Site inspections is one tool SAPAA uses to help Albertans better understand their protected areas. The question is though, what questions should be on the Site Inspection form?
Why Question the Questions?
For more than three decades, the Alberta Government had a site inspection form available to Stewards. It is accessible via the Way Back Machine and a sample of an inspection can be downloaded. If these questions were used for a decade or so, why change them?
Presumably, the rationale for the questions and the resulting information was to monitor and elicit an appropriate government response, as applicable. In recent decades, the use of the information has become more opaque. These original questions are good as a starting point but need to be validated.
How are Questions Used?
SAPAA will produce an annual report and make the base data available to interested parties. The report’s primary audience is the relevant provincial government Minister(s) noting the report is considered a public document. 2023+Q1-2024 is now available via Newsletter No. 50.
How are the Questions Organized?
The questions are numbered and broken into 8 sections. A Question Number will not be re-used but is instead retired. This is to ensure maximum comparability over multiple years.
| Q# | Element/ Question | Title | Section | Purpose |
| 1 | Introduction | Overview | Purpose of the form. Disclosure of sharing information to the GoA. | |
| 11 | Email Address | Q11: Email Address | WhoRYou | Email Confirmation. |
| 12 | Steward’s Name (Individual or Group) | Q12: Steward’s Name (Individual or Group) | WhoRYou | Select from a pre-populated drop-down list or select ‘I am a Guest’. |
| 13 | First and Last Name for Guests | Q13: First and Last Name for Guests | WhoRYou | Use when name is not in the drop down. |
| 14 | Phone (how can we reach you other than email? | Q14: Phone (how can we reach you other than email? | WhoRYou | Primary Phone Number |
| 16 | SAPAA Member | Q16: SAPAA Member | WhoRYou | Identify who is providing the submission, encourage membership. |
| 17 | Volunteer Hours | [Proposed] Volunteer hours since last report | WhoRYou | Not used for 2024, under consideration for 2025. |
| 20 | Visit Details | |||
| 21 | Date of Visit (default = today) | Q21: Date of Visit (default = today) | WhereUGo | Enter if the report is being completed post-visit. |
| 22 | Site Name | Q22: Site Name | WhereUGo | Drop down list. SAPAA PA sites only |
| 23 | Site Name- optional, use if site is not listed above | Q23: Site Name- optional, use if site is not listed above | WhereUGo | Site note listed, text box |
| 24 | Designated Steward | Q24: Designated Steward Gov. Steward – Individual Gov. Steward – Group Citizen Steward Just Interested | WhereUGo | Are you the Steward? Either individually or as a member of a group? Do you want to be named the Citizen Steward for the area? |
| 25 | Inspection Number | [Proposed] Optional value for own record keeping | WhereUGo | Not used for 2024, under consideration for 2025. |
| 30 | Subjective Naturalness | Impression | ||
| 31 | What is the Naturalness of the Site? 4=Great, 0=Terrible | Q31: What is the Naturalness of the Site? 4=Great, 3 2 1 0=Terrible Cannot Answer | Impression | Subjective measure from the submitter. Valid in aggregate. How natural is this site? This is your measure but factor in infrastructure incursions (e.g. pipelines), human activity (e.g. dumping or ATV tracks), site infrastructure (e.g. trails, signs), evidence of natural activities (e.g. tracks or scat). Your consistency between sites visited is more important than consistency between different visitors to the same site. |
| 32 | How Healthy: comments | Q32: How Healthy: comments | Impression | Optional explanation for selecting the value. |
| 33 | Changes | [Proposed] Change in conditions | Impression | Change in conditions since last visit. Not used for 2024, under consideration for 2025. |
| 40 | Visit Details | How Visit | ||
| 41 | Trip Duration | Q41: Trip Duration | How Visit | How thorough was the visit, how much time is being spent in a PA. Options are: Pass by but did not Go In A) < 1 hour B) 1-2 hours C) < half a day (e.g. < about 4 hours) D) < day (e.g. about 4-8 hours) E) Full day (e.g. 8+ hours) F) Part of a multi-day trip Not Applicable |
| 42 | Why Did you Go? | Q42: Why Did you Go? | How Visit | Activities of interest to submitters. Options are: |
| No Objective Visit nature Hiking Birding Plant identification Mushrooming Historical/Cultural (e.g. signed nature trail) Canoeing/Kayaking X-country Skiing, | Snowshoeing, Winter hike Night Sky Observations Hunting/Trapping Equestrian Dog Walking OHV/Quading PA Site inspection for SAPAA Other (see comments) Not Applicable | |||
| 43 | Visit Details | Q43: Visit Details | How Visit | Additional information, optional. How much of the site were you able to visit? If you have track of your route, send us a screen shot as a photo or the GPS file (e.g. a GPX, KML, KMX, etc.). |
| 50 | What SHOULD be Here | Be There | ||
| 51 | Ease to Visit | Q51: Ease to Visit | Be There | How easy is this site to visit? How friendly for those not used to the ‘bush’. |
| 52 | Biological Observations | Q52: Biological Observations | Be There | Summary of significant observations. |
| 53 | Submissions to iNaturalist | Q53: Submissions to iNaturalist | Be There | SAPAA prefers to use this online resource. If you use another tool, please provide details in the final comment box. iNaturalist is preferred, however. |
| 54 | Geological Observations | Q54: Geological Observations | Be There | Significant, non-biological and non-human site changes. Unlikely to be many. |
| 55 | Designation as a Protected Area | Q55: Designation as a Protected Area | Be There | Is it obvious this is a protected area? For example government-signs, fencing, other means. |
| 56 | Comments | Q56: Comments | Be There | Other health comments |
| 60 | Should NOT be Here | Not There | ||
| 61 | Agricultural Activities | Q61: Agricultural Activities | Not There | If there are agricultural activities, there may be a local farmer interested in being a Steward. |
| 62 | Resource extraction | Q62: Resource extraction | Not There | GoA Question |
| 63 | Motorized disturbances (ATV or vehicle activity). | Q63: Motorized disturbances (ATV or vehicle activity). | Not There | How pervasive is the the motorized impact on the PA |
| 64 | Animal or self propelled activities | Q64: Animal or self propelled activities (biking, equestrian, etc.) | Not There | Activities other than those the submitter is engaged in. GoA Question. |
| 65 | Gathering and Dumping Activities | Q65: Gathering and Dumping Activities | Not There | Living or partying on the site. |
| 66 | Infrastructure encroachment | Q66: Infrastructure encroachment | Not There | How is industrialization and urbanization impacting the site? |
| 67 | Comments | Q67: Comments | Not There | Comments on how the site is being consumed or disturbed by humans. |
| 70 | What Should Be Done | 2B Done | ||
| 71 | Remediation/Protection Activities Needed | Q71: Remediation/Protection Activities Needed | 2B Done | GoA Question. |
| 72 | What Have you Done Recently to Help the site? | Q72: What Have you Done Recently to Help the site? | 2B Done | What activities designated Stewards have engaged in. |
| 73 | Nearby Stewards? | Q73: Nearby Stewards? | 2B Done | Are there nearby residents (full or part time) who might become Citizens Stewards? If so, include any contact details you observe (rural address, name, contact information as available). |
| 74 | Comments | Q74: Comments | 2B Done | Optional field. |
| 80 | Close Inspection | Close | ||
| 81 | Photos? | Q81: Photos? Including screenshots of your track from software. | Close | Drop down list. GDrive upload, Email, or No Photos |
| 82 | Any Last Words? | Q82: Any Last Words? | Close | Have we missed anything, any other comments or thoughts? |
SAPAA 
The following comment was kindly provided by a SAPAA Member:
My thoughts:
I am new to SAPAA and not very knowledgeable about what is expected of participants. However…I DO have some real issues about the form with the 8 questions.
Under
D. Action Recommended: Reclamation
A FULL [UPDATED and CURRENTLY APPLICABLE] Biodiversity Inventory & Assessment needs to be undertaken by the province for ALL the Natural Areas. Why?
Nearly all the assessment work for these provincial designations was completed in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
The species assessments are NOT long term, nor completed for full seasons.
*There should be an updated SARA/COSEWIC list of species which are Endangered, Threatened, At Risk in the NAs.
*There should be an UPDATED and CURRENT ACIMS list provided by the province for EVERY NA.
In addition to the (52) Biological Observations, and the (54) Geological Observations, there should be a Classification and State (Health) of the Wetlands provided by the province and regularly updated.
Why?
Short term volunteer data cannot provide the secondary information, as some of the data is not accessible to them, and the sheer volume of work involved does NOT accurately portray what the ” state-of” is….BECAUSE the province is NOT including this in the Natural Areas ( because it’s not being done).
So the information is highly inaccurate!
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