MSS March Newsletter

EDM Calibration Baseline Ceremony

A Surveyors Week Dedication to Ralph Hanks Donnelly

The Appalachian Chapter hosted a local celebration covered by two local media outlets and attended by several local elected officials. At this event, the Honorable Kelly Schulz, Maryland's Secretary of the Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation, formally announced the observation of Surveyors Week on behalf of Governor Hogan. James Shaw, filmed the proceedings and his videos can be viewed by clicking the button below.

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Submit Your Nominations for MSS Officers

by Patrick Simon, Prof. LS

I am asking that every member of MSS to consider the words from "The Other Guy" on Mount Rushmore. "Every man owes a part of his time and money to the business or industry in which he is engaged. No man has a moral right to withhold his support from an organization that is striving to improve conditions within his sphere."

Submit Your Nominations

From the Editor's Desk

R. L. "Bob" Banzhoff, Jr.

Some time ago the Appalachian Chapter of the Maryland Society of Surveyors, upon realizing that the EDM Calibration Baseline at Washington County Regional Airport had essentially become unusable, began looking for a new spot to place a similar baseline.

Read the full Editor's Note...

Join NSPS for the Day on the Hill

This is your opportunity to directly impact our legislators. Join our members in a coordinated trip with other surveyors across the nation. RSVP.

"Surveyors are no different than any other profession in that we must stay out in front of the political issues that affect our physical and business world. The important part is to stay informed and have a voice." Read More.

MSS Spotlight: Whitney Bonnett

I'm sure that my certification (CST Level 1) had something to do with the amount of my raise, although it was not immediate. I think there are many benefits of the CST Level 1 Exam. One is that it gave me the confidence that I knew more about surveying than I gave myself credit for. Next, your name is listed on the NSPS website, which possibly opens up job opportunities and connections. It gets your name out there in the world of survey. The increase in pay doesn't hurt anything either. Read More.

Have you checked out the impressive program of cutting edge continuing professional competency (CPC) classes on the program for the MSS 2018 Spring Technical Conference, to be held April 26 & 27 at the Maritime Conference Center in Linthicum Heights, MD? More than 75 professional surveyors and technicians are already registered.


Performing GNSS Observation on Bench Mark You must follow the procedures of the National Geodetic Survey if you wish to have your data included in their Integrated Database or IDB. Learn More.	"Become A Surveyor" New Webpage Bill Orsinger has overseen the creation of a new page to help develop more licensed surveyors. Read more .	Request for Content We've had a lot of interest about how technicians can transition into professional surveyors. If you have any personal stories about this, please contact Ebonique at ebonique@marylandsurveyor.org.

Presentation at Frederick's Career and Technology Center

Robert Kundrick, an MSS member and Appalachian Chapter Chair, visited James Thuman's carpentry class at Frederick's Career and Technology Center to discuss surveying. He gave a short presentation that covered the type of work that surveyors perform, education required to become a licensed surveyor, and the career paths within the industry. Read More.

MSS Helping Technicians Advance

Throughout the state of Maryland, technicians realize the excellent educational opportunities that the Maryland Society of Surveyors offers. This year the CST Exam Prep class was held at Century Engineering's office in Hunt Valley.


President Trump Recognizes National Surveyors Week "Across America, professional surveyors fulfill an important role in the growth of our economy," says the message. Read More.	Demonstration Day at Merganthaler High School Bryan Haynie, Vice President of Century Engineering and MSS Chair of Workforce Development, led a volunteer effort for the Maryland Society of Surveyors. Read more.	Alan Dragoo & Jeremy Burns Attend NSPS Spring Business Meeting The NSPS Board of Directors' Spring Business Meeting was held at the Luxor Hotel and Conference Center in Las Vegas, NV. Read Report.

Blast from the Past: Colonial Land Patents

Thanks to the volunteer efforts of Pat Simon, we have begun to archive past newsletters onto the website. In the May 1998 issue, Ralph Donnelly was featured discussing colonial land patents. Read More.

Other archived newsletters.

Real Surveying?

Suggested by Mitch Sanders

"I wanted to share an article I read in xyHt magazine that really hit home. I don't know if it's worth mentioning or not but it is relevant to me as a relatively young surveyor that faces a tough decision in my professional path in respect to licensing." Read more.

Flood insurance and flood remediation solutions

Submitted by Tom Little

The topic of flood insurance - who has it, who doesn't have it, who thinks they have it and what it actually covers when your home is flooded - has been dominating the national headlines since Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Marie devastated parts of Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico.

Read More...