Page 22 - NALS Traverse 50_2

Where Are We Going? Assuming that beyond our regional naming differences, we share
similar makeup and strive for the same things, what exactly are
we, who belong to an organization such as NSPS, CLSA, or NALS?
If you read the definitions, we are a little bit of all these things. I
By: Carl R. C.de Baca, PLS mentioned two terms that have pretty much fallen out of usage:
‘Guild’ and ‘League’. By definition, these might be the closest to
the original intent of the founders of these organizations, at least
as far as I can understand their purposes. Maybe, but if so, how
far have we wandered from our original charters? Again, what,
exactly, is our purpose; what is it that we do? Let’s break it down
into things we do that are working, and things we do that are,
arguably, not.
What works? These days, our various organization’s craft legisla-
tion, they focus on continuing education, and their members stay
in touch with regular meetings, which lately are becoming ‘virtual’
in nature. On rare occasions, members of multiple organizations
band together to face a common threat. Some of us participate
beyond the strict bounds of a particular surveying organization
by actively addressing a subject alongside other professionals.
Example: Those ALTA standards we know and love.
And what do we not do, or do so poorly that we might as well not
bother? Well, recruiting new blood into the profession comes to
mind. We’re all about schooling and education, and that’s great,
but our huge problem these days is more fundamental than just
Professional Surveying Organizations, NALS, CLSA, WFPS, NSPS, et how do we get more people into college surveying programs. We
al.: where are we going? Or maybe I should ask where are we going tried TrigStar – no luck. We talk a lot about the Boy Scout Survey-
ing Merit Badge program, but that doesn’t seem to bring ‘em in.
wrong? Why are so few professional land surveyors concerned We tried getting involved with TWiST, and that whole program
enough with the circumstances and challenges of the profession to went down in flames. Some isolated parts of the country have had
bother belonging to their state society? Maybe we aren’t who we luck with the surveying portion of SkillsUSA, but apparently, that
think we are, or maybe we don’t address the circumstances and program takes more commitment and time than most of us want
challenges of the times to the degree that many find worthwhile. Or to give. Now we are embarking on the Get Kids into Surveying
maybe, surveyors just aren’t joiners. I don’t know. I, and many oth- program. It is a cute, ambitious, and refreshingly new approach to
ers, have been asking this question for years, without ever coming recruiting young people. However, if there is a payoff, it’s several
up with a reasonable answer. What is the primary purpose of our years away. What do we do until then?
various Surveying organizations, anyway? Here are some terms Picking up where I left off in the previous paragraph, what about
taken liberally from the all-powerful interwebs: things we do that we think we are okay at, but really are not? On
rare occasions, members of multiple organizations band together
Association: a group of people organized for to face a common threat. This is demonstrably true, though, in
a joint purpose.
Society: an organization or club formed for a
particular purpose or activity.
Guild: An association of people for mutual aid
or the pursuit of a common goal.

League: a collection of people or groups that
combine for a particular purpose, typically
mutual protection or cooperation.

Coalition: an alliance for combined action.
Alliance: a union or association formed for
mutual benefit.
my experience, we tend to do so tepidly, almost meekly. Form a
I notice that some of these terms reference each other, like committee or a task force, talk the issue into a coma, and go back
maybe they don’t have a unique enough meaning to stand to our regular functions. Only a few committed souls ever really
alone, so it’s all sort of circular logic. Besides the aforemen- speak up or get involved. The Alaska DPPS would be one obvious
tioned, there are many other terms that encompass some of case in point. Another might be the LightSquared/Ligado de-
what our organizations are and what they strive to do: fraterni- bacle. (Big players such as the military and commercial aviation have
ty, order, union, syndicate, and cooperative. Some have negative made a case well enough to generate legislation that should stave
connotations, like ‘syndicate’ and some sound vaguely commu- off that threat, but trust me, this isn’t over as long as someone owns
nist, like ‘cooperative’. Some have all but been trademarked to that incredibly valuable bank of radio frequencies.) Here in Nevada,
mean one thing and one thing only, such as ‘union’. In the end, the threats to licensing by Governor Lombardo and others have
we tend to use just the two, ‘Society’ resulted in a fear-induced response by the NVBPELS, which put
and ‘Association’. forward a plan to eliminate the state-specific exam as a criterion

20 The Nevada Traverse Vol.50, No.2, 2023