volume 31 number 2 summer 2007 - lsaw · volume 31 number 2 summer 2007 s urveyor in this issue:...

EvErgrEEn StatE

Land SurveyorS’ aSSociation of WaShington • Washington State Section of american congreSS on Surveying & mapping

Volume 31 Number 2 Summer 2007

Surveyor

In this issue:Update Definition

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Who’s Who in LSAW

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Summer 2007 Evergreen State Surveyor �

EVERGREEN STATESURVEYOR Table of ContentsFrom the President ..............3

From the Editor ....................4

To the Editor ...........5

Adjust a Boundary? Are You Sure? .........6

Highlights of the 19 May 2007 Board of Trustees (BOT) Meeting .............8–9

2007 Washington State Trig Star Results ................10

HB 1184: Update Definition of Land Surveying ......11–13

HB 1184: Update Update Definition of Land Surveying ......14–17

2007 Land Surveyor’s Association of Washington Reps .............18–19

And Much More…

President ......................................... Jim MainPresident Elect .........................Ben PetersenVice President ......................... Scott Thomas

Secretary-Treasurer .. Michael (Mick) Sprouffske, Jr.Past President ....................... Ken SwindmanExecutive Director .....................Anne Koenen

Cascade ColumbiaMurray Groenig ......................................509 949 5797

Inland EmpireTodd Pocock ..........................................509 926 1322

Lower ColumbiaMichael J Gilroy .....................................360 695 1385

North CentralTimothy Hollingsworth ..........................509 682 2266NortheastJohn M. Shackelford ..............................509 925 0941

North OlympicFinis H Brewer .......................................360 732 0311

LSAW Chapters & 2007 PresidentsNorth Puget SoundRoy Earl Morriss ....................................360 862 9408

NorthwestAdam J Nelson .....................................360 671 7387

South CentralAaron Dyck ...........................................509 735 7364

SnohomishChristopher S Royak .............................425 233 3394

South Puget SoundGary Letzring .........................................253 404 0983

SouthwestSteven B Ivey ........................................360 918 5312

Land Surveyors’ Association of Washington (LSAW)

Address all correspondence for LSAW to: Land Surveyors’ Association of Washington 424 205th N.E. • Sammamish, WA 98074-6942

Phone: 425/868-0200 Fax: 425/868-1771 e-mail: [email protected] Homepage: http://www.lsaw.org

Address all material for magazine to: Editor/Publisher: Aaron B. Blaisdell

Evergreen State Surveyor PO Box 110700 • Tacoma, WA 98411

Washington State Section, American Congress on Surveying and Mapping (WSS/ACSM)Chairman: .................................................. Gary GervelisVice Chair ...............................................Mike MickiewiczSecretary: ....................................................Hugh Nelson

Treasurer: ................................................... Julie MorlandPast Chair .................................................. David George

Address all correspondence for ASCM to:WSS/ACSM

P.O. Box 372 • Bellevue, WA 98009-0372 • www.wss-acsm.org

LSAW AUXILIARYPresident, Laura Walker ....................... 253-476-2579Vice President, Lucille McGinnis .......... 360-354-4455Secretary, Delores Demeyer ................ 360-354-4455

Treasurer, Maxine Cray......................... 360-675-1196Scholarships, Vicky Thalacker .............. 360-378-4578

Opinions expressed by individual writers are not necessarily endorsed by the officers or board of LSAW, the officers or board of WSS/ACSM, or the editor of this publication. Articles may be reprinted with due credit given to the author unless otherwise indicated at the beginning of the article.

We request all ads and material (graphics, fonts, etc.) be furnished on a CD or emailed in a .doc, .pdf, .eps or .tiff for-mat. We readily process materials created in Adobe Pagemaker, Illustrator, Freehand, Photoshop, Microsoft Publisher, Microsoft Word.

Advertising PolicyThe magazine is published quarterly by LSAW and accepts advertising. Ads should be page-ready copy for photo-offset printing. The rates are as follows:

Size Yearly Single IssueFull Page ...............$466 Gray Scale, $885 Full Color $148 Gray Scale, $250 Full ColorHalf Page ...............$326 Gray Scale, $620 Full Color $104 Gray Scale, $175 Full ColorQuarter Page .........$163 Gray Scale, $310 Full Color $52 Gray Scale, $88 Full ColorDeadlines for material and advertising are one week after each Board of Trustees (BOT) meeting (see the calendar on back cover for those dates). Running an ad does not imply endorsement of the advertiser by LSAW or ACSM. The editor reserves the right to not accept ads or other material which may be in poor taste or conflict with the policies of LSAW. Courtesy copies are traded with other state and provincial organizations.

Layout and graphics in this publication are largely from Kellie Ham Type&Graphics, 253-843-9436. Printed by Doyle Printing, 253-531-7087.

Phone: 253/404-0983 Fax: 253/404-0984 e-mail: [email protected]

2 Evergreen State Surveyor Summer 2007


Well it’s summertime again which means many of us will have less time to enjoy this season due to extended work-loads, commitments, the un-expected and overestimated production capabilities. I will encourage you to find time for the pleasures that only sum-mertime can bring coupled with good friends, great ad-ventures, a lot of laughing and a good trip to anywhere. A great break from intensity is humanity.

I was tasked to send a letter of endorsement of a survey-ing program for South Puget Sound Community College. This was done and I would like to thank Jon Purnell for his excellent writing skills.

The formation of the LSAW Foundation was authorized to proceed with the creation of a 501 (C) 3 Corporation. This Foundation’s mission is to raise money and pres-ent scholarships in and for the study of Land Surveying. The initial Board of Directors will be John Thalacker, Rich Waltrip, Vicky Thalacker, Ken Swindaman, Jon Purnell, Walt Dale and Jim Main. The LSAW Foundation is intended to become the icon for our scholarships. This form of organization will allow us to receive corporate and private donations, sponsor events and offer membership support lev-els on a year-round basis.

Our goal is to have this in place for the 2008 LSAW/ACSM conference in Spokane.

If you or your chapter would like to support this effort, we would appreciate if you would earmark and hold any dona-tions until we have the ability to receive monies. I would like to thank John Thalacker for his unwavering commitment to the creation and success

From the Presidentby Jim Main, President

of this project.

The Update Definition Com-mittee presented their report with a proposal to exempt pho-togrammetry from the current version of our bill. The Sno-homish Chapter then made a motion to cease all activity on this issue. After much discus-sion, we tabled the motion until the August BOT meeting in Spokane. At such time the motion will be voted on without prior discussion, as stated and on its own merits. The trustees thought that this issue should go to the chapters for direc-tion. Position papers are to be written and distributed stating the reasons for and against the bill’s continuation. We all have stock in the outcome of this decision so please take an active part in the debate. I will suggest that the chap-ters have those committee people and trustees involved with the initial crafting of this bill in attendance to field any questions that may be asked regarding purpose, goals, intent, etc.

The 2007 Action Commit-tees will be presenting prog-ress and or conclusions of their work at the August BOT meeting. My prediction is that this will be a very exit-ing meeting. We ask that all chapters be fully represented. If you are unable to attend, please send a proxy. Your chapter members deserve a full voice.

We will all be review-ing materials intended for use in the Student Outreach Program. Ev-ery trustee received CLSA’s student pre-sentation packet that includes a DVD and career marketing ma-terials contained within a brochure. These ma-

terials can be retrofit to re-flect our sponsorship and the reproduction licensing can be purchased from CLSA. These materials need to reflect us. Please review these materi-als. Any graphical content or changes should be submit-ted in near final form and included in the packets for consideration. We are look-ing to have this online for the first semester of school. This can be a great first step in the presentation of our profession to students. This will be an excellent chance for chapter sponsorship that will support your local area.

Many people work hard be-hind the scenes to keep our organization running smoothly with the ability to accomplish so much. These people work and have worked tirelessly for the benefit of the profession and our membership. This is not an exclusive club, clique, or a small group of friends. We are you. No greater insight, divine gifts, abilities or formal education in leadership. I challenge all of you to step into a leadership role and get involved.

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From the Editorby Aaron Blaisdell, PLS

The author Len Deighton once wrote: “Anyone can write one book: even politicians do it. Starting a second book reveals an intention to be a professional writer.”

We, as licensed surveyors, are often faced with the brutal reality of complex clients and their demands. Many of these demands are met with positive outcomes, however, when the situation turns unfavorable, then what? With every situation (and client) that comes through the door, we focus our thoughts on making the right decision with respects to property and legal issues. We, sometimes, are also retained to decipher historical documentation that is virtually illegible. In the end, we form opinions based on the facts, provide this information to our clients and get reimbursed for the products that we create or interpret. At what point does professionalism enter the picture? So far, I’ve only talked about the technical side of being a surveyor. There is the professional side of surveying that sometimes gets overlooked. It’s the side that demands more attention than what we currently give it.

Typically, the public’s perception of a surveyor has been; a person that comes to your home, knocks on your door, proceeds to put “markers” at the corners of your property and then leaves, never to be seen from again. That’s not a professional land surveyor. That’s not what I do, nor do I employ anyone that fits that description.

Where did we go wrong and how do we fix it?

We, as a profession, need to divorce ourselves from that persona. We need to offer insight to the public on what we, as professionals, do and who we are. We need to be more involved within the community as professionals. It’s this professionalism that adds value to our service or product. We shouldn’t need to put on our “professional” hat when the situation warrants it. We should always have that hat on. We need to be professionals no matter if we’re at a public hearing or at the grocery store.

We need to raise the bar and strive for excellence. Let’s put the Professional back into Profes-sional Land Surveyor.

I welcome you to the summer issue of 2007. Within this issue, you will read about many achieve-ments and controversies within our profession and professional organization. We, as surveyors, “follow in the footsteps” of the surveyors before us. Being involved is our best chance of under-standing the path that those footsteps sometimes take.

“We need to be more involved within the community as professionals.”


Editor:

This letter is in response to a previous letter to the editor by Robert G. Dean, published in the Spring 2007 edition of the Evergreen State Surveyor. Mr. Dean’s letter goes into significant detail complaining about LSAW’s updated defini-tion efforts. My initial reaction was “Where have you been the past several years? And why haven’t you participated in these efforts until now?” LSAW has been working on this issue for at least 10 years!

I am reminded of a quotation from then-Speaker of the House Sam Rayburn, who so eloquently quipped, “A jackass can kick a barn down, but it takes a carpenter to build one.”

Letters to the EditorMr. Dean’s logic is rather circu-lar, and it eludes me in places, however he concludes that we should cease and desist with our updated definition efforts. I strongly disagree with him, and here are some reasons why. For the most part, the proposed updated definition is very little different than the existing definition. The lan-guage has been updated to conform to the way that laws are written today, and though our proposed bill was pur-posefully written technology-independent, it encompasses technology that could not have even been imagined in 1947, when the existing law was writ-ten. This, I believe, is sufficient reason to move forward.

There are two main changes proposed in our new bill. One

is to restrict the writing of new legal descriptions to Profes-sional Land Surveyors. Who, if anyone, is as qualified to write legal descriptions as a land surveyor? Attorneys, title of-ficers, engineers, landowners and others already routinely rely on surveyors for this work. Savvy experienced persons from other professions are aware of the pitfalls of writing improper or incomplete legal descriptions. Do less knowl-edgeable persons deserve any less consideration? Re-member, the law is intended to protect the general public.

The second significant change adds the provision that the review of documents requir-ing professional judgment

shall be performed under the supervision of a Profes-sional Land Surveyor. We have worked closely with officials from cities, counties and state government for the last two or three years. We have made minor revisions along the way to satisfy their concerns, and generally now have agree-ment. Admittedly, our pro-posed bill is not perfect. After all, it was prepared over many years by several committees. I remain extremely proud of our efforts to date, and urge LSAW to continue with this endeavor. We must not allow perfection to stand in the way of excellence!

R. William Glassey, P.L.S. Redmond, Washington


Adjust A Boundary? Are You Sure?by Dave Berg

How does one go about “un-ringing” a bell? That ques-tion parallels “un-adjusting” a boundary line which never needed adjusting in the first place. Consider the following scenario (a true story):

Not long ago two surveyors performed boundary surveys in the northern end of a gov-ernment lot; the meander line was on the west side of the lot. Both surveyors were using the same control. Both surveyors made the same erroneous assumption regarding a found axle on the beach; they held the axle as marking the north line of the government lot at the meander line.

As they performed their sur-veys for various clients in the northern reaches of the gov-ernment lot, they encountered some fences which didn’t fit the lines of record. Both surveyors set about recording Boundary Line Adjustments making the record agree with the occupa-tion lines. Over time, the two surveyors performed surveys in the middle regions of the government lot where they found fences to be even more “out of position” to a greater degree. More Boundary Line Adjustments were recorded.

Enter the third surveyor. The third surveyor did not accept the axle as being anything more than a very handy device to moor a buoy or float during the boating season. In addi-tion, the third surveyor found a county field book which in-dicated the county had found the same axle 30 years previ-ous; the county had not ac-cepted the axle as marking the meander line or the north line of the government lot.

The third surveyor ignored the axle and set about a retracement, the results of which agreed very closely with surveys performed by others several decades ago. It became clear that the fences found by the above two sur-veyors to not be on the lines

of record, were indeed very close. So the third surveyor set about marking some boundar-ies in the southern areas of the government lot. It was not long before property owners in the middle of the lot began to feel the squeeze.

The third surveyor of course had presented his evidence to the first two very unhappy sur-veyors. They went into denial. They seemed to favor going to litigation and try to justify their acceptance of the axle. To court it went.

The third surveyor prevailed, leaving the first two surveyors with the nightmare of trying the “un-ring” the bell.

It is not hard to find Boundary Line Adjustments or agree-ments recorded pursuant to RCW 58.04.007 that should never have been made. It not a comfortable feeling to try to explain to a client that their Boundary Line Adjust-ment should never have been made. It speaks poorly of our profession. Invariably, the cost of “un-ringing” those bells is far greater than the amount “saved” by neglecting to re-search properly.

Save yourself a lot of heartburn. Don’t ring the bell until you are sure it needs ringing.

Summer 2007 Evergreen State Surveyor 7

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Highlights Of The 19 May 2007 Board Of Trustees (BOT) MeetingRespectfully submitted by Anne Koenen

(Continued on page 9)

Roll Call: By call of the roll it was determined that a quorum existed. See list in state head-quarters for names of those present.

Approval of Minutes: By MO 07-07 it was MSP to approve the minutes of the last meeting as published.

President’s Report: In packet. President Main reported the State Conference committee is excited ACSM will be joining our 2008 conference in Spokane. He also noted some Action Committees didn’t respond with reports for this meeting. Please do so in the future.

OLD BUSINESS

Student Outreach Presenta-tion: Jim distributed copies of the California Land Surveyors’ Association school brochures; then recognized Vic Banks. Vic played the DVD contained in brochure and told trustees we can edit it replacing all CLSA information with LSAW’s info for a fee. Trustees are directed to play the DVD at their chapter meetings and solicit ideas to augment the package. At our August BOT meeting Vic will have a motion to fund LSAW purchase of brochures/DVDs for distribution to schools.

Update Definition Com-mittee Progress: Report in packet. Trustees discussed the committee proposal to exempt photogrammetry from the bill. By MO 07-08 it was M and S to cease all activity on this is-sue. The Motion was TABLED until our August meeting. Prior to that meeting, papers listing: *reasons for moving for-ward with the legislation; *reasons for ceasing al l act iv i ty on this subject ; *the MAPPS/ASPRS letter opposing our legislation; and * the committee response to the MAPPS/ASPRS letter will be sent to the trustees.

Bylaws-Regulations Review: The current draft revision of the bylaws, plus Anne Koenen’s comments to date thereon, will be sent to trustees with these minutes. Trustees should read both and send their com-ments/additions/deletions to Earl Morriss [email protected] so he can have a draft of at least some sec-tions ready to include in the August meeting packet.

LSAW Personal Information Policy Review: Report pre-sented at meeting. Committee will have a proposal in the packet for the next meeting.

Conference Student Volun-teers Policy: Committee will have a proposal in the packet for the next meeting.

NEW BUSINESS

Policy Use of State Conf Acct Credit Card Machine: Rules published in packet, and will be added to Board Handbook.

ExComm Actions: [None]

Exec. Report: We’re investi-gating the advantages of chap-ters filing for their own separate IRS Tax ID numbers.

State Conference Commit-tee Financial Report: Not available yet, but Ben Petersen provided some background on past chapter-hosted confer-ences and the LSAW Confer-ence Policy (03-27). By MO O7-09 it was MSP to amend the State Conference Policy to state: The LSAW yearly conference will be organized by the state organization un-der the direction of the state meetings chair; the steering committee will be open to all chapters; and the location of the conference will be de-cided by the Board of Trustees. Further, the yearly proceeds, as officially declared by the Board of Trustees, will be di-vided as follows: 50% to the State, 20% equally divided among the chapters; and 30% divided among the chapters on the basis of attendance. By MO 07-10 it was MSP that the proceeds of the 2007 State Conference are hereby de-clared to be $100,000, which monies will be distributed per LSAW Motion 07-09, and all remaining proceeds will be reserved in the State Confer-ence Account to serve as seed

A High School Trigonometry Skill Awards Program

PURPOSE OF THE CONTEST

❖ To promote the study of Trigonometry in High School, and to pro-mote excellence in the mastery and application of Trigonometry, by honoring the individual student who has demonstrated his or her superior skill among classmates at the High School level.

❖ To acquaint the high school trigonometry student with the use and practical application of Trigonometry in the Surveying and Mapping professions.

❖ To build an awareness of careers in Surveying and Mapping among high school students, guidance counselors, and math-ematics teachers.

SPONSORSHIP APPLICATION

Contact Erin Dunbar, TrigStar Chair, 360-695-3411

“The proceeds of the 2007 State Conference are hereby declared to be $100,000”


monies for future conferences, settle accounts, and for the ac-quisition of supplies, services and software for the benefit of future conferences.

Correspondence: President Main will send a letter to the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Col-leges supporting the South Puget Sound Community Col-lege plan to offer a 2-year technical degree program in the field of land surveying (per draft in Education Committee re-port.) Local area chapters and firms that would benefit from program graduates are encour-aged write similar letters.

Chapter Reports – Written only. NPS, SNO, SW in packet. SPS submitted at meeting.

C o m m i t t e e R e -por ts : [Ora l add i t ions ] ESS: Aaron Blaisdell offered that rebuttals to recently pub-lished letters to the Editor will be printed. Please write one and send it to Aaron. State Meetings Report: Ben brought 300 State Confer-ence Proceedings CDs (which include the entire BLM 73 Manual among other things) plus blank Conference pass-ports to the meeting. He en-couraged chapters to take a supply and distribute to their members. He has 60 conference bags remaining. TRIGStar: Brian Minor of Prai-rie High School won the state-wide competition this year with a winning time of 35:00 minutes. Brian won last year as well. Two other students, Tori VanWingerden and Chris-topher John, also scored 100 percent. Congratulations to all. Walker Cup: Golf tournament is scheduled for Friday, August 24th at Trophy Lake Golf and Casting Club in Port Orchard. Action Committee 14 LSAW Foundation: John Thalacker reported on the committee work to date. By MO MO 07-11 it was MSP that LSAW

Highlights (continued)

ogy and FEMA approached Inland Empire chapter wanting to present a seminar on flood plain certificates. The chapter plans a half-day event this coming August. Look for it on website soon.

Liaison: Ben Petersen sug-gested that LSAW should consider appointing a liaison person for both MAPPS and ASPRS. We need dialogue with them. ASPRS Regional president is a surveyor, and is a member of LSAW.

Joint ACSM/LSAW 2008 Conference: Conference will run Tuesday, March 4th through

authorize the 2007 Foundation Committee to create, form, and operate a new LSAW Foundation. Said Foundation to be a 501 (c) 3 Corpora-tion established for the pur-pose of raising money and funding LSAW scholarships. Further, President, James Main, is authorized to execute all necessary paperwork per-taining to the formation and activation of said Foundation. LSAW is to be the incorpora-tor of the LSAW Foundation. By MOTION 07-12 it was MSP that LSAW will donate $5,000. annually to the LSAW Foundation as a normally budgeted item.

Good of the Order:

Prevailing Wage: Written Report in packet.

Local Control Networks: Howard Richardson [email protected] asked trustees to send him any information they have on lo-cal area controlling networks. He’d like to compile a listing of all of them.

59.04 North Olympic Chapter reported that their local plan-ning department wants to regulate boundary line agree-ments (approve or disapprove) through the subdivision code. The chapter may ask LSAW for assistance in enforcing this law.

Report #14: Scott Thomas told trustees we are working with Jerry Broadus examining the possibilities for an update to Municipal Report #14.

Old Time Survey Camp: SPS Chapter is hosting its 2nd an-nual Old Time Survey Camp for surveyors and their families at Alder Lake June 15, 16, 17. Last year this event was a huge success.

Seminar: Rich Waltrip an-nounced that the Dept of Ecol-

Sunday, March 9th. Tuesday and Sunday will be primarily ACSM meetings. LSAW work-shops, meetings and social events will run within the con-ference – Wednesday though Saturday – as usual.

Floodplain Certification: Bill Glassey, NSPS Governor, will work with NSPS on getting FEMA to certify floodplain surveyors for Washington, and other interested states.

Job-fair booths: NW Chapter noted a concern over having job-fair booths housed in the same space as vendors at the conference. .

�0 Evergreen State Surveyor Summer 2007

Winners from Graham-Kapowsin High School Graham, WA. Clockwise from Upper Left: Jay Kim-Junior, Sarah Phenisce-Junior, Allan Richter-Junior, Michael Black-Junior.

2007 Washington State Trig Star ResultsBy Erin Dunbar, LSAW Committee Chair

The exams have been scored and this year’s winner is Bryan Minor of Prairie High School. Bryan is a repeat winner, he won last year’s competition as well. He scored 100/100 points in the winning time of 35:00 minutes. As winner Bryan will take home a $500 check from the Land Surveyors’ Association of Washington and will participate in the National Trig-Star Exam in June.

Worth mentioning are the two other 100/100 scores: Tori VanWingerden of Sunnyside Christian and Christopher John of Battle Ground High School. Both of these students did an excellent job as well!

The following is a list of students in order of placement.Tori VanWingerdenChristopher JohnCody AllistonNathaniel HardyJoshua LetendreMorrie LowTristinn WilliamsJay KimShannon KimDaniel HolsteinAllan RichterKayla SniderMegumi TaylorTrevan Meador

This year’s winner is Bryan Minor of Prairie High School”

Summer 2007 Evergreen State Surveyor ��

Editor Note: The following pages are un-edited copies of the correspondence regarding HB 1184: Update Definition of Land Surveying. All past, present and future Professional Land Surveyors should pay close attention to this issue before us. The outcome, whether the legislation passes or not, could be drastic

The Honorable Brendan WilliamsThe Honorable Gary AlexanderWashington State House of ReprJohn L. O’Brien BuildingPO Box 40600Olympia, WA 98504-0600

RE: H.B. 1184

Dear Representative Williams and Representative Alexander:

The Management Association for Private Photogrammetric Surveyors (MAPPS), representing more than 160 firms and more than 10,000 individual employees, is the only national association exclusively comprised of private sector firms engaged in a broad spectrum of geospatial activi-ties, including firms providing photogrammetric services. The American Society of Photogram-metry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) is a scientific and educational organization of more than 6000 geospatial information specialists and 140 sustaining corporate members, operating both nationally and internationally. We are writing jointly to express our concern for H.B. 1184 in its present form, and to respectfully request your assistance and cooperation in amending the bill to correct its defect.

We believe the bill will have the unintended consequence of legislating photogrammetrists out of business in Washington State. We also believe that the language currently in the bill is sufficiently broad to be misinterpreted to include significant applications of geographic information system (GIS) technology. Although H.B. 1184 does not use the terms “photogrammetry” or “GIS,” the bill includes language that would include those tec the practice of surveying. These include:

• the term “mapping” on page 4, line 20;

• the phrase “interpreting gathered measurements: on page 4, line 21;

• the phrase “determining the size, shape, and/or contour of the earth’s surface, any point on the earth, or the position of fixed objects thereon by means of measuring” on page 4, line 23-25; and

• the phrase “creating, preparing or modifying documents, maps, electronic data or computer-ized data use in the performance of the activities in (a) through (g) of this subsection” on page 5, lines 6-8.

What is Photogrammetry?

The leading textbook for students of photogrammetry provides a two-pronged definition

“In its restricted sense, the term photogrammetry means the process of measuring images on a photograph. In a more comprehensive sense, photogrammetry includes: (a) photographing an ob-


HB 1184: Update Definition of Land Surveying

�2 Evergreen State Surveyor Summer 2007

ject; (b) measuring the image of the object on the processed photographs; and (c) reducing the measurements to useful form such as a topographic map.”

(SEE Moffitt, F.H., and Mikhail, E.M., 1980, PHOTORAMME-TRY, 3rd Ed., New York: Harper & Row.)

A similar definition is offered in a glossary published by three leading professional societies in the engineering field. It de-fines photogrammetry as

“the science or art of deducing the physical dimensions of ob-jects from measurements on photographs…..the principal application of photogrammetry is to the mapping of the Earth’s surface”

(SEE American Congress on Surveying and Mapping/American Society for Photo-grammetry and Remote Sens-ing/American Society of Civil Engineers, 1994, GLOSSARY OF THE MAPPING SCIENC-ES, New York: ASPRS, ACSM & ASCE.)

What is GIS?

Geographic information sys-tems have been described in several ways during the devel-opment and emergence of the technology. These include:

• A computer-based system for capture, storage, retrieval, analysis and display of spatial (locationally defined) data. (The National Science Foundation)

• Geographic information means information systems that involve locational data, such as maps and other geo-spatial information resources (section 216, E-Government Act of 2002, Public Law 107-347)

• GIS is a system of computer software, hardware, and data

used to manipulate, analyze, and graphically present a potentially wide array of in-formation associated with geographic locations. (U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO))

How are Photogrammetry and GIS-based Mapping Treated in Washington State?

Currently, the use of photo-grammetry or GIS as applied to mapping services is not subject to licensure by the State of Washington. While there have been discussions among the affected profes-sions, including members of MAPPS and ASPRS, and the Washington State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Survey-ors, no agreement on the desirability nor the process for, licensing photogrammetry as the practice of surveying was ever reached. In addition, to the best of our knowledge, no discussions concerning the application of GIS technology to mapping have occurred. The photogrammetry and GIS communities were not part of any discussions that led to H.B. 1184.

How Does H.B. 1184 Adverse-ly Impact Photogrammetrists and GIS Practitioners?

Our concern is that without using the terms “photogram-metry” or “GIS,” the sections of H.B. 1184 cited above describe the services performed by these methods, and includes them in the definition of the “practice of land surveying.”

The practical effect of H.B. 1184 will be to regulate pho-togrammetry, and potentially some applications of GIS technology, as the practice of surveying. Any individual who today is providing photogram-metric or GIS services in the State of Washington, and is not a licensed surveyor,

would therefore be prohibited from continuing their practice should H.B. 1184 be enacted into law in its present form. This would legislate out of business any individual who, while highly experienced, qualified and competent to perform photogrammetric mapping or GIS services, does not meet the requirements for becoming licensed as a surveyor under RCW 18.43.020.

In this regard, H.B. 1184 is inconsistent with the Model Law of the National Council of Examiners for Engineers and Surveyors (NCEES), the national non-profit organiza-tion composed of engineer-ing and surveying licensing boards representing all U.S. states and territories, of which the Washington State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Survey-ors is a member. www.ncees.org/introduction/about_ncees/ncees_model_law.pdf

How Would H.B. 1184 Ad-versely Affect the State of Washington?

Land surveying and other geospatial services, including photogrammetry and GIS, are very different sub-disciplines in the broad field of surveying and engineering. They require different techniques, equip-ment, training, methodologies, experience and examination. An individual trained and ex-perienced in surveying is not typically qualified or competent to practice photogrammetry or provide non-boundary related GIS mapping services, nor are photogrammetrists or GIS specialists typically qualified to perform boundary surveys.

If H.B. 1184 is enacted in its present form, qualified pho-togrammetry and GIS practi-tioners who do not meet the State Board’s boundary survey requirements would be legally prohibited from continuing to

practice in Washington State. That will create an immediate shortage of photogrammetrists and GIS practitioners, causing severe economic disruption in the State. Activities such as flood plain mapping; highway corridor mapping; infrastruc-ture mapping for pipelines, airports, water supply sys-tems and other critical public works projects; private com-mercial and residential land development; natural resource management and projects like the Puget Sound LIDAR Consortium would all come to a virtual standstill without an adequate supply of geospatial practitioners. In addition, in the limited number of cases where these projects could be carried out utilizing conventional land surveying methods, significant and unnecessary millions of dollars in added costs and years in delays would cripple the economy of the State of Washington.

How Can H.B. 1184 Be Fixed?

The NCEES Model Law was carefully developed after an extensive process that includ-ed a nationwide corps of stake-holders, such as engineers, surveyors, Photogrammetrists, GIS practitioners, and state licensing board members. The Model Law includes a grand-father or “savings” clause to permit a window during which currently practicing photo-grammetrists can become li-censed as surveyors, limited to their area of competence and expertise – by demonstrating qualifications and experience in the specialty area of pho-togrammetry, but not tying it to experience, examination or education specific to traditional land surveying.

Recently, the State Legislature in your neighboring state of Or-egon included licensing of pho-togrammetrists in its definition

MAPPS (continued)



of surveying, and that legisla-tion included such a savings clause provision. In addition, all geospatial stakeholders in Oregon came together to in-sure that the resulting legisla-tion did not inadvertently harm the increasingly important applications of these tech-nologies. Similar processes have benefited the other state legislatures that have recently enacted legislation affecting photogrammetry in their Land Surveyors Act, including Vir-ginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida.

We respectfully urge you to amend H.B. 1184, at a mini-mum, to include the provision “Grandfathering of Photo-grammetrists” that is found in section 160.60 of the NCEES Model Law (see attached) and mandate the use of the NCEES Model Rules1 in the administrative implementation of this legislation.

On behalf of the MAPPS and ASPRS members in Wash-ington State, and those lo-cated elsewhere who work in Washington State, we would be happy to work with you on this revision to your bill. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Sincerely,

John M. Palatiello James R. Plasker, Executive Director Executive Director

MAPPS ASPRS

1 The NCEES Model Rules were developed by the same stakeholder process mentioned above to ad-dress the critical delineations between those prac-tices within the geospatial professions, including the application of GIS technologies, which require licensure to protect the public health, safety and welfare, and those which do not rise to that level. We believe that both the adoption of the “savings” clause in the statute and the use of the Model Rules as a guide in the establishment of related admin-istrative regulations are imperative to successful and non-punitive implementation of this legislation. (See section 210.25 Inclusions and Exclusions of Surveying Practice at www.ncees.org/introduction/about_ncees/ncees_model_rules.pdf)

Attachment

NCEES Savings Clause2

160.60 Grandfathering of Photogrammetrists

A. Licensure of Professionals Currently Practicing Sur-veying as defined in the Model Law, Section 110.20 B.4.a. – Any person pres-ently practicing surveying in the jurisdiction of…, as defined in Section 110.20 D of the Model Law, using photogrammetric tech-nologies with at least 8 years’ experience in the profession, two or more of which shall have been in responsible charge of photogrammetric mapping projects meeting ASPRS Aerial Photography and Mapping Standards, or U.S. National Mapping Standards, shall, upon application, be licensed to practice surveying and/or mapping in the jurisdiction of…, provided:

1. The applicant submits certified proof of gradua-

MAPPS (continued)tion from high school, high school equivalency, or a higher degree.

2. The applicant, optionally, submits: certified proof of a baccalaureate degree in surveying or a related field of study approved by the (board), which may be substituted for four of the above required years of experience; or certified proof of a master’s degree in surveying or a related field of study approved by the (board), which may be substituted for a maximum of five of the above required years of experience.

3. The applicant submits proof of employment in responsible charge of pho-togrammetric surveying and/or mapping projects, practicing within any of the fifty United States, includ-ing itemized reports detail-ing methods, procedures, amount of the applicant’s personal involvement, and the name, address, and telephone numbers of

the client for five projects completed under the su-pervision of the applicant within the United States. A final map for each of the five projects shall also be submitted.

4. The applicant submits five references as to the appli-cant’s character and qual-ity of work, three of which shall be from professional surveyors, mappers, or en-gineers currently practicing within the scope of their license in an area of sur-veying and/or mapping.

5. Said application is filed with the board within 2 years, next after __________________ 20__. There-after, no photogrammetric surveyor or mapper shall be licensed without meet-ing the requirements for education, length of experi-ence, testing, or reciprocity criteria, as set forth by the board for all applicants.

2 Excerpted from NCEES Model Law, pp. 20-21. See http://www.ncees.org/introduction/about_ncees/ ncees_model_law.pdf

�� Evergreen State Surveyor Summer 2007

The Honorable Brendan Williams The Honorable Gary Alexander Washington State House of Representatives John L. O’Brien Building PO Box 40600 Olympia, WA 98504-0600

RE: H.B. 1184

Dear Representative Williams and Representative Alexander:

On February 22, 2007, Management Association for Private Photogrammetric Surveyors (MAPPS) and the American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) sent you a letter opposing HB 1184 as currently written.

The main concern of their letter appears to be that they “believe the bill will have the unintended consequence of legislating photo-grammetrists out of business in Washington State”. The letter also states “Any individual who today is providing photogrammetric or GIS services in the State of Washington, and is not a licensed surveyor, would therefore be prohibited from continuing their practice should H.B. 1184 be enacted into law in its present form.”

Both these statements are simply untrue. The current definition of Land Surveying in the State of Washington per Chapter 18.43.020 (9) RCW is as follows:

Practice of land surveying: The term “practice of land surveying” within the meaning and intent of this chapter, shall mean assum-ing responsible charge of the surveying of land for the establishment of corners, lines, boundaries, and monuments, the laying out and subdivision of land, the defining and locating of corners, lines, boundaries and monuments of land after they have been established, the survey of land areas for the purpose of determining the topography thereof, the making of topographical delineations and the preparing of maps and accurate records thereof, when the proper performance of such services requires technical knowledge and skill. (emphasis added)

As you can see from the current Washington RCW definition, the practice of photogrammerty as outlined by MAPPS and ASPRS in their letter is clearly the practice of Land Surveying in the State of Washington and requires a license to provide or perform such services. HB 1184 does not change this fact. Traditionally photogrammetric services in the State of Washington were performed under the direct supervision of a Professional Land Surveyor as required by law.

Providing a Land Surveying license to a photogrammetrist by a grandfather clause does not protect the health, safety or welfare of the public. Photogrammetrists are simply not trained as Professional Land Surveyors and should not hold a license without such proper training and testing. When on site septic system designers wanted to obtain professional status they were not grandfa-thered in as Professional Engineers, they pursued and obtained their own professional status, which included limited engineering and surveying disciplines that are regulated by the Washington State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors.

Unfortunately, Mr. Palatiello and Mr. Plasker did not understand that the current definition of Land Surveying in Washington State includes mapping as a discipline before they wrote their letter. The Land Surveyors’ Association of Washington requests that the misinformation in the MAPPS letter does not prevent HB 1184 from moving forward in this session.

Very Truly Yours, James Wengler, P.L.S, Committee Chair, Committee to Update the Definition of Land Surveying

HB 1184: Update Definition of Land Surveying


Reasons to Continue Pursu-ing an Update to the Definition of Land Surveying

• The current definition of land surveying was adopted in 1947. Incredible changes have occurred in our practice during the past 60 years. Please re-view the accompanying “White Paper” for more information.

• LSAW has been working on this update continuously since about 1997 or so. Very few members of the current Board of Trustees have experienced this entire process. We have too much invested to simply abandon these effor ts so cavalierly.

• LSAW finally agreed on

HB 1184: Update Update Definition of Land SurveyingRespectfully submitted to the Board of Trustees by: James Wengler, PLS, LSAW Update Definition Committee Chair

governmental review of survey documents to be performed under the direct supervision of another licensed profes-sional. These two items are not currently part of the exist-ing definition.

• LSAW has met with and successfully negotiated mi-nor revisions with all parties expressing opposition to our bill prior to its last introduction. Some last minute opposition cropped up late in the last legislative session, though

we believe there is nothing we can’t negotiate around prior to resubmittal this September.

• The most recent revision recommended by the Update Definition Committee should bring the photogrammetry community, the Board of Reg-istration and MAPPS in sup-port of our efforts.

• All five members of the Update Definition Committee are unanimously in support of continuing our efforts. These are the five people closest to the action; those present at hearings in Olympia, in meetings with opposition and instrumental throughout the entire process. .

PLEASE PAY YOUR

DUES and JOIN N.S.P.S.

proposed language in 2001 in a Special Session held in Olympia. There was much give and take on all sides to arrive at the first approved draft. It has never been perfect, nor will it ever be. We must not let

perfection stand in the way of excellence.

• The proposed bill includes the preparation of land de-scriptions in the practice of land surveying, and includes a provision that would require

“The current definition of land surveying was adopted in 1947”


A motion was made at the request of the Snohomish Chapter at the last BOT meet-ing to cease pursuing the Update Definition Legislation. This report is the result of the discussion at that meeting and is intended to provide some thought and discussion in support of that motion. It is true that our existing definition has been around for a long time. When we began this effort many years ago, there was strong yet not unanimous support for this effort. At the time we thought we were fac-ing impending national efforts relative to NAFTA and wanted to be in as strong a position as possible when facing that issue. We also wanted to solidify some aspects of our profession such as mapping and the preparation of legal descriptions.

We wanted our work to be re-viewed by our peers along with several other similar items.

There was also concern over the lack of prosecution of unlicensed practice based on our existing “broad based law definition”. The URBP Act has removed many of these obstacles already.

Since that time, we have made compromises (some not so minor) in an effort to pass this legislation which causes it

to bear little re-semblance to the document many peop le spent countless hours developing. Are we pursuing this legislation just for the sake of say-ing we did so? Are we exposing our profession for the sake of doing something which may not need to be done?

Update Definition Of Land Surveying Respectfully submitted to the Board of Trustees by: Mike Mickiewicz, PLS, (Statement Against Continuing)

The opening of the legislative door does in fact expose our profession to outside influenc-es. The last effort was held up by a letter from MAPPS. While we can once again compro-mise and exempt photogram-metrists from our definition in the hopes of appeasing

MAPPS and ASPRS, what guarantee do we have that they will not return to influ-ence the outcome of our ef-forts by making revisions to the definition once it reaches the legislative floor? This is a very important point. MAPPS is advertising their stopping of our bill on their web page.

Once on the floor it is open to revisions by parties beyond our control. If one letter from an organization based on the other side of the country, with-out local constituents or even paying local taxes can stall our legislation, perhaps there is a message for us all there. In addition to the mappers, what about the GIS community? To my knowledge, we have never heard anything one way or the other from the Bar Associa-tion (from which profession to many of the legislators come?) or other groups which provide services or products not dis-similar from ours?

The committee believes with the latest compromise with the mappers, all the opposition is now on board with us. That may not be the case. If so, why was a Multiple Agency

Financial Note Summary pre-pared showing a huge mon-etary impact as a result of our proposed legislation? The committee argues the financial note was based on false infor-mation, they still produced it. The engineering department of one State Agency was actually drafting alternate language which would have

effectively left us as Boundary Surveyors only.

That is the basis for the motion and a very real concern, we open the legislation and walk

away being Boundary Sur-veyors, gaining nothing and loosing much.

The committee for this legis-lation has put their heart and soul into this effort and for which they should all be com-mended. This motion should in no way reflect on their continu-ous efforts but perhaps they have been too close for too long. The motion to cease this effort is not a recent thought or in any way cavalier in nature. This update definition effort has been moving ahead by majority vote but not unani-mous vote for some time.

The committee is for moving ahead, the majority of the Ex-ecutive Committee and many LSAW Members are not. As a board, we represent our chapters and through them, our membership. Please take a moment to consider how you are going to explain to the rest of the profession how we be-came Boundary Surveyors.

There is an old adage about keeping your friends close and your enemies even closer.

Several of our neighboring states have found or are work-ing on ways to embrace the related professions without drawing a hard line in the sand or exempting them. There are alternatives to opening our definition to outside influ-ences and we should explore them instead of betting it all on opening the legislation process. .

“We also wanted to solidify some aspects of our profession such as mapping and the preparation of legal descriptions”


2007 Land Surveyors’ Association of Washington Representatives

Mike Mickiewicz, PLS - Chairman

Jim Main, President Ben Petersen, President-Elect Scott Thomas, Vice President

LSAW Chapters & 2007 PresidentsCascade Columbia Murray GroenigInland Empire Todd PocockLower Columbia Michael J GilroyNorth Central Timothy HollingsworthNortheast John M. ShackelfordNorth Olympic Finis H BrewerNorth Puget Sound Roy Earl MorrissNorthwest Adam J NelsonSouth Central Aaron DyckSnohomish Christopher S RoyakSouth Puget Sound Gary LetzringSouthwest Steven B Ivey


2007 Land Surveyors’ Association of Washington Representatives

Patrick Beehler, PLS - President-Elect

Washington State Section Gary Gervelis, PLS - Chairman

Mick Sprouffske, Jr., Secretary-Tresurer

Ken Swindaman, Past President Anne Koenen, Executive Director


Surveyors find the beauty in a straight line. Especially if they know how long it is.

So imagine their delight when a public installation celebrating — and protecting — a valuable straight line is unveiled in Mag-nuson Park June 7.

Seattle artist Perri Lynch has made a monument of the Sand Point calibration baseline by installing a string of 12 6-foot-high limestone columns that line up precisely with one an-other. The installation, appro-priately called “Straight Shot,” features peepholes in each monolith that allow a viewer to get the sort of targeted look a surveyor does.

The line itself is entirely spa-tial, other than periodic sta-tions marked only by small bronze disks embedded in the ground. Public and pri-vate surveyors use the line to verify and calibrate electronic distance-measurement equip-ment, which aids everything from construction to law en-forcement to transportation.

“Everything we build or mea-sure needs a ruler,” says Gavin Schrock, a surveyor and ana-lyst for Seattle Public Utilities. “And we have to make sure all those rulers are the same length. Whether you measure with lasers or satellites or whatever, you have to make sure they all measure the same thing, and that is what the cali-bration line is about.”

The accuracy of the Sand Point line is said to be within half a millimeter.

The idea germinated about four years ago when it ap-

‘Art shot straight through the park | A public-art installation celebrates an important calibration baseline in Seattle’s Magnuson Park’ By Richard Seven, Seattle Times staff reporter

peared that construction in the sprawling park would inter-rupt the sight line. There are about a dozen such baselines in Washington, but the Sand Point line is probably the most used in the state.

That’s some line

If you wrapped the Sand Point calibration line around the world, it would pass through, or by, Mount Hood, the Santa

Barbara Peninsula, Easter Island, Queen Maud Land in Antarctica, the central Hima-layas, British Columbia, Lake Forest Park and Bill Gates’

estate. Source: Gavin Schrock, surveyor and analyst for Se-attle Public Utilities

So geodesists and surveyors, including Schrock, began looking for ways to protect it. They decided it would be eas-ier to reserve the line through public art than by persuading the public how important the invisible feature is. And, they felt, art would probably be a good teacher.

Lynch, whose studio is just down the road from the instal-lation, won the competition.


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She seemed suited for it. Her practice investigates the relationship between human perception and sense of place. She is drawn to landmarks, like survey stations. She was also enticed by working with this unseen, mostly unknown landmark that the vast majority of us don’t even know exists, let alone holds importance.

“The baseline is a humble bit of infrastructure that brings definition to our world, without most of us ever knowing it’s there,” Lynch says. “A 10-foot-wide, kilometer-long swath cuts straight through Magnu-son Park from south to north, yet goes unnoticed by thou-sands of people every day. Isn’t that amazing? With the artwork now in place, my hope is that the presence of the baseline will register with park users, be revered as something special, and augment the overall park

experience.”

Lynch also played with per-spective, doubling the dis-tance between one pillar to the next in the line, which begins just south of the boat launch in the southeast corner of the park and stretches to a sports meadow.

The Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs and Seattle Public Utili-ties commissioned the work two years ago with $40,000 from SPU’s One Percent for

A shot straight through the park (continued)Art fund. A surveyors asso-ciation and a private sur-vey-equipment company also contributed.

As part of the goal to illuminate the practice and importance of surveying, historical surveying equipment will be displayed along the line during the dedi-cation, at 10 a.m. June 7.

Reprinted with permission, Weds., 30th May 2007 — Fourth edition ROP North-west Life — page F1..


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This is not a McClellan saddle. It is probably Visalia, Porter, or Black Oak. This we can tell, it is a center fire rigging, so is

About the Coverby Chip Westbrook

either south or west. Montana used double rigging as they used hard and fast roping. The saddle has a high cantle and a slick fork, probably Apple wood if it’s a Black Oak saddle. The back cinch is to keep the saddle from rolling up when roping. The stirrup leathers have been turned to force the stirrups to ride so that you can pick them up with a boot and not bend over. The stirrups are oak with a steel band made for a walking boot or shoe. The skirts are square which rules out Mexico or deep southwest. The lariat strap is in the right place so we know the photo is correct. The tripod looks to be K & E, with a three piece leg. The Alidade could be either

Gurley or K & E.

The Instrument man is dressed in civilian clothes with leather saddle pad reinforcement. The high top boots are required because the pants come just below the knee. He is wearing a campaign hat of the Spanish American war. We are looking NNW judging from the trees growing on the wet side of the hill. They look to be pine from the points. My guess is the rod man is taking the picture, and this is a Soil Conserva-tion Crew from the nineteen thirties. The horse belongs to the rod man. It has to be July or later from the grain and the shadow. I would say they are just starting after lunch.

Bring Your Child to Work Day

Associate member (Lower Columbia Chapter) John Thomp-son and his son Alec setting up a tripod.

Son Alec holding the staff on the DNR monument at the W 1/4 Sec. 1, T4N, R3E, W.M.” Photos by Howard Richardson, PLS.


Any business person will tell you that it is impossible to operate a profitable business without clients. Even governments need clients in order to justify their existence. Professional surveyors who pro-vide services need clients in order to survive. As every business person knows, clients come in all shapes, sizes, dispositions and financial capacities.

As a general statement, in any business there are two types of clients: those who want to pur-chase your services or product and those who need to purchase your services or product. As we have all told our children or were told by our parents, your wants and needs are two different things. Luckily, professional land surveying services tend to fall in the “need” category.

With the best interests of society in mind, various pieces of govern-ment legislation make the land surveyor’s services a necessity. Without our services, people can-not subdivide or develop land; that cannot build houses or obtain mortgage funds from various lenders. Other respected profes-sions, such as lawyers, engineers and architects, depend on survey services on a daily basis. One interesting attribute of many of the people who need survey services is that they have no idea of what we do or how we do it. All they know is that they need it.

You would assume that by having other professionals depending on your services, having your services mandated by legisla-tion, and having a clientele that really doesn’t understand what you do, making a good living would be easy! But in far too many instances, land surveyors fall victim to being told what they can charge by their client. Now it doesn’t make sense to me that a client who must have your service and doesn’t know what you do has the ability to make any kind of an informed decision about the value

The ClientBy Robert A. Daniels, NSLS, CLS

of the product and service they will receive and influence fees. This unfortunate state of affairs has come about as a result of too many land surveyors being too quick to reduce their fees for fear of losing a client to a competitor.

Clients who “need” service will always have the financial capacity to pay for that service. They have no choice. Fortunately, clients of land surveyors usually have the most valuable asset of all, land. Other professionals are not so lucky; lawyers sometimes have clients who are destitute and can never pay their bills, architects may have clients who are purely fantasizing about their dream house. When the reality of what it will cost is realized, the dream may disappear along with the architects’ chances of collecting for their services. In most cases the land surveyor’s clients have a valuable asset (land) that will enable them to raise the funds necessary to pay the account.

As stated earlier, clients come in all shapes, sizes and dispositions. The shape and size of a client have little to do with their potential to be a good client. However, their disposition can make you regret the day they contacted you.

When you are contacted by a client seeking your services, you can sometimes get a sense of what kind of relationship will result. In most instances, it is a good relationship, the service is provided, it is satisfactory and the client pays the invoice. These are clients worth keeping. To keep good clients, you may sometimes have to give them a little bit of special service to ensure they become return clients.

Sometimes you can sense a prob-lem client at the outset. These people are overly demanding, and do not understand that it takes time and effort to provide the service. They twist what you have told them into interpretations that

are for their benefit and to your detriment. This is a client we can all do without.

Then there are the bargain hunt-ers. They spend a great deal of their time contacting every land surveyor in the yellow pages to get the cheapest price for a service they know nothing about. Often you will know that these people are “shopping” for the best price, because they will tell you. If you expect to make a good living from surveying, you are better off not dealing with these individuals at all. You will spend your time providing a cost estimate; they will shop until they find a cheaper price, and even if you do have them as a client, there is little chance of return or future business.

I have often heard of the 20/80 rule in life. This rule can be applied to business as well. It works like this: 80% of your profit will come from 20% of your client base, and 80% of your business problems will come from 20% of your client base. We could all do without the troublesome 20%.

A couple of basic principles of business are: 1) you do not have to take on all clients that come through the door, and 2) you have a right to expect reasonable com-pensation for the expert services you provide.

“AND THAT’S THE BOTTOM LINE,” according to Stone Cold Steve Austin of the WWF.

Mr. Daniels is a surveyor in private practice with over thirty years of experience. He is a Past President of the Associa-tion of Nova Scotia Land Sur-veyors and was also the Execu-tive Director for five years.

Reprinted as seen from the As-sociation of Nova Scotia Land Surveyors website – Articles: The Client, May 28, 2007 : http://www.ansls.ca/..


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This is an end-of-session leg-islative report on the status of bills of possible interest to Land Surveyors. A report was filed at the Annual Meeting and some changes are noted since that time. Also, certain rule changes have occurred over the past year and are noted as follows:

New chapter 196-29 WAC, Professional practices.

Reason: To better organize ex-isting and future rules that per-tain to professional practice of engineers and land surveyors under one chapter heading.

Repeal Chapter 196-24 WAC.

Reason: Repeal of chapter 196-24 WAC, and place exist-ing section into new chapter that better explains subject

Washington State Legislature - Bill Reviewby Dave Steele, PLS - Geodetic Survey Director, Washington State Dept. of Natural Resources

matter. (See 196-29 WAC)

WAC 196-16-100 through 160 was created to implement the rules regarding continuing professional development for professional land surveyors.

SHB 1491 passed during the 2006 session and reor-ganized and renumbered all aquatic lands statutes, throughout Title 79 RCW. This rule change will update all RCW references within the aquatic lands administrative codes (chapter 332-30 WAC) to reflect this reorganization and renumbering. It will also correct a few internal number-ing references. It will make no substantive changes, yet requires an update of the Land Survey Reference Manual.

Amend selected fees in

chapters 196-30 and 196-26A WAC by suspending a portion of those fees for a two-year period.

Chapter 196-23 WAC, Stamp-ing and seals has been amended.

Amendments were necessary to address the stamp/seal usage of professional engineers and professional land surveyors.

Brief Summary:

(1) The license expiration date must be hand written by the licensee. You cannot have the date on your electronic seal. You cannot have the month and day on your rubber stamp. The rubber stamp solution is to carve out the month and day.

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2007 WA June 5/22/07 4:55 PM Page 1(Continued on page 28)

“Chapter 196-23WAC, Stamping and Seals has been amended.”


(2) Whenever you sign a docu-ment, the date of signature must also be written.

(3) The signature must be placed directly over the seal or stamp. This is the way it was for a while in the past and then that requirement was re-moved. Now the requirement is back. This means that on the sheet that has the surveyor’s certificate, two signatures are required, one on the certificate and one over the seal. On subsequent sheets, only the signature over the top of the seal and date are required.

WAC 196-27A - Rules of Professional Conduct and Practice has been amended. Amendments were necessary to address explicit acts of misconduct that pertain to the professional practice of engi-neers and/or land surveyors; specifically, to address the act of retaliation that may occur by licensees.

Here is the link to view the rule changes that were filed with

the Code Reviser

http://www.leg.wa.gov/docu-ments/wsr/2007/07/07-07-121.htm

2007 LEGISLATION

*FAILED*

HB 1115 Brief Description: Creating programs to end homelessness.

Brief Summary of Bill

• Changes the name of the Homeless Housing and As-sistance Act to the Ending Homelessness Act.

• Adds an additional $10 sur-charge and a $10 local option surcharge to be charged by county auditors to primarily benefit local ending homeless-ness programs.

• Adds additional planning, reporting and evaluation re-quirements.

• Adds a requirement that

each county homeless census be conducted twice a year.

House Bill 1184 (Redefinition of Land Surveying)


Redefines the acts which are Land Surveying and provides that, if professional land sur-veying judgment is required in the review, approval, or ex-amination by a state agency of survey data, documents pre-pared by a person authorized to practice land surveying, or services performed by a person authorized to practice land surveying, the review, approval, or examination must be done by, or under the direct supervision of, another person authorized to practice land surveying or as,otherwise authorized by state law.

*PASSED*

House Bill 1413 (Changing the definition of floodway in the shoreline management act.):


To redefine “floodway” as it pertains to the Shoreline Management Act. The new definition would require flood-ways to be established in the Federal Emergency Manage-ment Act Flood Insurance Rate Map or Floodway Map. Other data and information identifying past flooding may also be used.

See companion SB 5473.

Details and Comments: http://www.washingtonvotes.org/Leg-islation.aspx?ID=49395.

Washington State Legislature (continued)

IN MEMORIAM

Melvin D. Lauteren, 64, of Toppenish passed away Monday June 11th, 2007 at the Yakima

Regional Medical and Cardiac Center.

Mr. Lauteren was born in Ukiah, Calif., and was raised and educated in Northern California. Mel worked as a land surveyor

in California and the Pacific Northwest. For 14 years he owned and operated Kootenai Engineering in Libby, Montana. In 2000 he

moved to Toppenish and was working for the Yakama Nation as a surveyor at the time of his death.

Survivors include his wife, Elizabeth; his parents, Ernest and Clora Lauteren of Zillah; a daughter, Valerie Williams of Juneau, Alaska; a son, John Lauteren of Moses Lake; a brother, Herb Lauteren of Las

Vegas, Nev.; and three grandchildren

Mel had been a chapter trustee for Cascade Columbia Chapter since 2003 and served on many committees. He ran a straight

line and will be missed.


We take this opportunity to enlighten you regarding the LSAW Auxiliary, and invite all LSAW spouses and significant others to join our organization. LSAW Auxiliary was formed in 1983, with the goal of pro-moting education excellence in the profession by offering scholarships to deserving students studying surveying. An equally important goal was to establish a social group to enjoy activities at the LSAW conferences. The camaraderie among the ladies and gentle-men who have the “pleasure” of sharing their lives with a land surveyor, have resulted in some long-time close friend-ships. We have much in com-mon with one another.

If you have ever attended or plan to attend a LSAW confer-ence and would like to join others in activities and events planned especially for you while your spouse attends class all day, we will have some pleasant surprises for you.

Here’s what we’re about. The Auxiliary meets once during the annual conference. Deci-sions regarding scholarships, fundraising and planning the next year’s conference are made at the membership meeting. Typically we sell raffle tickets to raise money for scholarships. The social side of the auxiliary is the great time we have getting together for the activities, classes, tours, and interest-ing sites that each conference location offers. This year, at Tacoma, we had a fabulous northwestern lunch at The Harmon Restaurant and Brew-ery, watched top-notch artists at the Museum of Glass, spent an afternoon at Freighthouse Square, a huge antique mall, and enjoyed a “Kitchen 101” class given by an instructor at Bates technical College.

If you are thinking of attend-

ing the 2008 conference at the Doubletree Convention Center, in Spokane, March 5-8, please plan to check us out. We will have a variety of activities planned, and you will be warmly received by the Auxiliary members. Annual membership dues are $20.00, but you do not need to be a member in order to participate in any of our activities. Every-one is more than welcome. For more information about LSAW Auxiliary, you may contact any of the Board members. We’re always open for new ideas and

new friends.

President, Laura Walker, 253-476-2579;

Vice President, Lucille McGin-nis, 360-871-3000;

Secretary, Delores DeMeyer, 360-354-4455;

Treasurer, Maxine Cray 360-675-1196;

Scholarship, Vicky Thalacker, 360-378-4578. .

Invitation To Join LSaW auxiliary


How many times have you looked at an image of a recorded survey of yours or others and thought “something is missing” or “that looks sloppy.” It may be because of a Uniform Contrast issue or it maybe that the copy provided to the County Auditor did not meet the legibility requirements of WAC 332-130.

The intent of this article is to be pro-active with the survey industry, by bringing to you some of the issues that we at the Department of Natu-ral Resources Public Land Survey Office (PLSO), formerly known as the Bureau of Maps and Surveys, see from time to time. By being proactive we are trying to make you aware of scanning issues so that you can make adjustments in your drafting methods and techniques, hence eliminating any chance of a uniform contrast issue. To quote a former article (Evergreen Surveyor Summer 1997) on this subject, au-thored by Don Fitch, PLS, “Quality maps, made in compliance with the Standards, provide a professional service to the public and reflect well on the survey industry. They allow quick and efficient process-ing by those entities charged with maintaining repositories for future use by researchers.”

The PLSO by statute is the state-wide repository for surveys, see RCW 58.24. When a survey is recorded at the County Auditors Of-fice one of three things happen;

• The County scans the survey and provides an image to the PLSO. Currently 20 counties scan their own maps or contract out for that service.

• The County provides the Mylar original to the PLSO for imaging. Currently 18 counties provide Mylar’s.

• The County provides a paper copy to the PLSO for imaging. One County still provides paper copies.

The PLSO provides imaging ser-vices to the counties that do not

Uniform Contrast Issues Submitted by Mick Sprouffske, PLS, DNR, Public Land Survey Office Manager And Laurie Owen, DNR, Scanning Specialist

have imaging systems at no cost to the county. We then return the docu-ments to the County and provide them with images. The equipment and software used by the PLSO is state of the art, and we have an Imaging Specialist who is dedicated to scanning. As stated above many of the counties have chosen to do their own scanning and provide us with images. By and large this situation works well. However, there are three issues which arise at the county level:

•Due to budget and space con-straints, the equipment and soft-ware purchased by the Counties are not robust enough to capture data which is too light, too fine, too dark or too bold. This is especially true if both ends of the spectrum occur on the same map.

•County Staff time is limited. Scan-ning chores are frequently assigned to whom ever has the time.

•County Staff are not trained in the rudiments of surveying, in other words they are not looking at every part of the map and making sure that everything is captured.

RCW 58.09.050 (3) requires the surveyor to furnish two legible prints to the auditor along with the origi-nal. WAC 332-130-050 attempts to clarify the word legible.

WAC 332-130-050 (1) (d) The docu-ment filed or recorded and all copies required to be submitted with the filed or recorded document shall, for legibility purposes:

(i) Have uniform contrast suitable for scanning or microfilming;

(ii) Be without any form of cross hatching, shading, or any other highlighting technique that to any degree diminishes the legibility of the drafting detail or text;

(iii) Contain dimensioning and let-tering no smaller than 0.08 inches, vertically and line widths not less than 0.008 inches (equivalent to

pen tip 000). This provision does not apply to vicinity maps, land survey-ors’ seals and certificates.

What is Uniform Contrast suitable for scanning? Uniform Contrast means that the document is to be bi-tonal or two colors. The original document is to be black ink and the background color of the media used. There is not to be any graying of the text or line work. The copy is to be black ink and the background color of the paper is white. In the case of a blue print copy the lines and text are dark blue with a white background. There is not to be blue in the background or yellowing from overexposure in the background. The WAC is requiring that your finished product is free of shading or bolding that is difficult to capture with a scanner.

One problem that rises from time to time is a practice used by CADD operators known as half-toning, also known as stipple background or stippling. This is the practice of using background text or line work that is several shades of gray lighter than the primary text. This is used for the most part to highlight certain information, but unfortunately, is not in compliance with the Standards. The Standards require originals and copies to have uniform contrast suitable for scanning or microfilm-ing. Trying to capture all of the information in these situations requires multiple images. Multiple scans require more staff time and take up additional memory space. It is in the industry’s best interest to deliver maps and/or documents to the County that are top quality, clearly legible and have uniform contrast.

To help facilitate the processing of survey records, it is imperative that surveyors produce quality originals and copies. Please consider the aforementioned issues in order to do just that. Please contact us at (360)-902-1197 with any questions or issues that you have. .

“The PLSO by statute is the statewide repository for surveys (under) RCW 58.24”


“SOLD-OUT”


FEMA Floodmap Moderniza-tion Coalition Update. The FEMA Floodmap Moderniza-tion Coalition met recently with staff from FEMA to discuss progress on the Map Modern-ization Project. Doug Bellomo, the Acting Division Director of the Risk Analysis Division dis-cussed where FEMA is now on the project, changes that were made based upon previous meeting with the coalition and where the project is going in Phase 2 of the project, which starts in 2009. Bellomo noted that FEMA now recognizes the need for quality over quantity regarding the floodmaps that are being produced. FEMA expects that in FY08, 70% of the population will have digital GIS flood data available online and 50% of the population will have effective maps that meet FEMA’s Floodplain Bound-ary Standard. FEMA’s “Mid Course Adjustment” was also discussed. These are changes to the Map Modernization Plan that FEMA made as a result of evaluating the progress of the program. At this point, 30% of mapped stream miles have validated, new or updated engineering analysis and 40% of the population is cov-ered by maps with validated, new or updated engineering analysis.

It was announced that the Multi-Year Flood Hazard Iden-tification Plan (MHIP) Version 2.5 was recently introduced. The MHIP (1) describes FE-MA’s strategy for updating NFIP flood maps, (2) builds on recommendations from stake-holders, (3) is developed and updated through a collabora-tive process with local, state and national participants, and (4) contains a schedule for the production of digital flood hazard maps.

FEMA staff also discussed plans for Phase 2 of the proj-ect. Under Phase 2, FEMA

will implement a strategy to ensure the benefits of Map Mod Phase 1 are sustained. This strategy will include an assessment of the integrity and updating flood hazard data, it will address unmet flood mapping needs and improve quality and precision of flood hazard data, it will increase the quantity of digital flood data and maps to 95% of the nation’s population, it will enhance digital standards and delivery systems to reduce the demand for paper maps and will continue to collaborate with impacted communities, states and capable mapping partners.

Legislation Relating to Flood Maps and Elevation Standards Introduced.

The Flood Insurance Reform and Modernization Act of 2007 (H.R. 1682) was recently introduced by Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) and others. The purpose of the legislation is to restore the financial solvency of the national flood insurance program, and for other purpos-es. The most relevant section of the legislation is Section 21 which relates to the ongoing modernization of flood maps and elevation standards. Un-der that section, the FEMA Director shall review, update, and maintain national flood in-surance program rate maps to make sure that each map shall include a depiction of—(a) the 500-year floodplain; (b) areas that could be inundated as a result of the failure of a levee, as determined by the Director; and (c) areas that could be inundated as a result of the failure of a dam, as identified under the National Dam Safety Program Act (33 U.S.C. 467 et seq.).

In updating maps under this subsection, the Director may include any relevant informa-tion on coastal inundation from

an applicable inundation map of the Corps of Engineers; and data of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra-tion relating to storm surge modeling; any relevant infor-mation of the Geographical Service on stream flows, wa-tershed characteristics, and topography that is useful in the identification of flood hazard areas, as determined by the Director; and a description of any hazard that might impact flooding.

In updating and maintaining maps under this subsection, the Director shall establish standards to ensure that maps are adequate for flood risk determinations; and use by State and local governments in managing development to reduce the risk of flooding.

The legislation also reestab-lishes the Technical Mapping Advisory Council for ongoing mapping programs. The Coun-cil will include a representa-tive of the US Army Corp of Engineers, a representative of local or regional flood and stormwater agencies, a repre-sentative of state geographic information coordinators and a representative of flood in-surance servicing companies. The FEMA Director, or his designee will appoint the members of the Council.

Under this legislation the duties of the Council shall include (1) make recommen-dations to the Director for improvements to the flood map modernization program under section 1360(k) of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 41010(k)); (2) make recommendations to the Director for maintain-ing a modernized inventory of flood hazard maps and information; and (3) submit an annual report to the Director that contains a description of

ACSM Government Affairs



the activities and recommen-dations of the Council.

The legislation authorizes $400,000,000 to be appropri-ated to the Director to carry out this subsection for each of fiscal years 2008 through 2013.

COFPAES Staff Meets with Staff from House Small Business Committee.

COFPAES staff met recently with Melody Reis, Profes-sional Staff for the House Committee on Small Busi-ness to introduce COFPAES to her and discuss our issues. Among the issues presented by John Palatiello, COFPAES Administrator, was (1) the

ongoing lawsuit against the FAR regarding the definition of mapping and application of the Brooks Act; (2) surveying and mapping services listed on the GSA Schedule; (3) the contract bundling of A/E with non A/E services; (4) core A/E capability in the federal government; (5) offshoring A/E data and services; (6) design-build issues; (7) the conflict be-tween QBS and A-76 and (8) the monitoring and measure-ment of subcontracting of A/E services. COFPAES expects to have an ongoing discussion the Small Business Commit-tee on all of these issues.

3% Withholding Tax Update. The Government Withhold-ing Relief Coalition has been

working on educating Mem-bers and obtaining cosponsor for the House bill, HR 1023, which is sponsored by Reps. Meek and Herger. There are 29 cosponsors at this point. On the Senate side, Senator Larry Craig reintroduced his tax relief bill, S. 777, the With-holding Tax Relief Act of 2007. We are continuing to work on both of these bills.

Anti Contract Bundling Leg-islation Passes House Small Business Committee

As noted above, one of the issues that COFPAES is work-ing on is the contract bundling of A/E services with non A/E service. Coincidently, the House Small Business Com-

mittee recently passed a bill that would make tougher the practice of “contract bundling”. The bill (H.R. 1873) is called the Small Business Fairness in Contracting Act. It reau-thorizes the Small Business Administration’s procurement programs and scales back “contract bundling” --- the practice of grouping small business government con-tracts together and awarding them as one large contract. The bill seeks to increase the number of small business contracts to 30% of all federal contracts, up from the previ-ous goal of 23%.

“Courtesy of ACSM publica-tion and website.

ACSM Government Affairs (continued)


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Land Surveyors’ Association of Washington424 205th N.E.Sammamish, WA 98074-6942Phone: 425/868-0200

CHANGE SERVICE REqUESTED

October November26 ReportsdueforBOTMeeting

July AugustHaveASafeFourthofJuly

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cateWorkshop24 LSAWWalkerCupGolfTour-

nament-PortOrchard,WA25 BoardofTrusteeMeeting

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HappyHolidays

December

LSAW SCHEDULE

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2007 The accuracy of the schedule is based on information submitted to the editor and may not reflect the true date. Check with the actual organizer for a more complete schedule.

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