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Member Spotlight

Josh Colella

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Did you know NSPS has a Stolen
Equipment Registry?
You can view the current registry at Photo: Josh Colella in center, Justin Pfeifer left.
https://www.nsps.us.com/StolenEquipment Josh Colella is a survey technician and Crew Chief at David
To report stolen equipment, please provide the following Bardoun Land Surveying and a member of Central New
information by email to trisha.milburn@nsps.us.com: York Society of Land Surveyors. Josh started with Dave in
1. Description of Instruments including Serial Number August of 2019. He has, in a short time, proved to be
valuable asset and very capable member of their team.
2. Location where equipment was stolen, include nearest
Town and State Josh was one of the few people who perused this career out
3. Date stolen of high school without family being associated in surveying.
4. Contact person to provide information, include phone He had an acquaintance of a friend tell him about the land
and/or email surveying field and Ranger School. From that point on he
was heading into destiny. After graduating from high school
Josh attended Onondaga County Community College to
Reminder – NYS Education Department’s Office complete the required prerequisites for Ranger School.
of Profession’s Advisory Notice: Regulatory While up at Ranger School, Josh learned the technical skills
Amendments approved and Effective January 1, and principles of surveying and enjoyed the boundary
2022 for Engineering, Land Surveying and Geology surveying aspect. After the tenuous and isolated experience
in Wanakena he graduated in May of 2019.
The New York State Board of Regents approved regulatory
amendments in engineering, land surveying and geology that Right out of Ranger School Josh had a summer internship
were effective January 1, 2022. These regulatory amendments with the New York State Department of Environmental
offer greater flexibility by updating and modernizing Conservation Survey Department in Region 7. There he
the continuing education requirements for professional was tasked with preforming preliminary research on
engineers and land surveyors while implementing continuing projects and would assist the Land Surveyors in field work
education requirements for professional geologists. and numerous other tasks they had.
For a detailed view of the regulatory amendments, see
the Regulations of the Commissioner on their website at Josh was hired by Dave Bardoun primarily as an Instrument
https://www.op.nysed.gov/professions/land-surveying/laws- person for a field crew but being in a small business he
rules-regulations/part-68. would do deed research, file indexing and CAD drafting as
Below is a summary of the major regulatory changes: well. His youthful ambition and ability to adapt and learn
quickly presented him with more tasks. He excelled with
• The continuing education requirements may be completed
via courses of learning or in live classes as determined by the CAD and soon became the primary draftsman. In the field
licensee, provided that the continuing education is completed Josh honed in his skills in identifying boundary evidence,
through a Department-approved sponsor and is in an and finding monumentation lost to time. He has had a
acceptable subject area tremendous group of mentors to help him along his
traverse, most notability Justin Pfeifer, LS. When Justin
• Professional engineers, land surveyors and professional obtained his license and started his own business, Josh was
geologists may now complete their continuing education in promoted to Crew Chief. He currently handles projects
additional subject areas, including architecture, landscape from start to near completion.
architecture, and interior design.
• Six hours of “carry over” credit may now be used from one Josh is planning on becoming licensed himself and enjoys
registration period to another, within certain parameters. the profession he is in.

EMPIRE STATE SURVEYOR / VOL. 59 • NO 5 2023 • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 7