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The Nevada Traverse Vol.51, No.3, 2024 15Aerial Photogrammetry and LiDARContact Mitch Bartorelli, Photogrammetry Manager 775.827.6111| www.LumosInc.comHigh definition aerial mapping taken with a fixed wing aircraft, using the latest aerial sensors, to capture 2cm ground sample distance.City of Sparks | Sewer Rehabilitation Greenbrae DriveFlown at 1,600 feet above ground levelWhile you can%u2019t force someone to learn and grow, providing multiple opportunities will ensure that mentees and employees have a chance to take initiative and invest in themselves.Looking Forward: Building a Formal Mentorship Program for the Land Surveying ProfessionWhile many senior surveyors fall naturally into mentoring, others don%u2019t have mentoring on their radar, or simply don%u2019t know where to start. %u201cFrom my federal perspective at the BLM, I see a lot of our attempts fail. Because we have this really great idea and it%u2019s so wonderful, but we never support the mentors. We%u2019re like, %u2018You%u2019re smart! You really know what you%u2019re doing, you should go mentor these people!%u2019 But we don%u2019t teach them what they should be doing, and then it doesn%u2019t turn out as it was envisioned, gets bad feedback, and then we don%u2019t do it again,%u201d says Tasha. The long-term solution is to create a more formalized networking program for surveying, such as the ACE Mentoring Program that supports Architecture, Construction & Engineering professionals. While it may sound simple, such an endeavor will take a concerted industry effort.One strong model that Rob describes was a Caltrans mentorship outreach event. Mentors were pre-trained and given a couple of minutes to introduce themself and their areas of expertise to a group of mentees. From there, mentees wrote down the names of mentors they%u2019d like to be matched with and were assigned from there.%u201cIt was very structured, and mentors and mentees were instructed to meet at least every two weeks for four months. The mentees that I had were mostly Caltrans maintenance workers in District 11. I gave them my cell phone and office location and told them to stop by or call anytime. Because I remember the days being out in the field where you don%u2019t want to go sit in somebody%u2019s office after you%u2019ve been cutting brush all day,%u201d he says. At the root of the matter is the fact that senior surveyors need to train their replacements %u2014 and mentoring is a direct pathway to that goal. %u201cYou should always be developing your replacement. I used to have the mindset of, %u2018Oh, I%u2019m going to keep all this information to myself because I need a job.%u2019 But I%u2019ve learned and accepted that to help others grow, you have to share your information, and you can%u2019t just keep it to yourself,%u201d says Adrian. %u201cIt%u2019s only going to benefit everybody because you%u2019ll learn from others, and they%u2019ll learn from you. And if we all have that closed mindset, we%u2019re never going to grow.%u201d To this end, it%u2019s critical that we make mentorship a priority that is emphasized within both professional organizations and private business settings. Whether it%u2019s a new checkbox on CLSA dues to submit mentoring interest or an offshoot of the Young Surveyors Network, creating new pathways to mentorship will ensure that the next generation of surveyors will grow and thrive.