Public Land Survey System Work Group Receives Community-University Partnership Award

 Posted on July 5, 2019 by

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On June 26th The Public Land Survey System Work Group (PLSS Work Group) was acknowledged by the Office of the Chancellor, the Office of Community Relations, the Morgridge Center for Public Service and the Community Partnerships and Outreach (CPO) Staff Network for oustanding community-engaged collaboration in embodiment of The Wisconsin Idea. The PLSS Work Group advocates for improving and maintaining the Public Land Survey System (PLSS) through education.

Bryan Meyer and Howard Veregin, representatives for the project “Uncovering and Discovering Geographical Meaning in Wisconsin’s Rural Landscapes: Outreach and Educational Programming by the State Cartographers Office and Public Land Survey System Work Group.” PHOTO BY JEFF MILLER

UW-Madison Chancellor, Rebecca Blank, awarded the 2019 UW-Madison Community-University Partnership Award (CUPA), to members of the PLSS Work Group in attendance at the awards gala. Attendees included Jodi Helgeson, Bryan Meyer, Chris Colney, Howard Veregin, Jeff DeMuth, and Joe Mason the chair of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Geography Department, who nominated the group. This was in consideration of their project work entitled as Uncovering and Discovering Geographical Meaning in Wisconsin’s Rural Landscapes: Outreach and Educational Programming by the State Cartographer’s Office and Public Land Survey System Work Group.

The partnership has helped citizens understand the significance of the (PLSS) through educational programming, interactive discussion and hands-on experiences. The efforts of the PLSS Work Group are considered an embodiment of the spirit of the Wisconsin Idea. The programs are held each year in different locations of the state, most recently this past Spring in Darlington, Wisconsin. Programs such as This Land is Your Land, Meet Me at the Corner, and A Day with Your County Surveyor have helped attendees to understand the PLSS and its affects on property boundaries, taxation, and other land related considerations. People also gain understanding in the significance of maintenance of the PLSS and the role of the professional land surveyor and their interaction with other related industry professionals.

Members of the PLSS Work Group currently include:

  • Howard Veregin, PhD, GISP, State Cartographer, UW- Madison
  • Brenda Hemstead, Data Services Specialist, State Cartographer’s Office
  • Bryan Meyer, WCSA President, La Crosse County Surveyor
  • Jeff DeMuth, WSLS, Professional Land Surveyor, MSA
  • Steve Geiger, WCSA, Professional Land Surveyor, Polk County
  • Jeremiah Erickson, WLIA/LION, Monroe County LIO
  • Jodi Helgeson, WRDA, Adams County Register of Deeds
  • Brannick Beatse, WRPLA, Monroe County Real Property Lister
  • Mitch Moline, WDOT, Enterprise GIS Architect
  • Jason Poser, LION, WLIA, Buffalo County LIO
  • Chris Colney, LION, Grant County LIO

To learn more about the PLSS Work Group please check out their homepage hosted by the State Cartographer’s Office:

PLSS Work Group

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