Warren Ward, PLS, CO, OK
PO Box 653
Fraser, CO 80442
970-531-1120
wward1224@comcast.net

SPEAKER BIOGRAPHY – 2021

Presentation: “Building a Country” – How Surveyors Built a Country With The Courts Following In Their Footsteps”.
Presentation: “The Art of Retracement” – Monuments Control, and 1,001 Reasons Why Surveyors Plant Pin Gardens Anyway”.
Presentation: “The Four Corners Legacy” – The Establishment and Preservation of a State Corner Through the GPS Era”.

• Began surveying with father in Grand County, Colorado, in 1972.
• Became responsible crew chief for engineering, boundary surveying firm in 1984.
• Licensed Colorado1989, PLS 25971, Oklahoma 2015, PLS 1941.
• Lead surveyor for Glenwood Canyon “Hanging Lakes Tunnels”, 1989.
• Elected Grand County Surveyor November 1990, to present.
• Worked full time for Grand County, part time in own small surveying business 1991 to 2011.
• Worked full time in own, one-man surveying business and part time for Grand County 2011 to present.
• Worked as consultant to the Colorado State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors, 1994 to 1998, now known as Colorado State Board of Licensure for Architects, Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors.
  • As a consultant, provided expert witness reports regarding 12 complaints and actions against licensed professional land surveyors, settled out of court.
  • Testified to administrative court judge on behalf of State Board of Registration in several court actions against land surveyors as an expert witness:
    • McClelland, (licensed revoked, Grand County)
    • Kamstra (license surrendered, Boulder County)
    • Pesman (license revoked, Boulder County)
    • Harrison (license revoked, Weld County)
    • Rice (license revoked, Grand County)
    • Van Dyke (licensed disciplined, Jefferson County).
    • Six other hearings resulted in lesser penalties.

  As a County Surveyor, admitted as an expert witness and testified on behalf of Grand County in the following lawsuits:

• County Road 41 (Deposition only, settled)
• County Road 522 (County prevailed)
• County Road491 (County prevailed)
• Jackson vs Grand County (County prevailed)

   

  As a private professional land surveyor, testified as an expert witness in the following Lawsuits:
  

   

• East Shore Homeowners vs Bianco
• Just Ranch Case
• As a private professional land surveyor, testified in the following lawsuits:
  Robinson vs. Shorewood Homeowners AssociationByers Peak Ranch access lawsuit.
• Howley vs Mowatt (prevailed)
• Mowatt vs Carter (Deposition only)
• Town of Grand Lake (Deposition only)

  Elective and volunteer Endeavors:
  

   

• Professional Land Surveyors of Colorado, Inc. (PLSC) Board member, Vice President, President, NSPS Delegate, 1994 to 2014.
• National Association of County Surveyors, President-Elect, President, Past President, 2008 to 2014.
• Colorado Association of County Surveyors, Secretary, President, 1992 to 2002.
• Enrolled part-time, Survey Mapping Degree/Mathematics Minor at Metropolitan State University of Denver, 1998 to 2010.
• Member of PLSC Education Committee, 1998 to 2010.
• Member of PLSC Legislation Committee, 1996 to present. Testified to Colorado Legislature on every surveying-related Bill introduced between 1996 to present.

  Authored or co-authored several bills enacted into law. Briefly summarized as follows:

  • GIS control definition
  • Boundary Line Agreement statute
  • Education requirements for surveyor’s license application
  • County Surveyor duties
  • County Surveyor salaries
  • Minimum Requirements for Land Survey Plats/Improvement Survey Plats
  • County Surveyor Electronic Filing standards.

   

  As a member of the PLSC Legislative Committee, attended Governor Bill Ritter’s signing of “2006 Land Survey Practice Act” as an invited co-author of the legislation, and Governor John Hickenloopers signing of the 2017 “County Surveyor Act”, as an invited co-author of the legislation, both held at the State Capitol Building, Denver, Colorado.

   

• Current member of National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS) Trig-Star Board.
• Currently a contributing author to “xyHt” Magazine, with a column called “Art of Retracement”. “xyHt” magazine is a national trade publication with approximately 30,000 readers.
• Presently a continuing education presenter with workshops entitled “Art of Retracement” and “Four Corners Legacy”.
• Has presented “Monuments Make the Math, and 1,001 Reasons Why Surveyors Plant Pin Gardens Anyway” to surveyor societies in 9 States.
• Wrote all text and coordinated construction of four displays currently at the Four Corners Monument, which describes the history of the survey of the Four Corners Monument, the only place in the U.S. where four States meet, and also where two Indian Reservations meet.
• Recipient of “Key Governor” award for 2010, NSPS.

• EDUCATION:

  Graduated West Grand High School, Kremmling CO, 1978.
  

  Attended University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, music major, 1979.

  Attended Fort Lewis College, Durango CO, 1981-1982, engineering degree major.

  Attended Metro State University of Denver, CO 1994-2010, survey degree/mathematics minor, part time.

   

  CONTINUING EDUCATION

   

• Attended first C.E. workshop in 1986.
• Attended first “PLSC Refresher Course” in 1988.
• Attended same “PLSC Refresher Course” again in 2018.
• Attended C.E. every year from1986 through 2018.