National Association of Lease and Title Analysts Publication •...

National Association of Lease and Title Analysts Publication • June 2005

NALTA News 4 June 2005

Contents June 2005 • Volume 20, Issue 2

Feature Articles

In This Issue5 Letter From The President – Susan Rondon6 2005 Officers and Directors7 February Board Meeting Highlights8 Calendar of Events9 Membership Report15 San Diego 2005 Conference – NALTA's 20th Anniversary17 Conference Seminar for Wednesday18 Conference Topic Summaries for Thursday and Friday24 Entertainment Report29 Certification Corner34 NALTA Member of the Year Nominees48 Treasurer's Report/Advertising Rates53 Hotel Site Committee Report54 Website and Scholarship Committee Reports55 Presidential Travels/Compensation Survey56 Chapter Reports

31 Company Profile: Black Hills Exploration & Production, Inc.40 "Mentoring Strategies in the 21st Century" (Part II) by Donna Dowling46 "Lease Maintenance by Continuous Operations and/or Production"

by Charles G. Blaize, Jr.50 Company Profile: Venoco, Inc.

Official Publication of the National Association of Lease and Title Analysts

EDITORIAL DISCLAIMER: The contents of this Newsletter are intended for member use only and anyother use without permission from the NALTA Board of Directors is strictly prohibited. Articles publishedmay not necessarily reflect the opinions of NALTA, nor does NALTA warrant liability for misprints.

National Association ofLease and Title AnalystsP.O. Box 61056Houston, TX 77208www.nalta.org

Cover photo: "San Diego – View from Pt.Loma," courtesy of the San DiegoConvention and Visitors Bureau.

Various photos throughout this issue arecourtesy of the Chapter Directors, MarthaCheshire, Susan Rondon, Judy Barattaand the San Diego Convention andVisitors Bureau.

NALTA NEWS COMMITTEES

EditorJudy A. BarattaPioneer Natural ResourcesDenver, CO

Advertising EditorPriscilla J. ParsonsNeumin Production CompanyPoint Comfort, TX

Design & LayoutDebbie EvertonVizion GraphicsAmes, IA

Copy EditorsCarole NewtonHunt Oil CompanyDallas, TX

Cathy GrewayDelta Petroleum Corp.Denver, CO

Ellen LuckiePure Resources, L.P.Midland, TX

Katie WilliamsMerit Energy CompanyDallas, TX

Printing & DistributionConocoPhillips CompanyBartlesville, OK

National Association of Lease and Title Analysts Publication • June 2005


calendar and keep an eye out for the conferencebrochure coming to your mailbox soon.

Please don't hesitate to contact me with yourcomments, suggestions and constructive criticism. Iwant to hear from you, so that together we canmake NALTA even better. You may contact me [email protected] or by phone at 817-347-2184.

See you in San Diego!Susan Rondon, CPLTA2005 NALTA President

On the road again...March and April werebusy travel months: Tulsa on March 15th for theTALTA meeting with Timothy Dowd; Midland onApril 14th for the PBADOA-PALTA seminar withRick Strange, Jad Davis, George Snell, SusanChapman, Mary Lou Cassidy and Penny Parten;Farmington, New Mexico on April 21st, for an At-Large Spring Seminar sponsored by NALTA withMeg Molleston and Jami Bailey, and finally backhome with DFW-ALTA for their Spring Seminaron April 29th, where I did a presentation on unitsand unitization along with Rick Holdridge, LouieGoodwin, Sonia Horton and Bryan Dodge. I'mlooking forward to representing NALTA at theCAPLA-sponsored Management and SupervisorySummit on May 16 and 17 at the Delta Lodge atKananaskis outside of Calgary. This summit willaddress topics of recruitment, training andretention. These topics greatly interest me as Isee our organization getting "grayer".

I am excited about the upcomingCompensation Survey. I have solicited input frommembers in various local and at-large chaptersand have decided to include NADOA. I believethis joint survey will benefit land departmentemployees at every level and provide ourcompanies with reliable data. I'm very interestedto see if the average age has come down any. In2000 our average age was 47 years old. Please,please, please fill out your survey and mail itback! Results will be totally confidential. Dr.Forrest Aven at the University of Houston will beconducting the survey and compiling the results.

Are you making plans to attend the NALTAconference in San Diego, October 12-15, 2005?The conference committee is working very hardto make this the best conference yet. Mark your

Letter from the President

Susan Rondon

2004-2005 NALTA Officers & Directors


PRESIDENT DIRECTOR - AT-LARGESusan Rondon, CPLTA Work: 817-347-2184 Marian Wimsatt, CPLTA, CPL Work: 505-326-9860Burlington Resources Oil & Gas Home: 817-750-2715 Burlington Resources Oil & Gas Home: 505-327-2909801 Cherry St, Ste 200 Fax: 817-347-2722 PO Box 4289 Fax: 505-326-9781Fort Worth, TX 76102 Cell: 817-307-0427 Farmington NM [email protected] [email protected]

FIRST VICE-PRESIDENT DIRECTOR - ALTA (HOUSTON)Pamela W. Anderson Work: 504-593-7464 Kathleen Davidson, CPLTA Work: 713-765-6266Dominion Expl & Prod Inc Home: 985-652-7697 Dominion Expl & Prod Inc Home: 281-446-13701450 Poydras Fax: 504-593-7449 1415 Louisiana St Ste 2700 Fax: 713-756-6023New Orleans, LA 70112-6000 Houston TX [email protected] [email protected]

SECOND VICE-PRESIDENT DIRECTOR - DALTA (DENVER)Judy A. Baratta Work: 303-675-2655 Brenda Mustain, CPLTA Work: 720-210-1313Pioneer Natural Resources USA, Inc Home: 303-989-9366 Black Hills Exploration & Production Inc.1401 17th St Ste 1200 Fax: 303-294-1255 350 Indiana St Ste 400Denver, CO 80202 Golden CO [email protected] [email protected]

RECORDING SECRETARY DIRECTOR - DFW-ALTA (DALLAS - FT WORTH)Joan S. Lucero, CPLTA, CDOA Work: 303-831-4673 Sara Shands Work: 817-885-2377Samuel Gary Jr. & Associates, Inc. Home: 303-284-4557 XTO Energy Inc Home: 817-540-39701670 Broadway, Suite 3300 Fax: 303-863-7285 810 Houston St Fax: 817-885-2567Denver CO 80202 Fort Worth TX [email protected] [email protected]

CORRESPONDING SECRETARY DIRECTOR - OCAPLTA (OKLAHOMA CITY)Sarah Adamson, CPLTA Work: 432-688-9089 Kyle Cole, CPLTA Work: 405-879-9405Burlington Resources Oil & Gas Home: 432-697-4129 Chesapeake Energy Corp Home: 405-810-0155PO Box 51810 Fax: 432-688-6090 PO Box 18496Midland TX 79710-1810 Oklahoma City OK [email protected] [email protected]

TREASURER DIRECTOR - PALTA (MIDLAND)Cathy S. Jones, CPLTA Work: 713-756-6373 Kathryn Neeper, CPLTA Work: 432-498-8637Dominion Expl & Prod Inc Home: 281-438-3752 Pure Resources a Unocal Company Home: 432-349-81181415 Louisiana St Ste 2700 Fax: 713-756-6023 500 W Illinois Fax: 432-498-2610Houston TX 77002-7349 Midland TX [email protected] [email protected]

CERTIFICATION DIRECTOR DIRECTOR - TALTA (TULSA)Toni Semple, CPLTA Work: 918-499-1302 Jeanie Spradlin, CPLTA Work: 918-491-4329KCS Resources, Inc. Home: 918-355-4148 Kaiser-Francis Oil Company Home: 918-246-34687130 S Lewis Ave Ste 700 Fax: 918-488-8185 PO Box 21468 Fax: 918-491-4387Tulsa OK 74136 Tulsa OK [email protected] [email protected]

PARLIAMENTARIAN/ETHICS PAST PRESIDENT/BOARD ADVISORToni Semple, CPLTA Work: 918-499-1302 Melva Thornton, CPLTA Work: [email protected] Fax: 918-488-8185 [email protected] Home: 713-433-9682

CONFERENCE SITE MARKETINGDavid Nelson, CPLTA Work: 918-661-1578 Martha Cheshire, CPLTA/RLP Home: [email protected] Fax: 918-661-0809 [email protected] Fax: 713-253-1550

PUBLICITY WEBSITEJudy Baratta Work: 303-675-2655 Michael Smith, CPLTA, RLP Work: [email protected] Fax: 303-294-1255 [email protected] Fax: 918-661-0809

CPLTA MANUAL RE-WRITE BY-LAWSMargie Waters-Naulls, CPLTA Work: 972-371-5211 Jo Hale, CPLTA/CDOA Work: [email protected] Fax: 972-371-5201 [email protected] Fax: 713-918-8620

2004-2005 STANDING COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSONS

The 2005 NALTA Boardmembers were all presentat The Westin HortonPlaza Hotel on Friday,February 10, 2005 andSaturday, February 11,2005 in San Diego,California.

The NALTA Boardhandled a lot of businessat their first board meetingof the year. The Minutesfrom the September 2004 Board Meeting were reviewedand approved and all action items were addressed.There followed a review of the 2005 Operating Budget,which usually takes up most of the day and into theevening. Once that was completed, the board moveddirectly onto the Projected Income Statement.

Each Chapter Director summarized their year-endreports and updated the board regarding their localboard elections and current membership standing. AllChapter Directors have been working on increasingmembership, both locally and nationally. Ms. MarianWimsatt, CPLTA/CPL, NALTA's At-Large Director, hasbeen working on forming a new local chapter inFarmington, New Mexico. The board elected to supportthe At-Large Chapter by offering financial assistance.

The NALTA Board reviewed and approved guidelinesfor the 2005 Scholarship Program. The board wasadvised of the completion of the new CertificationManual and By-Laws Rewrite. Entertainment optionswere reviewed and discussed for the 2005 Conference inSan Diego. The entertainment plans for NALTA's 2006Conference, to be held in New Orleans, Louisiana, werealso discussed. The Site Selection Committee gave theirreport to the board on ten possible cities to hold its 2007Conference. The majority vote elected to hold theconference in Denver, Colorado. The board voted onhaving a compensation survey done this year and theresults will be shared with the membership on theNALTA website and also discussed at the Fallconference.

Respectfully submitted,Joan S. Lucero, CPLTA/CDOARecording Secretary


Highlights from NALTA’s February Board Meeting

Standing: Susan Rondon, David Nelson.Seated: Marian Wimsatt, Sarah Adamson,Kathy Neeper.

Joan Lucero, Pamela Anderson, SaraShands

Board at work

Board at work

David Nelson, Melva Thornton, Toni Semple, Jo Hale

July 12 DALTA Board Meeting Denver Cindy Lively 303-575-0367July 12 DFW-ALTA Luncheon Dallas Jan Warren 214-880-8435July 12 OCAPLTA Board Mtg. Oklahoma City Valerie Hunt 405-228-4445July 13 ALTA Board Meeting Houston Jo Hale 713-590-2402July 14 PALTA Luncheon Midland Debra O'Brien 432-498-8603July 16 OCAPLTA Workshop. Oklahoma City Valerie Hunt 405-228-4445

CPLTA Review and TestJuly 19 DFW-ALTA Board Mtg. Conference Call Charlotte Campbell 817-885-2309July 19 ALTA Luncheon Houston Janell Tilley 281-552-3750July 21 OCAPLTA Luncheon. Oklahoma City Valerie Hunt 405-228-4445July 28 PALTA Board Meeting Midland Debra O'Brien 432-498-8603

August 2 OCAPLTA Board Mtg. Oklahoma City Valerie Hunt 405-228-4445August 9 DALTA Luncheon Denver Cindy Lively 303-575-0367August 10 ALTA Board Meeting Houston Jo Hale 713-590-2402August 11 PALTA Luncheon Midland Debra O'Brien 432-498-8603August 11 TALTA Board Meeting Tulsa Annette Consalvi 918-588-6883August 13 OCAPLTA Workshop. Oklahoma City Valerie Hunt 405-228-4445

CPLTA Review and TestAugust 16 ALTA Luncheon Houston Janell Tilley 281-552-3750August 19 DFW-ALTA Board Mtg. Conference Call Charlotte Campbell 817-885-2309August 18 OCAPLTA Luncheon. Oklahoma City Valerie Hunt 405-228-4445August 25 PALTA Board Meeting Midland Debra O'Brien 432-498-8603August 26 DFW-ALTA Luncheon Fort Worth Cynthia Simms 817-665-4926

September 6 OCAPLTA Board Mtg. Oklahoma City Valerie Hunt 405-228-4445September 8 PALTA Luncheon Midland Debra O'Brien 432-498-8603September 10 DFW-ALTA Luncheon Dallas Jan Warren 214-880-8435September 13 DALTA Board Meting Denver Cindy Lively 303-575-0367September 14 ALTA Board Meeting Houston Jo Hale 713-590-2402September 16 OCAPLTA Seminar Oklahoma City Valerie Hunt 405-228-4445September 17 DFW-ALTA Board Mtg. Conference Call Charlotte Campbell 817-885-2309September 20 ALTA Luncheon Houston Janell Tilley 281-552-3750September 22 PALTA Board Meeting Midland Cindy Lively 303-575-0367September 24 OCAPLTA Workshop. Oklahoma City Valerie Hunt 405-228-4445

CPLTA Review and TestSeptember 29 OCAPLTA Luncheon. Oklahoma City Valerie Hunt 405-228-4445

October 4 OCAPLTA Board Mtg. Oklahoma City Valerie Hunt 405-228-4445October 8 OCAPLTA Workshop. Oklahoma City Valerie Hunt 405-228-4445

CPLTA Review and TestOctober 11 DALTA Luncheon Denver Cindy Lively 303-575-0367October 12 ALTA Board Meeting Houston Jo Hale 713-590-2402October 12-15 NALTA Conference San Diego, CA Pamela Anderson 504-593-7464October 13 TALTA Board Meeting Tulsa Annette Consalvi 918-588-6883October 18 ALTA Luncheon Houston Janell Tilley 281-552-3750October 20 OCAPLTA Luncheon. Oklahoma City Valerie Hunt 405-228-4445October 21 DFW-ALTA Board Mtg. Conference Call Charlotte Campbell 817-885-2309October 27 PALTA Board Meeting Midland Debra O'Brien 432-498-8603October 28 DFW-ALTA Luncheon Dallas Cynthia Simms 817-665-4926


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As of May 1, 2005, NALTA received 712 renewals and 211 new membership applications for agrand total of 923 members!

NALTA WELCOMES ALL OF THE FOLLOWING NEW MEMBERS:

NAME COMPANY LOCATIONRobin W. Elder Anadarko Petroleum Corporation The Woodlands TXDeborah A. Farris Anadarko Petroleum Corporation The Woodlands TXMarjorie I. Hawthorne Anadarko Petroleum Corporation The Woodlands TXDan Rembert Anadarko Petroleum Corporation Houston TXKristine Adair Anschutz Exploration Denver COLuellen Davis Apache Corporation Houston TXBen Marchive II Apache Corporation Houston TXJanet Smith Apache Corporation Houston TXDottie Baars Aspect Energy LLC Denver COTracy Butzen Aspect Energy LLC Denver COLee Eitel Aspect Energy LLC Denver COLinda Niemeier Aspect Energy LLC Denver COJeffrey Rose Aspect Energy LLC Denver COLynn Worthen Aspect Energy LLC Denver COJustin Long Bank of America Dallas TXSheila Miles Bank of America Dallas TXTina Morrison Bank of America Dallas TXArthella Blalock Bank of Oklahoma NA Tulsa OKAmber Brewster Bank of Oklahoma NA Tulsa OKCraig Hauschildt Bank of Oklahoma NA Tulsa OKJulie Stottern Baptist Foundation of Texas McKinney TXCharlene Atwater Black Hills Exploration & Production Denver COMichelle V. Dillon Burlington Resources Oil and Gas LP Farmington NMPauline G. Montoya Burlington Resources Oil and Gas LP Farmington NMSheila Shanks Burlington Resources Oil and Gas LP Midland TXMoe Tsosie Burlington Resources Oil and Gas LP Farmington NMLinda J. James Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation Houston TXRhonda Frazer Berwick CDX Gas LLC Dallas TXCourtney Blood Chesapeake Energy Corporation Oklahoma City OKDorothy E. Blythe Chesapeake Energy Corporation Oklahoma City OKTammi Bradford Chesapeake Energy Corporation Oklahoma City OKDrew Cornett Chesapeake Energy Corporation Oklahoma City OKVelisha Garland Chesapeake Energy Corporation Oklahoma City OKJessica Garrett Chesapeake Energy Corporation Oklahoma City OKJill A Gelvin Chesapeake Energy Corporation Oklahoma City OKLoretta Gibelyou Chesapeake Energy Corporation Oklahoma City OKKris Hamilton Chesapeake Energy Corporation Oklahoma City OKTeresa C. Hodges Chesapeake Energy Corporation Oklahoma City OKCristy Hutchens Chesapeake Energy Corporation Oklahoma City OKRose Hutton Chesapeake Energy Corporation Oklahoma City OKCarolyn Jones Coble Chesapeake Energy Corporation Oklahoma City OKShamara Keith Chesapeake Energy Corporation Oklahoma City OKShaun Lambert Chesapeake Energy Corporation Oklahoma City OKLeslie Lanier Chesapeake Energy Corporation Oklahoma City OKKathy Leasure Chesapeake Energy Corporation Oklahoma City OKCindy LeBlanc Chesapeake Energy Corporation Oklahoma City OK

NALTA News 9 June 2005NALTA News 9 June 2005

Membership News

Continued on page 10

Mike Lovelace Chesapeake Energy Corporation Oklahoma City OKCortney Diane Mode Chesapeake Energy Corporation Oklahoma City OKJeff Ramsdell Chesapeake Energy Corporation Oklahoma City OKMarcy Reynolds Chesapeake Energy Corporation Oklahoma City OKTim Riggs Chesapeake Energy Corporation Oklahoma City OKFord Sanger Chesapeake Energy Corporation Oklahoma City OKJack Shaver Chesapeake Energy Corporation Oklahoma City OKKristen Smedley Chesapeake Energy Corporation Oklahoma City OKJeremy Smith Chesapeake Energy Corporation Oklahoma City OKLori Vreeland Chesapeake Energy Corporation Oklahoma City OKRobin Wall Chesapeake Energy Corporation Oklahoma City OKSteve Zmek Chesapeake Energy Corporation Oklahoma City OKJeri Paduch Chief Oil & Gas LLC Dallas TXAngela G. Birthisel Citation Oil & Gas Houston TXJudy Box Citation Oil & Gas Houston TXSanja Barclay ConocoPhillips Bartlesville OKBrian Dart ConocoPhillips Bartlesville OKBetty Dimiterchik ConocoPhillips Houston TXDavid C. Fritts ConocoPhillips Bartlesville OKJeannie Kafer ConocoPhillips Bartlesville OKDonna Kisabeth ConocoPhillips Bartlesville OKBelinda Pedraza ConocoPhillips Houston TXBeth Lawless Data Standardizers LLC Midland TXMargaret Blair Devon Energy Corporation Oklahoma City OKPamela Clark Devon Energy Corporation Oklahoma City OKCarolyn Dibello Devon Energy Corporation Houston TXJanett Dumes Devon Energy Corporation Oklahoma City OKCindy Hodges Devon Energy Corporation Oklahoma City OKAlicia Hudgens Devon Energy Corporation Oklahoma City OKKatie Karfe Devon Energy Corporation Oklahoma City OKJudy Mansfield Devon Energy Corporation Oklahoma City OKKathryn Mesi Devon Energy Corporation Oklahoma City OKMaryum Mims Devon Energy Corporation Houston TXDenise Percival Devon Energy Corporation Oklahoma City OKVicky Wyalie Devon Energy Corporation Oklahoma City OKErin Clark Dominion Exploration and Production Oklahoma City OKVicki Darling Dominion Exploration and Production Oklahoma City OKKaren Hood Dominion Exploration and Production Oklahoma City OKCheryl C. Ingram Dominion Exploration and Production Oklahoma City OKSharon Johnson-Newton Dominion Exploration and Production New Orleans LAJessica Meek Dominion Exploration and Production Oklahoma City OKLisa Schneider Dominion Exploration and Production Oklahoma City OKDonna Stavros Dominion Exploration and Production Oklahoma City OKLinda Stokes Dominion Exploration and Production Oklahoma City OKJ. David Brasher El Paso Production Company Houston TXMarco A. Soto El Paso Production Company Houston TXIrene Bailey EnCana Oil & Gas (USA) Inc. Denver COAnn Rogers Harlan Energen Resources Corporation Birmingham ALKaren Cook EOG Resources Inc Midland TXHolly Dominguez EOG Resources Inc Midland TXCasey Gordy EOG Resources Inc Houston TXPeggy Lavine EOG Resources Inc Midland TX


Membership NNews Continued from page 9

Continued on next page

Gayle A. Gallegos Fidelity Exploration & Production Co. Denver COLaura Badovinac Flying J Oil & Gas Inc Brigham City UTNatalie M. Jaquette Forest Oil Corporation Denver COChristine L. Bussard Fortuna Energy Inc Horseheads NYTeri Shumulay Fortuna Energy Inc Horseheads NYJennifer J. DeBoer Great Lakes Energy Partners LLC Hartville OHMichael Raven Great Lakes Energy Partners LLC Hartville OHTamie Edwards Hunt Petroleum Corporation Dallas TXSteve Payte Hunt Petroleum Corporation Dallas TXBarbara Baldwin Independent Houston TXMarsha Breazeale Independent Magnolia TXKathryn D. Burleson Independent Weatherford TXRyan B. Burleson Independent Weatherford TXJennifer L. Goodall Independent Oklahoma City OKDebbie Hathhorn Independent Houston TXKimberly Louthan Independent Edmond OKJohn Meeks Independent Weatherford TXTammy Meeks Independent Weatherford TXCarol Jean Terrett Independent Houston TXDana Weimar Independent Spring TXJennifer Palmer Kaiser Francis Oil Company Tulsa OKW. Frank Hulse III KCS Resources Inc Tulsa OKE. Lynne Mills KCS Resources Inc Tulsa OKJo K. Rhone KCS Resources Inc Tulsa OKCharlotte Nicholson Kerr-McGee Corporation Denver COLinda Priesmeyer Kerr-McGee Corporation Denver COLouise Webster Kerr-McGee Corporation Denver COMelinda Barton Land Temp Inc Houston TXSandra L. Baker Latigo Petroleum Inc Tulsa OKShari Brandenburg Latigo Petroleum Inc Tulsa OKAnne Terrell Latigo Petroleum Inc Tulsa OKDeborah Tumer Latigo Petroleum Inc Tulsa OKCarolyn "Susie" Ward Latigo Petroleum Inc Tulsa OKChristal Yarbrough Latigo Petroleum Inc Tulsa OKBrandon Gist Magnum Hunter Resources Inc Grapevine TXPaul Jacobs Magnum Hunter Resources Inc Euless TXBrenda K Erickson Merit Energy Company Dallas TXSuzanne (Renee) Parsons Merit Energy Company Dallas TXKarla Stines Merit Energy Company Dallas TXStan Mitchell Mineral Acquisition Partners Inc Oklahoma City OKLinda Chance Mission Resources Corp Houston TXTambera Stickney Nearburg Producing Company Midland TXLaurie Chase Newfield Exploration Co Houston TXAntoinette Moody P2 Energy Solutions Houston TXCindy Flood Pacesetter Energy Flower Mound TXKaren Patterson Patina Oil & Gas Corporation Denver COKaren Shafer Petro-Canada Resources (USA) Inc Denver COJacqueline Avery Petro-Hunt LLC Dallas TXAndy Burlingame Petro-Hunt LLC Dallas TXMichelle K. Freitas Petro-Hunt LLC Dallas TXAndy Hannah Petro-Hunt LLC Dallas TXErica L. Everly Pioneer Natural Resources Denver CO




Mandy Hedgpeth Pioneer Natural Resources Highland Village TXApril Pello Pioneer Natural Resources Denver COTamra Sanders Pioneer Natural Resources Midland TXDiane Barela Questar Exploration Denver COShelly Martin Questar Exploration Yukon OKElda Munoz Questar Exploration Denver COStan Pinney Questar Exploration Tulsa OKJean Kirk Quicksilver Resources Fort Worth TXAlexandra Gajewski Quorum Business Solutions Inc Houston TXNikki Ball Range Resources LLC Oklahoma City OKLinda Wayland Range Resources LLC Oklahoma City OKRoberta Henley Samson Resources Company Tulsa OKMary Ickes Samson Resources Company Tulsa OKScott Fields Shell Exploration and Production Co Houston TXBelinda Hirsch Shell Exploration and Production Co Houston TXSue Hunt Shell Exploration and Production Co Houston TXL.K. McCain Southwestern Energy Houston TXSarah Rix Southwestern Energy Fayetteville ARBeverly Smith-Cobrin Southwestern Energy Houston TXDerek A. Thomas Southwestern Energy Houston TXLori Saunders Spear Brothers Group Midland TXSandy Beresford St Mary Land & Exploration Co Denver COGayle M. Gaul St Mary Land & Exploration Co Denver COBeth VanBuskirk St Mary Land & Exploration Co Denver COJennife Gayle Jones Stephens Production Company Fort Smith ARJanice Plaisance Stone Energy Corporation Lafayette LACybel Manzanares SunCor Energy Natural Gas America Inc Greenwood Village COBennie Ellingson T S Dudley Land Company Oklahoma City OKNancy L. Jensen The Coteau Properties Company Bismarck NDTeresa P. Smith Unit Corporation Tulsa OKJacki Dillman Unit Petroleum Company Tulsa OKScott Lohmann Western Gas Resources Denver COJessica Morris Western Gas Resources Denver COCandace L. Brazelton XTO Energy Inc Fort Worth TXRick Hayes XTO Energy Inc Fort Worth TXBonita Loggins XTO Energy Inc Fort Worth TXJennifer McHugh XTO Energy Inc Fort Worth TXWilliam Shands Jr. XTO Energy Inc Fort Worth TXLoretta Sprague XTO Energy Inc Fort Worth TXRuthie Turner XTO Energy Inc Fort Worth TX

Respectfully submitted,Joan S. Lucero, CPLTA / CDOA, Membership Chairman


2005 MEMBERSHIP DIRECTORYLook for your new Membership Directory around the

end of June. It will include all renewals and newmembers as of May 1, 2005.


CONFERENCE COORDINATORPam Anderson504/593-7464, [email protected]

NALTA, P. O. Box 61056, Houston, TX 77208-1056, www.nalta.org

CPLTA, CDOA,CMM, SR/WA, CLECredits Available

Also, a full-day educational workshop and fun-filled Saturday Field Trip

• ACCOUNTING FOR NATURAL GAS: POST-WELLHEAD ROYALTY DEDUCTIONS

• BENEFITS OF A CENTRAL RECORDS CENTER• BURDEN LIMITATION FIELD – JOA

WORKSHOP• CURING THE DIVISION ORDER TITLE

OPINION• ETHICS 101 – THE CASE AGAINST LYING• FROM PROSPECT TO PIPELINE• GEOLOGY & GEOPHYSICS – AN

INTRODUCTION• JOA – WHAT THE LANDMAN WANTS THE

ANALYST TO KNOW• KEYS TO BUSINESS RELATIONSHIPS• LEASE ADMIN VS. PIPELINE RIGHT-OF-WAY

DOCUMENTS CONTROL• LEASE TERMINOLOGY• TITLE OPINIONS, PITFALLS AND CURATIVE• SKILLS DEVELOPMENT IN THE WORKPLACE• TOP 10 LA RULES OF PRESCRIPTION EVERY

ANALYST SHOULD KNOW• UNCONVENTIONAL ACQUISITIONS: A&D IN

THE ERA OF RESOURCE PLAYS• WORKING TITLE – FAILURE TO PROPERLY

DESCRIBE LANDS


PRESIDENT NALTA GIFT CHAIRMANSusan Rondon, CPLTA Work: 817-347-2184 Kathryn Neeper Work: 432-498-8637Burlington Resources Oil & Gas Home: 817-750-2715 Pure Resources Home: 432-349-8118801 Cherry St., Ste. 200 Fax: 817-347-2722 500 West Illinois Avenue Fax: 432-498-8656Fort Worth, TX 76102 [email protected] Midland, TX 79701-4234 [email protected]

FIRST VICE-PRESIDENT, CONFERENCE NAME TAGS CHAIRMANCOORDINATOR & BUDGET CHAIRMAN Mickey Nemecek, CPLTA Work: 405-748-2769Pamela W. Anderson Work: 504-593-7464 Dominion Expl. & Prod. Inc. Home: 405-751-6123 Dominion Expl. & Prod. Inc. Home: 985-652-7697 14000 Quail Springs Pkwy Ste 600 Fax: 405-749-66621450 Poydras Fax: 504-593-7449 Oklahoma City, OK 73134-2600 [email protected] Orleans, LA 70112-6000 [email protected]

HOTEL CHAIRMAN VENDOR CHAIRMANJudith Epperson, CPLTA Work: 405-228-4350 Amy Hopmann Work: 405-748-9277Devon Energy Production Co. LP Home: 405-387-2141 Mustang Fuel Corp. Home: 405-378-687820 N Broadway Ave. Fax: 405-228-4461 13439 Broadway Extension Fax: 405-748-9250 Oklahoma City, OK 73102-8260 [email protected] Oklahoma City, OK 73114-2202 [email protected]

FINANCE CHAIRMAN CASH & GOODIE BAG DONATION CHAIRMANCathy S. Jones, CPLTA Work: 713-756-6373 Sara Shands Work: 817-885-2377Dominion Expl. & Prod. Inc. Home: 281-438-3752 XTO Energy Inc. Home: 817-540-39701415 Louisiana St., Ste 2700 Fax: 713-756-6023 810 Houston St. Fax: 817-885-2567Houston, TX 77002-7349 [email protected] Fort Worth, TX 76102 [email protected]

REGISTRATION CO-CHAIRMAN REGISTRATION CO-CHAIRMANGwen Barber Work: 918-661-0926 Sheila Hunt Work: 918-661-0992ConocoPhillips Company Home: 918-333-5323 ConocoPhillips Company Home: 918-333-3148P O Box 7500 Fax: 918-661-1332 P O Box 7500 Fax: 918-661-3424Bartlesville, OK 74005-7500 [email protected], OK 74005-7500 [email protected]

SIGN CHAIRMAN WORKBOOK CHAIRMANBrenda J Mustain Work: 720-210-1313 Sandra Cleary Work: 405-748-9461Black Hills Explor & Prod Home:303-582-5358 Mustang Fuel Corp. Home: 405-348-1826350 Indiana St, Suite 400 Fax: 720-210-1301 13439 Broadway Extension Fax: 405-748-9250 Golden, Colorado 80401 [email protected] Oklahoma City, OK 73114-2202 [email protected]

ENTERTAINMENT CHAIRMAN TRANSPORTATION CHAIRMANJoan S. Lucero, CPLTA, CDOA Work: 303-831-4673 Bernadette Thornton Work: 504-593-7437Samuel Gary Jr. & Assoc., Inc. Home: 303-284-4557 Dominion Expl. & Prod. Inc. Home:1670 Broadway, Suite 3300 Fax: 303-863-7285 1450 Poydras Fax: 504-593-7449 Denver, CO 80202 [email protected] New Orleans, LA 70112-6000 [email protected]

20TH NALTA ANNIVERSARY CO-CHAIRMAN 20TH NALTA ANNIVERSARY CO-CHAIRMANJoan Robison, CPLTA Work: 281-872-2523 Martha Cheshire, CPLTA/RLP Work: 713-253-1550Noble Energy Inc. Home: 281-357-1375 Independent Home: 713-450-1095 18114 Beaverdell Drive Fax: 281-874-6753 13947 Bretagne Drive Fax: Tomball, TX 77377-7909 [email protected] Houston, TX 77015-3001 [email protected]

EDUCATION CO-CHAIRMAN EDUCATION CO-CHAIRMANPriscilla J. Parsons Work: 361-987-8925 Joe Anderson Work: 918-295-1613Neumin Production Co Home: 361-987-2237 Cimarex Energy Co. Home: P O Box 769 Fax: 361-987-2283 15 E 15th Street #1000 Fax: 918-295-1896Point Comfort, TX 77978-0769 [email protected] Tulsa, OK 74103-4346 [email protected]

BROCHURE CHAIRMANKimberly Dotson, CPLTA Work: 214-209-2315Bank of America Home: 972-227-0789P O Box 830308 Fax: 214-209-2924Dallas, TX 75283-0308 [email protected]

2005 Conference Committee Chairpersons2005 Conference Committee Chairpersons

Please join us as we celebrate NALTA's 20th Anniversaryat the Westin Horton Plaza Hotel in San Diego, CaliforniaOctober 12 through 15, 2005. San Diego is rated as one of the top vacation destinations in the nation, giving you even morereasons to attend this year'sconference.

A Few Facts About SanDiego

• California's secondlargest city and theseventh largest city inthe United States

• Famed for the bestclimate in the UnitedStates

• Rimmed with more than70 miles of pristinebeaches

• The Zoo is home to the only pair of giant pandas• Dazzling array of world class family attractions Home

of the first European settlement on the West Coast• Among the finest grape-growing regions in the

Western United States

• Tony Award-winning theatres• Over 90 museums• Tops in arts, culture and culinary arts• The ultimate in great shopping!

What to do when in SanDiego? Here are a fewoptions:

SeaWorldThe world's premier marinelife park where you're notjust observing marine life -you're a part of it! MeetShamu and visit thePenguin Encounter whereover 6,000 pounds of snowfall each day. Take a chillingtrip to the Wild Arctic by jetcopter simulator. There's

the R.L. Stine's Haunted Lighthouse, SeaWorld's brandnew spine-tingling 4-D movie experience. Interact withanimals while dining and be sure to visit some of thespecialty shops for the latest in souvenirs.

San Diego ZooMeet some of the most exotic creatures on earth!There's the Ituri Forest where you will be transportedthrough a mysterious African jungle and see the eco-


Sea World


U.S.S. Midway

system of a truerain forest. TheScripps Aviary iscomplete with rush-ing waterfalls andexotic plants. Seeand hear over200 colorful Africannative birds as you walk amongthe winding paths transporting youto another world.Sounds too hot?Spend some timeat the Polar BearPlunge for a typicalArctic summer day.From an under-water viewingroomyou will see howplayful the polarbears really are!

Then there's always the Children's Zoo for everyone toenjoy. Dr. Zoolittle, their resident scientist, delights allwith zany science shows and you'll see animals notfound anywhere else on the Zoo grounds.

U.S.S. MidwayEnjoy the nation's newest naval aviation museum. TheMidway was commissioned in 1945 as the largest ship inthe world and is America'slongest serving aircraft carrier.The USS Midway set newstandards of naval aviation in thelatter half of the 20th century.Come visit and be a part of the"Midway Magic" - a 47-yearodyssey that spanned the end ofWWII, the Cold War, Vietnam,the era of détente and DesertStorm.

Old Town Trolley TourGet a two-hour, fully narratedsightseeing tour which is a combination of enter-

tainment and transportation. The Old Town Trolleyprovides a continuous loop tour with all on board atHorton Plaza. Plan on disembarking along the way andenjoy Old Town, Seaport Village, Balboa Park, Coronadoand the San Diego Zoo. This is truly a unique andconvenient way to see many points of interest.

Gas Lamp DistrictSpend at least one evening exploring Downtown's 16 ½block Gaslamp Quarter - the heart of local nightlife setamong restored 19th-century buildings. When the sungoes down, the Gaslamp Quarter comes alive withexciting entertainment featuring more than 80nightclubs, restaurants, theatres and galleries. Thenightlife will keep you dancing until the wee hours of themorning!

CoronadoJust across the bay is The Landing Marketplace. You cantake the ferry and enjoy unique shops, galleries andfood. There are miles of white sandy beaches where youcan swim or just sit in the sand and enjoy. Come see themany unique homes and some fine old mansions. Rumorhas it that the house where the Wizard of Oz bookswere written is located here.

MexicoIt's just minutes from downtown San Diego and offersthe opportunity of a two-nation vacation! Take a trip tothe border on the San Diego Trolley and walk across oryou can also catch a shuttle or tour bus that will take you

directly to the major shoppingdistricts.

Be sure to visit the San Diegolink on NALTA's website andsign up for the San DiegoVisitors Planner to ensure youmake the most of the city aswell as our 20th Anniversary!

Pamela Anderson, CPLTA2005 Conference Chair


San DDiego HHighlights Continued from page 15

Mariachis

Gaslamp District

The idea for this seminar started way back in 1999 when Liz Fajen, Tina Bonner, Elizabeth Nolan and Joe Andersonwere noticing all the gray hair on their heads (actually, all the gray hair on Joe's head). They were concerned that veryfew young people were entering our profession of lease analysis, division order administration and mineralsmanagement. Professional association seminars were emphasizing intermediate and advanced topics, and thereweren't very many beginning courses for young people starting out, or for the not-so-young employee that transferredinto a Land-related job.

The group decided to put together a basic, yet comprehensive, course that would start from the beginning withmineral ownership, and conclude with a revenue check being mailed out. With support from the OklahomaCommission on Marginally Producing Oil and Gas Wells, an entertaining and informative video was produced tocomplement the course workbook.

Individuals who will benefit from the full-day seminar include lease and title analysts, division order analysts, landsupport staff (clerks and techs), accountants, royalty owners, mineral owners, and anyone else who deals withproducing leases or non-producing mineral interests. Even though the seminar is geared toward someone new in theirjob, many experienced analysts have attended over the years. There is plenty of time allotted for questions andexamples, which allows us to address more advanced issues.

The seminar focuses on these essential topics:

I. Minerals - Parties, types of interest, descriptions and conveyancesII. Geology - Formation of oil and gas; finding oil and gasIII. Leasing - Negotiations and lease termsIV. Drilling - Title opinion, well location, completion, productionV. Record Title Ownership - Division Order Title Opinion and division ordersVI. Accounting & Revenue Checks

Since 1999, the seminar has been presented many times to associations such as NARO, Desk & Derrick, divisionorder and lease/title associations, and other industry groups. We look forward to presenting "Oil and Gas Management- From the Beginning" at the NALTA Conference in San Diego on Wednesday, October 12, 2005.


“Oil & Gas Management - From the Beginning”Wednesday Full Day Seminar

by Joe G. Anderson

Joe Anderson

Liz Fajen

Tina Bonner

Elizabeth Nolan

Top 10 Louisiana Rules of Prescription Every Lease Analyst Should Know by Charles G. Blaize, Jr.Mr. Blaize will give a presentation on the Louisiana statutory rules of prescription and their effect on leasehold title. Thepresentation will provide leasehold and ownership analysis for each rule presented, as well as, invite questions regardingspecific situations of interest to the attendees.

Charles G. Blaize, Jr. of Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, L.L.P. was born in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana on April 30, 1970 and admitted toLouisiana bar in 1998. He was admitted to the U.S. District Court, Middle, Eastern and Western Districts of Louisiana and U.S. Court ofAppeals, 5th Circuit. He is a graduate of Louisiana State University (B.S., 1993) Paul M. Hebert Law Center, Louisiana State University(J.D., 1998). He is an active member of the following organizations; Baton Rouge, Louisiana State and Federal Bar Associations andBaton Rouge Association of Petroleum Landmen. He was President of the Student Bar Association in 1997-1998 and was inducted intothe Law Center Hall of Fame. Mr. Blaize primarily practices in oil and gas law and property litigation and presents continuing educationprograms for lawyers, landmen and lease and title analysts.

Lease Terminology by Rita HardenMore than a glossary of terms, this workshop will interpret legal vocabulary used in leases; expanding upon expressionswhose definition is contingent upon their context. At the 2005 NALTA Conference, this presentation will be a basicexplanation of terms and clauses in an oil and gas lease. If you are a novice to lease records or if you want a refresher courseand discussion of Lease Records 101, Rita requests your attendance, questions and input.

Rita Harden is a native Dallasite who has been in the oil and gas industry for 30 years, 28 of those years having been spent in land andlease records. She has been employed for the past 7 years as a Senior Lease Analyst for Denbury Resources Inc. in Plano, Texas. Aftergraduating from North Texas State University (now the University of North Texas) in 1969 with a BA in English, she taught English andlanguage arts for two years in Dallas. Finding that was not her niche in life, in 1975 she was employed by Hanover PetroleumCorporation in Dallas and began a career in the oil and gas industry. She started in accounting before she moved into the Land and therest (as they say) is history. During her 13-year independent contractor career from 1981 until 1994, she performed nearly all aspectsof lease records work for numerous other companies in Dallas and Denver.She is currently a member of DFW-ALTA, NALTA and the Desk and Derrick Club of Dallas and is a past member of the Dallas Association

of Petroleum Landmen. Her attendance at various conferences and conventions of these organizations over the years has yielded manyprofessional learning experiences, friends and stories to tell (some to which she is bound by secrecy). Her interests include travel,antiques, getting together on weekends with friends (where a meal is usually involved) and spoiling her miniature schnauzer Layla (anavid fan of Eric Clapton).

Curing the Division Order Title Opinion - An Interactive Discussion by Kim G. MayhallMr. Mayhall will briefly discuss basic items routinely called for in curing the Division Order Title Opinion, including possessionstatements, proof of heirship, lease ratifications, lease maintenance analysis and others, with an emphasis on questions fromthe attendees and a group discussion of same. Attendees are encouraged to put Mr. Mayhall to the test with questions onspecific curative problems or issues.

Kim G. Mayhall is a partner in the firm of Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, L.L.P. and works in the Baton Rouge office. Mr. Mayhall haspracticed in the field of oil and gas law since 1981 representing primarily operators and producers. He has extensive experience in titleexamination, acquisitions, litigation and contract matters. He has represented numerous operators in drafting and negotiation of mineralleases, farmout agreements, joint operating agreements, road rights-of-way, pipeline rights-of-way and surface and subsurface useagreements.He obtained a B.S. degree in 1975 from Louisiana State University and obtained his Juris Doctorate from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center

at LSU in 1978. While attending LSU Law School, Mr. Mayhall served as an Associate Editor of the Louisiana Law Review. He graduatedPhi Kappa Phi and Order of the Coif. After serving as Law Clerk to the Honorable Fred A. Blanche, Jr. on both the First Circuit Court ofAppeal and the Louisiana Supreme Court, in 1981 he entered private practice, establishing his own firm, practicing oil and gas law. Hejoined Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, L.L.P. on January 1, 2004.

He is a past Chairman of the Mineral Law Section of the Louisiana Bar Association and was a founding director of the Baton RougeAssociation of Petroleum Landmen. He is also a member of the Lafayette Association of Petroleum Landmen and the HoustonAssociation of Petroleum Landmen. He is a member of the Baton Rouge and Louisiana State Bar Association and is admitted to practicebefore all Federal District Courts in the State of Louisiana, the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal, the United States Court ofFederal Claims, and the United States Supreme Court.


Conference Topic SummariesThursday and Friday – October 13th and 14th, 2005



In 1990, he served on the Governor's Oil Prevention and Contingency Task Form which was responsible for drafting the Louisiana OilSpill Act of 1991. He is a frequent speaker before such groups as the Houston Association of Petroleum Landmen, the LafayetteAssociation of Petroleum Landmen, the Baton Rouge Association of Petroleum Land, the Petroleum Landman's Association of NewOrleans, the Gulf Coast Association of Petroleum Landmen and the American Association of Mineral Owners on topics relating toLouisiana oil and gas law and Louisiana property law.

Accounting for Natural Gas: Post-Wellhead Deductions from Royalty by Edward B. Poitevent, IIThis topic treats the major differences between the "at well states" (Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi) and the "marketableproduct states" (Oklahoma, Colorado, Wyoming and Arkansas), and identifies issues under the MMS lease form and theLouisiana State Mineral Board lease form.

Edward B. Poitevent, II serves as Senior Counsel in the Houston office of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP and is a member of thefirm's Project Development and Finance Group. He is listed in Euromoney's Guide to the World's Leading Energy & Natural ResourcesLawyers as a leading specialist in the field of energy and natural resources law.

Mr. Poitevent's practice focuses on energy/mineral law (domestic and international) and natural resources. He counsels a wide rangeof clients in the energy field, including parties in the domestic and international liquefied natural gas business, oil and gas producers andoperators, pipeline companies, public utilities, natural gas storage operators,independent power companies, landowners, and royaltyowners. His representation covers virtually every aspect of legal and regulatory matters affecting energy exploration, production, sale,transmission, refining, and use.Mr. Poitevent is the author of numerous publications and has spoken in the past on many topics of interest to the oil and gas industry.

Mr. Poitevent currently serves as the Louisiana Reporter for Mineral Law Newsletter (Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation), is aContributing Editor to International Energy Law and Taxation Review, and is the current editor of the chapter entitled Outer ContinentalShelf Leases and Operating Regulations in The Law of Federal Oil and Gas Leases published by Matthew Bender.

JOA - What the Landman Wants the Analyst to Know by Jim D. GilstrapThis session will be to familiarize both the experienced and less experienced Analyst with the general purpose and functionof the most widely used forms of the AAPL Model Form Joint Operating Agreement. Although this is not intended to be anin-depth analysis, it is intended to cover the details of the basics including the usual amendments, additional provisions, mostcommon drafting errors and omissions. This session will be a basic overview; however, the more experienced professional willalso be able to benefit from the functional presentation of this topic.

Jim D. Gilstrap is currently Land Manager of Neumin Production Company, where he has worked for the past 8 years. Mr. Gilstrap beganhis land training while working for Terra Resources, Inc. in Oklahoma City as a student Landman, while attending the University ofOklahoma and majoring in Petroleum Land Management. Following the completion of his studies in 1979, Mr. Gilstrap moved toHouston to continue his career holding various positions in the Land Department for Terra Resources which later became PacificEnterprises Oil Company, USA. Although Mr. Gilstrap has held various positions in his career, he has always been heavily involved inputting together 3-D seismic shoots, lease plays and getting wells drilled and turned to sales. Mr. Gilstrap is a Certified ProfessionalLandman with over 25 years of experience and is a member of the American Association of Professional Landmen and the HoustonAssociation of Petroleum Landmen.

Unconventional Acquisitions: A&D in the Era of Resource Plays by Neal BuckThe fastest growing plays in North America are the basin-centered tight formations and coal bed methane often calledunconventional. These plays have also drawn many of the largest industry transactions of late. The economics of theseresource plays differ enough from conventional oil and gas fields that the acquisitions and divesture business has had torespond with new approaches of economic evaluation, deal structures, reserves reporting, and investor relations. Thispresentation examines these new trends and gives tips for getting into the game with financial success.

Neal Buck is Vice President of Commercial Operations and Gas Management, Exploration & Production, at The Williams Companies. Hisresponsibilities include business development, acquisitions and divestitures, planning, reserves analysis, and downstream gasmanagement for the E&P business unit. He has over twenty years experience in the industry, the last nine of which have been atWilliams, helping to grow their U.S. gas business through acquisitions.

Conference TTopic SSummaries Continued from page 18



Skills Development in the Workplace by Gale BreenThis session will provide strategies and ideas on how you as an individual can take responsibility for your own skillsdevelopment plan and become a true life long learner. It is critical we attract new people into land administration and as amanager or supervisor we must develop and mentor our staff. This session will also provide ideas and strategies for successfulrecruitment, training and retention.

Over the past twenty five years, Gale Breen has held various positions within land, including Land Administrator, Surface Landman,Contract Analyst, Negotiator, Supervisor and Consultant. Gale was a founding director and the first President of the CanadianAssociation of Land Administration (CAPLA) and she is the past Director of Education. She was the program coordinator and instructorfor the SAIT Continuing Education Land Administration Certificate program for 6 years. She is currently the steering committee chairfor the Centre for Energy Asset Management (CEAMS) a non-profit and independent Centre influencing and promoting Energy AssetManagement skills development for the energy sector. Gale is the President of CGE Group Inc. a consulting firm specializing in energyasset management in-house training, coaching and mentoring. She is also a partner in Prosidium Inc. a company that specializes inbusiness process improvement and the effective application of business process management technology.

From Prospect to Pipeline by Robert PledgerMr. Pledger will be discussing the latest seismic used in selecting a location, drilling the well, and then piping the productthrough a pipeline.

Robert Pledger received his Bachelor of Science in Geology from Lamar University in 1969 and a Masters of Business Administration inBusiness/Finance from the University of Dallas in 1973. He is President of Benchmark Oil & Gas Company, a Swedish public company.He is experienced in all phases of oil and gas including capitalization, operations, prospect generation, and purchase of producingproperties. Areas of interest include the Gulf Coast, West Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, New Mexico and California and,internationally; France, Tunisia, Peru, Australia, Argentina, Morocco and Spain. Prior employment includes Sun Oil Company, MayPetroleum Company, General American Oil Company of Texas, and Shenandoah Oil Corporation. He was a co-founder of BenchmarkOil and Gas Company, Ashford Oil & Gas Company, Energy Securities Corporation and St. Croix Resources, Inc. He has served as aconsultant to numerous domestic and international companies.Mr. Pledger is a certified geologist by the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG), the American Institute of Professional

Geologists (AIPG) and the Society of Independent Professional Earth Scientists (SIPES). He is an active member of the AAPG, SIPES, AIPS,Houston Producers Forum, the Houston Geological Society, the Geophysical Society of Houston and the Society of ExplorationGeophysicists (SEG). He is a frequent speaker to both local and international professional groups on various aspects of the oil and gasbusiness and serves as a docent for the Houston Museum of Natural Science.

Benefits of a Central Records Center by Wade BrawleyThis session will cover the major points to consider in creating a central file room, or records center and discuss the benefitsof centralization. Medium-sized to large companies are realizing that records management is not merely filing and shufflingfiles. Rather, this process is about facilitating the exchange of information, improving productivity, preserving vital records,reducing legal liability and saving the company money.

Wade Brawley is Manager of Land Administration for Chesapeake Energy Company. Wade Brawley's primary responsibility is to ensureefficient workflow, communication and business process re-engineering between Land, Lease Records, Division Orders and Accountingpersonnel. System and process responsibilities include Well Master, Lease Master, Contract Master Owner Master, DOI Master andRecords Management. Wade Brawley's publishing credits include various articles published in The American Oil and Gas Reporter, WorldOil and Landman. He has also contributed to the fourth edition of Brock's Petroleum Accounting Principles, Procedures & Issues. Priorto his employment at Chesapeake, Wade consulted in areas of acquisitions, mergers, business process re-engineering, systemconversions, training and administrative outsourcing. Wade is a Certified Professional Landman and he conducted his undergraduatestudies at the University of Texas and obtained his MBA at Oklahoma City University.

Working Title - The Failure to Properly Describe Lands Involved in Oil & Gas Transactions byTerry HogwoodAll documents which attempt to convey an interest in one or more tracts of land must comply with the Statute of Frauds.This paper will look at the statute generally and then review the now "raging" controversy of compliance/non-compliancewith the Statute when conveying "all my lands in ___ County".

Terry Hogwood has worked in-house counsel for four oil companies for 14 years and has had a private practice since 1985. He is a




member of the Texas Bar Association (1973); Houston Bar Association - Founder and First Chairman of Oil, Gas and Mineral Law Section;American Association of Professional Landmen and Houston Association of Petroleum Landmen. He was awarded the 1993 EducationAward by the American Association of Professional Landmen.

Title Opinions, Pitfalls and Curative by Faith Orlowski Understanding what has been asked for and whether you have gotten it. How Stand-Up Title Opinions are done and whatyou should be careful about, how to recognize if everything is there; things to look out for; how to fix common requirements;new laws that could affect your title work.

Faith Orlowski received her undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 1975 where she graduated with highesthonors. She was selected as a member of the Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi honor societies. Three years later, she earned her lawdegree also from the University of Texas before joining Sneed Lang, P.C., that same year. She is a shareholder, director and member ofthe management committee of the firm.

Faith has concentrated her practice in the areas of oil and gas, real property and estate planning. She co-authored Oklahoma IndianTitles for the Tulsa Law Journal, which was published in 1993. She is a frequent speaker on oil and gas matters, real property issues,Indian law and property issues in estate planning. For her seminar efforts, she was the recipient of the Oklahoma Bar Association's EarlSneed Award in 2002.

Faith is a member of the Oklahoma and Tulsa County Bar Associations and the Tulsa Title and Probate Lawyers Association. She wasthe 2001 Chair of the Oklahoma Bar Association Real Property Section, has served as CLE Co-Chair and has been a director of the Sectionsince 1997. She served for four years as the Chair or Co-Chair of the Oklahoma Bar Association Women in Law Committee and in 2002was one of three OBA Insurance Trustees. In addition, she organized and chaired the new Animal Law Committee for the TulsaCountyBar Association, for which she received one of her two TCBA President's Awards. Faith was also one of the recipients of the MonaSalyer Lambird 2002 Spotlight Award for Oklahoma Women attorneys.

In the Tulsa Community, Faith served for seven years as an officer and board member of the Resonance Support Center for Women.She served for ten years on the board of Emergency Infant Services and three years as President, for which she was named a 1999Paragon Award Winner. She is a graduate of Leadership Tulsa X and has served on their board.

Burden Limitation Field - JOA Workshop by Doug PotterThe fraction entered into the Burden Limitation Field in joint operating agreements can have a shocking effect on NetRevenue Interests received by unknowledgeable co-owners; yet some Land Professionals give little attention to this fractionduring negotiation of the JOA. The Burden Limitation Field - JOA Workshop will demonstrate the beneficial/detrimentaleffects of this fraction and demonstrate why the "Total Analyst" should account for this fraction whenever calculatingWorking Interests and Net Revenue Interests.

Doug Potter received his BS in Geology (1976) and MBA in Finance (1981) from the University of Colorado in Boulder. As a Geologist,Mr. Potter worked for Conoco Uranium in Wyoming and for Cordillera Exploration in Bolivia. As a company Landman Mr. Potter workedfor Phillips Petroleum and Atlantic Richfield Company. As an Independent Landman (subcontractor), Mr. Potter provided services toMeridian Oil Company, LandWorks, Inc. and other companies. Currently, Mr. Potter is the Supervisor of GIS Land Mapping and Chain-of-Title for Anadarko Petroleum Corporation. Mr. Potter is a Certified Professional Landman (CPL), a Certified Division Order Analyst(CDOA), and a Certified Lease & Title Analyst (CPLTA).

Lease Administration vs. Pipeline Right of Way Documents Control by Bill BauerNumerous similarities exist between lease administration for mineral exploration and documents control for pipeline right-of-way. Some title and lease analysts are required to perform both duties as oil and gas fields are developed. This sessioncompares the two areas and describes the title criteria and records keeping procedures for pipeline right-of-way.

Bill Bauer graduated from Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas and was employed as a contract right-of-way agent and landman. Overthe next several years he acquired leases and pipeline right-of-way throughout the United States. Later, he served as right-of-waymanager for various major pipeline projects in the United States, England, France and Russia. He retired as Manager of Land Resourcesfor Mojave Pipeline Operating Company in Bakersfield, California and is now the President of K & J Publishing Company, publisher ofenergy publications and videos. Bill developed a pipeline right-of-way course for the International Right of Way Association and is acertified instructor for the organization





Ethics 101 - The Case Against Lying by Albert D. HoppeThis presentation will focus on the ethical principle of truth telling - the refusal to tell lies or practice deception. Sevencommon justifications for lying will be examined and five guidelines for truth telling (both in and out of the workplace) willbe suggested. Specific attention will be given to NALTA's Code of Ethics.

Until his recent retirement, Al Hoppe was a Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary for Noble Energy, Inc. Noble Energyis an independent publicly-traded oil and gas company with both domestic and international operations.

Prior to joining Noble Energy, Al was Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary for Vastar Resources, a publicly-traded oil and gascompany which was subsequently merged into its majority parent BP. Al has approximately 27 years of experience as an in-houseattorney (including 18 years with Atlantic Richfield Company), in addition to service as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, a probate judge, alaw school lecturer and a military defense counsel.

Al has a Bachelors, Masters and Law degrees, all with honors, from Texas universities and is a member of the Texas, Colorado andMissouri Bars. Al is a frequent CLE lecturer.

Geology & Geophysics - An Introduction by Tom HarroldMr. Harrold will be presenting an introductory overview of Geology and Geophysics. It will include historical and technicalperspectives in simple to understand, step by step methods. He will show how these disciplines impact the oil and gasindustry and relate them to risk techniques, land procurement, engineering and marketing. Though there are manysophisticated steps along the way, Mr. Harrold will illustrate the basic steps of how our common goal is to get energy to theconsumer in a manner that is profitable, yet economical. Mr. Harrold is a seasoned explorationist with several examples toillustrate his techniques that have led to numerous field discoveries.

Tom Harrold attended and graduated from Oklahoma State University in 1974 as a double major in geology and math. He laterattended Central State University (now University of Central Oklahoma) for their MBA program.

He started his career with Cities Service Oil Company as a geophysical trainee, later joining Northern Natural Gas as their DistrictGeophysicist. In 1981, he began a lengthy career as a geophysical consultant offering services to nearly 100 clients over 16 years. Aftera six year stint with Williams Company as their Director of Exploration and Geophysics, he returned to one of his original clients andnow serves as their VP of Exploration and Geophysics. Since 2002, his employer is Zinke and Trumbo, aka Palace Exploration,headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Tom specializes in applications of geophysics and good business practices to the Exploration business. The geophysical discipline hasalways been driven by cutting edge technologies which are often misunderstood and misapplied. Tom's training and experience haveuniquely qualified him to aide his clients and employers with application of geophysics to the oil and gas business.

Tom is married to Jeannie and resides on a small farm near Oologah, Oklahoma. They enjoy three adult children, Kristen, Robin andJoshua as well as their son-in-law Garrett and grandson Stephen. He is active in community affairs having most recently chaired theregional meeting of the AAPG. Tom served as School Board member for one five year term and currently serves his church as an elder.

Keys to Business Relationships by Gordon "Flash" AndrewsThe ability to get along with people will determine success in all areas of your life. If you want better results with people,you must first understand the dynamics of human relationships. You will learn key skills that will maximize your ability tobetter relate to others. This will include a discussion of leadership virtues, different types of behavior and the behaviorprocess. This will help you develop skills to be an effective leader.

Gordon "Flash" Andrews began his career as one of NASA's Mission Controllers at the Johnson Space Center. He went on to becomethe Dean of NASA's Space College, responsible for training NASA astronauts and mission controller trainers. He is a national speakerfocusing his speeches and workshops on developing effective human relations skills. He draws on his NASA experiences and knowledgeof achievement and team building strategies. Mr. Andrews is also director and consultant for the Center for Advanced Training,specializing in transforming human potential, and management consultant for many Fortune 500 companies, along with being aninstructor of both the Dale Carnegie and MBA programs. He is also author of the "Six Virtues of Leadership" and spoke at the 1999NALTA Conference in San Antonio.

Diamond ($3000 and up)Emerald ($2000 to $2999)

Ruby ($1000 to $1999)Chesapeake Energy Corporation

Platinum ($500 to $999)Bank of America Trust Oil & Gas, Dallas, Texas

Gold ($200 to $499)Black Stone Minerals Company

Pure Resources a Unocal Company

Silver ($100 to $199)Bronze (Up to $99.00)

NALTA would like to express its sincere appreciation to the above companies for their generous donations tothe 2005 NALTA Conference. If you would like to donate cash, goodie bag items, or in-kind services like printing,please contact Sara Shands at XTO Energy Inc.; phone (817) 885-2377 or [email protected] will be acknowledged in the NALTA News Magazine, the conference manual and on signs at theconference.

Please contact Amy Hopmann at 405-748-9277 or [email protected] if you areinterested in being an exhibitor for the 20th Anniversary NALTA conference.

Committed Exhibitors:Quorum Business Solutions, Inc. Legacy Royalties (2004 Exhibitor Fee Winner)

The 2005 NALTA Conference Education Committee would like to give special Thank You!recognition to the following committee members who have been so dedicated in preparing aconference that will provide education for all. These are the behind-the-scene people who make it allpossible and for that NALTA is truly grateful.

Sandra Alvarado - Questar Exploration and Production Co.Sara L. Caldwell - Chesapeake Energy Corp.Robert (Bob) McElhattan - Williams Production Company, LLCHeather Preston - Questar Exploration and Production Co.Sarah J. Rix - Southwestern Energy CompanyDona Sanne - Anadarko Petroleum Corp.Jean Solot - Fidelity Exploration & ProductionLee Ann Woodall - J-W Operating Company

There are also two people who did not necessarily work on this committee, but because they arelocals of the conference location, were instrumental in leading us to some speakers and offering somegreat ideas. So a thank you to Joseph Munsey and Dale Hoffman!! NALTA appreciates your time.


2005 NALTA Conference Donations


Hopefully, we all have been anticipating NALTA's20th Anniversary conference to be held in SanDiego, California. It is our goal that you will havemany memories in the years to come. TheEntertainment Committee has worked hard atmaking arrangements for the attendees to enjoysome of San Diego's favorite tourist destinationsand historical areas. There are so many wonderfulsites to see that it was difficult to pick just the rightentertainment venues, so we hope that you will allenjoy the events planned.

Wednesday Night, October 12, 2005 The President's reception will be held at The

Westin Horton Plaza Hotel. NALTA has beenfortunate to have two very enthusiastic individualsplanning this event centered on our 20thAnniversary. They have kept the entertainmentunder tight wraps, but we can anticipate grandsurprises and a fun-filled evening commemoratingNALTA's 20 years. "Thank You" to Joan Robison andMarsha Cheshire for handling this exciting evening.

Thursday, October 13, 2005 (included inConference price)

One cannot go to San Diego without visiting TheHistoric House of Hospitality in Balboa Park. NALTAwill host the Thursday night dinner in the GrandBallroom of The Prado Restaurant. The Courtyard atThe Prado will be the setting for cocktails anddinner, complete with light music playing in thebackground. After dinner, the music will continueand dancing is encouraged and expected. Whatmore could we ask for? The Prado's ambiance willhave everyone thirsting for more time at BalboaPark.

Friday, October 14, 2005 - Optional event NALTA has scheduled a three-hour dinner cruise

with Hornblower Cruise Lines, featuring a three-

course meal. We will cruise the San Diego harbor,where you will have the opportunity to unwind,relax, and see San Diego's sunset on the water. Thispromises to be a great trip!

Saturday, October 15, 2005 - Optional eventHere is your opportunity to return to the Historic

Balboa Park for sightseeing, leisurely walks throughthe aromatic gardens, and a visit to the world-famous San Diego Zoo, all located on 1,200 acres inBalboa Park. You can enjoy the many attractions atyour own pace and take in some of the sites listedbelow:

House of HospitalityWorld Famous San Diego ZooSan Diego Museum of ArtSan Diego Aerospace MuseumSan Diego Natural History MuseumSan Diego Junior TheatreRueben H. Fleet Science Center featuring IMAX

Dome TheaterSan Diego Hall of ChampionsSan Diego Veteran's Museum and Memorial

CenterSan Diego Model Railroad MuseumSan Diego Automotive MuseumMarie Hitchcock Puppet TheaterFree concerts in the Park at Spreckels Organ

PavilionSpanish Village Art Center - Gallery 21 Shows

NALTA has arranged for round-trip trans-portation. You will be picked up at The WestinHorton Plaza Hotel at 9:00 a.m. and returned to theWestin before 5:00 p.m. that evening.

Joan S. Lucero, CPLTA/CDOAEntertainment Committee Chair

The Entertainment Committee Reports

Reflecting pool at Balboa Park


1985Wreck of Titanic Found1st Stereo TV broadcastRonald Reagan is PresidentIran Contra ScandalHole in Ozone layer discovered"Out of Africa" won Academy Award as best movieSongs: " Money 4 Nothing"- Dire Straits, "We are the World"- USA for Africa, " Say You, Say Me"- LionelRichie, "Careless Whispers"- Wham, "Why Not Me"-Judds, "Does Ft. Worth Ever Cross Your Mind"-GeorgeStrait, "God Bless the U.S.A.-Lee Greenwood.1986 - Houston, TX ConferenceChallenger explodesChernobyl nuclear accidentLive Aid to help starving Africans"Platoon" won Academy Award as best movieSongs: "That's What Friends R 4"- Dionne Warwick/Friends; "Walk like an Egyptian"- The Bangles, "The Way It Is"- Bruce Hornsby, "Greatest Loveof All"- Whitney Houston, "You Give Love a Bad Name"- Bon Jovi, "Bop"-Dan Seals, "Lost in the 50's Tonight"-Ronnie Milsap, "Who's Going to FillTheir Shoes"-George Jones.1987 - Oklahoma City, OK ConferenceCDs outsell recordsDNA first used to convict criminalsNew York Exchange Black Monday"The Last Emperor" won Academy Award as best movieSongs: "Faith"- George Michael, "La Bamba"- Los Lobos, "Here I Go Again"- Whitesnake, "(I've Had) theTime of My Life"- Bill Medley, Jennifer Warnes, "Forever and Ever, Amen"-Ronnie Travis, "My name isBocephus"-Hank Williams, Jr.1988 - New Orleans, LA ConferencePanAm flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie"Rain Man" won Academy Award as best movieGeorge H. Bush is PresidentSongs: "Need You tonight"- INXS, "Roll with It"- Steve Winwood, "Look Away"- Chicago, "Got My Mind

Set on U"- George Harrison, "Eighteen Wheels anda Dozen Roses"-Kathy Mattea, "80s Ladies"-K.T.Oslin, "Don't Worry, Be Happy"-Bobby McFerrin. 1989 - Denver, CO ConferenceBerlin Wall fallsExxon Valdez oil spill"Driving Miss Daisy" won Academy Award as best movieSongs: "Another Day In Paradise"- Phil Collins, "Miss You Much"- Janet Jackson, "We Didn'tStart the Fire"- Billy Joel, "Straight Up"- Paula Abdul, "Wind Beneath my Wings"- Bette Midler,"There's a Tear in my Beer"-Hank Williams Sr. & Jr. 1990 - Newport Beach ConferenceHubbel telescope launched into spaceNelson Mandela freed

"Dances with Wolves" won Academy Award as best movieSongs: "Love Takes Time"- Mariah Carey, "Vogue" - Madonna, "Hold On" - Wilson Phillips, "Black Velvet"-Alannah Myles, "When I Call Your Name"-Vince Gill, "The Dance"-Garth Brooks.1991 - San Antonio, TX ConferenceBronze age man found frozen in glacierCollapse of Soviet UnionOperation Desert Storm"Silence of the Lambs" won Academy Award as best movie

NALTA’s 20th Anniversary 1985-2005 History Timeline




Songs: "(Everything I Do) I Do It 4 You"-Bryan Adams, "Baby, Baby"-Amy Grant, "Black or White"-Michael Jackson,"Emotions"-Mariah Carey, "Friends in Low Places"-Garth Brooks, "Somewhere in my Broken Heart"-Billy Dean, "TheWalk"-Sawyer Brown, "Fallin' Out of Love"-Reba McEntire.1992 - Tulsa, OK ConferenceCDs outsell cassettesOfficial end of Cold WarBill Clinton is PresidentLA riots after Rodney King verdict"Unforgiven" won Academy Award as best movieSongs: "I Will Always Love You"-Whitney Houston, "End of the Road"-Boyz II Men, "Save the Best for Last"-VanessaWilliams, "All 4 Love"-Color Me Badd, "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me"-Elton John, George Michael, "Neon Moon"-Brooks & Dunn, "Dallas"-Alan Jackson.1993 - Santa Fe, NM ConferenceWorld Trade Center bombedDavid Koresh cult in Waco raided"Schindler's List" won Academy Award as best movieSongs: "Dreamlover"-Mariah Carey, "Hero"-Mariah Carey, "I'll Do Anything for Love (but I won'tDo That"-MeatLoaf, "A Whole New World (Aladdin's Theme)"-Peabo Bryson, Regina Belle,"Chatahoochie"-Alan Jackson, "I Still Believe in You"-Vince Gill, "Should Have Been in aCowboy"-Toby Keith, "Blame it on Your Heart"-Patty Loveless. 1994 - Denver, CO ConferenceChannel tunnel opens connecting Britain and FranceO.J. Simpson arrested for double murderLorena Bobbit takes brutal revenge"Forrest Gump" won Academy Award as best movieSongs" "I'll Make Love 2 You"-Boyz II men, "The Power of Love"-Celine Dion, "I Swear"-All 4One, "The Sign"-Ace of Base, "Foolish Pride"-Travis Tritt, "Wink"-Neil McCoy, "I Swear"-JohnMichael Montgomery.

1995 - Houston, TX ConferenceSelena, Latin pop singer, diedEagles' "Hell Freezes Over" TourOklahoma City bombing"Braveheart" won Academy Award as best movieSongs: "One Sweet Day"-Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men, "Fantasy"-Mariah Carey, "Waterfalls"-TLC, "Kiss from aRose"-Seal, "Give Me One More Shot"-Alabama, "Thinkin' About You"-Trisha Yearwood, "Only Wanna Be With You"-Hootie and the Blowfish, "Party Crowd"-David Lee Murphy.1996 - Dallas, TX ConferenceSpice Girls invade music sceneMad cow disease in BritainBill Clinton is PresidentUnabomber arrested2 Royal Divorces"The English Patient" won Academy Award as best movie

Songs: "Macarena"-Los Del Rio, "Unbreak My Heart"- Toni Braxton, "Because You Love Me"-Celine Dion, "How do You Want It"-2Pac, "My Maria"-Brooks and Dunn, "Hypnotize the Moon"-Clay Walker, "Walkin'Away"-Diamond Rio.1997 - Las Vegas, NV ConferencePrincess Diana dies in car crashHong Kong returned to ChinaHale-Bopp comet visible"Titanic" won Academy Award as best movieSongs: "Sunny Came Home"-Shawn Colvin, "Men in Black"-Will Smith, "Jagged Little Pill"-Alanis Morissette, "Don't Speak"-No Doubt, "How do ILive"-Trisha Yearwood, "Strawberry Wine"-Deana Carter, "It's Your Love"-Tim McGraw and Faith Hill.

NALTA’s 220th AAnniversary Continued from page 25


1998 - Steamboat Springs, CO ConferenceSheep cloned"Titanic" most successful movie everViagra on marketU.S. President Clinton impeachedElton John's tribute to Princess Diana"Shakespeare in Love" won Academy Award as best movieSongs: "Getting' Jiggy Wit It"-Will Smith, "Wide Open Places"-Dixie Chicks, "Quit PlayingGames with my Heart"-Backstreet Boys, "Angel"-Sarah McLaughlin.

1999 - San Antonio, TX ConferenceFrank Sinatra diesY2K bug fearsJFK, Jr. dies in plane crashEuro-the new European currencyColumbine High School killing spreePanama Canal returns to Panama"American Beauty" won Academy Award as best movieSongs: "Smooth"-Santana, "Genie in a Bottle"-Christina Aguillar, "Livin' la Vida Loca"-RickyMartin, "Every Morning"-Sugar Ray. 2000 - Galveston, TX ConferenceElian Gonzalez, Cuban boy, returned to CubaGeorge W. Bush wins one of most disputed elections Lance Armstrong wins 2nd Tour de France, only 4 years since cancerMichael J. Fox announces he's leaving "Spin City" to lobby on behalf of Parkinson's disease, withwhich he was diagnosed 1991.Charles Schulz, creator of "Peanuts" comic strip, diesTom Landry, coach of Dallas Cowboys, dies"Gladiator" won Academy Award as best movieSongs: "Fallin'-Alicia Keys, "Breathe"-Faith Hill, "Who Let the Dogs Out"-BaHa Men, "Kryptonite"-3 Doors Down, "I Hope You Dance"-Lee Ann Womack, "O Brother, Where art Thou"-various. 2001 - Tulsa, OK ConferenceEnron files bankruptcy2nd warmest year in 140 yearsTerrorist attacks on World Trade Center and PentagonAnthrax contaminated mailPatriot Act passed as national security tightens"A Beautiful Mind" won Academy Award as best movieSongs: "Independent Woman"-Destiny's Child, ""With Arms Wide Open"-Creed, "This I PromiseYou"-N'Sync, "It Wasn't Me"-Shaggy, 'I'm Gonna Miss Her"-Brad Paisley, "No Problem"-Kenny Chesney.2002 - Lake Tahoe, CA ConferenceGeorge Harrison diedWar on terrorism and heightened securityNew guidelines for mammogramsQueen Mother Elizabeth died at 101Department of Homeland Security establishedCorporate scandals: Enron, WorldCom, etc."Chicago" won Academy Award as best movieSongs: "Beautiful"-Cristina Aguillar, "Cry Me a River"-Justin Timberlake, "Cry"-Faith Hill, "Don'tKnow Why"-Nora Jones, "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)"-Alan Jackson.2003 - Albuquerque, NM ConferenceAmerican Bandstand celebrates 50 yearsIraqi Freedom launchedAffirmative action right upheldSaddam Hussein captured"Lord of the Rings: Return of the King" won Academy Award as best movie Continued on next page




Songs: "Hey Ya'"-Outkast, "It's My Life"-No Doubt, "Here Without You"-3 Doors Down, "First Cut is the Deepest"-Sheryl Crowe, "It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere"-various, "Next Big Thing"-Vince Gill.2004 - Austin, TX ConferenceRecord deficit $413 billionGeorge W. Bush re-electedChristopher Reeves, "Superman" and stem cell advocate, diedGuantanamo prison scandalSame-sex marriage legal in MAReconstruction in Iraq"Million Dollar Baby" won Academy Award as best movieSongs: "Here We Go Again"-Ray Charles and Nora Jones, "Daughters"-John Mayer, "Heaven"-Los LonelyBoys, "Live Like You Were Dyin''"-Tim Mcgraw, "Redneck Woman"-Gretchen Wilson.

2005 - San Diego, CA ConferenceTsunami in IndonesiaIraqi election heldCancer tops heart disease as #1 cause of death for people 85and underOil for food scandal in U.N.Saudis vote for first timeAlberto Gonzalez, 1st Hispanic Attorney GeneralEPA introduces rules to cut pollutionTerri Schiavo dies, after being brain damaged for 15 yearsSteroid use in baseball investigatedPope Paul II diesSongs: "Sunday Morning"-Maroon 5, "It's Getting Better all the Time"-Brooks & Dunn, "Since You BeenGone"-Kelly Clarkson, "Honky Tonk U"-Toby Keith, "Boulevard of Broken Dreams"-Green Day.1980s TV ShowsGrowing Pains, Alf, Cagney & Lacey, Miami Vice, Love Boat, Hill Street Blues, Knots Landing, Saved bythe Bell1990s TVFriends, Home Improvement, Roseanne, Beverly Hills 90210, Doogie Howser, Full House, LA Law,Cheers, Frasier, NYPD Blue

Most played song of last 100 years - "You've Lost that Lovin' Feeling" Most performed song of last 100 years - "Happy Birthday" 2000s TVFrasier, West Wing, Sex & the City, Sopranos, Will & Grace, Everybody Loves Raymond, Friends,ER, Judging Amy, Law & Order, Two and ½ Men, CSITop 10 TV Shows of the Century1) MASH (1972-1983)2) I Love Lucy (1951-1957)3) All in the Family (1971-1978, 1979-1983 as Archie Bunker's Place)4) Sesame Street (1969-Present)5) 60 Minutes (1968-Present)6) The Simpsons (1989-Present)7) Star Trek (1966-1969)8) The Honeymooners (1955-1956)9) Ed Sullivan Show (1948-1971)

10) Gunsmoke (1955-1975)

We hope you have enjoyed this stroll down "Memory Lane" as we have gone through the 20 years of NALTA. Please join us for the 20th AnniversaryConference to be held in San Diego, October 12-15, 2005.

Martha Cheshire, CPLTA/RPL Joan B. Robison, CPLTACo-Chairs 20th Anniversary Conference


CertificationCornerWe have both good news and bad news: The good

news is that the new CPLTA manuals are selling like hotcakes; the bad news is that the new CPLTA manuals areselling like hot cakes! We were able to order only twohundred for the first printing due to copyrightrestrictions. Every chapter received a supply of manuals;however, several chapters are running low or have soldout. If you want a manual, either to prepare for thecertification exam or simply for a chair-side reference(highly recommended), it would probably be a good ideato order it from your Local CPLTA Liaison quickly. It istruly a work of dedication and caring by a lot of people- the authors and especially the Re-write Committee - andwe are very proud of their efforts.

Work is well underway on the exam and at thiswriting, we are preparing to submit a pilot test to the Re-write and Certification Committees and the NALTABoard of Directors. Depending on the outcome of thatpilot exam, we may ask for volunteers from the ranks ofCPLTAs to take a pilot exam. Anyone who does take apilot exam will be given five - count 'em - FIVErecertification points. That's 10% of the number requiredfor recertification. Further, the tests will be takenanonymously. We hope to have the test ready to go byAugust, if at all possible. So, Chapters, make your plansto sponsor a review and exam accordingly! Work isalready underway in Houston and Oklahoma City by theCPLTA instructors to prepare to teach the first reviewsunder the new manual. And so it goes…

We have some people who have earned thedistinction of having passed the CertificationExamination since publication of the last NALTA News.We offer congratulations to:

Jolene Hawthorne, CPLTASharon Patterson, CPLTACynthia Rodriguez, CPLTA

Please congratulate these ladies, should you have theopportunity to do so. They have achieved NALTA'shighest distinction, and we are proud of their success inthis regard.

Additionally, we have received a few applications tosit for the new exam when it is ready. In that connection,the following have completed their application except

for the required publicationperiod. If you know of anymoral or ethical reason whythis/these person(s) shouldnot be allowed to hold thedesignation of CPLTA,assuming successful comple-tion of the exam, pleaseaddress your concerns in writing to the CertificationCommittee in care of the NALTA PO Box, and makecertain you sign the letter. Any concerns will be held inabsolute confidence and will be thoroughly investigatedby the Committee. The Committee holds the finalauthority in such investigation.

Loretta BuntBaytown, Texas

If you are considering making application to sit forthe exam, I strongly urge you to do so. You have twoyears after your application has been approved, that is,after the forty-five day post-publication period haspassed, to sit for and pass the exam. You will not regrethowever much effort you expend in earning your CPLTA!

I would like to urge you to check the websiteperiodically to see what's new with NALTA andCertification. I would very much like to see the localchapters post upcoming reviews and exams. There maybe an At-Large member, or a member of anotherchapter who is looking for a place to take the exam.Perhaps we'd get more interest from the At-Large groupin becoming certified if they just knew where and whenan exam is to be given. Please ask your local EducationChairman and/or Certification Liaison to contact MichaelSmith, Web Guy, at ConocoPhillips and ask him to postinformation about your chapter's upcoming certificationreview and exam.

Hopefully, all of you are starting to think about ourupcoming Conference in beautiful downtown SanDiego! It's NALTA's 20th Anniversary and it's going to bea doozie! Start priming your manager about sending youto Conference for an unparalleled educationalexperience. And there just may be some surprises for theCPLTAs. Stay tuned!

Toni U. Semple, CPLTACertification Director


“The new manual is a greatresource for information. Irecently opened it up to lookfor information on suspensionof operations and productionon federal leases and was ableto locate the answer inChapter 10.”

– Gary Camp, Supervisor-Lease DataAnadarko Petroleum Corporation

NALTA PURPOSETo serve as a national professional organization to represent men and women engaged

in lease and title work in the mineral and/or energy industries.

To further the education, knowledge, and interest of the Lease and Title Analyst.

To promote more effective public relations and thereby increase communication among industry firms, their associated personnel,

and the public with whom the Analyst is involved.

To advance the status and professional recognition of the Lease and Title Analyst within the mineral and/or energy industries.

NALTA’s 2005 Certification Review ManualNALTA’s 2005 Certification Review Manual


Black Hills Exploration and Production'Pumps up' Activities in Western States

Black Hills Exploration and Production,headquartered in Golden, Colorado, is the gasand oil production subsidiary of Black HillsEnergy, Black Hills Corporation's non-regulated wholesale energy business group.Black Hills Energy generates power, minescoal, produces natural gas and crude oil, andmarkets its energy production. Operations arelocated primarily in the West.

Oil and gas production expandIn 2004, Black Hills Exploration and

Production (BHEP), under the direction of LarryKellison, Vice President and General Manager,increased production for the seventh year in arow. Spurred by the acquisition of MallonResources in 2003, total production in 2004was 12.6 BCFE, a 16 percent increase over theprevious year. The properties are comprisedalmost completely of natural gas;consequently, gas production was 79 percentof total production. Total proved reserves atyear-end were 173 BCFE, 82 percent of whichis natural gas. Mallon's name was changed toBlack Hills Gas Resources, Inc. (BHGR) in 2004.

Most of BHGR's production and reservesare located in northern New Mexico in the SanJuan Basin. BHGR is pleased with thecooperative working relationships they haveestablished with the Jicarilla Apache Nation,on whose land the drilling program is primarilybased. An active drilling program is expected

CC OO MM PP AA NN YY PP RR OO FF II LL EE

Innovat ion aand EExpans ionInnovat ion aand EExpans ion



expansion into other areas of the country, participatingin drilling projects, primarily for natural gas, in NorthDakota, Montana, Colorado, Louisiana, Oklahoma,Texas, California and offshore in the Gulf of Mexico. Theresults of these efforts saw tremendous growth for thecompany, and by the end of 2001 natural gas reservesrepresented more than 60% of the company's totalreserves. While gas was the primary focus, an aggressiveeffort was also made to enhance crude oil production, tolower costs, and to increase its working interests in wellsthat it operated.

Western Production Becomes Black HillsExploration and Production

In 1999, Western Production Company changed itsname to Black Hills Exploration and Production, Inc. In2000, the company's first offshore Gulf of Mexicodiscovery was made on the High Island Block A-7,approximately 80 miles off the Texas coast. This well'sinitial production rate was more than 35 million cubicfeet of gas per day. In 2001, the company made whatthen was its largest acquisition of producing propertieswith the purchase of 75 wells from Stewart PetroleumCorporation adding more than 10 billion cubic feetequivalent ("BCFE") of natural gas reserves. Thetransaction increased proven reserves for Black Hills by22% and more than a 10% increase in production ratescompany wide in its first year of operation.

In March 2003, Black Hills Corporation acquiredMallon Resources Corporation, an oil and gas

Company PProfile –– BBlack HHills EExploration && PProduction


to progress for a number of years to comein order to achieve the full potential ofthese properties and provide consistenteconomic development for the JicarillaApache Nation.

BHEP's (and BHGR) production isconcentrated in New Mexico, Coloradoand Wyoming, with additional propertiesin Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska,Oklahoma, Louisiana, Texas, Californiaand the Gulf of Mexico.

Black Hills Corporation enters theoil and gas business

In an effort to diversify its interests,Black Hills Corporation acquired WesternProduction Company in the mid-1980sand the company was later renamed Black HillsExploration and Production. With a humble beginning inthe oil fields of Wyoming, operating just 30 wells in1977, Black Hills Exploration and Production now hasmore than 1,100 producing properties in 10 westernstates and the Gulf of Mexico. This impressive growthhas been achieved through very dedicated employees,operational innovation and lots of hard work.

In 1988, Black Hills Corporation expanded its oil andgas interests and entered into the crude oil marketingand transportation business with the acquisition ofNorthwest Crude. A pipeline out of the Finn-Shurley Fieldthat was controlled by Northwest Crude provided somestrategic advantages for the company. The companylater divested of this marketing endeavor, only to re-enter this sector a number of years later in a much moresignificant way. Oil marketing is headquartered inHouston. In 2004, the average daily market volume was44,900 barrels. Oil transportation operations include the190-mile Kilgore pipeline and the 200-mile Millenniumpipeline. Combined with contracted storage, Black Hillsenhanced its capability to transport commodities to andfrom the gulf ports near Houston to key connectionpoints in northern Texas.

During the 1990s, the company saw an opportunityto put more emphasis into quality natural gas projects.Natural gas was becoming the fuel of choice for manyindustries and, in particular, for the generation of electricpower. Until then, BHEP's reserves were approximately95% oil and 5% natural gas. BHEP began a significant

Our strategy is to continue expanding our operationsin growth markets in the West by providing coal-firedbaseload power and natural gas-fired peaking powercapacity.

Coal MiningOur Powder River Basin coal mine near Gillette,

Wyoming, supports low-cost mine-mouth powergeneration. At the end of 2004, we had 294 millionstons of coal reserves and coal production was 4.8 milliontons.

Energy MarketingFocusing on energy delivery, we market and move

natural gas and oil to markets primarily in the West.Natural gas marketing includes producer services andorigination services for gas consumers. We primarilymove gas from the Rockies and Canada to markets inthe West. Pipelines in Texas under contract to delivercrude oil from Houston to connecting points. Averagedaily marketing volumes set records in 2004: natural gas- 741,000 MMBtu, up 40 percent; crude oil - 44,900barrels.

Retail Operations...A Strong Retail PresenceBlack Hills Power

Our electric utility serves 62,000 customers inwestern South Dakota, southeastern Montana andnortheastern Wyoming with 435 MW of powergeneration plus 50 MW of purchased power undercontract. A regulatory rate freeze is in effect for over 10years which provides stability to our customers andrewards to shareholders through cost-containmentincentives and off-system sales. Surplus power may besold in wholesale markets, with access to both Easternand Western power grids. An AC-DC-AC transmission tiewent into service in fall 2003, providing 70 MW ofadditional transmission capacity across the grid.

Black Hills FiberCom - (under an agreement to besold on or before 6/30/05)

Bundled services include telephone, cable televisionand high-speed Internet services through a state-of-the-art fiber optic coaxial hybrid network to 26,980customers at year-end 2004. Phone directory publishingwas launched in spring 2003. We are focused ondelivering superior products and services at competitiveprices.


exploration and production company with holdingsprimarily in New Mexico. At that time Mallon hadinterests in more than 160 wells in five states. Theacquisition of these interests and the subsequent drillingthat was possible helped BHEP increase production in2003 by more than 47%.

Black Hills Exploration and Production is aMajor Contributor

At the end of 1977, the company operated 30 wellsin Weston County, Wyoming. Today, BHEP has interestsin more than 1,100 gas and oil wells throughout 10states and the Gulf of Mexico. Gas and oil productionhas grown from approximately 385 barrels of oilequivalent per day in 1986, when Black Hills Corporationacquired the company, to nearly 5,000 barrels of oilequivalent per day at the end of 2003. This equates to aremarkable growth of more than 1,190% during thattime.

"Since being acquired by Black Hills in 1986," explainsBHEP Vice President Larry Kellison, "the company'semployees have maintained an average annualproduction growth rate of 70% percent-truly an amazingaccomplishment. And this production growth has beendone while maintaining minimal growth in employees,going from 55 employees in 1989 to 59 employeestoday. With a team of experienced oil and gas industryemployees and a substantial capital budget, BHEP looksforward to continuing its substantial growth andcontribution to the Black Hills Corporation family ofenergy companies."

Recap - The Black Hills CorporationFamily of Energy Companies Black Hills Energy...Opportunity in RegionalWholesale Markets

Power GenerationPlants located in Colorado, Nevada, Wyoming,

California and Massachusetts have 1,004 MW of powergeneration capacity. Two new plants went into servicein 2003; the 224 MW Las Vegas Cogeneration II inNevada and the 90 MW Wygen plant in Wyoming,which is our first coal-fired non-regulated plant. Nearly allour capacity is under long-term contracts with electricutilities.

Company PProfile –– BBlack HHills EExploration && PProduction


The Member of the Year Award is given to the member that embodies the NALTA spirit, promotes the ProfessionalLease and Title Analyst, and promotes goodwill to the Oil and Gas Industry, as well as to the various other professionalorganizations within the industry. This award is to be given each year to a NALTA member that exhibits strongaccomplishments and leadership skills on the local level. Criteria will weigh heavily on the work the member has donein a local chapter or in their company to promote the Lease and Title Analyst profession. This could include serving asan officer in a local chapter, setting up local seminars, fundraisers, committee work including newsletters andmembership directories. At Large members would be considered for their work in promoting our profession byreceiving company awards, bringing certification classes to the area as well as seminars, and serving in otherorganizations while being recognized as a Lease and Title Analyst. Extra considerations would be for communityinvolvement, especially when a local chapter is not present.

The winner will be announced at the Annual Conference in San Diego in October. Here are the nominees for 2005:

ALTAJean Inglet grew up (tall) in Louisiana where she resided until 1977. She moved to Houston,Texas - met her husband, Wayne, and began her oil and gas career with Michigan WisconsinPipeline. She worked many years for Kirby Exploration, which merged into AmericanExploration. She is now The Land Administrator for Output Exploration LLC in Stafford, Texas.Jean sat for and obtained her Certified Professional Land and Title Analyst CertificationNumber 185.

She began her side career with ALTA/NALTA in 1997 when she was encouraged to acceptthe Corresponding Secretary ALTA Board position, serving in that capacity for two years andcontinuing to assist others in the position since then. In 2003, she served as the ALTA/NALTALiaison and in 2004 undertook the ALTA Membership Director position. She put in many hoursupgrading the Membership Directory in 2004 and continues to do so in 2005. She also is

involved on various committees - in 2003 and 2004 she served on the NALTA Conference Entertainment Committeesand in 2004 and 2005 she is serving on the Hotel Site Committee for the 2006 and 2007 Conferences. Jean is alwaysthere when ALTA or NALTA needs something done.

Jean and Wayne reside in the west part of Houston with their very spoiled canine, Snicklefritz, affectionately referredto as "The Fritzer." Jean enjoys doing crafts, traveling with friends, shopping for pottery and jewelry and clothes andrunning with her sister to shop at the Market Days (any of them) and Canton's First Monday.

NALTA’s Member of the Year Nominees

Jean Inglet


DALTA DALTA is proud to nominate Judy Baratta for NALTA's Member of the Year. Judy has beeninvolved in DALTA since 1991 and has been an active board member holding the followingoffices: Recording Secretary; Director (Co-Chairman of Education Committee); First VicePresident (Co-Chairman of Hospitality and Programs Committee); the 2001 President (andPublication Chairman!); and Board Advisor. Likewise, Judy has been actively involved inNALTA, serving as a 2002 Director and Second Vice President in both 2004 and 2005.Throughout her tenure on the DALTA and NALTA boards, Judy has contributed to eachorganization in so many different ways. Her willingness to jump into a project, her attitudeabout getting the job done, and her dedication to excellence have served every project very

well. In her role as Second Vice President, Judy is in charge of the NALTA News Magazine and has done a fantasticjob as Editor, making it a very professional publication. The look of the magazine is crisper and fresher and much ofthat can be attributed to Judy's hard work. In addition to making it look great, Judy has worked very diligently tocontrol the costs of publishing the magazine.

Judy began her career with Mobil Oil Corporation in 1977 and spent 12 years there. She then worked at TipperaryCorporation, Ensign Oil & Gas, and a short term with Williams Production RMT Company. Currently she is employedas a Sr. Administrative Landman at Pioneer Natural Resources USA, Inc. Her responsibilities over the years have includedlease/title analysis, division order analysis and landman duties.

In both DALTA and NALTA, she has performed her duties with superb organization, innovation, enthusiasm andexcellence and has been a shining representative of our Denver analysts. A clear testament to that fact is that Judywas given a NALTA Outstanding Service Award in 2004 for her outstanding leadership and work on the NALTA NewsMagazine and as Chairman of the Website, Publicity and Marketing Committees. DALTA is extremely pleased to putforth Judy's nomination as NALTA Member of the Year.

DFW-ALTAEvery year the DFW-ALTA Board of Directors awards an individual member the "Member ofthe Year Award." This individual has contributed heavily in 2004 to their local Chapter and tothe organization's educational efforts through organizing the local seminars and luncheons,encouraging membership into the organization, as well as being a model of highprofessionalism and character.

This year is it with great pleasure that the Board presents Katie Williams as recipient ofthe "DWF-ALTA's 2004 Member of the Year Award." Therefore, by virtue of this distinction,she will also be DFW-ALTA's nominee for NALTA's Member of the Year Award.



Katie WilliamsContinued on page 38

Judy Baratta

Katie began her oil and gas career working in Lease Records and Lease Rentals for Texas Pacific Oil Company. Herresponsibilities included analyzing new leases, paying delay rentals and maintaining land records for incoming leasedocuments. After the sale of Texas Pacific to Sun Oil Company, she accepted a lease analyst position with Hunt EnergyCorporation. As an analyst at Hunt Energy, she maintained the lease and rental records for the Mid-Continent Districts.She remained in this position until Hunt Energy/Placid Oil Company was sold to Oxy. She is currently a Senior LandAdministrator with Merit Energy Company maintaining cradle-to-grave functions for the Central District. Katie holds aBachelor of Science Degree in Social Work from the University of Texas at Arlington.

OCAPLTAMVP would be the term used to describe Lucy Trotter, Oklahoma City's nomination for the2005 NALTA Member of the Year. Lucy has been at the helm of many different responsibilitiesfor the local organization and has completed every task with efficiency, diligence and a greatattitude. She truly exemplifies what it is to be a committed member striving to better anorganization.

Lucy is well organized and does a great job. She revised the luncheon check-in table,assisted in revising our chapter by-laws then revised the membership form to coincide withour amended by-laws. She has been our Membership Chairman and kept track of membershiprenewals and new members. Lucy helped out in the lurch by stepping in and planning amajority of our luncheons for the year of 2004 and continues to assist in 2005.

She has served on numerous committees, most recently the Scholarship Committee, andrepresented OCAPLTA at the awards dinner for the University of Oklahoma. She also chaired our Membership DirectoryCommittee, which produced one of the best our organization has ever received. In short, Lucy willingly helps whenasked and volunteers at many different levels. She takes on the smallest task, or a really large one, and alwaysaccomplishes her role with enthusiasm. She tends to many of the thankless details that help make the larger picturea work of art.

Lucy is fun to be around and has a great personality that is easy going and energetic. If we handed out spiritawards, her wall would be full of them. Congratulations, Lucy, on being Oklahoma City's NALTA Member of the Yearnominee. We are all proud that you represent us and wish you the best of luck.



Lucy Trotter

Continued from page 35


PALTASince PALTA's inception, Norma Johnson has been dedicated to PALTA's success with hercontinuous involvement in every area of the organization. In the months prior to the Chapter'sOrganization Meeting, Norma worked on the By-Laws Committee. Since 2002, she has heldthe offices of Treasurer in 2002 and 2003, President in 2004 and currently holds the positionof Past President in 2005. She has been instrumental in the continued growth of the chapter.During her term as President, Norma increased PALTA's Membership to over 72 members,implemented PALTA's first newsletter and helped organize a Calculation Seminar as a jointventure with PBADOA. She has worked on the PBADOA/PALTA Spring Seminar committeesfor the past three years and is currently serving as Co-Chair for the 2005 PBADOA/PALTASpring Seminar.

Norma has always been among the first to volunteer for special committees or work groups, devoting her personaltime to PALTA above and beyond the responsibilities of her office. She has always been willing to help solve problemsthat arise within the chapter, researching and advising the board of her findings.

Norma is currently employed by Burlington Resources Oil & Gas Company, L.P. as a Senior Staff Land Specialist.She displays the same drive and determination at work as she has shown over the years with PALTA.

Norma is married to Richard Johnson and has two daughters, two grandchildren and one great grandchild.

TALTAThe TALTA Chapter is pleased to nominate Toni Semple for NALTA Member of the Year. Theentire chapter knows her to be hard-working and dedicated to any project that she undertakes.When you hear the term Certification Chairman, you think of Margie Waters-Naulls and, ofcourse, Toni Semple. These are the two NALTA members who have put in long hard hours ofwork on the CPLTA program.

Early on Toni was the Editor of the TALTA newsletter and she would gather TALTA membersduring lunch hour to help her fold and stamp the newsletters. She served her time well in theTALTA hierarchy before moving on to NALTA.

Toni has worn many different hats over the years, either as the TALTA Liaison to NALTA,the CPLTA Certification Chairman, and a teacher in the Certification Program. Her CPLTA

Certification Number is 50. She has either taught CPLTA reviews or has mentored others to be CPLTA instructors. Shehas chaired the committee to review the CPLTA applications and has developed and maintained a database to followthe credits for CPLTA's.

Toni has been extremely instrumental in the Certification Manual Re-Write project. She has been involved as a coordinator inthis project for the past several years and has now finally seen the manual published and distributed to the membership. As acoordinator, she has had to find reliable people to serve as "volunteers" on the Re-Write Committee. The Committee in itselfdeserves its own achievement award. Toni set and met certain deadlines for the committee to obtain knowledgeable andrespected individuals to write the chapters, and then worked diligently from the first draft to the final draft, and finally arrangedfor the publisher.

The printing deadline encompassed getting bids for printing and having the layout just right. She reviewed bids andnegotiated a good price for the printing and was also in charge of distributing it to all of the local chapters.

Currently, NALTA has 307 members who are designated CPLTA's, of which 219 are still active. In 2004 alone, 50 peoplebecame certified and everyone owes a bit of gratitude to Toni for her dedication and commitment to a well-run program. Forall of her hard work, the TALTA Chapter feels that Toni Semple is very deserving of the NALTA Member of the Year Award.NALTA News 39 June 2005

Toni Semple


Norma Anderson

Continued from page 38

As previously mentioned in part one of this two-partarticle, which was published in the March 2005 issue ofthe NALTA News, the oil and gas industry is currentlyexperiencing the "Graying of America." The industry is,very quickly, approaching a time wherein not only doesit stand to lose a large percentage of its workforce, butalso it stands to lose a great knowledge base due to theretirements of many Baby Boomers. Although our platesare already full and many of our workloads beyond"overload," we must find a way to "pass the torch" to thenext generation of workers. One of the best ways to dothis is by becoming a mentor.

In part one of this article, the following items wereaddressed regarding mentoring: the varied support amentor can provide a protégé by defining mentoring,trends in mentoring, identifying different learning styles,addressing what mentors provide and assessing possibleareas of expertise. Finally, we looked at the winningqualities of both a mentor and a protégé.

This article will cover the principles of mutualagreement, composing a mutual agreement, protégéskeeping a journal, principles for great mentoring,mentors leading by example, developing a strongrapport, knowing when it is time to part ways,developing an action plan and the benefits of acorporate mentoring program.

Principles of Mutual AgreementPrior to forming a mutual agreement between a

mentor and protégé, the following principles should beunderstood by both parties:

• Trust the other person

• Let the other person be him or herself

• Be critical of ideas, not the person

• Do not designate blame

• Practice new skills

• Offer and receive constructive feedback

• Be at odds politely

• Be honest when there is a problem

• Keep your promises

• Recognize differences

• Be willing to change your mind

• Be ready to take risks

In addition, the mentor should give the protégéchoices and offer assistance. Conversely, the protégéshould make suggestions as to how the mentor can lenda hand.

Composing a Mutual AgreementOnce the principles of the mentoring agreement are

firmly understood and in place, a mutual agreement canbe composed. Some things to consider prior to the firstmeeting are:

• Both parties should answer certain questions

• Discuss your answers together and come to anunderstanding

• On a new document, have the protégé answereach question

• Use the document as a measuring tool to abide by

Some of the questions to consider for the agreement are:

• What support does the protégé expect from thementor?

• What do the mentor and protégé expect fromeach other?

• How often will you meet? When? Where?

• Who will set up the appointments? The mentoror protégé?

• What will be the subject matter for thementoring partnership?

• What are your underlying principles?

• How will any problems be resolved?

• When will the relationship end?

The aspiring protégé should write or call the potentialmentor, asking to meet to discuss the questions. Inaddition, they should respect the person's busy schedule,bring a list of specific questions to the meeting, takenotes and stick to the point. Immediately after themeeting, they should send a thank-you note. Finally,


Mentoring Strategies in the 21st Century -Guiding the Journey of Success (Part 2 of 2)

by Donna Dowling


within a week or two after the meeting, they shouldshare how the person's advice helped them and ask toschedule another meeting.

Protégés: Keeping a JournalOnce the mentor and protégé have begun meeting,

it is a good practice for the protégé to keep a journal tohelp remember and implement some of the ideas fromthe mentoring sessions. After each meeting, the protégéshould complete a journal entry by recording the subjectof the meeting and writing down the following:

• What went well during the conversation

• How you could have improved the meeting

• How the next meeting can be more productive

• What you have committed to do as a result ofthe conversation

In addition, record your goal, the action you will takeand your deadline and write down the following:

• What you did as a result of the advice

• What went well and what did not go sosmoothly

• What you learned from the experience

• What surprised you from the experience

• What your next step should be

• What you have yet to learn before you canreach your goal

Recording the mentoring sessions in a journal, notonly provides the protégé with notes of the mentoringmeetings for future review, but also the journal is anexcellent tool for reflecting on what you have learned inthe past and incorporating the same into present andfuture work efforts.

Principles for Great MentoringYou may not see yourself as a mentor, but just about

anyone who is open to practicing the followingprinciples for great mentoring can become a greatmentor:

• Take an interest in and dedicate time to yourprotégé's maturity or growth as a businessperson

• Allow the protégé to solve problems throughhard work

• Promote learning and personal development

• Offer valuable guidance and instruction on howthe protégé can move up the ladder, learn newskills and perfect current skills

• Develop activities and projects in order toimprove skills

• Institute principles and guidelines you both willhonor

• Advance the protégé's character and standingwithin your organization and field

Again, although you may not see yourself as amentor, by taking some time to assess some of theprinciples for great mentoring, you may find that youwould be a great inspiration to a fellow co-worker orsomeone in the industry.

Mentors Leading by ExampleAs the old saying goes, we are often judged not by

what we say, but by our actions. Mentors can lead byexample by respecting and reinforcing corporate culture.Further they can portray good customer service - tointernal (other departments within the company) andexternal (landowners, partners, any other stakeholders)customers. In addition, they should demonstratepreferred work habits and show that doing desirablework is valued. Finally, they should always demonstrateprofessionalism.

Developing a Strong RapportOnce you have found the right partner in the

mentor/protégé relationship, do not put off thebeginning of the mentoring relationship. Make sure youare comfortable with and fond of your partner and thenset goals you would like to achieve. Always keep therelationship professional and not too personal. Both thementor and the protégé stand to gain far more from therelationship than they put into it. In addition, it can bethe foundation for a prototype for futurementor/protégé relationships.

Knowing When It Is Time to Part WaysThere will come a time when the learning from a

mentor/protégé relationship is complete. This willbecome apparent when:


Mentoring SStrategies iin tthe 221st CCentury Continued from page 40


• The protégé no longer needs advice, but onlyaffirmation of his/her knowledge

• The protégé has to force eagerness and interestin the mentor's initiatives

• The protégé feels restrained or either party feelsawkward

In the end, both the mentor and the protégé willhave grown professionally in ways they would neverhave experienced otherwise.

Developing an Action Plan Whether you are considering becoming a mentor or

a protégé, one of the first steps is to develop an ActionPlan. If you are considering becoming a mentor to ayounger and/or less experienced protégé, acknowledgeit and write down what steps you will take to begin thisrelationship. Conversely, if you are considering becominga protégé of a wiser, more experienced mentor,acknowledge it and write down what steps you will taketo begin this relationship.

In either case, take some time to consider who youknow in your company and/or the industry that might beinterested in becoming a great mentor/protégé and givethem a call to get the ball rolling. The benefits of amentor/protégé relationship will far outweigh anyassociated costs. You can think about this all day long,but ultimately, the first step in the process is to takeaction. By developing an action plan, it makes it mucheasier to take that first step.

Benefits of a Corporate Mentoring ProgramAlthough many companies may not have a formal

"Corporate Mentoring Program," there are many benefitsof mentoring programs within a company, specifically:

• High performers are most attracted tocompanies with mentoring programs

• Companies with these programs have higheremployee retention

• Mentoring often kicks productivity up a notchsooner than normal

• Mentoring is an inexpensive way to positivelyimpact employees

Even if your company does not have a formalmentoring program in place, you may consider taking

the initiative to create one within the organization. Inthe end, everyone wins - the mentor, the protégé andthe company.

ConclusionIn summary, consider becoming a mentor or protégé.

Decide what you want in a mentoring partner and stickto it. Draft and agree on a mutual agreement. Adhere tothe principles of mentoring, develop a strong rapport,develop an action plan and see the relationship throughto the end.

We work in one of the most dynamic industries in thiscountry, but as current energy industry demographicsshow, we are in for a rude awakening regarding theshortage of qualified workers. Now is the time to showthe young people in our industry how exciting andrewarding it can be. As the oil and gas industry hasallowed us to fulfill our dreams, we must now make acommitment to transfer our knowledge to those whowish to follow in our footsteps. One of the best ways todo this is by becoming a mentor.

Hopefully, this article will serve as a call to action tothe current generation of Baby Boomers in the energyindustry. A call to leave a legacy of not only surviving thegreatest boom and bust our business has ever known,but also of "passing the torch" to the next generation ofenergy industry workers.

Donna Dowling is an independent consultant in oil and gas,computer systems and training. She is also a contract trainer forHouston Community College. She graduated Summa CumLaude from the University of Denver, with a Bachelor inBusiness Administration and has an MBA in InternationalBusiness from Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio.In her role as a training consultant for Houston CommunityCollege, she facilitates corporate training classes inmanagement, high performance leadership, teambuilding,communication, business writing, operations, marketing andthe like for various small, mid-size and Fortune 500 companiesin education, banking, healthcare, E&C and manufacturing. Inaddition, she teaches management, project management, andcomputer application courses on a part-time basis. She is amember of ASTD, ALTA and NALTA, serving as ALTA's Directorof Education in 1995. She has conducted numerouspresentations for ALTA, the Society of Petroleum Engineers-Petro Tech Study Group and Desk and Derrick. In addition,Donna has been a frequent speaker at NALTA and NADOAconferences.


Mentoring SStrategies iin tthe 221st CCentury Continued from page 41



ASK NOT WHAT NALTA CAN DO FOR YOU, ASK WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR NALTA

Board MembersBoard Members

THE NALTA BOARD OF DIRECTORS:• Administers the affairs of the organization• Addresses issues as needed, such as education needs, financial needs, membership needs, and ways to

further promote the integrity of the profession of Lease and Title Analysts

BOARD MEETINGS• Three times a year, in Conference city (includes day before Conference)• It is necessary to lock in locations of the Conferences almost two years in advance. This is to find an

appropriate facility for our needs, and to get the timely topics and popular speakers.

BENEFITS• Conference registration fees waived• Certification points• Subsidization of costs of attending Board meetings• Meeting with great minds for a common goal• See new places and new ways of doing things• Meet new friends and expanding your horizons• Get involved in decision-making• Develop leadership skills and polish interpersonal skills• Give something back to the organization

QUALIFICATIONS• Be an active member in good standing

(more than three years primarily in the lease and title profession)• Pick position and commit to it (there is no natural progression).• Attend board meetings and take care of business through communications.

Board members are a diverse group of individuals from varied backgrounds and experiences.It is this diversity that makes a strong and effective Board.


JUMP ON BOARD AND GET INVOLVED! NOMINATIONS CLOSE JULY 31.

If you are interested in being on the ballot, or would like to nominate someone (with their permission), contact Sarah Adamson, email [email protected], or leave

comment on NALTA webpage (www.nalta.org)

WANTED: Board MembersWANTED: Board Members

PRESIDENT• Responsible for the overall functions of the association

1st VICE PRESIDENT• Coordinates the conference for the year

2nd VICE PRESIDENT• Produces four magazines a year

RECORDING SECRETARY• Keeps the minutes and maintains the membership roster

CORRESPONDING SECRETARY• Communicates between the Board of Directors and the general

membership• Handles the election process and arranges Board Meetings

TREASURER• Responsible for the financial affairs of the organization

CERTIFICATION DIRECTOR• Oversees the certification program

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT• Director/Board Advisor

* NOTE: Many of the positions listed above have committees to help with their duties.

LOCAL DIRECTORS for ALTA, DALTA, DFW-ALTA,OCAPLTA, PALTA, TALTA and AT-LARGE Membership• Report on local chapter activity• Establish two-way role of communication between local chapter

and NALTA Board• Interchange of ideas between local chapters to further evolve the

chapter

2005 Board

2004 Board

2000 Board

It is now well settled under Louisiana law that afterproduction in paying quantities has been obtained from amineral formation, it is the duty of the lessee to develop theproducing formation as a reasonable prudent operator,taking into consideration both its own interest and those ofthe lessor. Taussig v. Goldking Properties Company, 495So.2d 1008 (La.App. 3rd Cir. 1986) writ denied 502 So.2d111 (La. 1987). To fulfill the development duty under thelaw, a lessee has the obligation to develop known mineralproducing formations in the manner of a reasonable,prudent operator and to explore and test all portions of theleased premises after discovery of minerals inpaying quantities in the manner of areasonable, prudent operator. Vetter v.Moreau, 361 So.2d 898 (La.App. 2nd Cir.1978); Taussig; supra. Public policy dictatesthe necessity of the principal of"reasonable development" to giveeffect to the parties' intent inconfecting a mineral lease, toensure the reasonabledevelopment of Louisiana'snatural resources, and toprevent the removal ofproperty from commerce. Therefore,under Louisiana Revised Statute 31:122,there is an implied covenant in every minerallease that the lessee has the duty to developthe leased premises.

The Louisiana Supreme Court in Carter v. ArkansasLouisiana Gas Company, 36 So.2d 26 (1948) set out thestandard for determining whether a lessee has fulfilled itsduty to develop:

“The law of this state is well settled that the mainconsideration of a mineral lease is the development of theleased premises for minerals, and that the lessee mustdevelop with reasonable diligence or give up the contract;further, that as to what constitutes development andreasonable diligence on the part of the lessee mustconform to, and be governed by, what is expected ofpersons of ordinary prudence under similar circumstancesand conditions, having due regard for the interest of bothcontracting parties. (Citations omitted).

...Whether or not in any particular instance suchreasonable diligence is exercised depends upon a variety ofcircumstances...Whatever, in the circumstances, would bereasonably expected of operators of ordinary prudence,having regard to the interest of both lessor and lessee, iswhat is required.”

In Goodrich v. Exxon Company, USA, 608 So.2d 1019(La.App. 3rd Cir. 1992), writ denied 614 So.2d 1241 (La.19932), the court propounded six factors which areespecially pertinent to considering whether the lessee has

breached its developmentobligation: (1) geological data; (2)number and location of wellsdrilled on or near the leasedproperty; (3) productive capacityof existing wells; (4) cost ofdrilling compared with profitreasonably expected; (5) timeinterval between completion oflast well and demand foradditional operation; (6) andacreage involved in the lease under consideration.Therefore, whether in anygiven case, the lessee hassufficiently developed the

leased property pursuant to therules set out above, is a question of

fact which must be resolved byconsideration of the facts and circumstances

shown in the particular case. It is also well settled that since the duty to develop is an

implied obligation, the jurisprudence has consistently heldthat a breach of the duty is passive, and a formal placing indefault is required before judicial intervention may besought. Hunt v. Stacy, 632 So.2d 872 (La. App. 2nd Cir.1994); Taussig, supra; Trinidad Petroleum v. PioneerNatural Gas, 416 So.2d 2902 (La. App. 3rd Cir.), writdenied 422 So.2d 154 (La. 1982); Pipkes v. Pane, 101 So.144 (1924); McDowell v. PG&E Resources Company, 658So.2d 779 (La. App. 2nd Cir. 1995); Goodrich v. ExxonCompany, supra. As noted in the McDowell decision, thedefault requirement is designed to serve two purposes in


Lease Maintenance by Continuous Operations and/or Production

by Charles G. Blaize, Jr.

the present context: (1) to provide notice that the lessorconsiders the lessee's actions (or inaction) as violative of theimplied obligation, and (2) to afford the lessee a reasonableopportunity to perform that obligation. It has beenuniformly held that a demand for cancellation or release ofthe lease does not constitute, nor can it substitute for, aplacing in default. McDowell, supra at 783, Hunt v. Stacy,supra. While landowners need not hound their lessees tocarry out their obligations, a bona fide demand by thelandowners as provided under the jurisprudence isnecessary. Edmundson Brothers Partnership v. MontexDrilling Co., 731 So.2d 1049 (La.App. 3rd Cir. 1999).

Finally, cancellation is a harsh remedy (see officialcomments to Louisiana Revised Statute 31:137).Consequently, our courts have held that the right todissolve a mineral lease will be subject to judicial controlaccording to the factual circumstances of each case. Inorder to cancel a mineral lease, the breach must be shownto be substantial. Taussig, supra; McDowell, supra.

Professor Thomas A. Harrell, Professor of Law at thePaul M. Hebert Law Center and the Director of theLouisiana Mineral Law Institute, published an article in the19912 Louisiana Law Review, 52 La. L. Rev. 387 (1991)entitled "A Mineral Lessee's Obligation to ExploreUnproductive Portions of the Leased Premises in Louisiana."In this article, Professor Harrell explored the history anddevelopment of the obligations to develop and explore theleased premises. Professor Harrell observed the following:

1. That the cases and code plainly demonstrate that theobligation to develop implied in every lease does notconstitute a "forfeiture clause." In addition, courts havenormally required that since the action is one for breach ofcontract, it must be shown that the lessee has taken someaction contrary to the lease or failed to do something hewas obligated to do before the court will declare the leasewholly or partially dissolved.

2. The burden of proving the breach of the obligation toexplore the premises is upon the lessor. This principal is wellestablished and actually based upon two distinctconsiderations. The first is procedural. The burden of proofis ordinarily upon the plaintiff alleging the breach ofcontract by another. The second is based upon the natureof the lease itself. The lessee is required to provide all thecapital and take all of the risk of the venture. In most cases,he will also receive benefits several times greater thanthose inuring to the lessor if his efforts are successful.

Although the lessor contributes his land, he takes no riskand invests no capital in the drilling. The lessee ordinarilyhas a greater interest in developing the premises than thelessor, but unlike the lessor, must temper his desires forprofit by weighing the likelihood of loss. On the other hand,the lessor, who has dedicated the mineral values of hisproperty to the lease, stands to lose nothing further if theventure fails. The courts have thus recognized that thejudgment of the lessee, if exercised reasonably and in goodfaith, is entitled to considerable weight, and, in case ofhonest doubt, should prevail.

3. "The obligation to explore is not equivalent to acontinuous drilling obligation." In offering this observation,Professor Harrell points out that one of the most prevalent, butclearly erroneous, understandings of the jurisprudence is a beliefthat the lessee somehow is obligated to continuously orperiodically drill wells upon the premises or suffer a forfeiture ofthe lease. The jurisprudence unequivocally holds that the merefailure to drill, or to drill in any continuous pattern or with anyparticular frequency, does not imply a breach of the obligation.See Middleton v. California Company, 112 So.2d 704 (1959),and Frazier v. Justiss Mears Oil Co., 391 So.2 845 485 (La.App.2nd Cir. 1980).

The jurisprudence on the obligation to explore anddevelop the leased premises is well established in Louisiana.Unfortunately, a determination of what is and what is notreasonable development is extremely fact sensitive andevery case must turn on its individual facts. Consequently,whenever an action is brought for failure to perform theobligation of reasonable development, there is alwayssome exposure because one never knows how the courtmay ultimately balance the facts.

Special credit to Kim Mayhall for his research anddrafting assistance.

Mr. Blaize was born in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana on April 30,1970 and admitted to the Louisiana bar in 1998. He wasadmitted in the U.S. District Court, Middle, Eastern and WesternDistricts of Louisiana and U.S. Court of Appeals, 5th Circuit. He isa graduate of Louisiana State University (B.S., 1993) Paul M.Hebert Law Center, Louisiana State University (J.D., 1998). He isan active member of the Baton Rouge, Louisiana State andFederal Bar Associations. He was President of the Student BarAssociation in 1997-1998 and was inducted into the Law CenterHall of Fame. Mr. Blaize primarily practices in oil and gas law,property litigation and has presented continuing educationprograms for lawyers and landmen.


Lease MMaintenance


REGULAR CHECKING ACCOUNT

BEGINNING BALANCE AS OF 1/26/2005 $ 24,165.91

DEPOSITS

Certification $ 10,037.812004 Conference $ 197.502005 Conference $ 800.00Membership $ 32,865.00News Magazine $ 2,550.00

TOTAL DEPOSITS $ 46,450.31

EXPENSES DATE CHECK # AMOUNT ACCOUNT/PAYEE/COMMENTS

1/28/2005 C 1178 $ 228.20 Board Meeting - Joan Lucero - Airfare to Feb Board Meeting in San Diego

2/11/2005 C 1179 $ 556.03 President's Travel - Susan Rondon - Travel to OKC and Houston2/11/2005 C 1180 $ 357.30 Board Meeting - Jeanie Spradlin - Airfare to Feb Board Meeting inSan Diego2/18/2005 C 1181 $ 527.31 Board Meeting - Toni Semple - Feb hotel expenses 2/18/2005 C 1182 $ 113.66 Miscellaneous - Flair Trophy & Awards - 2005 Board Members'

Name Tags2/18/2005 C 1183 $ 238.20 Board Meeting - Judy Baratta - Airfare to Feb Board Meeting in

San Diego2/28/2005 C 1184 $ 341.37 Certification - GM Data Products - 75 CPLTA Certificates2/28/2005 C 1185 $ 333.50 Board Meeting - Kathryn A Neeper - Airfare to Feb Board Meeting2/28/2005 C 1186 $ 500.00 Education - Local Chapter - PALTA Spring Seminar2/28/2005 C 1187 $ 350.00 Board Meeting - Jo Hale - Airfare to Feb Board Meeting3/7/2005 C 1188 $ 80.00 Membership - ALTA - Local Dues Collected by NALTA - 3/7/2005 C 1189 $ 4,772.91 Board Meetings - Westin Horton Plaza - February Board Meeting3/7/2005 1190 $ 333.00 Conference - Balboa Transportation - 10% Deposit for

Transportation for 10/13 and 10/15/2005 events3/8/2005 C 1191 $2,000.00 Conference - The Prado at Balboa Park - Nonrefundable Deposit for

10/13/05 event3/8/2005 V 1192 Check Voided3/8/2005 C 1193 $ 134.40 Compensation Survey - Michael Smith - Airfare from Tulsa to

Houston to attend meeting 3/23/053/8/2005 C 1194 $ 1,564.67 Certification Manual Rewrite - Modern Bindery, Inc - Binding and

shipping certification manuals3/8/2005 C 1195 $ 799.40 Website - Express Association Services Inc - Website hosting fees and

annual maintenance contract fee3/8/2005 C 1196 $ 19.16 Postage and Supplies - UPS 3/8/2005 C 1197 $ 12.45 Miscellaneous - Flair Trophy & Awards - 2005 Board Member

Name Tag3/24/2005 1198 $ 85.00 Expansion - Marian Wimsatt - Spring Seminar - Room Rental

at Marriott3/24/2005 1199 $ 3,325.00 News Magazine - $3,075 - Design & Edit March Issue; Conference -

$250 - Design & Edit Conference Ad3/24/2005 1200 $ 226.90 Conference Site Committee - Michael Smith - Airfare to Denver

4/20-4/24/053/24/2005 C 1201 $ 33.56 Certification - GM Data Products - Printing CPLTA Certificates

Treasurer’$ Report

Cathy Jones

3/24/2005 1202 $ 30.00 Membership - DFW-ALTA - Local Dues Collected by NALTA 3/29/2004 V 1203 Check Voided3/29/2004 1204 $ 75.00 Membership - TALTA - Local Dues Collected by NALTA - 4/8/2005 1205 $ 226.90 Conference Site Committee - David Nelson - Airfare to Denver

4/20-4/24/054/8/2005 1206 $ 1.92 Postage and Supplies - UPS - Invoice Dated 3/19/054/8/2005 1207 $ 40.00 Membership - ALTA - Local Dues collected by NALTA 4/8/2005 1208 $ 25.00 Membership - TALTA - Local Dues Collected by NALTA 4/8/2005 1209 $ 25.00 Membership - ALTA - Local Dues Collected by NALTA 4/8/2005 1210 $6,000.00 Certification Rewrite - ConocoPhillips - Printing 200 Certification

Manuals4/8/2005 1211 $ 58.34 Certification Rewrite - Toni Semple - Postage of manuals to

Rewrite Committee4/15/2005 1212 $5,869.95 News Magazine - ConocoPhillips - Printing ($5282) and Mailing

($587.95) March 2005 Issue4/15/2005 1213 $ 52.78 News Magazine - Judy Baratta - Mailing magazine4/15/2005 1214 $1,199.00 Storage - U S Storage Rental Spaces - Annual rental4/15/2005 1215 $ 45.00 Membership - DALTA

TOTAL EXPENSES $ 30,580.91

ENDING BALANCE AS OF 4/15/2005 $ 40,035.31MONEY MARKET ACCOUNTBEGINNING BALANCE AS OF 12/31/2004 $ 61,182.11

1/31/2005 $ 72.23 Interest Earned2/28/2005 $ 65.32 Interest Earned3/31/2005 $ 72.39 Interest Earned

ENDING BALANCE AS OF 3/31/2005 $ 61,392.05

Respectfully submitted,Cathy Jones, Treasurer


2005 ADVERTISING RATESAD SINGLE ONE FULL YEAR* SINGLE ONE FULL YEAR*Size Issue B/W (4) Issues B/W Issue Color (4) Issues Color

1/8 Page $ 40 $ 125 $ 50 $ 150 (Business Card size)

1/4 Page $ 75 $ 250 $ 100 $ 3001/2 Page $ 100 $ 300 $ 125 $ 400Full Page $ 200 $ 600 $ 250 $ 800Inside Covers $ 300 $ 800 $ 400 $1,000**(Full Page)

Inside Fold $ 300 $ 800 $ 400 $1,000**(Full Page)

Please contact Priscilla J. Parsons at 361/987-8925 or by email at [email protected] magazine is published in March, June, September, and December.*In order to receive the discounted rates, the four advertisements must be in the same calendar year.** Only two available.

Treasurer’s RReport

Venoco, Inc. wasfounded in 1992 by TimMarquez, who had beenworking as a petroleumengineer with Unocalsince 1979. The first fieldVenoco purchased was inthe City of Whittier -about 30 miles east ofLos Angeles - thatconsisted of around 800town-lot leases, twoconsolidated drillsites andaround 200 barrels ofproduction per day. ByApril of 1995, Venocohad acquired anothertwo properties withtown-lot leases bringingthe total number ofleases to more than3,000 and daily operatedproduction to around1,000 barrels per day.

Besides an onerous amount of lease records,operating in California also meant facing some of thetoughest environmental regulations in the country.Venoco soon discovered that with its experiencedmanagement and employees, its ability to efficientlyoperate properties in this demanding regulatoryenvironment was one of it greatest competitiveadvantages.

In late 1996, Venoco acquired operatorship of twolarge natural gas fields in the Sacramento Basin. Venoco

has drilled numerous wells since then after extensivereinterpretation of existing 2D and 3D seismic data.Subsequent participation in 3D shoots has led to newdiscoveries and a solid inventory of well prospects.

With a proven onshore production track record inmaking fields profitable by both lowering expenses andincreasing production, Venoco entered offshoreoperations in 1997 with the acquisition of Platform Hollylocated in State waters near Santa Barbara. Early in 1999


CC OO MM PP AA NN YY PP RR OO FF II LL EE

Platform Gail is located in 740’ of water in the Santa Barbara Channel. Crews work 7 days on, then have 7days off. This is a “live-aboard” platform that can hold as many as 108 people on board at one time.

Venoco acquired interests in fiveadditional platforms becoming operatorof two - Platforms Gail and Gracelocated in Federal waters in the easternpart of the Santa Barbara Channel - andbringing daily operated production tomore than 10,000 barrels of oilequivalent per day.

Record low oil prices in 1999 did notdeter Venoco's efforts to effectivelyreduce operating expenses whileincreasing operating performance and


A drilling rig in “gas country” – the Sacramento Basin. In thebackground is “Sutter Buttes” – sometimes known as the smallestmountain range in the world.

This is the main producing zone along the Santa Barbara Channel –the Monterey Shale. It is a complex rock that was originally thoughtto be unproductive, because it is a shale and not a sandstone. Crackscaused by all of the seismic activity have created a fracture-matrixthat conducts oil through the formation.

Company PProfile –– VVenoco, IInc.

production. By 2001, Venoco was recognized by INCMagazine as one of the fastest growing, privately-held,independent oil and gas companies in the country.

Derailed in 2002 by a bankrupt preferred shareholdernamed Enron, a shareholder dispute led to the ouster ofMarquez and two years of limited capital investment. ByJune of 2004, Marquez was able to settle theshareholder issues, purchasing not only a majority ofcommon shares, but also arranging the repurchase of allof the preferred shares.

By December of 2004, Venoco issued $150 million ofhigh-yield notes due in 2011 to go with a reconfiguredbanking line of $50 million from Bank of Montreal. Asale of a Texas property in March 2005 for $45 millionhas put Venoco in a strong financial position to developits significant portfolio of development and explorationprojects.

For 2005, Venoco's average net production fromexisting properties is expected to be in the 13-14,000barrels-of-oil-equivalent per day. Venoco continues tohave a regional headquarters in Carpinteria, California,and most of its corporate officers are located indowntown Denver, Colorado.

????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

Because you learn about current industry topics and trends.This will make you more knowledgeable as you perform your job.

Meet people from all over the country.

Open your mind to new ideas and ways of doing things.

Develop a network of industry counterparts all over the country.Chances are you either have done business with them or will do business with them in the future. It ismuch easier to get accurate and quick information when a rapport is already established.

Renew acquaintances.

To see places you may have never seen.And if you have been there before, you may see things in a different way.

Polish your interpersonal skills.

Experience an affordable, quality educational program taught by leading industry speakers.

Get certification points.

It's fun!!!!

"BUT I MAY NOT BE ABLE TO GO AS MY COMPANY WON'T PAY FOR ME TOATTEND THIS YEAR…" So get a roommate(s). It's affordable and fun! And start checking on affordable airfare now.Remember that your meals are included with the registration fee.

So no more excuses!! Start planning NOW to attend the 20th Annual NALTA ConferenceOctober 12-15, 2005, Westin Horton Plaza Hotel - San Diego, CA

WHY SHOULD I ATTEND A NALTA CONFERENCE?


During the February 2005 NALTA Board meeting in San Diego, the Boardselected the city of Denver to host the 2007 NALTA Conference. The Boardinstructed David Nelson, Conference Site Committee Chairman, to have hiscommittee investigate and do an actual site inspection of Denver in order to selectthe hotel that best fits NALTA's Conference needs.

The Committee which consists of Joan Robison, Michael Smith,Jean Inglet, and Chairman, David Nelson visited Denver for five daysfrom April 20-24. Committee members donate their time awayfrom their companies by taking vacation time or time away withoutpay (if contract employees). This year, two Denver NALTA Boardmembers (Judy Baratta and Joan Lucero) were also able to join thecommittee for part of the inspections.

Appointments were made with hotels via the DenverConvention and Visitors Bureau as well as with Destination MeetingPlanners. These planners were able to give the committeesuggestions as to outside events and venues that NALTA mightconsider doing while having the conference in Denver. Committeemembers switched hotels every night and their days started with breakfast meetings as early as 7:30 a.m., and sometimes wentway past dinner time in the evenings. The committee completed their inspections on Saturday and then spent the rest of the daygoing back to revisit their top hotel choices. Friday evening, the committee was able to enjoy a Colorado Rockies baseball gameand dinner at Denver's new ballpark, which was hosted by the Denver Visitors and Convention Bureau.

After returning back to their regular work, the committee requested formal contracts from their top five choices. Afternegotiations with hotels and much discussion among committee members, a hotel recommendation will be presented to theNALTA Board at their July meeting in San Diego.

As a reminder, the 2006 Conference will be held at the J.W. Marriott in New Orleans on Sept 13-16, 2006.

David Nelson, CPLTAConference Committee Chairman


NALTA Selects DENVER as 2007 Conference Site!

Cheryl Baker, Michael Smith, Susan Rondon

Denver Skyline dessert from theCrystal Restaurant at The GrandHyatt.

Hotel site committee atCoors Field for a Rockiesgame as guests of RebeccaDillahunty, with the DenverMetro Convention andVisitors Bureau.


Website ReportOur website continues to have a lot of success with people accessing the NALTA webpage. By

the time you get this News Magazine, the new version of the website has been in place nearly a year.Our website is being hit at an amazing rate as we've had almost 9,300 hits since the new versioncame online. This is great!! If you have not had a chance to preview it, please take a look when youhave some free time. The website is in a continual state of updating, so if you have any highresolution digital pictures from some of your local chapter meetings/events or from conferences,please feel free to email them to [email protected] and we will see about possiblyusing them on the website.

The Job Opportunities section of the NALTA website (www.nalta.org) continues to be a success!Jobs may be placed on the website by either individuals or companies, although we do not currently place openings fromemployment agencies. A job will be placed for a period of 90 days. At the conclusion of the 90 day posting, or upon earlier noticeby originator, the posting is removed. Please contact Michael Smith at [email protected], or leave a request onthe website.

The following positions are currently posted on the website. Please see the website for more details.

El Paso Production Company Houston, TXWestern Gas Resources Denver, CODominion Exploration & Production Oklahoma City, OKJ Mar & Associates Dallas, TXHunt Petroleum Corporation Dallas, TX

Also check with these local chapter Employment Directors:

ALTA - Olga McGee, 281.618.4703, [email protected] - Linda Grothues, 303.791.4110, [email protected] - Kim Dotson, CPLTA, 214.209.2315, [email protected] - Melinda Kieke, CPLTA, 405.767.4419, [email protected] - Deneice E. Schuette, 432.617.1312, [email protected] - Chris Davis, 918.591.1348, [email protected]

Respectfully submitted,Michael Smith, CPLTA/RPLWebsite Committee Chairman

NALTA Scholarship CommitteeThe NALTA Scholarship Committee has been hard at work collecting scholarship applications from universities as

well as individuals already in the workplace that have gone back to school to further their education.Normally the deadline for scholarship applications is March 31st, but because of the delay in "fine tuning" our first

guidelines and scholarship applications, the committee decided to extend the deadline to May 31st for this year only.At that time the committee will review all scholarships and recommend to the NALTA Board the individuals it feels

best meet the guidelines set up by NALTA. The NALTA Board meeting at the end of July in San Diego will make thefinal decision on the scholarship winners.

If budget warrants, we hope to bring these individuals to the NALTA Conference in San Diego to receive their award.This will give these people a chance to meet other Lease and Title Analysts, as well as attend some of our classes.

Co-Chairperson, Betty Cook Co-Chairperson, David Nelson CPLTAConocoPhillips Company ConocoPhillips [email protected] [email protected]

Michael Smith

On March 23rd, Melva Thornton, Michael Smith and I met with Dr. Forrest Aven, Department Chair and AssociateProfessor of Management at the University of Houston Downtown. He has agreed to conduct a compensation surveyfor us using a similar format for the one he did in 2000 for NALTA. After getting input on the format for the surveyquestions, I began to consider the possibility of asking NADOA to join us for a comprehensive land departmentcompensation survey. After much discussion with NADOA, NALTA board members and members of local associations,I have pursued a joint survey. The majority of people I talked with were in favor of the joint survey, but I have nottaken the disagreements lightly. The proposal was approved by the Board of Directors of both NALTA and NADOA.The cost will be split evenly by the two organizations.

By the time you read this, the surveys will have been mailed and returned to Dr. Aven. Because the surveys will bemailed to Dr. Aven and input by his staff, you can be assured of the confidential nature of this survey. No one in NALTAwill see individual questionnaires. We will only see the summary provided by Dr. Aven. As soon as we get the resultsfrom Dr. Aven we will post the summary on the NALTA web site. Dr. Aven has agreed to be the luncheon speaker onThursday at the San Diego conference. He will talk about the implications of the survey and answer questions. He willalso be available to answer questions during the seminar session immediately following lunch on Thursday.

I am excited to see the results of the survey, particularly as they relate to the average age of a lease and title analyst.I hope we are making strides in recruiting, training and retaining younger members. This survey will be an importanttool for the board to use as we evaluate how we can help our members and advance the profession of the lease andtitle analyst.

Thank you for your participation. Susan Rondon, NALTA President


NALTA President Susan Rondon, left,and PALTA President Debra O’Brien

PP RR EE SS II DD EE NN TT II AA LL TT RR AA VV EE LL SS

Compensation Survey

Susan Rondon with Jami Bailey atFarmington, New Mexico Spring Seminar

Charlotte Campbell, President of DFW-ALTAChapter, Katie Williams, Director and Member ofthe Year, and Susan Rondon, NALTA President

March 15 TALTA Luncheon MeetingApril 14 PBADOA-PALTA Spring SeminarApril 21 At-Large Seminar in Farmington, NMApril 29 DFW-ALTA Spring SeminarMay 16-17 CAPLA Management & Supervisory SummitAugust 9 DALTA Luncheon MeetingSeptember 14-16 NADOA Conference

ALTA's 2005 Officers and Directors are Jo Hale,President; Shelly Goddard, First Vice President; MarianneMcEwin, Second Vice President; Gale Lyles, RecordingSecretary; Janell Tilley, Corresponding Secretary; Lupe H,Felan, Treasurer; Kathy Davidson, NALTA Liaison; PaulGuillory, Director-Ethics/By-Laws; Wanda Cole, Director-Education; Jean Inglet, Director-Membership; StephanieDoolittle, Director-Employment Opportunities; andYolanda del Toro, Director-Ways and Means/SocialHistorian.

BOARD MEETINGSALTA'S Board meetings will be held on the second

Wednesday of each month with the exception of themonth of December which will be scheduled at laterdate due to Christmas holidays.

LUNCHEON MEETINGSThe luncheon meetings are held on the third Tuesday

of each month with the exception of December. Ourrecent luncheon speakers include:

ALTA – Houston

January: Bob Tierney, President of Tierney & Associates,History of the Texas Railroad Commission fromBeginning Regulations to Present Day Regulations.

February: Albert Hoppe, Retired General Counsel -Noble Energy Company, Ethics 101: The Case AgainstLying.

March: Wilson W. "Dub" Crook, Manager-Global GasRegulatory & Legislative Issues, ExxonMobil Gas & PowerMarketing. Forces of Change in the Natural GasIndustry.

April: Glenda Nerren, Independent, Ever ChangingWorld of Unclaimed Property. This luncheon wasattended by over 100 members and guests.May: Garry Camp, Anadarko Petroleum Corp., NewCPLTA Exam and Review; Seminar Speaker - Allen D.Cummings, Attorney, Haynes & Boone; Seminar Topic -Title Refresher.

Our ALTA Education Director is currently working onseveral ½ day seminars to be held after monthlyluncheons. It is our desire to have at least 4 seminars thisyear, as well as a CPLTA Review and Exam to be held inlate August or September. Our first ½ day seminar washeld on May 17 and outlined above. Location and datesof future seminars to be announced later.

JOB BANKFor the period January through April 2005, nine job

postings were added to the ALTA Phone Job Line andwebsite.

MEMBERSHIPAt the end of the 2005 Membership Drive, ALTA had

289 members with 32 being new members. Jean Inglet,our Membership Director, is currently finalizing the 2005Membership Directory. The Directory should be in themail to members prior to receiving this edition of theNALTA News.

Respectfully submitted,Kathy Davidson, Director


EducationThe joint DALTA/DADOA Spring Seminar was held May 2,

2005, at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Downtown Denver. Thekeynote speaker was Bill Barrett, Chairman & Chief Executive

Officer of Bill Barrett Corporation(featured in the April 2, 2005, edition ofthe Rocky Mountain News.) Topics forthis seminar included Roan PlateauDiscussion and Colorado State & FederalRegulatory Issues by Greg Schnacke,Executive Vice-President of the ColoradoOil & Gas Association (featured in theApril 3 edition of the Denver Post);Coalbed Methane: What's All the Hype?by Paul Onsager, Reservoir EngineeringManager, Western Division, PioneerNatural Resources USA, Inc.; ProposedSurface Owner Compensation Legi-slation by Brian Tooley, Shareholder atWelborn, Sullivan, Meck & Tooley, P.C.;and Filling the Gap: Energy Education forthe Business Professional by TerryMcInturff, Director for the Center forEnergy Commerce of Texas TechUniversity.

CalendarMay 10 - DALTA Board MeetingJune 14 - DALTA Luncheon, Embassy SuitesJuly 12 - DALTA Board MeetingAugust 9 - DALTA Luncheon, Embassy SuitesSeptember 13 - DALTA Board MeetingOctober 1 - DALTA Luncheon, EmbassySuitesOctober 12-15 - NALTA Conference,San Diego October 31 - DALTA/DADOA FallSeminarNovember 8 - DALTA Board MeetingDecember 13 - DALTA HolidayLuncheon, Embassy Suites

Respectfully submitted,Brenda Mustain, CPLTA, Director


The DALTA Board met on March 8, 2005, at the offices ofEncana. Board members present were Cindy Lively, PaulaRauchfuss, Edith Bryan, Elaine Naranjo, Lesley Hall, CherylEdelen, Cindy Sandell and Brenda Mustain. Board meetingsare held the second Tuesday in January,March, May, July, September andNovember.

New DirectorJeanette Borges, Director, resigned

due to a move out of the area. JulieRens from EnCana was recruited to fillthe position of Director. Julie also tookon the responsibility of the MembershipChairman.

MembershipAs of April 1st, 2005, we had 136

members who renewed their member-ship and 22 new members bringing it toa total of 158 members for 2005.

Hospitality and Programs:The 2005 luncheon series kicked off

on February 8th with a wonderfulpresentation of "From Drillbit to BurnerTip: The Story of Natural Gas" presentedby Linda Flis with Geolinks VideoPrograms. It is possible to purchase acopy of this well-produced video foryour home or corporate library, whichdepicts how natural gas is produced. Ifyou are interested, please call (303) 733-4311.

DALTA held its April luncheon at theEmbassy Suites in Downtown Denver.The speaker was Paul Upsons fromPoulson, O'Dell & Peterson, who spokeon the very timely and important topicof the "Legal Consequences ofConcurrent Ownership of MineralEstates in Colorado and Wyoming."

Preparations for future luncheonsare being finalized at this time. Some ofthe speakers scheduled to appear areRichard Champion from EnCana whowill speak about Federal units and Jim Wasson from Kerr-McGee who will give a talk on the Urban Jungle.

DALTA – Denver

Cindy Lively, President, Linda Flis, Februaryspeaker, and Paula Rauchfuss, 1st Vice President

Cindy Sandell, Certification Liaison and PaulaRauchfuss, 1st Vice President, presenting thenew Certification Manual

April speaker Paul Upsons, of Poulson, O’Dell andPeterson

2005 OFFICERS AND DIRECTORSPresident Charlotte CampbellFirst Vice-President-Fort Worth Cynthia SimmsFirst Vice-President-Dallas Jan J. Warren,Second Vice-President Vickie SnyderTreasurer Raul PerezRecording Secretary Cathy Green, CPLTACorresponding Secretary Inez TrujilloDirector Katie WilliamsDirector Debbie L. StubbsDirector Kim Dotson, CPLTAPast President OpenNALTA Liaison Sara Shands

MEMBERSHIPDFW-ALTA's membership

drive has been very successful.Our 2005 membership is 163.There are 145 joint member-ships and 18 local onlymemberships. The annualmembership fee is $30.00.

MEMBERSHIP MEETINGSFort Worth and Dallas hold

their luncheon meetings at eachcity's Petroleum Club, alternatingevery other month with the chargebeing $20.00 for members and$25.00 for non-members. In 2005,Fort Worth will have six meetingsbeginning in February and Dallaswill have five meetings beginningin March. DFW-ALTA does not holda membership meeting in January,but holds a transition boardmeeting instead.

Fort Worth held its February 22nd meeting with 97 inattendance. Andree' Griffin, a Division Geologist withXTO Energy Inc. in Fort Worth was the speaker. Ms.Griffin's topic was "Wells in my neighborhood! A look atthe complexities of the Barnett Shale."

The 34 attendees at March 8th meeting in Dallaswere inspired by Susan Rondon, NALTA President, as shepresented what NALTA has to offer members, as well astheir employers. Ms. Rondon encouraged those presentto think positively, work hard and be a mentor.

The new CPLTA's were recognized and Re-Certification certificates were presented. Also, LeverneHearn and Lisa Greer introduced the new CPLTA Test.

Those who re-certified are:

Pamela S. Alblas, CPLTA,Bank of AmericaKaren S. Blackburn, CPLTA,Hunt Petroleum Corp.Kimberly Dotson, CPLTA,Bank of AmericaLeverne Hearn, CPLTA, HuntOil CompanyDawn Lindley, CPLTA, HRMResources, Inc.Pamela Longloy, CPLTA,Elmridge Resources Susan Rondon, CPLTA, Burlington Resources

Please note that the newCPLTA's names were published inthe last issue of the NALTA News.

JOB BANKDFW-ALTA has several job

opportunities listed. For moreinformation, please contact KimDotson at [email protected], or (214) 209-2315

Respectfully submitted,Sara Shands, Director


DFW-ALTA – Dallas/Ft. Worth

Laverne Hearn, DFW-ALTA Certification Liaison, andLisa Greer

Cynthia Simms, First Vice President, Andree’ Griffin, speaker,and Charlotte Campbell, President


GIVING THANKSWebsite is the word and the OCAPLTA chapter is on

its way to having its first ever website. A huge round ofthanks and gratitude should be given to the members ofthe board and Sandy Cleary. Sandy has taken on amonumental task as the chairperson of the websitecommittee and has really put into place somethingspecial. We should be seeing the site up and running bymid summer. Keep reading, as wewill update you on the websiteprogress.

As has been the case, andcontinues to be, education is at theforefront for this year's group ofofficers. Kelly Robertson has puttogether a speaker lineup that willbenefit all of our members. April'sspeaker J. David Hampton ofHampton and Milligan shared aninformative session with us on TitleNotes & Curative. Future speakersinclude Chesapeake Energy's CEO Aubrey McClendonpresenting a motivational message related to theindustry on May 19th, and a bevy of others including thefollowing:

June 16th – Mike Terry, OERBEnvironmental Issues July 21st – John Richels, Devon Energy Drilling in CanadaAug. 18th – Mario Baroni, Tentatively scheduled3-D SeismicSept. 29th – David FleischakerCoalbed MethaneOct. 20th – Gayle Riggs, Devon Energy Play above the Barnet Shale

Carol McKenzie continues working on the CPLTAworkshops held at the office complex of ChesapeakeEnergy Corporation. You can still get in on somewonderful education on the following dates: Workshopson May 14, June 11, July 16, August 13, September 24,and October 8, a Review on November 4th and CPLTATesting on November 5th.

Oklahoma City will also host its 2nd Annual Seminaron September 16th. It is entitled "From Fossil to Fuel".The seminar will feature speakers from each portion ofthe industry tracking each particular phase of theprocess of producing oil and gas. A brochure detailingthe seminar events will soon be available. Contact CarolMcKenzie at [email protected] for infor-mation and further details on either of these two

educational events.The Great Giveaway has gained

a significant increase in momentumthis year thanks to the watchful eyeof the new chairperson JaniceModisette. Janice has raised the barto Olympic heights and has madethe Giveaway so much fun to be apart of. Kendra Monroe ofChesapeake Energy and KarenWalters of Devon Energy have givenmany hours along with Janice toseeing that the Giveaway has been

really fun and extremely rewarding to participate in.Thank you, ladies.

Lucy Trotter, Chairman of the MembershipCommittee, and Sara Caldwell, Chairman of theHistorian Committee, have combined efforts andprovided us with a new membership directory that is inone word "outstanding." The directory features a covershot of our state capitol and an oil derrick. KarenWalters was the winner of the front cover photo contestthat so aptly defines our state. Congratulations, Karen,and thanks for your artistry! Inside the directory thecommittee has furnished pictures of each member alongwith their company contact data. Thanks go to ArleneShuman, Francy Beesley, Becky Young, Judy Epperson,Debra Jameson, Heather Nealson, Courtney Blood,Amanda Elam and Steve Zmek for crafting a superbindustry reference tool that is most appreciated by all.

Our newsletter continues to be an amazing source ofreference material and extremely informative. SandyRoss has devoted many hours to its refinement and nowthere is a monthly article featuring employmentopportunities written by none other than our own

OCAPLTA – Oklahoma City


Lucy Trotter handling Candace Lagere the newOKC Membership Directory

currently holds theposition of Past Presi-dent in 2005. She isalways the first tovolunteer for specialcommittees or workgroups, devoting herpersonal time to PALTAabove and beyond the responsibilities of her office.Thank you, Norma, for all your hard work and dedicationto PALTA.

PALTA holds their luncheon meetings on the secondThursday of each month with the exception of themonths in which the Spring Seminar and NALTAConference are held. Meetings are held at the PetroleumClub of Midland from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. with aChef's special lunch at a cost of $15 to the member.

We enjoyed our March luncheon learning "What Doesan Abstract Company Do" with Virginia Streit of CaprockTitle Company.

Our May luncheon brought Bill Burford with Hinkle,Hensley, Shanor & Martin, LLP., speaking on "BasicConveying Rules for Mineral Deeds and Assignments ofOil and Gas Leases."

Any of our members wishing to attend a boardmeeting is welcome. The board meetings for PALTA arescheduled for the fourth Thursday of each month exceptNovember and December which will be the thirdThursday of the month.

PALTA currently has 65 members (54 NALTAmembers, of whom 12 are CPLTAs).

Respectfully submitted,Kathryn A. Neeper, CPLTA, Director


Spring fever hit PALTA and PBDOAwhen we joined together for our thirdannual Spring Conference. There were84 in attendance retaining a wealth ofinformation from some of the best in thebusiness:

Rick Strange - Maintenance of UniformInterest,Cotton, Bledsoe, Tighe & Dawson.John A. "Jad" Davis - Preferential Rights to Purchase -The Dormant Option, Turner, Davis & Gerald.George A. Snell, III - Voluntary Pooling, Attorney.Susan Chapman - Ethics; Duke Energy Field Services.Mary Lou Cassidy - Wills and the Trusts They Create,Stubbeman, McRae, Sealy, Laughlin & Browder. Penny Parten - An Update on COPAS 2005Accounting Procedures, Celero Energy.

Congratulations to Norma Johnson for being selectedas PALTA's Member of the Year! Since before PALTA'sinception, Norma has been dedicated to our chapter.Norma worked on the By-Laws Committee, held officesof Treasurer in 2002 and 2003, President in 2004 and

PALTA – Midland/Odessa

Spring seminar speakers George Snelland Mary Lou Cassidy

Left to right: Brenda Virgin, Debra O’Brien,Jean Hayslip, Debbie Reese, and Ellen Luckie

Spring seminar door prize winnerGarrick Clayton

Spring seminar attendees

MEMBERSHIPTALTA has 102 members of which 85 are members

of NALTA.

GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETINGThe March 15, 2005 TALTA meeting was held at the

Fountains Restaurant. Susan Rondon, NALTA President,talked on the many benefits of joining NALTA. TimothyC. Dowd, Elias, Books, Brown, Peterson & Massad, P.C.,spoke on the subject of "Preferential Right to Purchase".His handout enumerated the finer points of the case lawbehind the different questions that one might have.

Credits for CDOA and CPLTA were awarded uponconfirmation of attendance.

TALTA is working on a new South Tulsa luncheonlocation. The Membership has made good suggestionson alternating the location between Downtown andSouth Tulsa.

The TALTA Board meeting was held on April 14,2005.

The TALTA board had discussions concerning aneducational seminar in the summer.

Respectfully submitted,Jeanie Spradlin, JD, CPLTA, Director


TALTA – Tulsa

Melinda Kieke. Any of you interestedin relocating to our fair city mightcontact Sandy and be emailed a copyof the newsletter.

A very important, but sometimesoverlooked, issue has beenaddressed by a determined lady inour local chapter. Judy Epperson hastenaciously and meticulously directeda revision of our local Chapter By-Laws that have been approved andunanimously accepted. Hats off toyou, Judy, for a job well done and foryour committed efforts.

Our Charity Committee continuesto do amazing things. AmyHopmann and crew have plannedsome great events. For last month'smeeting members were asked tobring underpants for the under-privileged. The event was atremendous success and morequarterly events and meeting events are in the works.

Of wonderful mention is that our total membershiphas now surpassed the mark of 188 members. All of the

people for the last two years whohave helped this success happenshould be applauded and thankedmany times over. They have givencountless hours and provided anexample of what a talented bunch ofindividuals can do with a little sweatequity. All of our members should beproud to know that each of you hashelped contribute to our organi-zation's success. Hear it roar like alion!

Of final mention is the dedicationand loyal service given to ourorganization by one Valarie Hunt. Herleadership is inspiring and infectious.She brings so many things to all of usand our organization. Thank youValarie for encouraging all of us to beour best, to contribute to theorganization, and to support new andinnovative growth.

Respectfully submitted,D. Kyle Cole, Director

(L to R) Valarie Hunt, Parry Shofner, and KellyRobertson discussing Parry’s speech on PublicSchool Lands.

Monty Barnhill speaking on ethics

OCAPLTA CChapter RReport Continued from page 59


At-Large Membership

Dear NALTA At-LargeMember:

Our biggest success this quarterhas been our Spring Seminar heldhere in Farmington, New Mexico onApril 21st, 2005. We had (40)people in attendance with threegreat Speakers. One, and possibly

two, new members have joined NALTA as a result of theSeminar. The Seminar began at 8:30 in the morning andlasted until around 4:00 in the afternoon. Some of theattendees expressed an interest in seeing anotherSeminar in the future. Take time to look at the picturesfrom the Seminar and read the details about theeducation everyone received on the following page.

NALTA's Committees and the Board of Directors areworking diligently to prepare another excitingeducational event in San Diego, California. Start makingyour plans to attend the Conference from October 12 -15th, 2005, as it's going to be a special celebration forNALTA's 20th Anniversary Conference. You don't wantto be left out. The line-up of speakers is looking great, aseducation is always the highlight of our conferences, sosign-up early to reserve your place.

Serving on the NALTA Board is exciting andrewarding as this year moves forward. Many areas of theUnited States have NALTA members, and each and everymember is important to our organization. Considerrunning for a position to assist the organization at thenational level. You will be rewarded in many ways.During the last Board meeting in February, I agreed to bethe CPLTA Certification Liaison for all of our CertifiedProfessional Lease and Title Analysts within the At-Largemembership. Let me know if you have any questionsabout the certification process or you need an updatedlist of your re-certification credits. The new CertificationManual is your ticket to success in this business andgetting certified is as rewarding, as it is fun to learn somuch more about this business. So take the time to get

the new manual and become a CPLTA. It will be worthyour time and effort.

Each Chapter is allowed to include pictures for themagazine, so if you have any pictures of yourself andothers, who are members of NALTA in our At-Largegroup, please send them to me by disk or e-mail. I'll besure that they are included in the next issue of NALTANews under our At-Large Chapter Report.

Please contact me with any questions you might haveabout NALTA or any ideas you may have about our At-Large group. You can contact me via [email protected] or by mail c/o BurlingtonResources Oil & Gas Company, P.O. Box 4289,Farmington, NM 87499-4289. My phone number is(505) 326-9860.

Respectfully submitted,Marian L. Wimsatt,CPLTA/CPL, Director

Marian Wimsatt

SpeakerMargaretMolleston fromAnadarko

Attendees (left to right): Maclovia Blakley, SusanRondon, Frank Priest, and Laura Larson

A spring day, with actually no wind, started out with breakfast and the anticipation of a great day for training. From alist of (68) sixty-eight Oil and Gas Producers from the Farmington and Durango, Colorado area, (40) forty participantsattended the Seminar. Speaking to NALTA again for the second time was Ms. Margaret Molleston, Landman fromAnadarko, Houston, Texas on "Let's Make a Deal". She helped us understand the legal terms in contracts and what actuallyconstitutes a binding legal contract during the negotiation process. Meg shared with us her top ten tips on negotiating anddrafting Oil and Gas Agreements. Her presentation was excellent and her personal experiences and stories about variousnegotiations with others were very interesting.

After a few short morning breaks and Meg's great presentation, we all enjoyed a sit down lunch including dessert, thenmoved forward. Susan Rondon, President of NALTA, took time away from her busy traveling schedule to come out andshare with us the benefits of becoming a NALTA member and some of the history of how NALTA began. We signed uptwo new members as a result and planted some great seeds for the possibility of forming a new Chapter here inFarmington, New Mexico.

Our afternoon speaker was Ms. Jami Bailey, Director for the Oil, Gas, and Minerals Division from the New Mexico StateLand Office, Santa Fe, NM. The topic "Leasing State Lands for Oil and Gas" began with a brief introduction on how NewMexico acquired State Land and Minerals. She shared with us the many ways that the revenue from the production of Oil& Gas in New Mexico benefits the various charitable and public institutions. Jami explained how her office holds a monthlyOil & Gas Lease Sale, the statutory requirements for Leasing, how assignments are processed, and various elements of theLease. She shared a quick reference guide for internal employees, now shared for public use, to know who to call wheneveryou need assistance from the Oil, Gas, and Minerals Division. Farmington's first Seminar was wrapped up by 4:00 p.m.

The At-Large membership was proud to be a part of this spring Seminar and have high hopes that it will be just thebeginning of many more great Seminars in the future.

Submitted by,Marian Wimsatt, CPLTA/CPL, At-Large Director


SPRING SEMINAR – April 21, 2005Held at the Courtyard by Marriott in Farmington, New Mexico

Spring Seminar Photo Gallery

Marian Wimsatt andMargaret Molleston

Attendees (left to right): Mae Tsosie, Martha Goats,Susan McBride, Heidi McKenzie, John Yukonich,and Christy Jackowski

Burlington Resources Members: Front row, leftto right – Pauline Montoya, Maclovia Blakely,Gayle McMurdo, Mae Tsosie. Back row – SusanRondon, Marian Wimsatt, and Laura Larson


2005 Membership FormMembership form: January 1, 2005 to December 31, 2005

Burlington Resources

proudly supports

the educational endeavors

of the

National Association of Lease and Title Analysts.



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Dominion Exploration & Production, Inc. North America's Leader in the E&P Industry.

Please visit www.dom.com for information on Dominion E&P, Inc.

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