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Rocky Rocky Mountain Mountain
SURVEYORS SUMMITSUMMIT
Professional Land Surveyors of Colorado Volume 44, Issue 1
February 2013
Wayne LorenzEarl HendersonGeoffrey Anderson Randy FortuinRanR dy ForForFForortuituiuituinBryan BakerBB B k Pamela FromhertzPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP l F h t Bob Green
Prst stdU.S. Postage
PAIDDenver, CO
Permit No. 1222
Becky RolandExecutive DirectorPLSC, Inc.PO Box 460022Denver, CO 80246
Larry PhippsDave PehrJeff Lucas Ken MartinezKenKenKenKenKenKenee MaMaMaMaMaMMM rtirtit nezneznezneznKim MalvilleKi MM ll iillllll Rickard MiksadRiRiRi kkkk ddd Mdddd Md Md Mddddddddddddddddddddddd ikikkikk ddddd Gaby Neunzert
Marcus Reedy Dean RuybalDeaDeaDeaDeaDeaDeaDeaDeaDeaDeaDeaDeDeaDeaeaDeaDeaDeaDeaaeaaae n Rn Rn Rn Rn Rn Rn RRRRRRn RuybuybbbybuybbbbuybbbbbbbalaalalalaaWarren RubyWWWWW RRRR bbbb Harold SchuchHHHHHHHHHHH ldldldldldldlddldd SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS hhhhhhhhhhhh hhhh
Luke Wildfi reAlison WallsMark Smirnov Ken Wright
Dave Siddle
Feb. 28 - Mar. 2, 2013Feb. 28 - Mar. 2, 2013Arvada Center for the Arts Arvada Center for the Arts
and Humanitiesand Humanities
SIDE SHOTS • 3
PPrrooffeessssiioonnaall LLaanndd SSuurrvveeyyoorrss ooff CCoolloorraaddoo,, IInncc..
AFFILIATE—NATIONAL SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL SURVEYORS
MEMBER—COLORADO ENGINEERING COUNCILMEMBER—WESTERN FEDERATION OF
PROFESSIONAL SURVEYORS
OOFFFFIICCEERRSS ((22001133))
Roger NelsonPresident
2450 South Peoria Street . Aurora, Colorado 80014O: (303) 353-3916
Micheal BouchardVice President
4755 Forge Road, Suite 150 . Colorado Springs, CO 80907O: (719) 590-9194
Terry MawSecretary/Treasurer
8055 E. Tufts Avenue, Suite 850 . Denver, CO 80237O: (719) 590-9194
Becky RolandExecutive Director
Becky RolandPO Box 460022 . Denver, CO 80246
Phoenix AMC O: (303) 551-3266 F: (720) 230-4846
22001133 PPLLSSCC CCHHAAPPTTEERR OORRGGAANNIIZZAATTIIOONN
CCEENNTTRRAALL CCOOLLOORRAADDOO PPRROOFFEESSSSIIOONNAALL SSUURRVVEEYYOORRSSPresident: Chris Raml
Vice President, David Kuxhausen; Secretary, (vacant); Treasurer, Aaron Willis
Directors: Shawn Clarke, George Robinson, John Wilhelm, Kevin Kucharczyk, Terry Pickering, Ken Baker
NNOORRTTHHEERRNN CCHHAAPPTTEERR -- PPLLSSCC,, IINNCC..President: Kayce Wohlman
President-elect: Laine Landau; Secretary/Treasurer, Rob HintzDirectors: Paul Bacus, Bob Edmonds, Steve Varriano, Douglas Ritter
President Emeritus: Ron Perkins
NNOORRTTHHWWEESSTT 11//44 CCOOLLOORRAADDOO LLAANNDD SSUURRVVEEYYOORRSSPresident: Brian T. Kelly
Vice President, William Whelan; Secretary/Treasurer, Jeff Gustafson;Gordon Dowling, Immediate Past President and Director
Directors: Thomas H. Effinger, Skidge Moon, Walter Magill, Lloyd Powers, Peter Epp
SSOOUUTTHHEERRNN CCOOLLOORRAADDOO PPRROOFFEESSSSIIOONNAALL LLAANNDD SSUURRVVEEYYOORRSS
President: Joe AlessiVice President: Steve Parker; Secretary: Bill Brooks;
Treasurer: Dan HantenDirectors: Nathan Lira, Jon Tessin, Steve McAnally,
Lyle Bissegger, Don Hulsey
SSOOUUTTHHWWEESSTTEERRNN CCHHAAPPTTEERR -- PPLLSSCC,, IINNCC..President: Joshua Casselberry
Vice President, Robert L. Trudeaux; Secretary, Parker NewbyTreasurer, Ed Young
WWEESSTTEERRNN CCOOLLOORRAADDOO LLAANNDD SSUURRVVEEYYOORRSSPresident: Richard Bullen
Vice President: Jonathan Kobylarz; Sec’y-Treas.: Brian BowkerDirectors: Leslie Doehling, Patrick Green, Scott Thompson,
Peter Krick, Tom Sylvester, Ben Elliott, Mark Wagner
CCOOLLOORRAADDOO SSPPAATTIIAALL RREEFFEERREENNCCEE NNEETTWWOORRKKPresident: Jan Sterling
Vice President, Eric Carson; Secretary, (vacant); Treasurer, Chris DudaDirectors: Jon Doty, Larry Rector, Harold Schuch,
Kayce Wohlman, Brian Dennis
Side Shots is the official publication of the Professional Land Surveyors of Colorado, Inc. and is published quarterly for the betterment of the surveying profession.
Roger Nelson Micheal BouchardPresident Vice President
For Editorial Correspondence, contact:John B. Guyton
Editor: Side Shots5385 Centennial Trail, Boulder, CO 80303
303-443-7001 • [email protected] publication is not copyrighted and articles may be reprinted with due credit.
Statements made and opinions expressed are from the contributors and do not necessarily express the official views of the Professional Land Surveyors of Colorado, Inc.
Deadlines for editorials, articles, pictures and advertising are January 1, April 1,July 1 and October 1. All material received after the current deadline will appear
in the next issue of Side Shots.
We would like to invite anyone who is interested to advertise in Side Shots. Do you have something you want to sell, trade or buy? Why not use Side Shots for your
next ad? We can also reproduce business cards for advertising. Ad space reservation must bearranged with Diana Askew, PO Box 704 Conifer, CO 80433; 303-838-7577. Ad copy may be
sent to: [email protected] before the editorial deadline (January 1, April 1, July 1 and October 1).
Current Advertising Rates:Business card size or less - Member $25.00; Non-member $30.00
One-Half Page - Member $115.00; Non-member $150.00Full Page - Member $225.00; Non-member $300.00
Color advertisements — add 33 percent
SIDE SHOTSF e b r u a r y J o u r n a l 2 0 1 3
Volume 44 Number 1
� President’s Letter ...........................................................4
� From the Editor ..............................................................5
� 3rd Annual Rocky Mountain Sureyors Summit ...........7
� 2013 Colorado Land SurveyingRefresher Course ...........................................................9
� Letter from the Bureau of Land Management...............11
� Control Points – Torrens Title .....................................12
� Longest Serving Members of the PLSC ......................14
� Sunset Review Update .................................................15
� PLSC Membership – It Is Worth the Price of Admission! .......................................................17
� What Direction Are You Going?................................19
� PLSC Board of Directors Meeting MinutesSeptember 25, 2012 .....................................................21
� Employees: Assets with an Inherent Risk .................22
� State Board Update.....................................................23
� Chapter News ..............................................................24
� Sustaining Members....................................................25
SIDE SHOTS • 4
DEDICATED TO THE IMPROVEMENT OF LAND SURVEYING EDUCATION AND PRACTICE.
Brian Kelly, NW 1/4 Chapter President, extended an invitationto me to attend their November 12, 2012, NW 1/4 Chapter meeting.The meeting was well attended and the topic of using base radiorepeaters stimulated an exchange of useful survey information.The NW 1/4 is also working to expand the Mesa County VRN byadding a station in Steamboat. I enjoyed meeting this enthusiasticgroup of surveyors that are employing the intent of our professionalorganization, exchanging useful survey information, procedures,and techniques to better serve the public. I also learned that we have a ways to gowith our communication from the PLSC to the respective chapters. One of our NW1/4 members questioned why the PLSC was experiencing financial difficulties whenthere is over $100K shown in some of our accounts. This is a valid question thatdeserves explanation. Some of the PLSC accounts have limitations of use placedupon them by those that donated the funds. In this case the funds have been ear-marked for funding education and can only be used for that purpose. By attending thismeeting I have accomplished my goal of attending a meeting or event for each PLSCChapter and can say that I better understand the diversity of challenges each chapterfaces. I am confident that freely sharing information in the future will strengthen theserelationships and our organization.
Alan Blair and the PLSC Legislative Committee will be working with our lobbyists,Peg Ackerman and Steve Balcerovich, to attempt to remove “fishing” from the SunsetBill. Our first opportunity will be in a State Legislature Committee hearing, so thePLSC testimony will have to be persuasive. If you have any well thought out argu-ments against “fishing,” please contact Alan so that the PLSC can consider and pre-pare for both proponents and opponents at this hearing.
Over the month of November 2012, the PLSC leadership worked to compile adatabase of the membership tenure from 1978 thru 2012. This was a labor intensiveprocess as most of the rosters were hard copies that required inspection of each entryto translate into an electronic database for tabulation of member tenure. It was veryrewarding to see the number of longstanding continued membership of our organiza-tion and to see individuals progress from student member to associate member to vot-ing member. We will be honoring our members’ dedication in this issue of Side Shots(see page 14) as well as at our upcoming “2013 Surveyors Summit.”
This is my last President’s letter for my two-year term. It has been an honor toserve our organization over this term. We have accomplished several goals over thepast two years and I appreciate the trust that the PLSC membership placed in me. Ifelected for a second term, I will continue working toward our common goals.
Sincerely, Roger D. Nelson, PLS, CFedS
PROFESSIONAL LAND SURVEYORS OF COLORADO, INC.P.O. Box 704 Conifer, CO. 80433
AFFILIATE – NATIONAL SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL SURVEYORSMEMBER- WESTERN FEDERATION OF PROFESSIONAL SURVEYORS
OFFICERS (2011-2012)
MICHEAL BOUCHARDVICE PRESIDENTO: (719) 590-9194
TOM ADAMSPAST PRESIDENTO: (719) 546-5454
ROGER NELSONPRESIDENT
O: (303) [email protected]
TERRY MAWSECRETARY/TREASURER
O: (719) [email protected]
BECKY ROLANDEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
O: (303) [email protected]
DIRECTORS (2011-2014)
TODD BEERSO: (720) 225-4646
PETER KRICKO: (970) 256-4003
WILLIAM BUNTROCKO: (303) 829-4047
PARKER NEWBYO: (970) 247-1705
BRIAN DENNIS (ex-officio)O: (719) 268-8537
BRIAN T. KELLY (ex-officio)O: (970) 879-0045
KAYCE WOHLMAN (ex-officio)O: (303) 443-3282
DIRECTORS (2009-2012)
PETER KENTO: (720) 865-3116
GARY D. GABLEO: (303) 882-0161
PATRICK GREENO: (970) 245-4099
STAN VERMILYEAO: (303) 796-4640
WFPS DELEGATES (2011-2012)
JOHN B. GUYTONO: (303) 443-7001
MICHEAL BOUCHARDO: (719) 590-9194
NSPS GOVERNOR (2011-2012)
WARREN D. WARDO: (970) 725-3347
I am lookingforward to thebiggest event ofthe year for thePLSC, and hopethat you are too –the Third AnnualRocky MountainSurveyors Sum-mit. Last year’s
conference was one of the bestattended and most successful ever,an encouraging sign that our mem-bership is taking advantage of thecourses, the workshops, the network-ing opportunities, the Chapter Sum-mit meeting, the meals and thecamaraderie. Most of the instructorswere able to supply photographs ofthemselves, which are featured onthe cover of this issue. They have awealth of knowledge to share withyou – be sure to sign up, show up,and take advantage of it.
We have also included a list inthis issue of some of the memberswho have been with the PLSC for the
longest time, including an astonishing34 years! If you are not quite in thatcategory, take a look at this list andsee if you find a name of someonewho mentored you, or was influentialin your career development.
I received several interestingsubmissions that appear in thisissue, including a Sunset Reviewupdate from Alan Blair, and an articlethat could help you justify your mem-bership dues for 2013 if you are stillon the fence for some reason, by thededicated and enthusiastic ToddBeers. Earl Henderson writes aboutthe fundamental differences betweenoriginal and retracement land sur-veys, and Scott Sorensen wroteanother article about litigation risksfrom hiring employees, and how youcan insure against them. And thealways dependable Warren Andrewswrote an interesting Control Pointsarticle on Torrens Title, including thestory of why counties have an officerwith the dual title of “Clerk andRecorder.”
And, as always, representativesfrom each of the regional chaptershave provided news from their partsof the state. Thanks to the contribu-tors: Chris Raml (CCPS), Brian Den-nis (CSRN), Kayce Wohlman (NC),Brian T. Kelly (NW 1/4), Joe Alessi(SC), Josh Casselberry (SW) andRichard Bullen (WC). Our readersalways enjoy hearing the latest newsfrom each of you.
If you read this before February8th and have not yet completed aballot for new officers for 2013, youcan do so very quickly on line athttps://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PLSC2013.
I enjoy my role of bringing SideShots to our membership, and viathe PLSC website, the rest of theworld. New and interesting articleson surveying topics are always wel-come. See you at the Summit!
JB Guyton,Editor, Side Shots
FF RR OO MM TT HH EE EE DD II TT OO RR
SIDE SHOTS • 5
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SIDE SHOTS • 7
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28THPROFESSIONAL TRACK 1
7:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Mr. Jeff Lucas, PLS, “ThePincushion Effect”
PROFESSIONAL TRACK 27:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. Mr. Warren Ruby, PLS, “A Brief
History of Surveying in the City of Denver: The First200 Years”
10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Mr. Earl Henderson, PLS“Roundtable Discussion on Colorado Surveying”
1:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Mr. Randy Fortuin, PLS,“Surveying the City and County of Denver”
BUSINESS & GENERAL TRACK7:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Mr. David Pehr, Esq., “Where
to Find the Sources of Colorado Survey Law”1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Mr. Dean Ruybal, “Working
With the Title Insurance Industry”3:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Survey Symposium, “Panel
discussion of Improvement Location Certificates(ILC) in Colorado”
TECHNICAL\GIS RELATED TRACK7:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Dave Siddle, Mitch Tweedy &
Dan Walsh, Compass Tools, “Trimble’s MGIS“high” accuracy options: 30cm, 10cm and 1cm” and“Techniques for loading Imagery and Raster dataonto Trimble MGIS handhelds”.
LUNCH: PLSC Business Meeting, Introduction of PLSCBoard of Directors, Exhibitor Introduction
EXHIBITOR SOCIAL 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
PLSC CHAPTER SUMMIT MEETING 7:00 p.m. – 9:00p.m.
FRIDAY, MARCH 1STPROFESSIONAL TRACK
7:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Mr. Jeff Lucas, PLS, “WhatWent Wrong? (A Study in Surveyor Errors andOmissions)”
TECHNICIAN TRACK7:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Mr. Larry Phipps, PLS,
“Traverse Analysis and Adjustment”1:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Mr. Kenneth Wright, Mr.
Wayne Lorenz, Mr. Richard Miksad, Dr. KimMalville, Mr. Luke Wildfire“Introduction to Paleohydrology”, “Surveying ofPompeii’s Water Distribution System”, “AncientAstronomy Revealed”, “Inca Grade Control atOllantaytambo”, “Surveying Machu Picchu”
PROFESSIONAL LAND SURVEYORS OF COLORADO, INC.(In conjunction with the Northern, Central, Southern and CSRN Chapters)
2013 3rd ANNUAL ROCKY MOUNTAIN SURVEYORS SUMMIT“CLOSING THE HORIZON”
WHEN: FEBRUARY 28, MARCH 1 & 2, 2013Registration begins at 7:00 a.m. and classes start at 7:30 a.m.
WHERE: ARVADA CENTER FOR THE ARTS & HUMANITIES6901 WADSWORTH BOULEVARD, ARVADA, COLORADO 80003
CONFERENCE HOTEL: DOUBLETREE HOTEL (DENVER NORTH)8773 YATES DRIVE, WESTMINSTER, COLORADO 80031303-427-4000 MENTION PLSC CONFERENCE FOR SPECIAL RATES
SPEAKERS: Jeff Lucas, Mark Smirnov, Larry Phipps, Warren Ruby, Randy Fortuin, Dave Pehr, Dean Ruybal, Ken Wright, WayneLorenz, Richard Miksad, Kim Malville, Luke Wildfire, Gaby Neunzert, Dave Siddle, Mitch Tweedy, Dan Walsh, Marcus Reedy,Harold Schuch, Bryan Baker, Earl Henderson, Pamela Fromhertz, Ken Martinez, Alison Walls, Brian Hailey, Geoffrey Anderson,Bob Green and two new sessions “Roundtable Discussion on Colorado Surveying” and the “Survey Symposium”
Courses and schedule subject to changes; please go to www.plsc.net for updated information and to register online.
PROGRAM:
SIDE SHOTS • 8
TECHNICAL TRACK7:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. Marcus Reedy, PLS,
“Introduction of Mapping on Multiple RecordingPlatforms (3D Terrestrial LiDAR, Mobile LiDAR andGeoAutomation®)”
10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Mr. Harold Schuch, PE, CP,BSc, MSc, PhD “Introduction to Geodesy”
1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Mr. Earl Henderson, PLS “TheKinks & the Corners, A Brief History of the originalsurveys of the South and West lines of Coloradoand the Four Corners Monument”
3:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Mr. Bryan Baker, FrontierPrecision “GNSS Constellation update, New RTXTechnology & FCC Narrow Banding Issues”
BUSINESS & GENERAL TRACK7:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Mr. David Pehr, Esq., “Case
Studies That Have Shaped Boundary Location inColorado”
1:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Mr. Larry Phipps, PLS,“ALTA\ACSM: New Standards & How to ApplyThem”
LUNCH: PLSC Awards, Trig Star Winner, ScholarshipWinner
SATURDAY, MARCH 2NDPROFESSIONAL TRACK
7:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Mr. Mark Smirnov, PLS, BLM,“Rocky Mountain Riparian Boundaries”
TECHNICIAN TRACK7:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Mr. Gaby Neunzert, PLS,
“Instrument Errors and Adjustments”1:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Mr. Larry Phipps, PLS, “Ethics
for Land Surveyors”TECHNICAL TRACK
7:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Ms. Pamela Fromhertz, NGSColorado State Geodetic Advisor “LatestDevelopments in NGS”
1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Mr. Ken Martinez, Comm Tech“Civil 3D, Tips & Tricks for the Surveyor”
3:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Ms. Alison Walls, FrontierPrecision, Mr. Brian Hailey, PE, CAD-1 “Automateyour drafting using feature codes. From Field tofinish using Trimble Access, TBC and exporting toCivil 3D”
BUSINESS & GENERAL TRACK7:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Mr. Larry Phipps, PLS,
“Implementing Value Pricing”1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Mr. Geoffrey Anderson, “Real
Estate Litigation: Where the Surveyor Fits In”. 3:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Mr. Robert Green, PLS
“Getting the most out of Office Software with UniqueKinematic and Post Processed Solutions”
LUNCH: Survey Olympics Winners, Plat Contest Winners
FEE SCHEDULE 2013 (same pricing as 2008 andadding full day)
PLSC MEMBER: $ 200 One Day - $ 375 Two Days -$550 Three Days
NON-MEMBER: $ 300 One Day - $ 475 Two Days-$650 Three Days (2013 PLSC Members save $100)
STUDENT: $ 75 One Day - $ 125 Two Days- $200Three Days
EXHIBITORS: $ 400 3 Days + $230 for 2013Sustaining Membership
An additional $25.00 will be added to registrationsreceived after February 18th, 2013. Cateredbreakfasts & lunches will be provided on all days.Online registration will be available at the PLSC website (www.plsc.net).
GENERAL INFORMATION
SILENT AUCTIONWe will be holding a silent auction during theconference. If your equipment room is cluttered up byequipment you are no longer using, please considerdonating an item or two to the PLSC silent auction.
EXHIBITORSIn keeping with our traditional practice, our SustainingMembers and other exhibitors have been invited todisplay their latest products and services. Exhibits willbe in the Arvada Center entrance hall adjacent to theclassrooms. Please visit their displays and show ourappreciation for their continued support.
TRANSPORTATION TO\FROM CONFERENCE HOTELThere will be a shuttle bus to and from the conferencehotel each day. Pick up and drop off times will beannounced prior to and at the conference.
SIDE SHOTS • 9
2013 Colorado Land Surveying Refresher CourseThe Professional Land Surveyors of Colorado are offering a comprehensive Land Surveying Refresher Coursebeginning January 9, 2013. This course offers a review and self-study plan for those taking the National Council ofExaminers for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) Fundamentals of Surveying (FS) and Principles and Prac-tice of Surveying (PS) examinations. The course is designed to aid candidates in developing and expandingexam-taking proficiencies. The Wednesday evening classes will be 3 hours in length, starting promptly at 6:00 PM.
Fundamentals of Surveying Session Date Topic
1 Wed., Jan. 9 Overview of NCEES Examination Alan BlairUse of Calculator/Basic Calculations Gaby Neunzert
2 Wed., Jan. 16 Fundamental Survey Calculations I Gaby Neunzert3 Wed., Jan. 23 Fundamental Survey Calculations II Dr. Jan Van Sickle 4 Wed., Jan. 30 GIS, State Plane, Geodesy Dr. Jan Van Sickle5 Wed., Feb. 6 Public Land Survey System I Randy Bloom 6 Wed., Feb. 13 Boundary Law I Ed T. Bristow, Esq.
Principles of Practice and Colorado Specific
7 Wed., Feb. 20 Boundary Law II Ed T. Bristow, Esq. 8 Wed., Feb. 27 Public Land Survey System II Randy Bloom 9 Wed., Mar. 6 Colorado Survey Law I Roger Nelson, Todd Beers10 Wed., Mar. 13 Colorado Survey Law II Todd Beers, Roger Nelson11 Wed., Mar. 20 Ethics, Professional Practices Alan Blair 12 Wed. Mar. 27 Mock PS and FS Examinations Gaby Neunzert, Randy Bloom
The Wednesday evening classes will be 3 hours in length, startingpromptly at 6:00 PM.
Registration, Fee, Location
The fee for the entire course is $400, or $75 per 3-hour block taken indi-vidually. Online Registration will begin November 1, 2013. Visithttp://www.plsc.net/ to register for further information. Classes will beheld in one of the conference rooms at the Jefferson County Courts andAdministration Building (The Taj Mahal), 100 Jefferson County Parkway,Golden, CO. Use the parking lot and main door on the east side of theAdmin and Courts building. Signage will lead you to the classroom.Contact Randy Bloom, 303-239-3856 for questions.
Planning the 2013 Refresher Courses,are, from left: Becky Roland, Alan Blair,Gaby Neunzert, Randy Bloom, ToddBeers and Ed Bristow. Present but notpictured: Mike Greer, Jan Van Sickle andJohn B. Guyton.
SIDE SHOTS • 11
SIDE SHOTS • 12
Relative to Control Points No. 18 (the previous arti-cle on the Maxwell Land Grant), the diagram of thegrant should be dated 1893, not 1983!
This article, Control Points No. 19, will start out withwho Torrens was and who came up with the title sys-tem. Then a description of what that system is anddoes will follow for those readers who are unfamiliarwith it as are most surveyors.
Robert Richard Torrens was born at Cork, Ireland, in1814 and went through Trinity College in Dublin for hiseducation. He moved to South Australia in 1840 justbefore the gold rush there and was appointed Collectorof the Customs. In 1852 he was a member of the leg-islative council and became Treasurer and RegistrarGeneral. Then he was the first Territorial Governor ofSouth Australia. As a representative from Adelaide inthe first Australian colonial government he introducedhis famous Real Property Act in 1857.
This system was rapidly adopted in the othercolonies and elsewhere. Torrens went back to Englandand from 1868 to 1874 represented Cambridge in theHouse of Commons. He was knighted for his work byQueen Victoria in 1872 and lived until August 31, 1884.
What is Torrens Title? In American usage, Black’sLaw Dictionary defines it as “A system under which,upon the landowner’s application the court may, afterappropriate proceedings [a quiet title suit], direct theissuance of a certificate of title. With exceptions, thiscertificate is conclusive as to applicant’s estate in land.”In Brown and Eldridge, “Evidence and Procedures forBoundary Location,” Curtis Brown says that historically asimilar system was used in Bohemia in the thirteenthcentury. In the Encyclopedia Britannica the article on“Title to Land” mentions that Torrens modeled his sys-tem after an old English merchant ship registry system.
Torrens Title Registration starts essentially from aclean slate of ownership of a piece of real estate after acourt has gone through a quiet title action to “quiet” anyother claims that might exist against the property. Thecourt then issues a certificate to the real estate ownerlisting and describing the property with anything current-ly encumbering it. This certificate is then filed with theclerk of the County whose dual function then comes intoplay as County Clerk and Recorder. All other recordsfiled in the office are filed with the County Recorder.This is where the odd dual designation of “Clerk andRecorder” comes from.
In Colorado, Alamosa County uses some TorrensTitle registration, but few people know this distinction. Ifthe court misses something there is an insurance fundto pay a valid claim but the claim can no longer affectthe property owner.
The article, “Torrens Title,” in Wikipedia reiteratesthe three principles of the Torrens system: Namely,
1) The Certificate of Title accurately and completely
gives the current facts about a person’s title. If a personsells his piece of real property, then the new title has tobe identical to the old one in terms of description ofproperty except for the owner’s name (or if the listedmortgage has been paid off).
2) A person does not have to go behind the Certifi-cate of Title as it contains all of the information aboutthe title. Ownership need not be proven by long andcomplicated documents as in the Private Conveyancingsystem by means of a chain-of-title.
3) Any errors made by the court or by the Registrarof Titles (the County Clerk) are taken care of by aninsurance system and the landowner is not affected.
The beauty of the system is that if something is notlisted on the certificate then it cannot affect the property,except in very rare cases. The disadvantage is theexpense to the landowner for the initial quiet title suit incourt, which can get quite expensive. The title insur-ance companies hate the system because it cuts themout completely when a new Torrens Registration Certifi-cate is issued by the County Clerk to a new buyer ofreal estate.
Control Points – Number 19By Warren Andrews, PLS
Torrens Title
Robert Richard Torrens, creator of theTorrens Title registration system.
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SIDE SHOTS • 14
34 YearsJ. Loren AdamsWarren H. AllowayJames Warren AndrewsCharles T. BrownLawrence G., Jr. (Gus)
ChambersPeter EppAllan W. FredenburgDaniel R. HantenRobert F. HarrisonRoger C. HeadRobert A. JacksonSeabron T. KingBernard F., Jr. KochevarJoseph W. ManatosJohn G. MoosAlan C. MorganfieldGerard H. PesmanSteven C. SteinbergerRobert D. ThomasOliver E. WattsKenneth D. Witt
33 YearsLouis H. BuetnerPaul S. KelloggJohn S. LambertG.M. (Gaby) NeunzertWilliam R., II SandiferStanley F. Versaw
32 YearsFred L. AdamsDavid C. DiFulvioWilhelm J. DoughertyLouis A. GazPatrick R. GreenDale V. GreerVirginia G. HiteNathan L. LiraThomas O. LivingstonJon S. McDanielWilliam J. Stengel
31 YearsHenry A., Dr. BabcockMichael W. DrisselRonald T. EllisHomer L. GilsonJohn B. GuytonRandall C. HiltonDennis H. KochJohn D. KrieschelKevin F. LloydSteven R. McLaughlinWallace C. MuscottCarl F. NagyScott R. Pierson
30 YearsJames B. AckermanBryan M. ClarkDean F. GlorsoIra L. HardinMichael J. HettleGerald W. JefferiesRobert E. KinsallDonald D. KnappRichard C. LangeSydney K. LincicomeJan R. PyleAndrew K. ReedJames W. RogersJohn A. SchofieldJohn A. SteilGeoffrey F. StephensonThomas M. StockslagerK. Scott ThompsonLeroy E. ToblerTimothy WagnerDavid S. WhiteFrederick R. Woodcock
29 YearsDr. Albert H. BarnesRichard A. BaurGeorge R. BuckeyDan CorcoranJack A. Eaves
Steve L. EhlersDavid L. FordeSteven L. HagedornJames W. JoyMarlin G. LivermoreRobert A. OrthmanDaniel M. RussellGraham M. RussellSteven K. ScottDennis R. Shellhorn John E. Walker
28 YearsTerry C. BarnesRichard F. BartonRichard E. BrooksThomas M. CarpenterRobert A. ChichesterMerrit P. DismantJeffrey M. DrabingRobert L. FeroldiMichael D. HeimbuckKevin C. HoffmanSteven D. ListerJanelle D. LundGreg J. PettiboneRobert E. PortRoy A. RushWilliam G. Van-HornWilliam D. Wiley
27 YearsAlan D. BlairDexter M. BrinkerWilliam J. GibbsLarry W. HaganJeffrey G. HalversonDonald D. HansenRay HarpinHoward S. MillerLeslie J. NicholsJerald W. RichmondRobert W. SaulmonDuane A. SennRussell A. Waring
26 YearsWillis C., II AndrewsMichael L. BouchardFred R., II BowdenChristopher BrewerThomas L. BurnettDean E. CatesMichael C. CreggerMichael J. DedeckerJames R. FinleyAuthor A. HehnkeRobin D. HerringRonald E. IlkBrian T. KellyMichael J. LasaterRidgeway C. MoonGreogory S. NeitzkePhilip L. PetersenRandy G. ReevesRobert A. Short Robin D. WeathersM. Darrell White
25 YearsA. John BuriStephan B. CraggRichard A. GossettJerome W. HanniganKent A. KreihnMarcus P. LangStephen L. McAnallyDavid G. NicewiczMarqus PaigeChristopher L. (Kit) ShyCharles M. TuckerWayne H. ValentineSteven L. Wemlinger
Longest Serving Members of the PLSCThe PLSC leadership, having recently compiled membership data from 1978 to 2012, would like to recognize andhonor those who have maintained their membership for the longest periods of time. Look for your own name, orbetter yet, look for someone who may have been a mentor to you early in your career, and thank them for their pro-fessional service and support.
Disclaimer: Information was compiled from digital and paper-copy rosters, and may not be accurate or up to date. The editor apologizes for anyinaccuracies or omissions.
SIDE SHOTS • 15
Over the past year, the laws that regulate the pro-fessions of architecture, engineering and land surveyinghave undergone a sunset review that is a requirementof all regulatory programs in the State of Colorado. Thereview has been completed and the recommendationsof the analyst have been presented. The recommenda-tions can be downloaded from the Department of Regu-latory Agencies (DORA) website by searching the sitewith a keyword of “sunset”.
Your PLSC was active throughout 2012 to influencethe recommendations from the analyst to promote thecontinued regulation of the profession and maintainthose regulations that protect the public from substan-dard practitioners.
Members of the PLSC Board of Directors (BOD)and the Legislative Committee met with a coalition ofprofessional organizations of engineers and architects tomonitor the sunset process and form, as much as practi-cal, united positions to present to the DORA analyst.The efforts were largely successful and the final reportreflects few recommendations for changes to thestatutes and only one of which will be opposed by thecoalition in the next legislative session.
A position paper, endorsed by the PLSC BOD waspresented to the DORA analyst last spring which out-lined the positions of the PLSC on the current statutes.Roger Nelson, Diana Askew and I met with the DORAanalyst to present the position paper and answer ques-tions he had about the surveying profession.
DORA wrote the recommendations over the summermonths and the report was released on October 15,2012.
There were 14 recommendations listed andexplained in the report. The first and most significantwas that the analyst agreed that the three professionsshould continue to be regulated by DORA.
Another recommendation affecting surveyorsregards Improvement Location Certificates and suggestsadding wording to the ILC disclaimer. From the report:
To avoid any confusion and harm to consumers, theILC disclaimer should be amended by this additionplaced at the end of the first paragraph, “This certifi-cate is valid for use only by … (individual or firm) …and describes the parcel appearance on (insertdate).”
Sunset Review UpdateBy Alan D Blair, PLS
SIDE SHOTS • 16
The PLSC BOD does not intend to oppose the addi-tion of this language.
The PLSC BOD does intend to oppose recommen-dation 2 in the report which would, according to thereport:
Allow professional engineers and land survey-ors licensed in other states to offer services in Col-orado.
Extending the ability to “fish,” as the practice iscommonly known, for work in Colorado to the twoother professions regulated by the Board will pres-ent more options for the consumer. In this age ofmobility and portability of expertise it opens oppor-tunities for different opinions, styles, and individualcreativity. Still, all work that is begun will be per-formed under the provisions of Colorado lawbecause the person ultimately responsible would bea Board-licensed professional.
The PLSC BOD is of the opinion that this provisionhas the potential of harming the public. Colorado hasunique, esoteric historic practices of which a personlicensed in another state may be unaware. Though asurveyor licensed in the state may ultimately stamp theplans, the critical element of the surveyor in responsiblecharge may be clouded. The possibility of “plan stamp-
ing” without providing due diligence could be height-ened.
The draft redline of the sunset bill has been drafted.DORA suggested numerous changes to the wording ofthe statute to remove or replace language that wasunclear, outdated and would allow more documents tobe submitted digitally. For example, the National Councilof Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES)will be transitioning to Computer-Based Testing (CBT) in2014 to involve only the Fundamentals of Engineering(FE) and Fundamentals of Surveying (FS) exams, soDORA is requesting changes to the statute to accom-modate that and other changes to processes in the digi-tal age.
PLSC has reviewed the draft redline to assure thatany changes to the language do not negatively affectthe profession. In 2013, your PLSC will be working withthe coalition of professional societies of engineers andarchitects and a paid lobbyist to track the progress ofthis and other bills through the legislative process. ThePLSC is prepared to provide information to legislators toassist them to make good decisions with regard to sur-veying to protect the profession and the public. (Cuethe National Anthem).
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SIDE SHOTS • 17
PLSC Membership — It Is Worth The Price of Admission!
By Todd Beers, PLS
Over this past year I have had the opportunity toattend several Chapter board meetings and\or functionsthat proved to be very educational and beneficial. Attimes the meetings would have a guest speaker pre-senting a topic of interest to the surveying community.However, most of the meetings involved just the chapterBOD discussing problems they may have encountered,technology, or issues affecting their geographical area.
This type of information related to technology issues(availability of VRN’s or user base stations in the area),problems with radio or cell phone coverage, level ofservices provided by firms (niche services, specializedtechnology, etc.), experience and local knowledge ofsurveying issues from companies that we may be ableto team up with on projects, etc. has provided me with atremendous amount of insight. The contacts made atthese meetings also provide opportunities to team withothers since they also know what services we may beable to provide as well. Without being a member of thePLSC I would not have been able to take advantage ofthis business networking.
The 3rd Annual Rocky Mountain Surveyors Summitis fast approaching and provides just one of the many"values" that PLSC membership affords. The Summitboasts a full slate of 3 days and four tracks (Profession-al, Technical, Business\General and Technician) of pre-sentations, seminars and discussions for professionalland surveyors and non-surveyors alike. There will benationally recognized surveying experts such as JeffLucas, PLS, speaking on “The Pincushion Effect,” LarryPhipps, PLS speaking on traverse analysis and adjust-ment, 2011 ALTA\ACSM standards and how to applythem, ethics for land surveyors, and implementation ofvalue pricing for projects, and Mark Smirnov, PLS,speaking on the Rocky Mountain Riparian boundaries,as well as local Colorado speakers touching on a widerange of subjects, and National Geodetic Survey repre-sentatives. Exhibitors, who are also PLSC sustainingmembers, will be on hand to display a variety of prod-ucts and services useful to the surveying industry. Inaddition, we will be having a Chapter Summit where the7 PLSC Chapter representatives will have a forum tointeract with each other and indicate to the PLSC lead-ership what issues and\or items of concerns they wouldlike to have addressed in the coming year. This yearwe will be returning to the Arvada Center for the Per-forming Arts, in Arvada, Colorado.
We received many positive comments from atten-dees and exhibitors from last year’s conference, includ-ing, "Parking is no longer a hassle,” "There were severalseminars that were presented at the same time and itwas difficult to choose which to attend,” "The food wasterrific and plentiful,” “A wide variety of speakers andtracks provided something of value for everyone.” A sig-
nificant reduction in cost is offered for the attendees tothe conference who are PLSC members, which nearlyoffsets the cost of a yearly membership. We set a recordfor attendees at last year’s conference and hope torepeat that feat this year. Please see the program lineupof speakers and presentations in this issue of Side Shots.For additional information and registration for the confer-ence, please visit the PLSC website at www.plsc.net.
This year we are introducing a “Surveyors Sympo-sium” with the intent of discussing “Improvement Loca-tion Certificates” in order to potentially task the PLSCLegislative Committee with proposed new legislationregarding this hot topic for surveyors in the state. Thisis an opportunity to join in the discussion that may affectyour industry in the state! We hope to repeat this eventfor future years on subjects that are of interest to thesurveyors in Colorado.
The PLSC actively participated in the Sunset ReviewProcess with the State Board of Licensure for Architects,Professional Engineers and Professional Land Survey-ors. The PLSC employs a lobbyist whose services caninvolve the monitoring of the State of Colorado legislatureregarding upcoming proposed laws that can affect thesurveying profession, to securing bill sponsorship of pro-posed association legislation, drafting of legislation, coor-dinating committee presentation, lobbying for passage ofthe legislation and securing gubernatorial approval.
The PLSC has a designated National Society ofProfessional Surveyors (NSPS) representative whoattends the meetings throughout the year. This organi-zation is dedicated to the Surveying professional andserves as our representative organization on a nationalscale. The PLSC is also a member of and has repre-sentatives who attend the Western Federation of Pro-fessional Surveyors meetings throughout the year.
The PLSC is a member of the Qualifications BasedSelection (QBS) Board of Directors. This organization isdedicated to the goal of basing selections by state andlocal governments for Architectural, Engineering and Sur-veying contracts upon qualifications and not only on fees.
PLSC sponsors educational opportunities for mem-bers and future land surveyors: The annual LSIT andPLS Refresher Course at the Jefferson County Adminis-tration Complex (for 2013), designed to help preparesurvey interns to take their fundamentals and profes-sional land surveying exams. Scholarships in survey-ing, GIS or other mapping-related programs are avail-able through the PLSC and the associated chapters.
The PLSC, over the past several years, has coordi-nated a speaker track at the annual “GIS In The Rock-ies” conference, further extending our profession into
SIDE SHOTS • 18
other related industries. This eventprovides an opportunity for GIS pro-fessionals to interact with, andunderstand more about, the survey-ing profession and leads to a betterunderstanding of the similarities anddifferences between the two profes-sions.
The PLSC journal, Side Shots,is an award-winning, quarterly pub-lication that keeps members up todate on important activities of thePLSC, the latest legislative informa-tion, articles of interest written pri-marily by Colorado professionals,and listings of upcoming events ofinterest to surveyors.
However, all these benefits andservices do not completely conveywhy a PLSC membership is soimportant to Land Surveyors in Col-orado. Perhaps the most importantbenefit is the dissemination of infor-mation, including news of what isgoing on in our profession, data onthe latest technologies, trends inand development of rules and legis-lation and government regulations,and the list goes on.
Finally, there is the benefit ofactive participation in the future ofour profession. Surveying is rapidlychanging - LIDAR, GIS and landinformation systems, GPS, CAD,new standards for surveys (2011).How many were involved in thesejust a few years ago? We are trulyin the digital age. These new tech-nologies are revolutionizing the waywe do our work! We are facinghigher educational standards,stricter requirements for financialresponsibility and a mutual respon-sibility for competence. Beyond allof this lies the ability to help shapethe future, in cooperation with othersurveyors, doing collectively thatwhich we cannot do ourselves.PLSC is and will be at the forefrontof these developments.
PLSC Membership – it is defi-nitely worth the price of admission!Please consider joining or renewingif you have not already done so,and help spread the word to othersurveyors who are not yet mem-bers.
DISTANCE DELIVERY OF COURSES FOR
LAND SURVEYORS Now it is possible to pursue or advance a career in land surveying via distance delivery.
• Select courses individually or as part of the degree completion program.
• Enroll year-around; take six months to complete a course.
• Take exams close to home or work.
• Communicate with your instructor by e-mail or telephone.
Twelve Self-Paced DVD Lecture Courses SUR 1510-4 Surveying I SUR 2520-4 Surveying II SUR 2530-4 Route Surveying SUR 2550-3 Surveying Computations SUR 3100-3 Survey Data Adjustment/Analysis I SUR 3150-2 Astronomy for Surveyors SUR 3220-2 Real Property Descriptions SUR 3300-3 Photogrammetry SUR 3540-3 Boundary Law I SUR 3700-3 Geodesy I SUR 4510-3 Map Projections and Coordinate Systems SUR 4540-3 Boundary Law II
On-line Course COM 3615-3 Technical Writing for Surveyors and Engineers
For more information and registration visit our web site: www.mscd.edu/surdd or send an email to [email protected] or call Extended Campus at 303-721-1313.
Extended Campus
SIDE SHOTS • 19
What Direction Are You Going?
By Earl F. Henderson, PLS
We all may have noticed that there exist betweenArchitecture and Engineering (A&E) many differenceswith Land Surveying, but I’d like to focus on one funda-mental difference that keeps coming to mind.
First, consider A&E wherein a professional comesup with a conceptual design and applies that to paperthrough a complicated methodology to create a set ofplans. Those plans are then used to construct a site orstructure in reality, or on the ground. If a problem orissue arises during or after the creation of the reality,the plans are consulted to verify what was proposedand compare that to the reality. If there’s a difference,the proposed plans are looked on as the definitivedesign and the reality is adjusted to match the proposedplans.
Performing an original land survey works fundamen-tally the same as the first half of the A&E process. Wetake a design, be it a subdivision plat or the BLM manu-al, which is itself just a complicated set of instructionsfor a subdivision design, and apply that design to theground, stake out the property corners, and set monu-mentation in the proposed locations. At that precisemoment, when the original monuments have just beenset, the fundamental process of land surveying changes
to the opposite direction. At that moment land survey-ing becomes an historical and legal profession, not atechnical one, and we become Retracement Land Sur-veyors. I see many land surveyors applying originalsurvey mentality incorrectly when they are performingRetracement Land Surveying. It is very unusual in theprivate sector to perform original surveys anymoreunless you’re contracted by the Federal Governmentwho owns almost all of the un-surveyed land, or you’recreating a subdivision of some kind. But a subdivisionrequires that first you perform a Retracement Land Sur-vey of the perimeter of the property. It is important tounderstand that once the original survey is completedthe laws that govern Retracement Land Surveyingrequire us to proceed in the opposite direction.
Retracement Land Surveying is fundamentally dif-ferent from A&E and original surveys in that our plat is adepiction of the reality. In other words, the flow of infor-mation is in the opposite direction, from ground to plat.We measure the ground, the evidence and existing con-ditions first and what we find dictates our decisions,what appears on our plats, and where we place monu-mentation. The prior survey plats (even the original)and the deeds are guides during this process to beused to direct us to the locations of the original corners,
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but they do NOT govern or dictate where the cornersare located. The original corners were defined by theoriginal survey on the ground and will never change.And the courts have determined, many times over andover again, that the original corners were NOT definedby the original plat or deed but by the original survey onthe ground. It is our duty to find those locations andmonument them as best as we can. Our plat is thengoverned by the ground, not the other way around. Iam reminded of a Zen quote, “The map is not the terri-tory.” which in this case can be stripped of its spiritualand existential deeper meanings and applied here in amore earthly fashion. In Retracement Land Surveyingwe are legally required to survey property NOT descrip-tions and then show the differences on our plat.
One way that that has been communicated through-out our profession for centuries is the often heardphrase “Follow in the footsteps of the original surveyor”.Notice that the phrase uses the term “original surveyor”not “original subdivision plat” or “original deed”. Subdi-vision plats and deeds are pieces of paper that aren’tcapable of leaving footsteps. The original surveyor, andthe clients of that surveyor, did leave footsteps in theform of evidence. It is our duty to evaluate all the evi-dence we can find and determine where the originalcorners were placed to the best of our ability, NOT touse mathematics to calculate a theoretical location, norto proportion a location when contrary evidence exists.Every survey text book states this in one form or anoth-
er including the BLM Manual. I have, in my copy of the2009 BLM Manual, at least 8-10 places highlighted thatstate the preference for using the evidence of the origi-nal survey over proportionate measurements. Thisapplies even if the original survey was in error. Theoriginal surveyor may not have even been a licensedprofessional. It is possible and legal that the originalsurveyor was the farmer, who paced off a piece of landthat his attorney described in a deed as the NW1/4NW1/4 of Section 21 which the farmer then sold off tohis cousin’s nephew. It may be their footsteps we aretrying to retrace so the measurements are sure to berough.
So be very aware of the difference between originalsurveys and retracement surveys as you perform yourwork. Know which one applies to your current projectand know the laws that guide your processes. And ifyou’re performing a Retracement Land Survey and youfind yourself taking a plat or deed description and apply-ing that to the ground and then claiming that is the loca-tion of the property, you’re going in the wrong directionand a head-on collision may be imminent.
SIDE SHOTS • 21
Call to Order: 4:03pmRecognition of PLSC Board Members and Officers:
Present: Roger Nelson, Mike Bouchard (VP), TerryMaw (Treasurer), and Becky Roland (Exec. Dir.). Board: Todd Beers , Bill Buntrock, Patrick Green, PeterKent, Peter Krick, Parker Newby (SW)Exofficio: Kayce Wohlman (Northern), J.J. Rihanek(Central), Brian Dennis (CSRN)Nonvoting: J.B. Guyton
Absent: Gary Gable, Stan Vermilyea, Warren Ward,Tom Adams.Determination of Quorum (Terry Maw - 6 voting mem-bers) established
Welcome of GuestsAdditions, deletions and modifications to agenda:GIS in the Rockies – moved to 5A1: Approval of Minutes from Previous meeting: MOTION: To approve the July 25, 2012 meeting min-utes. Moved by Beers, 2nd by Buntrock. Approvedunanimously as submitted.
2: Executive Director: Phoenix AMC, Becky RolandTransition Update.
Finalized taxes, moved accounting to Quick Books,update of state regs, updated signature cards. E-mail business protocol –Include e-mail businessin subject line, response required and deadline, anagreement of those present was agreed upon.
3: 2012 Budget Tracking – Terry Maw & BeckyRoland.
3.1 - Mileage expenses – need to watch.3.2 - Membership drive – sent info to chapters –need to get on it.3.3 - Need to get PLSC membership application onwebsite.
Becky wants to change our accounting from cash basisto accrual basis. The accrual basis will better show ourfinancial position over time.Maw made a motion, Dennis 2nd for the PLSC to movefrom cash to accrual basis financially. Approved unani-mously.
4: 2012 Elections Committee, Chair – Bill Buntrock.4.1 - Nomination status-ballot status – 7 director’scandidates, one candidate for each office.4.2 - B.O.D member shirts. +/- cost for polo shirts -$25. Put into budget 30ea@$25.
5: PLSC Awards – Stan Vermilyea & Bill BuntrockStan – need to finalize form and get into Side Shots.5.1 - If Tom Adams has an appreciation plaque is agavel needed.5.2 - Do we want to provide trigstar winners withmoney/award. Bouchard – use scholarship funds for
gifts. Motion: Bouchard moved Patrick 2nd to pro-vide this year’s Trigstar winner with a certificate anda $200 gift either cash/gift certificate. Approvedunanimously.5.3 - Roger Nelson nominated for PLSC lifetimemembership.
6: 2012-2013 Lobbyist – CONTRACT WITH Peg Ackerman
After reviewing the three pricing options by PegAckerman – Beers moved and Bouchard 2nd toaccept the middle of the road pricing of $4000.Approved unanimously.
7: 2013 Surveyor’s Summit Planning Status – ChairTodd Beers
All tracts are filled – speakers signed up – prelimi-nary lineup to be placed into Side Shots – workingwith Arvada Center on long term use.
8: PLSC Scholarship form.Scholarship form was reviewed, corrected and explana-tions added to the form. Dennis moved and Vermilyea2nd to put the revised scholarship form on the PLSCwebsite. Approved unanimously.
9: PLSC Website - Updates, Protocol, etc. – BrianDennisTerry Sanders has stepped down as the PLSC webmas-ter. Brian and Becky looking for a company to adminis-ter our website.
10: Bob Stollard’s House updateA copy of the transfer needed, then get the propertyappraised. Once sold we will need to pay capital gains.Buntrock moved – Bouchard 2nd to approve Becky tosecure a Warranty Deed from the Stoddard Estate, getan appraisal. Approved unanimously.
11: First SIT Certificate.There was general agreement to put a scanned copy onthe website. Frame the certificate and store in some-one’s office.
12: PLSC 2012 Main Goals - UpdateNeed to come up with 3 goals for 2013.
14: Reports: No Reports Next Meeting Date and Location: December 4, 2012; 4:00 p.m.2450 South Peoria StreetAurora, CO 80014
5:43pm Adjourned.Respectively SubmittedTerry R. Maw, PLSSecretary/Treasurer, PLSC
PLSC Board of Directors Meeting MinutesSeptember 25, 2012; 4:00 p.m.
SIDE SHOTS • 22
Design consulting, like many other industries, is onewhere employees are one’s most valuable asset. How-ever, it is important to recognize that businesses todayare increasingly at risk for liability claims and lawsuitsthat arise from employment practices and relatedhuman resource issues, such as the obvious matter ofsexual harassment and discrimination, but also forwrongful discharge, failure to hire and failure to pro-mote, as well as many other matters.
Employment practices related lawsuits continue togrow in both frequency and severity. This is partlyattributed to the fact that over the past decade due to acombination of both federal employment laws togetherwith state laws the employees’ rights in the workplacehave expanded, opening the way for new “causes ofaction” to be brought against employers and broaderthan ever rights of recovery. Third parties, such as cus-tomers, consumers and clients are also more frequentlyseeking legal recourse for alleged discrimination orharassment.
These trends coupled with more expansive judicialinterpretation of applicable laws have gone hand inhand with reasons of why this exposure has grown,leading to a costly vulnerability. Try as one will, one canattempt to do everything right and still find their busi-ness subject to claims of wrongful employment prac-tices. Whether the allegations against one’s firm arelegitimate or groundless, one may be faced with expen-sive legal costs. Employment Practices Liability Insur-ance (EPLI) is needed as soon as one starts to hireemployees and is especially important for new and rap-idly growing firms as they tend to be more vulnerable asmanagement teams have not yet designed or imple-mented procedures for hiring, firing, and discipliningemployees.
There are no standard EPLI policies and thus eachpolicy must be evaluated on its own, but these policiesare designed to protect against liabilities that arise outof the employment relationship and not Workers Com-pensation, issues involving unemployment insuranceand ERISA exposures. Each policy will contain its own
Employees: Assets with an Inherent RiskBy Scott Sorensen, Assurance Risk Managers
SIDE SHOTS • 23
definition of the wrongful acts thatare included in the policy. It isimportant to note that if an act isoutside the definition of a wrongfulact, then there may not be cover-age. Some examples are:
• Discrimination• Negligent Hiring• Wrongful Discharge,
Evaluation, Discipline,Promotion
• Employment-RelatedPersonal Injury (Libel orSlander)
• Sexual Harassment• Failure to Hire• Workplace Tort – Wrongful
Termination, Retention, etc.
Due to the fact that policies areunique, keep in mind that some willnarrowly define “harassment” limit-ing it to “sexual harassment” whileothers use a broader definition as“workplace harassment” or “harass-ment including sexual harassment.”EPLI coverage/policies most com-monly are on what is known as a“claims-made” policy and differ frommost liability insurance policiessuch as General Liability, Automo-bile, and Workers Compensationpolicies as they pay for events thatoccur during the policy period whichis known as an “occurrence” form.For example, an auto policy will payfor a recent accident that occursduring its active policy period, or inother words if the occurrence oraccident happened during the policyperiod, coverage will be available.EPLI policies, however, pay for law-suits filed during the policy period;the wrongful act could haveoccurred years before. Claims-made policies respond only when asuit is filed, or when a strong threatof a suit exists at that time a claimis made and thus filed with one’scurrent carrier.
The downside of a claims-madepolicy comes in two forms. FirstClaims-made policies respond toclaims brought during the policyperiod but most include a date afterwhich a claim must occur in orderfor the policy to respond, known asa “retro date” which is typically thedate when coverage was firstobtained. Therefore the importanceof obtaining EPLI once one hires
employees as many times thatwould become the retro date of thepolicy. When changing insurancecompanies, it is vital to understandthat if the retro date is not rolledover one would begin the period allover again.
The second downside is if a poli-cy is cancelled. An example wouldbe if an EPLI policy is in force Janu-ary 1, 2008 and is renewed in 2009and in 2010. However, the organiza-tion decides to end the policy in 2011because the premium increased. Ayear later though a letter from anattorney arrives announcing a lawsuitfor discrimination in a hiring thatoccurred in 2009. Although the poli-cy was in force at the time of thealleged discrimination, the policy wasnot in force when the suit was filedthus unfortunately there is no cover-age in force. The solution to this is toobtain an extended reporting period.In the event that coverage is can-celled or not renewed protection maybe desired for events that took placeprior to the expiration/cancellation butfor which no claim has yet been filed.This coverage is called a “tail” or“extended reporting period” (ERP).
In some Business OwnersPackages one can include a smallamount, $5,000 for example, of thiscoverage for a very affordable price.However, you may look for moreprotection, especially one that has abroader definition, and possibilitysome very useful policy features tohelp assist in preventing losses.Some insurers may provide a “hot-line,” allowing free access to HRexperts to discuss employmentactions and situations. Anotherfeature is a reduction in yourdeductible if legal council is soughtprior to an incident turning into aclaim. That may be in the form ofassistance from the “hotline” or byworking with your own attorney.Either way, it is typically an over-looked line of coverage. Butwhether you have large or smalllimits, it is good coverage to have.
Members with questions and inneed of more detailed assistanceshould contact Assurance RiskManagers, Inc. Account ExecutiveScott Sorensen at 303-454-9562 oremail him at [email protected]
STATE BOARD UPDATEBy Brian Pritchard, Director
Business and Technical SectionState Board of Licensure for Architects, Professional
Engineers, and Professional Land Surveyors
New Program DirectorI am pleased to announce that Joyce J. Young has accepted the Pro-gram Director position overseeing the Board of Licensure for Architects,Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors, the StateBoard of Landscape Architects and the Colorado Passenger TramwaySafety Board. Ms. Young is replacing Angie Kinnaird Linn who held thisposition for 18 years (less the 4 years when she held the title of Directorof the Business and Technical Section of the Division of Professionsand Occupations).
Joyce began her career with DORA and the Division in 2002 and hasworked exclusively in the Business and Technical Section for a host ofprogram areas, including the Plumbing, Electrical and AES Boards. Shebrings a great deal of institutional knowledge to the position. Pleasejoin me in welcoming Joyce to her new role.
SIDE SHOTS • 24
CC HH AA PP TT EE RR NN EE WW SS
CCPS Another great year has come and
gone! The CCPS hopes everyonehad a safe and happy holiday season.
Our special project for 2012 wasto construct a new baseline in theDenver Metro area for all membersof the land surveying community toutilize. Finding a suitable location isturning out to be a daunting task andwe could use your help. Pleasecontact Shawn Clarke if you thinkyou have a location that would work,as he is well versed in the requiredNGS baseline specifications andwould love to hear your suggestions.
The CCPS hopes to continue tohave topics and speakers at ourgeneral membership meetings thatare just as interesting this year asthose we had this past year. I wantto give thanks to everyone who waswilling to donate their time and topresent as one of our guest speak-ers or sponsoring vendors. Thesemeetings are put on for the benefitof our members and we want tohave speakers and topics thateveryone will enjoy. If you have aspeaker in mind please let meknow. These are great venues todiscuss anything regarding the landsurveying profession. If you haven'tattended one yet we hope to seeyou in 2013. Bring a friend.
The 2013 CCPS Board of Direc-tors elections have occurred and theresults are in. Officers will be Christo-pher Raml, President; David Kux-hausen, Vice President; and AaronWillis, Treasurer. The directors will beShawn Clarke, George Robinson,John Wilhelm, Terry Pickering, KevinKucharczyk, and Ken Baker. Thesecretary position and one directorspot are currently vacant.
If you or someone you know isinterested in serving please let meknow. The CCPS needs YOU!Let's all thank JJ Rihanek for thelast two years of his distinguishedservice as President.
Please visit our website,www.centralcosurveypro.com forcontact information, meeting details,and general CCPS news.
Chris Raml, PLSPresident, CCPS
CSRNThe CSRN begins another year
as 2012 is behind us and so is mytime as President. I have enjoyedand appreciated the opportunity toserve two terms as President. As Ilook back I am able to see manyaccomplishments for the CSRNover that time. Our most noticeableachievement is the creation of theannual GPS Day. Our second is the
installment of two more surveyorsonto the CSRN Board in the spirit ofoutreach to adjacent professions.
At this time I am excited toannounce the new President for theCSRN for 2013, Jan Sterling. Janwill bring a new style of leadershipand focus to the CSRN. New lead-ership is healthy and necessary tokeep any chapter or group alive andmoving forward. Jan has been withthe CSRN for many years and Ibelieve she will serve the member-ship well and has my full support inher new role.
The CSRN still needs to fill theposition of Secretary, which is anOfficer position. If you are interest-ed in this position and in participat-ing in an active and exciting groupcontact Jan Sterling [email protected]. The CSRN Board for2013 is: Jan Sterling – President,Eric Carson – Vice President, ChrisDuda – Treasurer, John Doty –Director, Harold Schuch – Director,Larry Rector – Director, KayceWohlman – Director and Brian Den-nis – Director.
Brian Dennis, PLSPast President, CSRN
NC-PLSCThe Northern Chapter is gear-
ing up for 2013. We have lined outpresenters for the next severalmeetings. Our January meeting,we’ll have a presentation “Civil 3Dfor Surveyors” by Ken Martinez withCommTech. Ken presented for ourchapter several years ago and allattendees were hanging at theedges of their seats being wowedby his innovative skillset. February6th, we’ll have a special guest fromour Colorado State Geodetic Advi-sor, Pam Fromhertz. She’ll be pro-viding a presentation on horizontaland vertical datums. If you haven’theard her talk, I highly recommendcoming to this meeting with yourquestions. She’s an excellentresource for any surveyor workingin this state.
Our chapter is gearing up forFrom the Northern Chapter Christmas Party, from left: Laine Landau, SteveVarriano, Wally Muscott, David Holmes, Becky Roland, Mike Dedecker, Rob Hintz.
SIDE SHOTS • 25
the 2013 Summit Conference whichI’m sure you’ve heard all about. Allthe speakers have been lined outand we have some big names. TheNorthern Chapter is excited to onceagain be a part of this annual event.Todd Beers has done a heck of ajob pulling everything together. Hisenergy in pulling this event togetherfor the past two years is impressive.Next time you see him, be sure tolet him know how much you appre-ciate his dedication to the advance-ment of our industry.
Lastly, our most exciting newsfor the 2013 year, the NorthernChapter has compiled another book-let for our constituents; we’vedubbed it ‘The Subdivision’. Thisbooklet like the last, covers manyareas that were not in our first book-let. The Subdivision contains someof the information that was in ourlatest booklet submittal however ithas some new additions includingbut not limited to the following (maynot be in full): Subdivisions, PlannedUnit Development, Cluster Devel-opment, Planning Commission, andBylaws and Policies of the StateBoard of License for Architects, Pro-fessional Engineers and Profession-al Land Surveyors. We’ll be mail-ing these out to all Chapter mem-bers in the coming months. Theywill also be on sale at the confer-ence at the registration booth.
The Northern Chapter will belooking for some new folks to stepup as director this coming fall. Letme know if this interests you at all.We’re always looking for new facesto join our organization. If you’reinterested in being more involved inour wonderful group, all you have todo is show up to a meeting. If youwould like meeting notices and arenot yet receiving them, please emailme and I’ll be sure to place you onour mailing list.
I hope to see you at our nextchapter meeting, and if not then, atthe Summit Conference this spring.
Kayce D. Wohlman, PLSNorthern Chapter President
NW 1/4 CLSThe NW1/4 met for the final time
of 2012 on November 12th at theCraig Holiday Inn. Present were Wal-ter Magill, Lloyd Powers, Peter Epp,Leif Joy, Tom Effinger, Skidge Moon,Gordon Dowling, Willy Thomas,Brian T. Kelly along with specialguests Roger Nelson and ToddBeers of the PLSC. Sometimes wewonder how those guys found us!
After going through the normalreporting of the bank balance, thechange in the PLSC ExecutiveDirector and the upcoming legisla-tive session, we settled into twotopics of relevance for everyone inthe area: Narrowbanding and theestablishment of a CORS station inSteamboat Springs. With CountySurveyors present from the RioBlanco, Routt and Moffat Counties,the discussion centered on wherebest to site the CORS station, pos-sible donations by CDOT as well aslocal governments, access torepeating stations to broaden thepotential range, NGS requirementsand physical issues in establishingthe CORS station as winterapproaches. Tom Effinger gracious-ly offered his assistance to WalterMagill in establishing this CORSstation and it appears likely at thisdate this will become a reality byearly spring. Certainly, the two cold-est months of the year have slowedprogress down a little, but itappears Walter and Tom haveworked out most of the technicaland site issues and when the ther-mometer actually gets over 32degrees for a while, they shouldhave it done! Kudos to both ofthese gentlemen for their persist-ence in not only getting the equip-ment from CDOT, but actually tak-ing the time to figure out the nutsand bolts of getting it established.This will be a non-glonass stationonce established, but that shouldchange in the not too distant future.
Narrowbanding is an issue thataffects all surveyors throughout thecountry and its impact was dis-cussed at some length. The solu-tions are different for each user as
the software upgrades vary accord-ing to age and manufacturer. PeterEpp discussed what he had done toresolve his particular issue and ofcourse narrowbanding becameeffective Jan 1st of this year.
Last but not least, Roger andTodd discussed this past year’schanges within the PLSC, thechanges in membership with thedownturn in the economy and whatto expect this upcoming legislativeseason. I have been getting regularemail correspondence from thePLSC BOD and of course the Col-orado Legislature starts up shortly.Todd also discussed the probableprogram of the upcoming PLSCSpring technical session and theeffort to lend ongoing continuity tothe educational programs.
The probable upcoming legisla-tion for out of state registrants to“test” the markets within Coloradowas also discussed and there wasnot a favorable reaction to this. Itwas felt that individuals or corpora-tions seeking to do surveying busi-ness within the State of Coloradoshould get registered first and thenseek business. This is true of all ofour neighboring states.
The NW1/4 will meet again inthe Spring!
Brian T. Kelly, PLSPresident, NW1/4
SCPLSThe November board meeting
was held in Pueblo. Discussionsincluded the budget for 2013 alongwith board and officers elections.The Secretary position and twoboard of directors openings are upfor election. Our Election ballotshave been sent out and results arenot available at this time.
Numerous potential presenta-tion speakers were discussed forfuture membership meetings to beheld during year 2013. Note: Schol-arship funds are available for thosenot enrolling in a four year collegeprogram. Discussions continue forapplicants interested in the program.
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SIDE SHOTS • 26
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On December 14, 2012, ourChristmas Party was held at the LaRenaissance Restaurant in Pueblo.This was one of our largest diningturnouts. A white elephant giftexchange was held after dinnerwhich ended a fun night.
Calendar updates included the2013 board of directors and mem-bership meeting dates. Significantdates included the Summit to beheld at the Arvada Center February28, March 1 & 2, 2013.
Joseph Alessi, PLSPresident, Southern Chapter
SWC-PLSCThe SWC-PLSC held our most
recent chapter meeting on Tuesday,November 13 in Durango. Topics ofdiscussion included the CORS sta-tion at the La Plata Airport, ideas forthe membership drive and guestspeakers for the upcoming meet-ings. Discussion was had regard-ing the 2013 Colorado Land Sur-veying Refresher Course and howto make these classes available forsurveyors and students in ourremote location. Ideas includedhaving a webinar available with theannual refresher course and per-haps doing Skype to have interac-tive participation with instructorsand remote students.
The SW Chapter in conjunctionwith Compass Tools, Inc., CDOT,City of Durango, La Plata Countyand NOAA has just recently com-
pleted the installation of a CORSstation on a maintenance buildingat La Plata County Airport. Com-pass Tools donated the equipmentand the station has just beenaccepted by NGS and can now beaccessed for data under the desig-nation of CTI4. The Chapter thanksthe many volunteers who helpedwith the installation efforts and coor-dination between agencies. Specialthanks to Todd Johnson at CDOTand Pam Fromhertz with NOAA fortheir preliminary research and earlyefforts to get the project started.
Larry Connolly, La Plata CountySurveyor, will be the guest speakerat our January 15th meeting here inDurango. We have some othernames in the cue, so watch foremails announcing speaker, timeand location. Our meetings are typi-cally the second Tuesday of oddnumbered months.
The annual Four Corners AreaSeminar is scheduled for June 7 &8, 2013 at Fort Lewis College inDurango. Our seminar committeehas begun ‘ramping up’ for thisyear’s event. Registration andspeakers will be available soon atwww.plsc.net.
Joshua J. Casselberry, PLSPresident, SWC-PLSC
WCLSThe WCLS-PLSC had their lat-
est meeting on November 14th.
We had another good turnout. It isgreat to see the turnout that we getfor our meetings. Special thanks tothe individuals that drive from out oftown for the meetings. Peter Krickagain provided an excellent mealfor attendees. Scott Godfrey of theGrand Valley Drainage District gavean overview of their website. LesDoehling of CDOT gave anoverview of CDOT informationavailable. There was a discussionand vote on NSPS membership.WCLS will have their spring semi-nar on May 17, 2013 and DavePehr will be the speaker. One ses-sion will be “Surveyors and Litiga-tion.” We had Dave as a speakerlast year and look forward to havinghim back this year. Next meetingwill be on January 9th.
Richard Bullen, PLSPresident, WCLS
SIDE SHOTS • 27
ACCURATE CORE DRILLING, INC.15550 Hwy. 86
Kiowa, CO 80117303-898-4385
ASSURANCE RISK MANAGERS2851 S. Parker Road
Suite 760Aurora, CO 80014
303-454-9562
TERRY C BARNESRange West, Inc.
P.O. Box 589Silverthorne, CO 80498
(970) 468-6281
BERNTSEN INTERNATIONAL, INC.P.O. Box 8670Madison, WI 0608-249-8549
CAD-112130 N. Pennsylvania Street
Thornton, CO 80241303-427-2231
CARLSON SOFTWARE12161 W. Layton Avenue
Morrison, CO 80465303-482-1836
COMPLIANCE SOLUTIONS3980 Quebec Street
2nd FloorDenver, CO 80207
303-307-9220
COMM-TECH5398 Manhattan Circle
Boulder, CO 80303303-530-4976
DAVID EVANS AND ASSOCIATES, INC1331 17th Avenue
Suite 900Denver, CO 80202
720-946-0969
ESRI380 New York StreetRedlands, CA 92373
909-793-2853
FLATIRONS SURVEYING, INC.3825 Iris Avenue, Suite 395
Boulder, CO 80301303-443-7001
FRONTIER PRECISION INC5855 E. Stapleton Dr. North A-140
Denver, CO 80216720-214-3500
HIXON MFG & SUPPLY CO8775 E Orchard Road, Suite 807
Englewood, CO 80111303694-0012
ROBERT R JOHNSRange West, Inc
P.O. Box 589Silverthorne, CO 80498
(970) 468-6281
NGS/NOAAPamela Fromhertz
c/o USGS Core Science InformaticsBuilding 810, MS 306
Denver, CO 80225303-202-4082
NV 58000 South Chester Street
Suite 200Centennial, CO 80112
303-220-6400
POWER SURVEYING COMPANY INC.120 W. 84th AvenueThornton, CO 80260
303-702-1617
PWSI LAND SURVEYORS3545 S. Platte River Drive, #M-3
Sheridan, CO 80110303-904-1345
DIANE SIERRA10355 Westmoor DriveWestminster, CO 80021
SITEWISE CORPORATION7000 N Broadway #3-305
Denver, CO 80221303 459 6531
SKLD INFORMATION SERVICES9540 East Jewell Avenue
Suite ADenver, CO 80247(303) 695-3850
TOTAL POSTIONING SOLUTIONS5385 Quebec Street
Commerce City, CO 80022303853-0311
SURV-KAP LLCP.O. Box 27367
Tucson, AZ 85726520-622-6011
TERRAMETRIX, LLC4852 S 133rd Street
Suite 105Omaha, NE 68137
402-618-3165
UNDERGROUND CONSULTING SOLUTIONS2701 W. Oxford Avenue, Suite 6
Englewood, CO 80110303-904-7422
VECTORS, INC8811 E Hampden Avenue
Ste 110Denver, CO 80231
303-283-0343
WESTERN RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT634 Suntrail Drive
Loveland, CO 80538307-632-5656
These firms support our organization.Please show them your appreciation with
your patronage.
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A masterful documentation andhistorical perspective of each initialsurveying point for federal publiclands in the United States. Publishedin 9x12 format, Initial Points of theRectangular Survey System featuresa 4-color section with more than 130photos depicting monuments andlandmarks.
C. Albert White's second book,
INITIAL POINTSOF THE RECTANGULAR SURVEY SYSTEM
Mr. White's first book, A History of the Rectangular Survey System,published by the BLM in 1983, is considered the definitive work on theU.S. Public Land Survey System. Arguably the most distinguishedauthority on the history of nineteenth and twentieth century public landssurveying, White began his career with the General Land Office in 1946.Both as BLM and a private surveyor, he applied his zeal to a wide rangeof activities. White's expertise represents a bridge between the wisdomand experience of the American heritage of land settlement and the con-temporary uses of surveying technology.
Never before, in the history of surveying, has so much pertinent andinteresting material been so meticulously compiled in one publication.(White personally visited EVERY Initial Point.)
Published by the Colorado Professional Land Surveyors Educational Foundation, Inc., a non-profit foundation, Initial Points of the Rectangular Survey System is undertaken in the spirit of, and dedication to, Mr. White's remarkable contributions to his field.
Net proceeds from its sale will be returned to the Professional Land Surveyors of Colorado Inc. Scholarship Fund.
1 $892-5 $796-10 $69
Number of copies Price
Call 303-428-9529 to order
