Agenda

Webinar instructions will be emailed before the date of the webinar.

Please log into the webinar 15 – 30 minutes before the start time.

Thursday, March 7, 2024 
11:00 am – 3:30 pm CST

 

Presented by: Wendy Lathrop, PLS, CFM, CFS

What is a “Railroad” by Law? (and why does it matter?)

  • Highway or utility – public rights and railroad responsibilities
  • The effects of railroads on development of the US
  • The evolution of the regulatory framework affecting railroads in the US

Railroad Records and Regulation

  • Finding information about physical, legal, and historical railroad aspects
  • The birth of Rails to Trails
  • Railroad abandonment
  • What “abandonment” means, physically and legally
  • The process for abandonment

Examining the Extent, Type, Location and Time/Duration of Railroad Rights

  • Deciphering if railroads acquired ownership or easement or other rights
  • The extent of railroad rights, and significance to landowners and railroads
  • Shared uses of the railroad corridor
  • Decisions relating to Rails to Trails conversions

 

 Webinar Instructions
All attendees must log-on through their own email – attendees may not watch together if they wish to earn continuing education credit. HalfMoon Education Inc. must be able to prove attendance if either the attendee or HalfMoon Education Inc. is audited.

Certificates of completion can be downloaded in PDF form upon passing a short quiz. A link to the quiz will be sent to each qualifying attendee immediately after the webinar. The certificate can be downloaded from the Results page of the quiz upon scoring 80% or higher.

Webinars are presented via GoToWebinar, an easy-to-use application that can be run on most systems and tablets. Instructions and login information will be provided in an email sent close to the date of the webinar. It is highly recommended that you download, install and test the application before the webinar begins by clicking on the link in the email.

GoToWebinar App requirements:
Windows 7 – 10 or Mac OSX Mavericks (10.9) – macOS Catalina (10.15)

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Internet Explorer v11 (or later) with Flash enabled.

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Credits

Land Surveyors
4.0 PDHs

Engineers
4.0 PDHs

PIE - Practicing Institute of Engineering
4.0 PDHs

 

Continuing Education Credit Information

This webinar is open to the public and is designed to qualify for 4.0 PDHs for professional engineers and land surveyors in most states for whom this subject matter is professionally relevant. Please refer to specific state rules to determine eligibility. 

HalfMoon Education is an approved continuing education sponsor for engineers in Florida (Provider License No: CEA362), Indiana (License No. CE21700059), Maryland, New Jersey (Approval No. 24GP00000700) and North Carolina (S-0130). HalfMoon Education is deemed an approved continuing education sponsor for New York engineers and land surveyors via its course approval from the Practicing Institute of Engineering (PIE). Other states do not preapprove continuing education providers or courses. 

This webinar has been evaluated for compliance with NYS Mandatory Continuing Education requirements for professional engineers and land surveyors by the Practicing Institute of Engineering, and  has been approved for 4.0 PDHs. 

HalfMoon Education is an approved continuing education sponsor for land surveyors licensed in Indiana (License No. CE10600325), Maryland, and North Carolina (S-0130). This webinar has been registered with the Florida Board of Professional Surveyors and Mappers for 4.0 CE hours and has been approved by the Missouri APEPLSPLA Board for 4.0 PDUs for land surveyors. 

 Attendance will be monitored, and attendance certificates will be available after the webinar for those who attend the entire course and score a minimum 80% on the quiz that follows the course (multiple attempts allowed). 

On-Demand Credits 
The preceding credit information only applies to the live presentation. This course in an on-demand format may not be eligible for the same credits as the live presentation; please consult your licensing board(s) to ensure that a structured, asynchronous learning format is appropriate. 

Speakers

Wendy Lathrop, PLS, CFM, CFS

President and Owner of Cadastral Consulting, LLC in Pennsylvania

Ms. Lathrop is licensed as a professional land surveyor in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland, and as a professional planner in New Jersey. She holds a master’s degree in Environmental Policy and has been involved in surveying since 1974 in projects ranging from construction to boundary to environmental land use disputes. Ms. Lathrop is also a certified floodplain manager through the Association of State Flood Plain Managers (ASFPM) and a Certified Floodplain Surveyor through the New Jersey Society of Professional Land Surveyors. A former adjunct instructor at Mercer County College in New Jersey, she has also taught as part of the team for the licensing exam review course at Drexel University in Pennsylvania. Ms. Lathrop has been teaching seminars for surveyors since 1986 and has been writing articles for surveyors since 1983. She is a contributing editor for The American Surveyor magazine, and she has four articles included in the American Bar Association’s text, Land Surveys: A Guide for Lawyers and Other Professionals. She and Stephen V. Estopinal, PLS, PE co–authored a book titled Professional Surveyors and Real Property Descriptions: Composition, Construction, and Comprehension, published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. in 2011. She is also on the faculty of GeoLearn, a web-based educational provider. Ms. Lathrop is a past president of the New Jersey Society of Professional Land Surveyors and of the National Society of Professional Surveyors, and she has served on the Board of Directors for the American Association for Geodetic Surveying.