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This year, we are pleased to offer you the option of voting either online or via mail. Paper ballots must be received at the ISPLS office by Friday, March 2.

If you are a member with full paid dues you may vote online now »

Ballots will be counted at the Board of Governors Meeting at the annual conference on March 27, 2012.

Announcment of new officers will be made at the General Membership Meeting on March 30, 2012, Noon-1:00 at the Doubletree Convention Center in Spokane.
Thank you for your participation!

Candidates for Vice President

For Vice President
Mitch Christian, PLS 7043
Boise, Idaho

I am a Professional Land Surveyor and Civil Designer for CH2M HILL in Boise, Idaho. I have been a Surveyor member of the Idaho Society of Professional Land Surveyors since 1993.

I graduated from Idaho State University’s Civil Engineering Technology Program in 1979. Following graduation, I moved to Boise where I became employed by JUB Engineers. In January 1980, I accepted a position with CH2M HILL where I am currently employed.If elected, it is my goal to reach out to the other sections around the state, and get to know you better. By doing so, I will become familiar with your ideas and needs, and help bring them to the table at the state level. To the extent possible, I would like to attend some of your meetings and get to know your members face to face. My commitment to the office of Vice President and President is genuine, and I hope to bring additional value to our society.

Experience wise, I have just completed my term as Chairman of the Southwest Section. Prior to that, I served as the Vice Chairman. During my career, I have held all level of offices in other professional societies, including the Southern Idaho Eastern Oregon Underground Corrosion Committee and the National Association of Corrosion Engineers, Intermountain Section. During my short stint in the corrosion control industry, I gained the initial experience required to sit for the professional land surveyor exam. This work was primarily securing easements for pipeline corrosion control systems on public lands.

My survey experience includes construction, mapping, and boundary surveys. Over the last 10 years, I have worked extensively on property boundary and highway right-of-way acquisition projects.

For Vice President
Nathan J. Dang, PLS
Boise, Idaho

I am honored to be nominated by my peers in the Southwest Section and accepted by the Board of Governors as a candidate for ISPLS Vice-President. I have been enjoying the recent changes and growth of the ISPLS organization and hope to continue the momentum our society has gathered. In addition to the work currently being accomplished by our organization, I believe there are two important issues that need our attention.

The ISPLS Legislative Committee and our individual sections should take action to change the Idaho Code definition of land surveying to reflect the knowledge, training and expertise that are unique to our profession in order to protect the health, safety and welfare of the citizens of Idaho.

Also, the ISPLS Public Relations Committee and our individual sections should be actively promoting and marketing the land surveying profession to the citizens of Idaho through increased community involvement during National Surveyors Week, increased participation in scholastic and youth programs, and consistently bringing our profession to the public’s attention by media press releases of our endeavors and achievements.

After earning an undergraduate degree in Communications and some post-graduate studies in art, I got my start in land surveying nearly two decades ago in Fairplay, Colorado. Like many folks in our profession, my first employer, Don Liebengood, was also a great mentor and friend. He taught me not only about land surveying, but about the ethics, leadership and education that are crucial to our profession.

In the late 1990s, I was lucky to work on a diverse mixture of survey projects and to become involved with the founding chapter of the California Land Surveyors Association in Santa Rosa. Through copious amounts of self study, college courses and seminar coursework, I obtained professional licensure in California in 2003.

Shortly thereafter, my wife Katy and I permanently settled in Boise to raise a family. My company, Accurate Surveying & Mapping, P.C., and our son Deuce were both born in early 2006 and continue to grow together. I have been Secretary of the Southwest Section since 2008 and I look forward to serving ISPLS in a greater capacity.

Candidate for Treasurer

For Treasurer
Steve Frisbie, PLS 8961
Eagle, Idaho

Steve began his career in Surveying in 1989. He holds an Associate of Technology and an Associate of Applied Science in Civil Engineering Technology from Idaho State University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Geomatics from the Oregon Institute of Technology. He is a Senior Partner with T-O Engineers in Boise and serves as a Project Manager and the Survey Services Director. When Steve is not working, he enjoys extreme off-road motorcycle (trail) riding, volunteering to perform mountain single-track trail maintenance/trail clearing, fighting back the environmental whackos to maintain access to our multiple-use trails on our public lands, motorcycle adventure touring, camping, snowmobiling, hunting, shooting, and spending time with Martha, family, and friends.

The National Museum of Surveying has produced a video about the museum in Springfiled, Illinois, that presents the history and stories that tell the story of surveying in America. View it here.

The NGS has announced their intention to transition from a State Advisor position to a Regional Advisor.

Read the letter here.

Scholarships are available for second or third year students majoring in Civil Engineering Technology or Geomatics for the Spring 2012 semester.

Deadline to apply is October 15, 2011. Students must be enrolled full-time and have at least a 3.0 GPA.

Visit our scholarship page for more information and to obtain an application.

The 2011 David Thompson Brigade completed their 45 day canoe journey, landing in Astoria, Oregon on July 16th. ISPLS was a proud sponsor of this event. Read all about it here.

John Elle, longtime Idaho Society of Professional Land Surveyors Treasurer and board member, has been approved by the Governor Otter to serve on the Idaho Board of Licensure of Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors. As a seperately licensed PE and PLS, he will take the place of Gary Young, PE/PLS, who served two terms in the position. He will serve a 5 year term until June, 2016.
Although only one PLS is required by law to make up the membership of the board, given the challenging nature of surveying subject matter the other three engineer members desire the fourth engineer to also possess surveying qualifications.
John is in private practice as a partner at A & E Engineering in Pocatello. He is attending his first board meeting June 7-9 in Coeur d’Alene.
We thank John for all of his work at the Idaho Society of Professional Land Surveyors and wish him all the best in his efforts with Idaho Board of Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors.
Congratulations, John!

The new IDIR CORS site is located at the Idaho Transportation Department Irwin Maintenance Yard. The site is 10 miles north of the Palisades Dam, 12 miles West of the Wyoming State line, and 40 miles East of Idaho Falls. The site location is important to an Eastern-most link in the Real TIme Network Geometry.

For more information, visit the NGS CORS website and enter "IDIR" for the station search.

Kim Leavitt, the former ISPLS NSPS Governor and newly elected NSPS Area 7 Director, contacted Idaho Senator Mike Crapo about the issues surrounding LightSquared and possible GPS interference. Senator's Crapo's response:

April 26, 2011

"Dear Kim:

Thank you for contacting me regarding potential disruptions to the Global Positioning System (GPS). I appreciate hearing from you and welcome the opportunity to respond.

As you may know, on January 26, 2011, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) granted LightSquared, a wireless broadband provider, authority to use its Mobile Satellite Services (MSS) L-band spectrum to provide wholesale broadband service. With the accelerated expansion of wireless devices on the market, current broadband frequencies are increasingly being overwhelmed. The FCC’s decision comes as an effort to provide more broadband capability in response to the growing consumer demand.

I recognize the importance of broadband technology and the many benefits it brings to our society. Over the past 30 years, telecommunications policy in the United States slowly has evolved from government sanctioned monopoly provision of all telecommunications services to competitive provision of most telecommunications services. In today’s world, business, government, and our personal lives rely heavily upon broadband technology. However, I am also well aware of the serious concerns that signals sent over the L-band spectrum may interfere with GPS receivers. Individual GPS operators, the Department of Defense, and the Department of Transportation, among others, have all voiced concerns on this issue.

In response, the FCC has required LightSquared to work with GPS makers and users to test the service and examine the interference issue. The group's report is due this summer. Additionally, the Senate Commerce Committee is currently conducting oversight of proposed rules being considered by the FCC. Although I am not a member of the Senate Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over these matters, I support continued oversight in this matter and look forward to reviewing the Committee’s findings. Please rest assured that I will continue to support accessibility, competition, and diversity in the broadcast industry, while protecting the needs of our vital Global Positioning System.

Again, thank you for contacting me. Please feel free to contact me in the future on this or other matters of interest to you. For more information about the issues before the U.S. Senate as well as news releases, photos, and other items of interest, please visit my Senate website, http://crapo.senate.gov.

Sincerely,

Mike Crapo

United States Senator"

If you're here, you know by now that the ISPLS web page has been completely re-worked, re-designed and re-done. All of the key resources are here and several new features have been added. Now, you can:

• Pay your membership dues online
• Register and pay for conferences online
• Access the events going on n the Surveying community using our "Events" page
• Keep up to date with the latest news

In addition, with your paid membership you will be able to log into the "Forum" section and communicate with other members of the society on topics of interest and concern. Each Section will have thier own webpage for their own use on the local Chapter level, and all of the ISPLS official documents are available to you here.

Take a look around and familiarize yourself with the new webpage: it will become an important tool for the ongoing communication of our society.

Surveyors throughout Idaho and across the country kicked of National Surveyors Week by particpating in Survey USA. On Saturday, March 19, surveyors occupied points from 11:00am to 3:00pm Mountain Time. Their data was sent to the National Society of Professional Surveyors, who sponsored this event.