:

This workshop introduces the basic concepts of GPS surveying and proper procedures as defined by various standards as they relate to both static and real-time surveys. Students will apply knowledge gained in the workshop to complete a project in a small group environment and follow-up with a presentation outlining the project to the entire class. Emphasis will be placed on hands-on learning. Bring a laptop - not required, but helpful.

Staff: Prof. Michael Olson, PhD; Prof. Dan Gillins, PhD
Date: February 20, 2014; Thursday, 8:30 am - 4:30 pm, 110 Owen Hall
Fee: $175; Both days $295 (same person)

Day 2: February 21: Oregon Real-time GPS Network:

Participants will learn about the structure of the Oregon Real-Time GPS Network (ORGN). You will learn how to download RINEX data for post-processing GPS field data. Access to ORGN rover accounts and what GPS equipment and cellular services are needed to utilize real-time corrector will be explained. A field exercise using GPS rovers and ORGN RT correctors will be held. New users and GPS novice personnel will gain the most from this workshop. If you bring your own rover equipment, please set up an ORGN rover account at www.TheORGN.net/access.html prior to the workshop

Staff: Ken Bays, PLS; Lead Geodetic Surveyor, ODOT; Randy Oberg, PLS, Geodetic Surveyor, ODOT, Tim Weaver, PLS, Survey Support Specialist, ODOT
Dates: February 21, 2014; Friday, 8:30 am - 4:30 pm, 110 Owen Hall
Fee: $175; Both days $295 (same person)

For more information to: http://cce.oregonstate.edu/node/226

Brochure may be viewed here: Winter Brochure 2014 14x8 5 bwv2.pdf

Office Closure: December 2013 & January 2014 Holidays

PLSO Office — Tue, 24 Dec 2013 18:50:57 GMT

PLSO Office Special Holiday Hours
Tuesday, December 24, 2013: OPEN until 12pm
Wednesday, December 25, 2013: CLOSED
Thursday, December 26, 2013 to Monday, December 30, 2012: OPEN from 8am to 5pm.

Tuesday, December 31, 2013: OPEN until 12pm
Wednesday, January 1, 2014: CLOSED
We will resume regular business hours on Thursday, January 2, 2014; 8am to 5pm.

Office Closure

PLSO Office — Wed, 27 Nov 2013 16:36:57 GMT

The PLSO office will be closed Thursday, November 28, 2013 and Friday, November 29, 2013 for the Thanksgiving Holiday. The office will be open the following Monday, December 2, 2013 at 8am.

PLSO 2014 Conference Announcement

PLSO Office — Wed, 27 Nov 2013 16:27:58 GMT

For a schedule, map contest information, auction details and more, click on our calendar and events page, then click 2014 Conference, or follow this link.

Veterans Affairs Approves CFedS Program

PLSO Office — Mon, 23 Sep 2013 16:04:48 GMT

Veterans Affairs has approved the CFedS Program for reimbursement of fees for the final exam and continuing education tests. Read more at this link .http://cfeds.org/news.asp?id=283&frm=A

Oregon Tech Offers High-demand Online Courses in Geomatics.

PLSO Office — Mon, 09 Sep 2013 20:29:48 GMT

Oregon Tech Offers High-Demand Online Courses in Geomatics

Sept. 9, 2013, KLAMATH FALLS, ORE. – The Geomatics Department at the Oregon Institute of Technology is proud to announce that beginning September 30, 2013, selected Geomatics courses in Surveying and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) will be offered online. These courses are designed for the working professional that desires formal education to advance in their career. All courses are fully accredited and transferable to the Geomatics degree.

The GIS courses are being taught by Dr. John Ritter and the Surveying courses will be led by Mitch Duryea, PLS. Dr. Ritter and Professor Duryea are both faculty at the Oregon Tech campus in Klamath Falls.

Clicke here to read the full press release

Office Closure

PLSO Office — Tue, 25 Jun 2013 22:24:42 GMT

The PLSO office will be closed Thursday, July 4, 2013 and Friday, July 5, 2013 for Independence Day. The office will be open the following, Monday, July 8, 2013 at 8am.

Da Vinci Days July 19-21, 2013

PLSO Office — Tue, 25 Jun 2013 16:50:30 GMT

The Willamette Chapter, PLSO, will again be hosting a booth at “da Vinci Days, ” a “celebration of art, science and technology.” This “celebration” is a popular yearly event held in Corvallis. This year it runs from Fridayevening, July 19, through Sunday, July 21. Our goal, as members of PLSO, is to educate the public about the land surveying profession and generate interest in it as a career.

Seven members of the Willamette Chapter volunteered at least 3 hours of their time for last year’s event. Date Bateman, Bob Cook, Brenda James, Bill Lauer, Jamey Montoya, Louise Parsons and Tyler Parsons spent time answering questions and demonstrating various tools of the trade. Dave Schlosser (Northstar Surveying) also volunteered, as did OSU students John Raugust, Mahyar Sharifi Mood and Hamid Mahmoudabadi. The students got a lot of attention with their demonstrations with a 3D laser scanner, lent for the occasion by the OSU Engineering Department. Mr. Schlosser demonstrated GPS and robotic equipment. We all thought the public interest and response was good and the event was worthwhile for the PLSO. All volunteers had fun, too (the weather was great!). After “serving their time” the volunteers used their free passes to enjoy other booths, demonstrations, entertainment and food (not free).

This year several new volunteers will join us: Ray Wilson (PLSO), Ed Query (PLSO), Patrick Mahedy (student, OSU College of Engineeering), Michael Olsen (OSU Assistant Professor of Geomatics), and, probably, several other OSU students.

Anyone interested can contact Bill Lauer atBLauer@Northstarsurveying.com, by phone at 541-757-9050 or stop by the PLSO booth.

Midwest 2013 Work Day & Picnic

PLSO Office — Tue, 25 Jun 2013 16:49:22 GMT

The Mid-West Chapter held a work party on June 15 to perform maintenance on our local calibration base line, located along the Northwest Expressway in Eugene. Thanks to ODOT and Delta Sand & Gravel for providing the materials and Steven Anderson, Brent Bacon, Kent Baker, Ted Baker, Ryan Erickson, Jon Oakes, and Don Rowe for providing their time and effort. After our hard work on the base line we held our annual Mid-West picnic. Thanks go to Dave Wellman for hosting us at his office. See you all next year.

National Surveyors Week- March 17-23, 2013

PLSO Office — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 16:36:07 GMT

PRESS RELEASE for immediate distribution

National Surveyors Week- March 17-23, 2013

National Surveyors Week will be celebrated nationwide March 17-23, according to the National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS).

Hundreds of surveyors nationwide are planning activities, such as talks to school groups, contacts with their local news media about the importance of the nation’s surveying profession, booths at popular community locations to describe the importance of the work and role of surveyors and their contributions to society. These activities will enable citizens to look back at the historic contributions of surveying and look ahead to the exciting new technologies that are constantly modernizing this honored and learned profession.

The always popular GPS Day is being held in conjunction with National Surveyors Week, and will be held on March 16 as a lead-in to our week.

The message to be spread, according to NSPS, which serves as the voice of surveyors nationwide, is that the role of the surveyor has been, and remains, of vital importance in the development of the United States.

“As long as property ownership remains one of the pillars of life in America, the role of surveyors will remain vita,” said Curt Sumner, executive director of NSPS. “To this day, owning land, America’s greatest asset, remains the American dream. Without the knowledge, abilities and guidance of a professional surveyor to determine boundaries this dream largely disappears.”

NSPS has petitioned The White House to proclaim this week National Surveyors Week. In addition, a number of state surveying societies have petitioned their state legislatures to do the same at the state level.

In his request to The White House to declare this week National Surveyors Week, Sumner outlined how “since the colonial days of this nation, surveyors have been leaders in the community, statesmen, influential citizens, and shapers of cultural standards. Former surveyors include Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln.”

“Today,” Sumner noted, “there are over 45, 000 professional surveyors in the United States. The value of their work remains vital to the future economic growth of our nation.” For example:

Hydrographic surveys are important to the use of all our bodies of water;
Engineering surveys are utilized in the study and selection of engineering construction;
Geodetic surveys determine precise global positioning for such activies as aircraft and missile navigation;
Cartographic surveys are used for mapping and charting, as well as photogrammetry, the science of using aerial photographs for measurement and map productions.

The establishment of the week of march following the third Sunday as National Surveyors Week is designed to be a tribute to all surveyors.

For more information about National Surveyors Week log onto www.nsps.us.com

For more information about GPS Day log into www.gpsday.com

Surveyor of the Year 2012

PLSO Office — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 21:10:52 GMT

Congratulations to Steve Haddock for earning the Surveyor of the Year award for 2012!

Steve Haddock

Current Employment

Owner of Witness Tree Surveying

Past Employment

Haddock Surveying
US Army
Worked on the fire crew with the United States Forest Service

Involvement in PLSO & Community

Past President and President Elect of the Blue Mountain Chapter
Secretary/Treasurer of the Blue Mountain Chapter
Past Scholarship Chair, saw the fund with the Oregon Community Foundation grow to over $240,000

Keep Track of Your PDH's!

PLSO Office — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 21:29:51 GMT

PLSO will have a self-tracking PDH form at the conference for keeping track of your hours. To save money, time and postage we will NOT be mailing out confirmation of attendance. Please use the self-tracking form. Save it for your files when you need to renew your license!