19 Header Professional Land Surveyors of Oregon | www.plso.org Member Spotlight equipment and most of our company aiding in the fire fighting efforts,” Marcus says. “I spent a lot of time patrolling different roads and looking at different areas to make sure that any spot fires that started were accounted for and making sure that people weren’t in that area. There were a couple of days where I just sat on a rock bluff across a creek from the fire and watched the smoke all day to make sure other spot fires weren’t popping up.” One thing Marcus likes about his job is that the company does the whole surveying job, from start to finish, and he gets to be involved in all parts of the process. “All the field work, all the boundary resolution,” he says. “Right now I predominantly do boundary work for timber harvests, so I’m out in the woods every day. I love that part and I get to see some really cool things.” He also appreciates the historical aspect of surveying, especially when he gets to find rocks that have been undiscovered for 100 years. As a student and a member of the geomatics club, Marcus was encouraged to be a member of PLSO and attend meetings for the nearby chapters, in both Oregon and California. Marcus says his membership has been helpful, and he encourages all other surveyors to become members. “One of the things I love that we do in our chapter is talking about the projects that people are working on,” he says. “We bring them up at meetings and talk about it, and that’s a way that you can get more heads together to figure out what’s going on and maybe see if people have run into things that are similar to what you’re running into. It’s a great way to learn.” Marcus is volunteering as part of the Willamette Chapter of PLSO. At the beginning of 2023, the Willamette Chapter did not have any officials. Marcus got his license in March 2023, so at first he didn’t think he could volunteer. “After talking to some people at the conference, I learned that it would be ok for me to step up and volunteer to be an official for the chapter,” says Marcus. “Now, thanks to Rick Jones and John Wise volunteering as well, we have some great meetings. I have learned a lot and met some knowledgeable surveyors at these meetings, so it is nice to be able to step up and volunteer so they can keep happening.” Marcus wading across Canyon Creek. Marcus and his wife, Ashley Helm, and their dog, Ryder, at McDowell Creek Falls. Marcus finding 1/2-inch iron pipe two feet down in the middle of a creek!
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