The Pennsylvania Society of Land Surveyors (PSLS), a statewide professional organization, exists for the purpose of supporting, improving and enhancing the profession, its members, and the practice of land surveying. PSLS focuses on providing education, legislative involvement, enhancing public awareness, and the promulgation of the ethics of the profession.
EST. 1969
UPCOMING EVENTS
August 12, 2026 | 12PM-1PM ET
Professional Surveyors frequently encounter railroad rights of way in their work as they retrace boundaries, deal with questions of seniority between public roads and railroads, address abandonments or reversionary rights, or guide clients on their needs for easements or licenses over railroad rights of way. In the process they often face confusion over the status of a railroad right of way: Is it a fee ownership or just an easement? Is it abandoned or just inactive? Is it active? How does one know? How does one find Railroad Valuation Maps and vesting deeds? What about "Rails to Trails?" In this session, we will review several judicial decisions regarding railroad rights of way including Preseault v. Interstate Commerce Commission (U.S. Supreme Court, 1990), Howard v. U.S. (2012), contemporary state cases, Clark v. CSX (2000), and Brandt v. U.S (2014). We will also exam the National Trails System Act of 1969 and its 1983 amendment in order to better understand the frequent debate over "Rails to Trails.”
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JULY 22-31, 2026
Summit Bechtel Reserve - West Virginia
Calling all licensed surveyors who want to make an impact on the next generation of surveyors!
The 2026 National Scout Jamboree will be held July 22-31, 2026 with participants on site during that time at the Summit Bechtel Reserve near Glen Jean, WV, and there will be a booth there to help scouts earn their Surveying Merit Badge. As presentations and workbooks for the scouts are being updated, we are searching for staff to help teach the badge.
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