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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE


gram is successful. Many of our members who have learned about the NLG have expressed their excitement about the program and are optimistic about it and what it offers members. Information on the NLG has also been presented to other organizations including the European Federation of Geologists, Geosciences Canada, ASBOG, and the American Geosciences Institute; all believe it has good value and that it is a logical next step for AIPG to take. If the NLG catches on in multiple states, it is likely to attract many new members. Increasing AIPG’s membership is one of the things that a large percentage of our members said should be a priority.


In addition to the NLG, the National Executive Committee is working to strengthen our relationship with some of our sister organizations, in particular the European Federation of Geologists and Geosciences Canada. AIPG cur- rently has reciprocal recognition of these organizations’ credential to allow profes-


sional practice as they recognize AIPG’s CPG. In addition, AIPG is partnering with EFG on the International Raw Materials Observatory (INTRAW), and with Geosciences Canada on Resources for Future Generations. Information on these programs has been provided to our members via email announcements; it is also available on the AIPG, Canadian Geosciences, and EFG websites.


AIPG is also beginning a campaign of outreach to our legislators. As has been pointed out by a number of our Past Presidents and other members, most of these individuals, like the general public, have no idea what it is that we as geologists do. This is something that needs to change; we need to get our voice out there. I challenge each of you to help make a difference in this effort. Take a little time and write to your legisla- tors. Whether it be to reach out to them about licensing issues, fracking, climate change, mining, environmental issues,


or whichever aspect of geology you know best, let’s make our voices heard!


This is my final President’s message, and I’d like to thank all of those I’ve worked with and had the chance to get to know better this year. To each of the 2017 Executive Committee and Advisory Board members, headquarters staff, and our Executive Director, I’ve enjoyed working with you all; thank you for your efforts and everything you have helped accomplish this year. I look forward to continue working with you next year as Past President, and supporting our 2018 President, Doug Bartlett.Finally, I’d like to thank all our members for the opportunity to serve you as AIPG President in 2017.I hope that you will consider being an active participant in AIPG at the Section and National levels going forward. You will certainly benefit from your involvement and will get back more than you put in. Your participation will enable AIPG to thrive and expand its program of services.


TALES FROM THE FIELD A Near-miss over Arcadia, California


In the 1990s, I was involved with a project that would dis- pose of all of the trash generated by Los Angeles and other local cities. The Eagle Mountain Project was to be the world’s largest sanitary landfill, located in the remote desert 170 miles east of Los Angeles. The nearest houses were ten miles away in the town of Desert Center. The plan was to fill-in the huge open pit left by the Kaiser Iron Mine after World War II. The pit is two miles long and 1000 feet deep. I was delighted to work with long-time colleagues Joe Birman (CPG 0316) and Roy Shlemon (CPG 1766, HM). We found no geologic or hydrologic problem with the site, and the non-toxic waste was to be containerized. However, the project never materialized.


Long before this project, I had noticed that an Alaska Airlines MD-80 jet flew relatively low and slow over my house in Arcadia at 7:05 every morning. This was the 12-minute-long flight that crossed Arcadia from Ontario Airport westward to Burbank (Bob Hope) Airport, at an altitude of about 7,000 feet. (For safety, commercial aircraft do not fly lower than 7,000 feet, to not encroach on private aircraft space; similarly, private planes must not exceed 7,000 feet elevation in this restricted urban area.)


Besides driving the 170 miles to the project site, I once had the opportunity to fly with the project engineer, Bob Coale, in his Cessna. So on this potentially fateful morning, I met Bob at Burbank Airport, and we started out on our flight plan east toward San Gorgonio Pass near San Bernardino. When we were above Arcadia, I was looking out the window to see my house: then I looked at my watch. It read 7:04. I told Bob about the MD-80 and looked at the altimeter—it read 7,000 feet. Bob said to look for the jet, but we looked into the bright morning sun and saw nothing. Then—ROAR! There was the big jet passing just beyond the left wing! Our plane wobbled violently. We hadn’t seen it coming because of the small head- on silhouette and the closing speed of about 300 mph (200 mph for the jet and 100 for the Cessna.) We assumed the jet pilot saw us on his radar, but maybe not. At any rate, as far as I know this was an unreported near-miss incident. Whew! When I had calmed back down I thought “How weird would it be to die inside a plane as it crashed into my own house?!”


Richard J. Proctor, CPG-5091 Tales from the Field


Have an interesting field experience? Of course you do! Send in your field (or office) tale to us, and we will share it in the TPG. E-mail your tale to aipg@aipg.org.


30 TPG • Oct.Nov.Dec 2017 www.aipg.org


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