PLSO Oregon Surveyor January/February 2019

4 The Oregon Surveyor | Vol. 42, No. 1 From the PLSO Chairman Shawn Kampmann, PLS Chairman of the Board MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN This is also a time to reflect on our successes and lessons learned from the last year and begin charting the course into the rivers current ahead. If the last year is any indication, 2019 should be another wild ride, so sharpen the sandviks, adjust tribrachs, calibrate sensors and compensators and buckle up for the annual sprint. T he New Year is upon us and with another successful PLSO Annu- al Conference in Eugene now in our rear view mirror, we squint ahead through snow and ice looking forward to the longer days of spring ahead. Down here in frosty southern Oregon, this is my favorite time of year to strap on skis and head out into the solitude of winter wonderland to clear my head and soul to prepare for the tidal surge of survey- ing projects around the corner. This is also a time to reflect on our suc- cesses and lessons learned from the last year and begin charting the course into the rivers current ahead. If the last year is any indication, 2019 should be anoth- er wild ride, so sharpen the sandviks, adjust tribrachs, calibrate sensors and compensators, and buckle up for the annual sprint. I miss when we used to have an “off season” but that is more of a quaint notion anymore, as each year now just runs into the next. Being a member of PLSO for over 20 years, I’ve made many great friends and acquaintances within our organization and am impressed with the caliber of profes- sionalism, generosity, wit, and knowledge this group possesses. I was honored that some of these ‘friends’ nominated me as Chairman this year and though I was reluctant, felt I owed it to this group to serve in any way that I can to assist in a “what just happened?” moment. Luckily, we have an excellent Executive Secretary in Aimee, many experienced past Board chairs, chapter presidents, committee members, and other volunteers that are far too numerous to mention but appre- ciated just the same, who all help keep this train on the tracks and steaming for- ward into the future. With our new Board of Directors in place, including our Chair-Elect, Jeremy Sherer from the Mid-West chapter, our goal for the coming year is to continue ongoing PLSO objectives started by our previous Boards moving forward, as well as some new initiatives outlined herein. One of our primary objectives is to fur- ther our commitment to the Education, Outreach, Workforce Development and Technical training programs, andmentor- ships and to help raise public awareness of our profession. We have been recently under siege with calls to eliminate or de- regulate professional licensing boards, a necessity for essential services such as ours, as they provide a firewall of protec- tion for the health, safety, and welfare of the public. This will be a critical focus to brainstormways to strengthen our rapidly declining numbers of professional survey- ors through retirement and attrition and