A chance for University of Alberta (UofA) students to get out and experience Alberta’s protected areas. Trip notes and photos.

1. Promises Kept
   1. Reminder of Who Were the Students
2. Stops of Interest
3. Where We Went and Photos
   1. Photos
4. Car Ride Questions for Students (et al)

Promises Kept

In a previous post, SAPAA Field Trip – April 14, 2024, two university groups were promised a field trip and registration was open to SAPAA members and guests. This is a short summery of the trip. Attendees, please see the Google Drive link below to share your photos until April 22.

Reminder of Who Were the Students

The University of Alberta’s (UofA) has a hidden gem of a program called the Community Service-Learning (CSL). It offers University of Alberta students the opportunity to work with a local community group, while putting their university experiences in context. The field trip had the following stops of interest:

Stops of Interest

• 0900h: Meet at the Clareview LRT Station traffic loop (east of the station), arrange car pooling.
• 1015h: Survey of cultivated fields on TWP 592 and landscape survey.
• 1030h: Arrive at Crippsdale Natural Area, follow the ATV track to the adjoining farmers field and the northwest corner of the NA.
• 1145h: Drive slightly west to Redwater River Natural Area, review of a distressed site, see the 2024-03-29: Redwater River Natural Area site inspection report.
• 1230h: Drive slightly south to Halfmoon Lake Natural Area.
• 1315h: Lunch/Snack at Halfmoon Lake NA, meet the executive of the Rainbow Equitation Society.
• 1345h: Visit the western portion of Halfmoon Lake Natural Area.
• 1530h: Drive around Halfmoon Lake to the eastern portion of the NA.
• 1630h: Supper in Bon Accord, thank you Golden City Bistro | Bon Accord AB – Facebook for hosting us!
• 1900h: Return to Clareview.

Where We Went and Photos

Photos

If you attended and have photos, feel free to upload the photos to this temporary directory: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1sn5n4xoEULywOv63paEMrvV-YraZcXOC?usp=sharing or email them to webmaster@sapaastewards.com.

Car Ride Questions for Students (et al)

1. What Project did you work on (if a student), what was the best, worst and mehh parts?
2. Looking forward, how can this project help your future academic or career journeys (student)?
3. How can the student’s project help your personal or professional interests either directly or indirectly (non-students)? (no help is an acceptable answer btw).
4. Now knowing about the other people in the car, could they have helped you with your project – had you have known about them previously?
5. How do you rate your level of understanding about the system of public land classification in Alberta (e.g. federal/provincial parks, crown lands, (not) protected lands)?
6. Are the 248 small protected areas in Alberta still relevant and important or has their time passed?
7. Is the volunteer stewardship program still relevant to these lands and Alberta?
8. What exactly is the tragedy of the commons?
9. How can the tragedy of the commons be mitigated at a personal, local, community, or societal level?
10. How can the demands for recreation (human or motorized), be balanced against the needs for bio diversity and natural are protection?
11. What can be your role in respect to the above questions in 5, 10, or more years in the future?
12. What is the one question not asked that should have been asked?