Ronald K. Jacobson, Ironwood Michigan, has been appointed to a three year term on the FEMA Technical Mapping Advisory Council as the Surveying Member effective May 13, 2022. The Technical Mapping Advisory Council (TMAC) is a federal advisory committee established to review and make recommendations to FEMA on matters related to the national flood mapping program authorized under the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012.

The national flood mapping program provides flood maps to inform communities about the local flood risk and help set minimum floodplain standards so communities may build safely and resiliently. The Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) established under the program help determine the cost of National Flood Insurance Program flood insurance which helps property owners financially protect themselves against flooding.

Representing the Wisconsin Society of Land Surveyors, Jacobson is the only land surveyor on the 16 member national Council. He will be responsible for attending and participating in Council and subcommittee meetings and conference calls, providing written input on the annual report and deliverables and certifying non-lobbyist registration status annually.

“I appreciate Ron’s willingness to serve on the Council and know that FEMA will benefit from his ideas and experience,” stated Nimisha Agarwal, Deputy Associate Administrator (Acting), Federal Insurance and Mitigation Administration.

Ronald is an alumni of AD Johnston High School, Bessemer MI and Michigan Technological University with a dual BS in Forestry and Land Surveying. With nearly 40 years of land surveying experience and 15 years of flood plain mapping for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) plus his experience and expertise, he will provide valuable assistance to FEMA on matters related to flood hazard mapping as part of the National Flood Insurance Program.

Jacobson is a licensed land surveyor in six states and currently is the Survey Manager for Coleman Engineering Company, based out of the Ironwood MI office. Coleman Engineering Company is a multi-disciplinary engineering firm employing approximately 100 people between four office locations in Iron Mountain, Ironwood, Negaunee Michigan and Green Bay Wisconsin. Founded in 1969, the firm has continually provided a variety of professional engineering and surveying services to municipalities, government agencies, commercial/industrial companies and residential clients. With professionals licensed in multiple states, Coleman Engineering Company provides a diverse range of professional engineering services throughout the Central Great Lakes Region.

At the Board of Directors meeting on May 21, the Board approve the selection of the Welch Group as the new WSLS Executive Director.  The Board approved the proposed contract.  Finally, WSLS President Bryan Meyer and Robert Welch signed the contract.  Bob will be starting on June 1, 2022.

There is a link to the NSPS Joint Committee on Government Affairs in the Library.  You will need to be logged in to access the link.  

The report contains all the items NSPS is working on on your behalf.  It is very interesting.  

WisDOT GPS on BM status Map.pdf

The Wisconsin Department of Administration (DOA) and State Cartographer’s Office (SCO) are pleased to announce the release of the Version 7 (V7) Statewide Parcel Map Database, the newest iteration of Wisconsin’s statewide digital parcel map.       

	·	Wisconsin V7 Statewide Parcel Map Webpage – For statewide downloads (as file geodatabase), individual county downloads, schema documentation, and more
	·	Wisconsin Statewide Parcel App
	·	Wisconsin Statewide Parcel Map REST Services
		THIS DATA IS PROVIDED FREE OF CHARGE, HOWEVER, IF YOU USE WISCONSIN’S PARCEL DATA, WE ASK THAT YOU LET US KNOW IN THE V7 FEEDBACK FORM

          Knowing why the data matters to your business needs is crucial for us to justify offering this service into the future.

After you have gotten a chance to take a look, thank you for letting us know how you use statewide parcel data!

Sincerely, 

Peter Herreid

Grant Administrator

Wisconsin Land Information Program 

        &

Mike Friis 

Program Manager 

Wisconsin Land Information Program   

Now for a number of years the two Chapters have held a joint meeting.  They usually try to find a location that was easy to get to by members of both Chapters.  This year the meeting was at Brigham County Park which is right next to Blue Mounds State Park but without the stickers.  President Harvey addressed the group.  The members were happy to be meeting in person in a great location.  The Southwest Chapter provided the shelter and Madison brought the food.  MASC President Bob O'Neill did the cooking.  Both Chapters had brief business meetings.  And mother nature provided the sunset.

I went looking and found the new version of A-E 7 is online.  Check out the Legislative page and look up Administrative Code or just click on the link   https://drive.google.com/drive/u/1/folders/0ALAEUDLmaTZnUk9PVA

At the Examining Board meeting it was announced that there are a shortage of members both professional and citizen on many of the Sections.  In the Professional Land Surveyors Section, only Nathan Vaughn is actually a current professional member.  The other two are serving with expired terms.   If anyone is interested in serving, they will need to fill out the application on the Governor's website.  The one Citizen member's term expires on July 1, 2021.  There is also one vacant Citizen member position.