Pub. 12 2017 Issue 1

25 Issue 1 2017 / UCLS Foresights www.ucls.org Western Federation of Professional Surveyors Report T he last Western Federation of Professional Survey- ors (WFPS) Board of Directors meeting was held on February 25, 2017 in Bozeman, Montana. Delegates from 10 of the 13 western states were in attendance including myself, representing as Utah’s delegate. Following is an update of what WFPS is currently working on. Developing and Maintaining Programs to Promote the Profession WFPS is committed to promoting the land surveying pro- fession. To that end, WFPS is currently developing the following programs: • Youth Outreach – Land Surveying as a Career WFPS has budgeted funds to develop an after school/com- munity program. The program will include 10 hours of curriculum that can be used by state associations and their chapters to promote land surveying as a career. The initial outline of the pro- gram is complete. • WFPS Scholarship Modification WFPS is currently modifying its scholarship policy to allow awarding to students enrolled in a two-year Associates Degree Survey program. This will ensure that all students in all 13 states represented in WFPS will have an equal opportunity to be award- ed a scholarship. • Public Awareness – Elevator Pitch Contest The winner of the Elevator Pitch Contest was Richard Heie- ren of Alaska. Richard generously donated the $100 reward to the WFPS Scholarship fund. Here is what he came up with: “3 of the 4 presidents on Mount Rushmore were Land Surveyors. A land surveyor contributes to the way we live today. The place you call home sits on property a land surveyor measured. The road you drive on to get to that home was laid out by a land surveyor. The switch you flip on for lights has electricity delivered in a power line that was laid out by a land surveyor. The faucet you turn on has water delivered in a pipe laid out by a land surveyor. The cell phone you talk on utilized a cell tower laid out by a land surveyor. If you have a question about land – surveyor is a good place to start.” WFPS will be writing an article which will include several of the submissions received. Once developed, I will be sure to in- clude it in a future edition of Foresights. Providing Resources to Benefit State Associations WFPS is dedicated to providing resources to state associations. Following are a couple of the resources currently being developed: • Speakers Bureau This new resource developed by WFPS will provide state as- sociations the ability to search for a speaker by name, geographic location, or by topic. The database will include a photo of the speaker, a bio, price range, and testimonials. The search engine is available on the WFPS website – WFPS.org State associations are encouraged to submit recommendations for the speaker’s bureau. • Webinars WFPS is developing a webinar program to provide educational opportunities and a service to the western state surveying associ- ations. This program will provide the western state associations’ non-dues revenue and an opportunity to provide a valuable service to their members. More information regarding this program will be available in the coming months. Serving as a Regional Voice WFPS serves as a regional voice for the surveying profession. WFPS has a long history of assisting state associations by providing support on legislative issues. This includes letters of support and resolutions for topics such as continuing education, four-year de- gree, and definition of surveying. At the February Board of Directors meeting, WFPS developed the following resolution regarding “Direct Point Position Sur- vey” or DPPS as currently proposed by the BLM (Don’t know what DPPS is? Check out this link https://www.blm.gov/press-release/ blm-dramatically-speed-completion-alaska-statehood-land-transfer) BY MIKE NADEAU, WFPS REPRESENTATIVE