SAPAA is piloting its own site inspection report. This project will help SAPAA better understand how to collect site information and make reporting simple and easy.

Examples of two questions in the SAPAA Site Inspection Report: Where did you Go and the Submitter's Impression of the Site. — Examples of two questions in the SAPAA Site Inspection Report: Where did you Go and the Submitter’s Impression of the Site.

Do you like to get out into Alberta’s Natural Wonders? Do you ever wish you had a meaningful way to tell people about what you have seen and experienced? Do you have an email account, smart phone, and some basic tech-skills?

Wanted a Few Good Submitters

If you are saying YES multiple times, then how about being a beta-tester for SAPAA’s site inspections report tool? The core information can be entered in less than 3-minutes and will answer critical questions such as:

Where and why did you Go to a site?
What was in the Site that Should have (NOT) Been There?
What can you/we do to protect the site?

What Happens Next to the Information

While the Government of Alberta has site inspection forms, unfortunately SAPAA (or possibly anyone) cannot get access to the information. SAPAA, however, will share the information with anyone who wants it. Of course we will mask your name, email address, and phone number, but otherwise, the information is available.

Sign Me Up!

If visiting natural areas, taking a few minutes to record your observations, and uploading a few pictures sounds like fun, this is what happens next.

Let us know you are interested and email webmaster@sapaastewards.com.
Attend a short orientation session for the tool and receive your invitation email.
GO VISIT SITES!
Send us lots of pictures, comments, and views about what you have seen.
Attend a few design sessions to discuss what works works, what doesn’t work, and what should the 2024 tool be doing?

What Happens After 2023?

This pilot will run until at least December 2023 (and probably longer). After this point, SAPAA will take a step back and start planning for the 2024 field season. There is no lack of possibilities but we are a small organization so let’s use our limited resources as carefully as possible for that next phase.

Of course we would love to hear your thoughts, (crazy) ideas, and offers of help for 2024. This is one more benefit of being a beta-tester, being on the ground floor of building something GREAT to support Alberta’s protected areas!

Need a Teaser?

What will you see when visiting a site? The following slide show has pictures from a field test of the tool!

Welch Creek NA_ Lesser Fringed Gentian_2023-08-09_HTaube
Recent beaver handy work on a birch tree; P. Potter Wanisan Lk NA 2023-10-08.
WagnerNA_porcupine damage to tamarack_20223-10-20_PCotterill
North Cooking Lake Natural Area – fly Amanita mushroom-2023-09-16 (PPotter)
Slightly weather worn signage for North Cooking Lake NA, P.Potter Sept 23, 2023.
Open and treed fens showing tamarack and black spruce along the Marl Pond Trail in Wagner Natural Area. 2023-10-20. Photo: P. Cotterill.
Clyde Fen NA; leaves of pitcher plant, Sarracenia purpurea, in Tomenthypnum nitens moss clump, marly area of fen; 2023-09-15; PCotterill
Beavers doing what beavers do best. A large dam has been built on Battle Creek just outside of the NA.
View from atop of Mount Butte. Memorial bench to Verner Loov in the foreground.
A member of field trip, ‘Banff’, showing off his seed collection abilities.
Rough-fruited fairybells, Prosartes trachycarpum, in fruit, Mathew’s Crossing NA, 2023-07-28, H. Taube.
Identified as ‘horses hoof’ mushroom, Mathews Crossing NA, 2023-07-28, P. Potter.
Tiny colonists of unidentified fungi colonizing a fallen spruce tree, Mathews Crossing NA, 2023-07-28, P. Potter.
Two tracks in Matthew’s crossing. Likely a White Tail (left) and Moose right, Mathew’s Crossing NA, 2023-07-28, P. Potter.