General Information
Crosswalk To The Cadastral Data Content Standard

General Information

In 1998, the BLM determined that there was a need for a survey to establish the exact location of a property boundary between BLM and Colorado Division of Wildlife (CDOW) land.   It appeared that the CDOW had a cabin, orchard, various out buildings and a dump which might be situated on public domain land, specifically in a wilderness study area administered by the BLM.

The survey was initiated to quantify the amount of the encroachment.  Potential outcomes after the survey could be the issuance of a lease or special permit, or a land exchange.  The survey was to provide a new and accurate legal description which could be the basis for altering the bounds of the wilderness study area to exclude the encroachments.

The Survey Plat

The survey plat for Section 1 T10N R103W is available to be viewed in .pdf format.  To view this, you need Acrobat Reader.  If you do not have it, download Acrobat Reader.   Once you have Acrobat Reader installed, you can view the survey plat.

Field Notes

Shown below in blue is the kind of information gathered during this survey.  These are actual excerpts from the field notes, copied here, for the dependent resurveyed and subdivision of Section 1, T10N R103W, 6th Principal Meridian, Colorado.

DEPENDENT RESURVEY OF PORTIONS OF THE EAST AND NORTH BOUNDARIES, THE SUBDIVISIONAL LINES, AND THE SUBDIVISION OF SECTION 1 OF TOWNSHIP 10 NORTH, RANGE 103 WEST, OF THE SIXTH PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN, IN THE STATE OF COLORADO.

Survey Commenced April 16, 1998, Completed May 7, 1998.

The direction of the lines refer to the true meridian as determined by hour-angle observations of the sun, projected forward by sustained angulation. Measurements were made with Topcon GTS-II and Pentax PTS III Total Stations. The electronic distance meters were calibrated by comparison with the National Geodetic Survey calibration base line west of Craig Colorado. Measurements were within accepted tolerances.

During the course of this survey, an occupational encroachment was substantiated in SW¼ NW¼ of Section 1 of this Township, which involves lands under the administrative authority of The Bureau of Land Management's Little Snake Resource Area Office. The encroachment consisted of the northern portion of a cabin, which was currently occupied by The Colorado Division of Wildlife, including various sheds and other buildings.

The geographic position in NAD 1983/92, for the ¼ sec. cor. of secs. 1 and 2, as determined by a Rockwell Precision Lightweight GPS Receiver, (PLGR), 10 meter accuracy, is as follows.
 

Beginning at the cor. of secs. 1, 6, 7, and 12, on the E. bdy. of the Tp., monumented with a sandstone, 18 x 11 x 9 ins., firmly set, projecting 8 ins. above the ground, clearly mkd. five grooves on S. face, one groove on N. face, and 04 on W. face, encircled with a scattered collar of stone, 3 ft. base, 6 ins. high, with a mound of stone 4 ft. base, 2½ ft. high, to the W. of cor.

At the corner point

Set a stainless steel post, 28 ins. long, 2½ ins. diam., 14 ins. in the ground, encircle with a collar of stone 3½ ft. base, to top, with brass cap mkd:

Bury original stone alongside the stainless steel post.

Rehabilitate mound of stone to the W., 4 ft. base, 2½ ft. high.

Cor. is located on near level ground, among pinon and juniper timber.

From this point, the Matt Trail, 15 lks. wide, bears East, 1.53 chs. dist., extending

N. 10° W. and S. 12° E.

N. 0°01'W., bet. secs. 1 and 6, on the E. bdy. of the Tp.

Ascend gradually, through pinon and juniper timber.

39.94 [chains].   The ¼ sec. cor. of secs. 1 and 6, on the E. bdy. of the Tp., monumented with a sandstone, 18 x 14 x 10, firmly set, projecting 12 ins. above the ground, clearly mkd.  04¼S on the W. face, with a mound of stone, 3 ft. base, 2 ft. high, W. of cor.

Examples of information about bearing trees:
A juniper, 6 ins. diam., bears S. 76° E., 45 lks. dist., mkd. ¼S6BT.
A juniper, 14 ins. diam., bears N. 15° W., 47½ lks. dist., mkd. ¼S1BT.

Information concerning Division Of Wildlife structures:
From this point an outhouse bears N. 70° 19' W., 92 lks. dist.

72.15 [chains].  Intersect east side of cabin, currently occupied by the Colorado Division of Wildlife. From this point, the NE corner of the cabin bears N. 5° 57' E., 31 lks. dist.

72.66 [chains]. Intersect west side of cabin, currently occupied by the Colorado Division of Wildlife.

From this point, the NW corner of the cabin bears, N. 4° 56' W., 30 lks. dist.

General Description
The area encompassed in this survey is located, approximately 60 miles northwesterly from the community of Maybell, in Browns Park Colorado. Primary access to the area is provided by Colorado Highway No. 318. From the intersection of U. S. Highway No. 40 and Colorado Highway No. 318, at the western fringe of Maybell, thence meandering northwesterly on Colorado Highway No. 318 approximately 60 miles to intersection with Moffat County Road 166, thence northerly along MCR 166 approximately 1½ miles to the site. The elevation varies from 5700 to 6500 ft. above sea level. The area is drained by numerous draws which drain generally in a southwesterly direction, toward the Green River, which lies approximately 2 miles southwesterly from the site. There are a number of springs occurring in the north half of the section. Vegetation consists primarily of greasewood, sagebrush, with dense pinon and juniper timber occurring throughout the region. The surveyed area lies within the "Lodore School" 7½ minute (Topographic) Quadrangle map.
The mean magnetic declination is 12° E.

Surveyors
David W. Ginther, Cadastral Surveyor
Field Assistants
Gene R. Dollarhide Cadastral Surveyor
Andrew H. Bullen Survey Aid (Craig District Fire)

Certificate of Survey – July 18, 1999

Signed: Acting Chief Cadastral Survey BLM Colorado State Office, July 27, 1999.

Crosswalk of Survey Plat and Notes To The Cadastral Data Content Standard

The left column of the table below contains information from the field notes shown above.

The right column contains the Cadastral Data Content Standard entity and attribute which corresponds to the information in the left column.

Overall, the table lists numerous connections between the BLM survey and the FGDC Cadastral Data Content Standard.  This represents many links, key terms, or relate items --- in other words, a wealth of capability to work with standardized definitions and to use these definitions as understandable links between multiple agencies and varying databases.
 

Thanks to Paul Lucakovic, Barry Krebs, and Mark Tanner, BLM Colorado State Office, for providing information related to this example.