The Oregon Surveyor | Vol. 38, No. 5 4 FROM THE PLSO CHAIR Eugene or bust „ John Thatcher, PLS; 2015 State Chair It’s time to mark calendars and plan for the 2016 PLSO Conference. We have a theme, logo, venue, keynote speaker and presenters, and we have our fabulous vendors. Much of this accomplishment is because we have a dedicated, hard working Conference Committee. Having attended several of the committee meetings, I can only stand in awe before this gang and the work they do to put the conference together. A thankless job? Not quite. Let me publicly and loudly thank our Conference Committee right here and now. Now get back to work. Speaking of conferences, I may be attending another one in 2016. The Western Federation of Professional Surveyors (WFPS) is negotiating an MOU (memorandum of understanding) with the Nevada society (NALS) for a joint conference. There will be a WFPS board meeting to attend, and as a PLSO delegate to WFPS, I will be in town. So I might as well stick around an extra day or two, represent PLSO, rub elbows with Nevadans and pick up a few PDHs. I attended an interesting meeting on Sept. 30 at the state Capitol. The meeting, coordinated by the House Committee on Business and Labor, was an informal work group to explore the possibility of requiring hydro graphers practicing in Oregon to be registered through OSBEELS. PLSO was represented by Legislative Committee Chair Dave Williams, Past Chair Lee Spurgeon, Exec. Secretary Aimee McAuliffe (via teleconference), Lobbyist Darrell Fuller and myself. Others attending included four OSBEELS board members, ACEC, Rep. Paul Holvey and, of course, hydro graphers. The photo grammetry industry was also represented, as one of the OSBEELS board members is a photogrammetrist. That was fortunate because he provided insight into the process of getting a profession recognized and registered with OSBEELS. I came away from the meeting with two main impressions. One, many hydro graphers feel that there is no designated path to professional status and that the job leads to a dead end professionally. They are in favor of regulation but aren’t interested in boundaries and being required to become a PLS. However, they do desire to be recognized as professionals. Two, there is disagreement among hydrographers (and a lively debate among professional surveyors) as to whether hydro graphers should also be professional surveyors, or at least do their work under the supervision of a PLS. This is not the place to expound on the issues, though there are many. It may be the beginning of a long journey for hydrographers in Oregon, with national and international repercussions. I will be watching with interest as this story unfolds. The next PLSO Board Meeting is Nov. 21, and in some ways, it’s crunch time. New chapter officers need to be in place, nominees need to be identified so the board can vote in the next chairelect and nomi nations for awards need to be turned in beforehand. Read Aimee McAuliffe’s message in this issue for insight into volunteering. Concerning awards, Aimee has made it a snap to download the fillable PDF from the PLSO website. So scan through this year’s Oregon Surveyor magazines and nominate an Article of the Year. Look around at your next chapter meeting and nominate a brush cutter, someone with a hidden talent, that guy or gal who makes you laugh, the one with a bright idea, the team player, etc. Have fun with it. Send your nominations to Awards Committee Chair John Voorheis at johnvoorheis@grantspass.com. See you in Eugene. ◉ On the Cover ■ Pat Gaylord, PLS This Oak Bearing Tree near Tygh Valley, Oregon, was scribed in September 1872 during the survey of T3S R12E, W.M. The tree was 28" in diameter and noted as a White Oak at the time it was scribed by William Campbell. In October 1965 this tree was recovered by James Jelly* during the remonumentation of this corner and was noted as a 29" Oak with an open decayed blaze with no marks visible. Today the tree is dead and hollow, but still standing as a monument to the corner for Sections 20-21-29-28. What a great example of our history. *Editor’s note: James Jelly, is also known as Jake Jelly, the same man that PLSO member, Bob Taylor repeatedly refers to in his series of published articles, “Cadastral Tales.” Bob and Jake worked on a crew for Al White in their early career! Serendipity?
PLSO Issue 5 2015 September October
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