Roderick Squires, Associate Professor, University of Minnesota
Department of Geography, University of Minnesota, 414 Social Science Building, Minneapolis MN 55455
ACADEMIC CAREER
1970-1972
1972-1976
1976- current
Summer, 1980
Winter, 1982
Fall, 1998
Assistant Professor, University of Winnipeg
Assistant Professor, University of Minnesota
Associate Professor, University of Minnesota
Visiting Associate Professor, University of Wyoming
Visiting Associate Professor, Dartmouth College
Visiting Professor, University of New Mexico
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Public Policy and Law regarding land ownership
Evolution of landscapes
PUBLICATIONS
Paleoecological Research
Squires, R.H. and A.P.Holder, "The use of computers in the presentation of pollen data" New
Phytologist vol. 69 (1970) 875-882
Hill, A.G. and R.H.Squires, "Graphs drawn by computer" Area vol.4 (1970) 48-52
"Flandrian history of the Teesdale rarities" Nature vol. 229 no.5279 (1971) 43-44
Clapperton, C.M. and R.H. Squires "Evidence for the Flandrian history of the Wooler Water,
Northumberland provided by pollen analysis" Scottish Geographical Magazine vol. 87 (1971) 14-20
"Locational stability of relict plants in northern England" in International Geography (Adams, W.P.
& F.M. Hellener, eds.1972) 283-285
"Pollen analysis of a short core from Burnswark Hill" Transactions Dumfriesshire and Galloway
Natural History and Antiquarian Society Series III, vol. 5 no.3 (1977-78) 99-104
"Conservation in Upper Teesdale: Contributions from the palaeoecological record" Transactions,
Institute of British Geographers vol.3 no.2 (1978) 129-150
Public Policy/Legal Research
"Land use in the B.W.C.A. - a study in compromise" Geographical Perspectives no.38 (1976) 5-14
Gersmehl, Phillip J, Karen Van Buskirk, and Roderick H. Squires "Environmental impact
statements: keeping the hounds on the track", Law in American Society vol. 6 (1976) 23-26
Gustanski, Julie Ann, Gareth Edwards-Jones, and Roderick H. Squires " The ethics-economicspolicy paradigm: The foundation for an integrated land trust conservation decision-support model"
Urban Ecosystems, vol. 3, 4 (1999) 255-283
Gustanski, Julie Ann and Roderick H. Squires (eds) "Protecting the Land: Conservation Easements
Past, Present and Future" (Covelo CA. Island Press, 2000)
Squires, Roderick H. “Preface” in “Protecting the Land Conservation Easements, Past, Present and
Future” xxi-xxx
Squires, Roderick H. “"Introduction to Legal Analysis" in “Protecting the Land Conservation
Easements, Past, Present and Future” 69-72
Runge, C. Ford, M. Teresa Duclos, John S. Adams, Barry Goodwin, Judith A. Martin, and Roderick D.
Squires, Government Actions Affecting Land and Property Values: An Empirical Review of Takings
and Giving Research Paper WP96CRI. Cambridge MA, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy (1996)
reprinted as Runge, C. Ford, M. Teresa Duclos, John S Adams, Barry Goodwin, Judith A. Martin,
Roderick D. Squires, and Alice E. Iverson "Public Sector Contributions to Private Land Value: Looking
at the Ledger" in Geisler, Charles and Gail Daneker (eds) Property and Values; Alternatives to Public
and Private Ownership (Covelo, CA. Island Press, 2000) 41-62
Squires, Rod “"A Paradigm for Landscapes: An Essay" The North American Geographer vol. 4 No. 2
(2002) 124-131
Squires, Roderick H. “Protecting open space in and around the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area” in
Bengston, David N. (tech. ed.). Policies for Managing Urban Growth and Landscape Change: A
Key to Conservation in the 21st Century. General Technical Report NC-265. (St. Paul, MN: USDA
Forest Service, North Central Research Station, 2005) 14-20
Historical Research (Published in Dis-Closures, succeeded by Minnesota Surveyor, the Official
Publication of the Minnesota Society of Professional Surveyors – not-refereed)
“A Striking Triumph of Geometry over Physical Geography: Vignettes of the Public Land Surveys”
(St. Paul, Minnesota Society of Professional Surveyors) 360pp
The first township exteriors in Minnesota (Winter, 2007-2008)
A geography of township exteriors in Minnesota Territory, 1847-1852 (Spring, 2008)
Standard parallels and guide meridians in western Minnesota (Summer, 2008)
Standard parallels and guide meridians in western Minnesota: the surveys of Elisha S. Norris
(Autumn, 2008)
The Independent Meridian in Northeastern Minnesota (Spring, 2009)
The field notebooks of the deputy surveyors in Minnesota (Summer, 2009)
The correspondence files of the Surveyor General of Wisconsin and Iowa (Autumn, 2009)
(With March Senjem)The public land surveys lines and the St. Croix River, in Washington County
(Spring, 2010)
The boundary lines of the Half-Breed Reservation in Minnesota Territory (Summer 2010)
The public land surveys and Fort Snelling; Part 1. The Boundaries of the Military Reserve and the
first surveys east of the Mississippi River (Fall, 2010)
Other Historical Writings
(With Phil Gersmehl) "Rectangular Public Land Survey System," In The American Midwest: An
Interpretive Encyclopedia, ed. R.Sisson, C. Zacher, and A. Cayton,. (Bloomington, IN: Indiana
University Press) pp.150-152
An Inventory of the Public Land Surveys Records for Minnesota: The Special Instructions (May
2008, Report no. Mn/DOT 2008-05)
D. Book Reviews
Basic Biogeography. Professional Geographer vol.31 (1979) 240
Biogeography: Recent Advances and Future Directions. Professional Geographer vol. 37 (1985) 522
Wetlands. Professional Geographer vol.40 (1985) 489
Historic Landscapes of Britain. Professional Geographer vol.45 (1993) 484
Unpublished Research
Environmental Problems Study Guide (University of Minnesota, Department of Independent Study,
1986) 247 pp.
The Raft that will not Sink, a working guide to the publications of the federal government
(unpublished, produced with a grant from the University of Minnesota Educational Development
Program, 1986) 128pp
The sovereign lands of the state of Minnesota, an essay concerning the state of Minnesota's title in
the land underlying bodies of water (unpublished contract for the Minnesota Department of Natural
Resources, November 1986) 49 pp.
Submerged Lands (unpublished contract for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources,
1987) 22 pp.
A Working Guide to State Government Documents (unpublished, produced with a grant from the
University of Minnesota Educational Program, 1988) 275+ pp.
The Minnesota Public Lands Improvement Act of 1990 (unpublished contract with the Minnesota
Department of Natural Resources, 1990?
(With Judith Martin) Why do we misunderstand land? Some approaches to problems surrounding
zoning, land use and ownership (unpublished, contract with Environmental Defense Fund, 1993)
36 pp.
Testimony and Opinion, Mille Lacs Band of Chippewa Indians et al vs. State of Minnesota et al U. S.
District Court, District of Minnesota, Fourth Division, Civil No. 4-90-605 (Jan. 1994). Approx 50 pp.
original material plus supporting documentation, approx. 150 pp.
Testimony and Opinion, Mille Lacs Band of Chippewa Indians et al vs. State of Minnesota et al. U. S.
District Court, District of Minnesota, Fourth Division, Civil No. 3-94-1226.(December, 1995) Phase
1. Approx. 120 pp. original material plus supporting documentation, approx. 300 pp.
Testimony and Opinion, Mille Lacs Band of Chippewa Indians et al vs. State of Minnesota et al. U. S.
District Court, District of Minnesota, Fourth Division, Civil No. 3-94-1226.(December, 1995) Phase II .
Approx. 100 pp. original material plus supporting documentation, approx. 1200 pp.
Contributor Poster "Minnesota Wetland and Surface Water Resources" MN Department of Natural
Resources, 1997
(Co-compiler, co-editor) Pre-Conference Proceedings Land Summit 2000 Conference. July 2000.
approx. 200 pp.
Testimony and Opinion, U.S. v Michigan. U. S. District Court District of Michigan (October 2004) Approx.
40 pp. original material plus supporting documentation approx. 50 pp.
Recent Oral Presentations
2004 Society for Conservation Biology, annual meeting, Columbia University, New York “Protecting
open space in a Metropolitan Area.”
2004 Capitol Areas Land Surveyors, monthly meeting, October, St. Paul
2005 Association of American Geographers, annual meeting, Denver, CO. “The nature of urban
sprawl: the process of suburbanization.”
2005 West Lakes Division AAG, annual meeting, Iowa City, IA “Flying in the cheap skies.”
2005 Southwest Division AAG, annual meeting, Fayetteville, AR “Where there’s muck
there’s brass.”
2005 Minnesota Society of Professional Surveyors, Chapter 6 monthly meeting, November "Basic
Geography."
2006 Capitol Areas Land Surveyors, monthly meeting, May St. Paul “The infrastructure of
Minnesota Territory.”
2006 University of New Mexico, June “The public lands of Minnesota.”
2007 Minnesota Society of Professional Surveyors annual meeting, St. Cloud January “The past as
prolog: the public land survey records for Minnesota.”
2007 Minnesota Department of Transportation Survey Technical Workshop, March “A partial
inventory of the general land office surveying records for Minnesota.”
2008 Minnesota Society of Professional Surveyors annual meeting, St. Cloud January “The public
land survey records for Minnesota.”
2008 Applied Geographers annual meeting, Wilmington DL October “Unheralded changes in the
airline industry.”
2008 Southwest Division AAG, annual meeting, San Marcos TX, October “The rectangular public
land surveys in the United States.”
2009 Minnesota Society of Professional Surveyors annual meeting St. Cloud, MN January “The
rectangular public land surveys in the United States: From space to place.”
2009 Iowa Society of Professional Surveyors annual meeting Ames, IA March “Public land
surveying records in the Upper Midwest.”
2009 Workshop, Chapter 6 Minnesota Society of Professional Surveyors, April “Minnesota’s Public
Land Surveys; A Geographer’s Perspective.”
2009 Capitol Areas Land Surveyors, monthly meeting, St. Paul May “After the special instructions
….”
2009 West Lakes Division AAG, annual meeting, St. Paul, MN October “Order Upon the Land –
Revisited.”
2010 Minnesota Society of Professional Surveyors annual meeting St. Cloud, MN January “The
Geography of the Public Land Survey Lines.”
2010 University of Minnesota Geography Department Seminar, March “Making Places from Space:
Concatenating Geographies of the Public Land Survey Surveys in the United States.”
2010 Minnesota Department of Transportation Survey Technical Workshop, March “You want me
to do what? Instructions to the Deputy Surveyors in Minnesota Territory.”
2010 Macalester College Geography course March “The rectangular land surveys in the United
States.”
2010 University of Minnesota College of Liberal Arts Freshman Presentation, September. “It’s a
Square World.”
2010 “Protecting Rivers in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area,” Annual Meeting Applied
Geographers Fort Worth Texas
2010 “History of the Public Land Surveys in Minnesota” Annual Meeting Minnesota Association of
County Surveyors October 27
2010 Workshop for Minnesota Society of Professional Surveyors “The Public Land Surveys”
December 10
Awards
1994 E.A. ”Bud” Rathburn Award, Minnesota Society of Professional Surveyors, “for continued dedicated
service as a research writer for the Society’s quarterly publication”
Professional Affiliations
Association of American Geographers
Minnesota Historical Society
Minnesota Society of Professional Surveyors
Grants Awarded
2006-2007 MnDOT “An Inventory of the Public Land Surveys Records for Minnesota” $32,283.00