PLSO The Oregon Surveyor January February 2021

26 The Oregon Surveyor | Vol. 44, No. 1 he set had natural azimuth marks to backsight for surveyors using conven - tional equipment (theodolite/EDM). For instance, many of the randomGPS points around the Bend area were set where the prominent PBS tower on Awbrey Butte (C.O. Grid point #248, mark name “P.B.S. TV TOWER”) could be back sighted at the beginning and end of a conven - tional traverse. Bill knew that the Oregon State Plane Co - ordinate System did not work well at the elevations of this area, so he developed the Central Oregon Coordinate Systemas a Low Distortion Projection that best fit 80% of the populated area of Deschutes County, with grid to ground distances be - ing no worse than 1 part in 50,000. This was two decades before other agencies began embracing the practicality of Low Distortion Projections. The National Geo - detic Vertical Datum of 1929 (NGVD29) was used for the C.O. Grid because the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD 88) was not published until 1991, after Bill had observed the majority of the C.O. Grid points. Bill recognized that GPS was an ideal technology for the perpetuation of Pub - lic Land Survey Systemmonuments. The original C.O. Grid work included precise observation on over 700 points in De - schutes, Crook, and Jefferson counties. The vast majority of these monuments are section and one-quarter corners. Today’s Central Oregon surveyors are fortunate that a man with the experience, intelligence, and vision of Bill Kauffman preceded them. Gary DeJarnatt found a perfect PLSS cor - ner to remonument as a memorial to Bill, a closing corner to a township corner that also marks the corner common to De - schutes, Jefferson, and Crook counties. An added bonus is that his monument sits atop a ridge by Smith Rock with a commanding view of all three counties. This corner had been perpetuated by Crook County Surveyor Dave Armstrong, PLS, in 2012, and he gave Gary permission to set a new monument at this position. Members of the Central Chapter donat - ed money to have a memorial brass cap made and on September 26, 2020, six members of the Central Chapter and four of Bill Kauffman’s family members assembled to set the monument. Pres - ent were Bill’s wife, Mabel Kauffman, son Andrew Kauffman, and family members Geoff Wright and Jeff Johnson. Members of the PLSO Central Chapter were Gary DeJarnatt, PLS; John McCoy, PLS; Bill Ham, PLS; Dave Williams, PLS; Ron Grace, sur - vey aide, and Mike Berry, PLS. The 3-inch brass cap is stamped with the standard BLM corner markings and along the out - side circumference is stamped: W.C. Kauffman, PLS 1031 Creator of the Central Oregon Grid System 1988 2020 PLSO Central Chapter Ron Grace takes observation on corner while being observed by John McCoy and Gary DeJarnatt. Gary DeJarnatt filed a corner restoration report in all three counties. The Jeffer - son County report can be found at this link: ftp://JSurveys:*@share.co.jefferson. or.us/0151-1414-02.pdf x Featured Article continued T