2011 Issue

16 Figure 11: The surveyor’s story set in four stones Figure 9: Nine flags fly over the newly constructed plaza: Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Navajo (3), Ute, and U.S. rather than force. Perhaps the words cast in the plaza concrete encircling the monument state it best, four states here meet in freedom under God. Randy Bloom, chief cadastral surveyor of the BLM in Colorado, represented the NSPS when he assured the audience that the monument was, in fact, in exactly the right spot and not two miles away as recently misreported. The good news is this monument is truly in the right place, Bloom said. The bad news is, I don’t care what your global positioning system says, we’re not going to move this thing. I am certain that the stone monuments now erected at the site will tell the story of a proud profession of surveyors who forged our nation’s progress through history. A profession that dem- onstrated an exacting fortitude and technical prowess needed to discover the position of a corner designated with indelible precision by Congress 1700 miles away. A profession that in- scribed a mark on the earth and set in stone the surveyor’s story for generations of visitors yet to come. Mr. Stahl, PLS, CFedS. John is a licensed professional land surveyor in the states of Utah and Montana, currently owning and operating Cornerstone Professional Land Surveys, Inc., and Cornerstone Land Consulting, Inc., in Salt Lake City. Mr. Stahl specializes in surveying land boundaries, resolving boundary conflicts, performing title and historical research, land boundary consultation services, mediation and dispute resolution. Mr. Stahl entertains invitational speaking engagements on a variety of surveying topics. He can be contacted via his website at www.CPLSinc.com . Figure 10: Randy Bloom assues the audience that We’re not going to move this thing . bers of the Southeast Diné Veterans Organi- zations joined by the Mesa Verde National Park superintendent, Cliff Spencer, hoisted nine flags over the mon- ument as the 2010-2011 Miss Utah Navajo sang the national anthem in her native Navajo language. Four flags represent the adjoin- ing states, the Navajo Nation flag flies over the states of New Mexico, Arizona and Utah, the Ute Mountain Ute Reservation flag over the state of Colorado, and all fly under the flag of one nation: the United States of America. Terry Knight of the Ute Mountain Ute tribe described the Four Corners Monument as not just a place where four states come together, but a sacred place where the energy comes from the four directions. Martin Begaye, Sr. Programs and Project Specialist for the Navajo Parks and Recreation Department, reflected that the federal government, four state governments, and two tribal nations had accomplished the task not by treaty, but by partnership. All entities had come together in a spirit of cooperation to achieve a common goal through volunteerism Figure 8. Diné and Ute Dancers Stahl