Join us for a free, day-long forum about the Public Land Survey System (PLSS) in Wisconsin.
The objective of the 2025 PLSS Forum is to learn about the importance of maintaining an accurate, up-to-date PLSS network. The PLSS serves as the cornerstone of our state’s property ownership framework, directly connecting the past with the present and impacting the future. Without a properly maintained network of PLSS corner monuments, there is an increased risk of property disputes, inequitable taxation, disagreements about resource rights, confusion over easement locations, and unnecessary expenditures by private citizens and local governments.
The 2025 PLSS Forum offers a unique opportunity to learn about the historical roots of the PLSS, the duties and responsibilities of those tasked with maintaining it, and its importance for the future. It should be especially interesting to County Board members, County Land Information Council members, and government decision-makers, as well as students, GIS professionals and the general public.
Details
The forum will be held at the Phoenix Center, 100 S. Orange St., Richland Center, from 9 am to 3 pm on Thursday, May 15, 2025. It is free and open to the public. It includes lunch, with beverages, coffee & water available throughout.
Agenda
9:00-9:10am – Welcome
9:10-10:00am – The Beginnings of Land Division in Wisconsin and Michigan (Laurence Johns PLS, Vernon County Surveyor)
10:00-10:45am – The County Surveyor: Current Duties, Research & Resources (Dan Frick PLS, Dane County Surveyor)
10:45-11:00am – Break
11:00-11:45am – PLSS Monuments, Maintenance & Coordinates (Rob Merry PLS, Chief Surveyor Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission)
11:45-1:15pm – Local PLSS corner visit & lunch provided compliments of the Wisconsin Society of Land Surveyors and the Wisconsin Land Surveying Foundation
1:15-1:45pm – Wisconsin Land Information Program & Building a Statewide PLSS Layer (Peter Herreid, WLIP Grant Administrator & David Vogel, State Cartographer’s Office)
1:45-2:15pm – PLSS Jeopardy, a light-hearted game to recap some of the day’s key points (David Decker, PLS, Marathon County Surveyor)
2:15-3:00pm – Question and Answer Session
Register Here
To help us plan for the event, please register here.