Whereas there are over 45,000 professional surveyors in
the United States;
Whereas 2006 marks the 200th anniversary of the end of the
Lewis and Clark landmark expedition through the upper reaches of the Louisiana
Territory and the American West;
Whereas this journey is one of the most important
surveying expeditions in the history of the United States because of the wealth
of geographical and scientific information it provided about the new
Nation;
Whereas the nature of surveying has changed dramatically
since 1785, as it is no longer limited to the description and location of land
boundaries;
Whereas hydrographic surveys are important to the use of
all our bodies of water;
Whereas engineering surveys are utilized in the study and
selection of engineering construction;
Whereas geodetic surveys determine precise global
positioning for such activities as aircraft and missile navigation;
Whereas cartographic surveys are used for mapping and
charting, as well as photogrammetry, the science of using aerial photographs
for measurement and map production;
Whereas many services are provided through the use of
sophisticated equipment and techniques, such as satellite-borne remote sensing
devices and automated positioning, measuring, recording, and plotting
equipment;
Whereas the role of the surveyor has been, and remains, of
vital importance in the development of the United States;
Whereas since the colonial days of this Nation, surveyors
have been leaders in the community, Statesmen, influential citizens, and
shapers of cultural standards;
Whereas former surveyors include George Washington, Thomas
Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln;
Whereas it was the work of the surveyor that determined
the boundaries of land, the greatest economic asset in the colonies that became
the United States;
Whereas Thomas Jefferson chaired a committee in 1784 to
devise a plan for disposing of lands west of the 13 original colonies;
Whereas Thomas Jefferson argued that surveying before sale
was necessary to prevent overlapping claim and to simplify deeds and
registers;
Whereas Thomas Jefferson reportedly wrote a plan, which
was debated in Congress and in modified form was adopted as the Land Ordinance
of May 20, 1785, establishing the Public Land Survey System
(PLSS
), the rectangular system that continues today in 30
midwestern and western states; and
Whereas the establishment of the third week of March as
National Surveyors Week would be a fitting tribute to all surveyors: Now,
therefore, be it
That the Senate—
(1)recommends the
establishment of National Surveyors Week;
(2)calls on the
people of the United States to observe National Surveyors Week each year with
appropriate ceremonies and activities paying tribute to professional surveyors
and their contribution to society; and
(3)invites the
people of the United States to look back at the historic contributions of
surveying and look ahead to the new technologies which are constantly
modernizing this honored and learned profession.