Pub. 12 2017 Issue 1

23 Issue 1 2017 / UCLS Foresights www.ucls.org minimum, on the township exterior. These statutes and regulations do not provide methods for a “coordinate only” survey cor- ner. The State of Alaska will need to develop rules and regulations to accommodate the DPPS environment. Technical Capacity to Reestablish a Point in Space Using GNSS methods, surveyors with the proper education, experience, equipment, and budget can reestablish a point in space that exceeds the requirements for estab- lishing original corners, even over the long distances between CORS stations and the Group 948 lands.21 It will be more cost effec - tive and accurate to reestablish these points from record DPPS monuments on/near the Group 948 lands. The ability to do so will be- come easier and less costly as technology and the NSRS evolve. It is expected that at some point after NSRS 2022 is rolled out and functional, surveyors will have the ability to obtain real-time positions that are sufficiently accurate23 to establish original corners without the need for ground control (as - suming that it is possible to accurately model tectonic movement and that there are no seismic events resulting in signifi - cant displacement). Currently, using CORS data makes every survey a two (or more) trip survey. CORS data is not accessible at the Group 948 site nor at most any other remote site in northern Alaska. Satellite phone cover- age does not provide a reliable method of accessing data and there is no cell phone coverage in the area. Additionally, some CORS data is not available for months after being logged. Ability to Reestablish a Point on the Ground One of the core objectives in bound - ary surveys is to return to the same (original) position each and every time. The BLM has recognized that the undisturbed original monument is the best evidence of the original position; this position is the basis for many legal decisions by the Interior Board of Land Appeals (IBLA) as well as State and Federal courts. There is significant effort invested in proactively perpetuating the original position. Efforts include instructions on establishing acces - sories (including quantity, location, type, character, description, and notation), field work to establish accessories to the orig- inal corner position, and the inclusion of accessory information in the field notes. For non-DPPS surveys, the original po - sitions of original cadastral corners that are lost or obliterated are reestablished from nearby evidence per a court-tested set of defensible rules. Local seismic activity will be more difficult to model as there are currently insufficient markers (monuments or other uniquely identifiable physical objects) to identify how much the land has moved as the result of a specific seismic event. Currently, accomplishing a survey in this area requires significant trav - el in challenging terrain. Alaska Land Surveyors have extensive experience working in this environment and this expe- rience has shown that, although expensive, helicopter access is the most cost-effective approach. Efficiency in Process The current BLM methods of surveying and monumenting a number of townships at a time has evolved into a highly efficient system. Crews mobilize, establish logistics and survey systems, and execute surveys consistently and efficiently. Crews have ex - pertise as this is their focus. • One mobilization for lots of monumentation • Consistent methods throughout those townships • Low cost per monument This is something that BLM has done very well over the years. All surveyors working in these townships know what to expect – things are consistent. This is in