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36 The Nevada Traverse Vol.51, No.3, 2024NSPS Nevada Directors ReportBy: Nancy J. Almanzan, PLSThe Spring 2024 Meetings were held in Arlington, Virginia from April 23-26, 2024.The 2024-2025 NSPS Officers are:President: Davey Edwards, TexasPresident-Elect: Linda Foster, North DakotaVice President %u2013 Tim Murphy, IndianaSecretary: Craig Amey, MichiganTreasurer: Bob Miller, PennsylvaniaImmediate Past President: Bob Akins, OhioCommittee Meeting Highlights:NSPS Foundation:The NSPS Foundation awarded $58,500 in scholarships for the 2024-2025 school year. The NSPS Foundation has 4 categories of membership depending on the contribution amount: Regular Member ($50/year), Century Member ($100/year), Sustaining Member ($500/year), and Lifetime Member ($5000/one-time). Trustees are not automatically members. Dues are paid yearly (except for life members) and go to the general fund for the operation of NSPS Foundation. Anyone can be a member of the NSPS Foundation. Please visit https://www.nsps.us.com/ and select the Foundation tab for more information on membership and the NSPS Foundation.Military Program:NSPS has created a special Military Committee to provide a direct connection and liaison between NSPS, their members, and the US Military and ex-military members. Jeff Clendening, Director from Alabama, will chair the committee and Ray Almendor will be the Liaison.YSN & 2024 Student Surveying Competition:The 2024 Student Surveying Competition was held in conjunction with the spring meetings of NSPS. The competition was hosted by the Young Surveyors Network (YSN), which is celebrating its 10th anniversary. The Student Competition was very successful, and many YSN members attended to assist. The competition consisted of a social exercise and a technical field exercise and was very successful, with twenty-two (22) teams representing 4-year programs, 2-year programs, and high school programs participating. The social exercise, a monument hunt, was a scavenger-type hunt where student teams traveled around the Washington, DC, area recovering monuments. Each monument had a different point value depending on the difficulty or distance the students traveled to find the monument. The second portion of the competition was a measurement exercise that evaluated the student%u2019s technical ability and knowledge of historical concepts. Workforce Development Committee:Trent Keenan is the new Chair of the Workforce Development Committee. The committee has created a document called %u201cOutreach 101,%u201d which includes resources for elementary, middle, and high school presentations, including %u201cBe A Surveyor%u201d information. Trent requested all directors to give packets to their state outreach chair and the membership. The next document the committee will work on is how to retain and build your staff. Scouts Committee:The National BSA Council has officially approved the revisions to the BSA Surveying Merit Badge requirements that the Scouts Committee worked on throughout 2022. Those requirements are now being used and are available online through the BSA website. CST Program:The Certified Survey Technician (CST) program recently gave presentations in Colorado and Louisiana and plans on presenting in New Mexico and Virginia over the summer. The CST Board created a Facilitators Guide to assist those looking to provide educational opportunities for those looking to become CSTs. The board is also working on a study guide. The CST Board will soon require continuing education for CSTs. The number of credits has not been decided yet, but the credits will be easily attained. With the advances in computer technology, such as ChatGPT, the board will start an interview process with all Level IV CSTs to ensure those taking the exam are putting effort into writing the required essay and not relying on technology to do it. In 2023, were 1100 exams given, which was 150 more than in 2022. CST is looking for locations to host their meetings when they are not at the same time as NSPS.Government Affairs/Day on the Hill:Day on the Hill (Lobby Day) was held on April 23, 2024. More than 70 surveyors representing 42 states attended meetings with legislators and/or their staff. NALS was well represented! Todd Enke, Robert Carrington, Jason Higgins, Trent Keenan, Ray Almanzan, and I met with staff from Nevada Senator Catherine Cortez-Masto and Jacky Rosen%u2019s offices, as well as staff from Congressional Representatives Susie Lee, Dina Titus, and Mark Amodei%u2019s offices. The three key issues were: 1) Design professional licensing vs. occupational licensing and the importance of having licensed Surveyors for the protection of public health, safety, and welfare; 2) Monument Preservation to assist property owners impacted by a natural disaster to be eligible for assistance to preserve and re-establish destroyed survey monumentation; and, 3) Transition Assistance Program (TAPS) %u2013 create a Pilot program under the Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to help veterans with relevant skillsets, training and military surveying or mapping experience, to transition into the civilian sector surveying profession as the next step in their careers. Lobby Day was a great experience, and I encourage anyone interested to attend next year.Education Committee:The Education Committee is researching how many states require a 4-year degree, 2-year degree, and any amount of education or experience. The committee is also looking into the possibility of CST hours being applied for experience or education requirements. The committee recommended the %u201cBody of Knowledge%u201d created by NSPS approximately 15 years ago, be reviewed and potentially