January 18, 2023

The Utah Council of Land Surveyors (UCLS) is the voice of the professional surveying community in Utah. The UCLS has a strong membership who are proud of our profession and love to be involved in many aspects of the surveying profession. One of these aspects is being the UCLS Conference Chair. Planning the annual conference can be challenging, but very rewarding as well. You will begin early by scheduling an event center and selecting/organizing your main presenter(s) and theme for the conference.

The Education Committee worked hard this summer, preparing for a few great events. We look forward to reaching many youths across the state.

First, thanks to all those who donated or made a purchase at this year’s scholarship auction in Las Vegas. We are still waiting on final numbers from the conference organizers, but preliminary numbers indicate we will have raised more than any conference prior.

The chapter with the highest number of points in a year is the “Chapter of the Year.” Each chapter can earn points by accomplishing the following achievements listed below:

On Aug. 6, 2022, the YSN had its first annual get-together. We had a really great time and had a good turnout. One of the highlights of the activity was our Historical Monument Hunt. We were challenged to find/show evidence of the oldest original monument we had found within the last two months. Almost everyone participated in the monument hunt, and we had some great finds. In this challenge, we had to provide a picture of the monument, as well as the original notes. Our winner was Taylor Christensen, who found a stone monument that dated back to July 1872.

As we all know, this year has been a fast-paced year for land surveying and many other industries we are associated with in general. Here in the Book Cliffs chapter, we are especially busy as the economy seems to be booming with the influx of the many folks on “Exodus” from city life in search of a more rural setting. This and the constant grind of the oil and gas industry keep those involved on their toes and working long hours.

Hello members! As I started to write this report, I decided to check out the last time I wrote a report for you. The summer of 2019 was the last Foresights the UCLS produced, and that was also my last report to you, pre-COVID-19. What an absolutely crazy couple of years it has been, my friends. I hope you all have been well and safe during the last few years. I’m excited that the UCLS Foresights is back, and I’m doubly excited we are on the back end of the pandemic.

The Golden Spike chapter listened to students present their drone projects for our first luncheon at the Davis Catalyst Center this year. We asked the students questions about how they came up with their determinations. We had Mike Nadeau attend and update us on the ALTA/NSPS Land Title Survey Standards.

Matt Clark accepted the Chair position for the Historical Committee, and we are excited to have him bring his passion for the history of surveying to this committee. Please contact Matt if you are interested in helping with this committee.