I have wondered about the CFedS license and thought it was restricted to PLSS states. Upon further exploration of the website I find that there may be a benfit to acquring the license.
What's the word for us Colonial Surveyors? Benefit?
It's not a license but a certification. If the BLM is completely succesful in getting other federal agencies to require it for a surveyor contracted to do federal authority surveys, it would essentially have the same effect as a license for those surveys. The program was developed to train surveyors who are doing Indian Trust Lands surveys, and that is the first area they are trying to get (perhaps already have?) the requirement in place.
Since there are Indian Trust Lands in the colonial states as well as in the west, it would be applicable for that work. Although a lot of the training is specific to following the GLO and BLM surveys in sectionalized states, a lot of the information is also applicable to retracing pretty much any surveys in the US. Remember that we also have lots of metes & bounds in the west, with some areas being exclusively so. It's not all mile by mile squares once you cross the Ohio.
If surveying Indian lands or adjacent to Indian lands is a part of your practice, it could be useful to you and is well worth the time and money. Otherwise, there are probably other educational opportunities that can be found specific to colonial states that may provide better value for your training dollar.
