Native America Calling: Getting the lay of the land

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Monday, December 2, 2024

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Getting the lay of the land

If you ever buy or sell a parcel of land or build a home or business, you’ll likely need a land surveyor.

Land surveyors are the first professionals on the scene when people need to find and document property lines, reservation boundaries, utilities, and topography. On a bigger scale, much of the American west was originally mapped and named by explorers like Lewis and Clark and John Wesley Powell in the 1800s.

It’s now up to Native American surveyors to include their unique understanding of the land going forward. Tune in to hear from Native land surveyors about their work and the need to recruit more Native people to their ranks.

Land surveyor equipment is seen in the Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming. Photo: Charity Parks / U.S. Forest Service

Guests on Native America Calling

Halbert Goldtooth (Diné), professional land surveyor and owner of Goldtooth Surveying, a business based on the Arizona portion of the Navajo Nation

Jake Stephens (member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians), manager of the Tribal Surveying Office for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in North Carolina

Jamie Hansen, survey manager for the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes, headquartered in Idaho