CFedS was initially developed from The Fiduciary Trust Model (FTM). The FTM was approved by the Secretary of the Interior in 2004. The FTM was designed to respond to deficiencies in the Department of Interior’s trust responsibilities, and to outline a plan for Indian Trust reform. At this time no direct control will be asserted on the selection of surveyors working in Indian Country, Tribes, BIA, and other federal agencies with land management responsibilities adjoining Indian Trust lands will be strongly encouraged to select surveyors from the CFedS roster. The Certified Federal Surveyor Program (CFedS) is one of four specific action items approved in the cadastral component of that Model. It consists of training and testing packages to be offered to private land surveyors to elevate knowledge and skills for providing cadastral services on trust lands. The Program’s application has been expanded to include boundary work on all federal interest lands.

For additional information, see the “History of the Certified Federal Surveyor Program“, compiled by Emily Pierce, PS.