SAPAA has conducted over 100 site inspections. For those granted access, SIR-SAPAA is the preferred reporting method otherwise a Google Form is available. iNaturalist will be utilized for biophysical data collection. Orientations and and training sessions are available upon request.

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Starting 2026, there are two methods of reporting a visit to a Protected Area: SIR-SAPAA and Google Form. Both use the same steps and questions with the following noted differences:

1. Request Access

• SIR-SAPAA Access, 3-step process: 1) agree to privacy terms, 2) create an account, 3) Account approval; see: Say Hello to SIR-SAPAA!
• Google Form: Sign in using a GMail account to save progress.

2. Attend Training

• 2026-05-20: Fielding SIR-SAPAA
• Request an orientation: president@sapaastewards.com.

3. Only WAERNAHR

4. Agree to Terms & Conditions

You must agree to SAPAA’s terms and conditions before using either tool. A Site Inspection should not be used to report emergencies or serious matters. If you encounter any of the situations below, please use the appropriate contact:

• Emergency situations: Call 911 or contact your local RCMP or police detachment.
• Significant damage or disturbances on public land: Report illegal activity or public safety issues by calling 310-LAND.
• Poaching or wildlife concerns: Report suspicious or illegal hunting, fishing, or dangerous wildlife encounters online or by phone at 1-800-642-3800.

The second set of terms and conditions relate to your role as a volunteer (you are not one) and other administrative matters and are reproduced below.

Terms and Conditions (the Fine Print)

1. Accuracy of Information
   By submitting a Site Inspection Report, you confirm thatBy submitting a Site Inspection Report, you confirm that you have read through the terms and conditions, and understand SAPAA is not liable for the safety of non-SAPAA members. Please do consider joining SAPAA if you passionate about Alberta’s Protected/Natural Areas.
2. Important Emergency & Safety Information
   This reporting system is not intended for emergencies. If you encounter any of the situations below, please use the appropriate contact instead:

Emergency situations: Call 911 or contact your local RCMP or police detachment.
Significant damage or disturbances on public land: Report illegal activity or public safety issues by calling 310-LAND.
Poaching or wildlife concerns: Report suspicious or illegal hunting, fishing, or dangerous wildlife encounters online or by phone at 1-800-642-3800.

3. Volunteering, Privacy, and Your Data
   In Alberta, volunteers fall under the Occupational Health and Safety Act as unpaid employees. Please read the following carefully:

You are not a SAPAA volunteer. SAPAA is not asking you to conduct inspections of protected areas.
Submitting a report is optional. If you independently visited a protected area, you may choose to document your visit.

1. Your privacy matters. Personal information you share with SAPAA (such as name, email, and phone number) is protected and not resold.
2. Government of Alberta access: Relevant government departments may receive the report, including your name and contact details. Once shared, the Government of Alberta is responsible for protecting that data.
3. Limited SAPAA member access: Select SAPAA members may view reports under strict privacy agreements.
4. Optional tools: You may use iNaturalist.ca to document plants and wildlife. It is free and widely used. Future support for eBird.ca may be added in 2026 or 2027.
5. Administrative Notes

• Revisions: You will receive a copy of your submission. If changes are needed, contact webmaster@sapaastewards.com.
• Multiple visits: Submit a separate report for each site visit.
• Editorial control: SAPAA reserves editorial control over published reporting.

4. Types of Contributors
   Casual Visitor: You noticed something and wish to report it. Use the Simple Site Inspection Form.
   Organizations: Groups caring for a specific site may use these forms if no other reporting system exists.
   Full Contributor: Individuals with relevant expertise may submit full inspection reports.
5. Photograph & File Naming Guidelines
   SAPAA welcomes photos, videos, audio files, and location data. Please follow these simple guidelines:

File name format: WHERE_WHEN_WHO_IDENTIFIER
Good example: BilbyNA_2098-12-31_JSmith_PineForest
Not recommended: IMG_1234
Resize images to no more than 1,000 pixels on the longest side.
Crop unnecessary background — focus on the subject.
Captions may include subject, site, date, and photographer name.
Watermarks are allowed.

6. Notes and Further Reading
   To better understand how Alberta’s Occupational Health and Safety legislation may apply, vist: Notes About a Safe Space – OHS and the Non-Profit | Organizational Biology.

Questions Asked:

• Q02: Is this an Emergency?

5. Who Are You, Where Did you Go?

This section collects who you are, where you went, and when. Within SIR-SAPAA, this is automatically populated. Otherwise, complete the guest fields with your name and phone number. If you are a government appointed Steward, indicate this. Some individuals may have adopted a site.

Questions Asked

• Q11: Email Address and Q12: Steward’s Name (Individual or Group)
• Q13: First and Last Name for Guests
• Q14: Phone (how can we reach you other than email?
• Q16: (Are you a) SAPAA Member
• Q21: Date of Visit;
• Q22: Site Name and Q23: Site Name- optional, use if site is not listed above or parcel visited
• Q24: (Are you the ) Designated Steward and Q25: Inspection Number, optional for own records

6. Q31: What is the Naturalness of the Site?

SAPAA uses Naturalness to describe a pattern where: A shared natural area is open to many users who gain individually. Naturalness refers to the degree to which a protected area retains its native ecological character with minimal human disturbance.

Naturalness is subjective to the individual submitting the report. It is more important that you are consistent between your inspection then trying to be consistent with others. Nevertheless, the following provides some considerations for you when selecting a score.

Naturalness Details

• Extent of human-made alterations — trails, structures, vehicle tracks, cutlines, fences, or other developments that reduce the site’s original condition.
• Integrity of native vegetation — whether plant communities remain intact, undisturbed, and representative of the natural ecosystem.
• Presence of invasive species — which reduce naturalness by displacing native flora and altering ecological processes.
• Evidence of ecological processes functioning normally — such as natural regeneration, wildlife activity, and hydrological patterns.
• Overall “wild” character — the degree to which the site feels and functions as an undeveloped natural area.

Questions Asked

• Q31: What is the Naturalness of the Site?
  • 4=Great, 3=Good, 2=Passable, 1=Bad, 0=Terrible, Cannot Answer
• Q32: How Healthy: comments, an optional explanation for selecting the value.
• Q33: Change in conditions, Change in conditions compared to prior visit(s).

7. Why did you go? What is there that should be there?

These questions are about why you went and how long you were there. Be sure to tell us what motivated you to visit. Landscape changes might include a river channel change or a landslide. If you use a mapping application, such as AllTrails, be sure to send us a screenshot of your route.

Some protected areas have amenities such as washrooms or a parking lot. Were there signs, how was the fencing?

If you subscribe to iNaturalist, did you upload anything? SAPAA site pages are linked to the iNaturalist observations found there. By making an observation with accurate geo-positioning, it will be automatically added!

Questions Asked

• Q41: Trip Duration; enter the number of hours.
• Q41.1: Duration Notes you may want to note.
• Q42: Why Did You Go? Select one or more reasons to visit or a site.
• Q43: Visit Details. How did you visit the site and how much were you able to visit?
• Q51: Ease to Visit; How easy is this site to visit? How friendly for those not used to the ‘bush’.
• Q52: Biological Observations; Summary of significant observations, all others via iNaturalist.ca.
• Q53: Submissions to iNaturalist, SAPAA uses this online resource. If you use another tool, please provide details in the final comment box.
• Q54: Landscape Changes: Significant, non-biological and non-human site changes. This includes recent fire burns, river bank or gully erosion, land slumping, cave-ins, etc.
• Q55: Designation as a Protected Area: Is it obvious this is a protected area, e.g. signs?
• Q56: Comments; other comments.

8. What should NOT be there?

A disturbance might be a permitted, disallowed, or an illegal activity. For example, there may be a Crown lease on the site. You don’t need to know whether something is permitted or not, reporting is enough. Some disturbances may be obvious, a new well site, dumping, or ATV tracks. Other activities might leave structures such as hunting blinds.

Questions Asked

• Q61: Agricultural Activities; grazing, seeded fields, etc.
• Q62: Resource extraction; oil and gas, gravel mining, etc.
• Q63: Motorized disturbances; ATVs, motorbikes, etc.
• Q68: Plant or Animal Colonization; invasive species
• Q64: What Were Other Visitors Doing?
• Q65: Gathering and Dumping Activities
• Q66: Infrastructure encroachment; How is industrialization and urbanization impacting the site?
• Q67: Comments

9. Clean up, repairs, crime, remediation, etc.

In your opinion, what should be done, if anything. Examples are listed and include signs, clean up, or new fences. If you have spoken with nearby residents, be sure to tell them about SAPAA and give them our website address!

If you are a designated Steward, have you replaced signs or cleaned up the area? Be sure to list such activities in the comments.

Questions Asked

• Q71: Remediation/Protection Activities Needed
• Q72: What Have You Done Recently to Help the site?
• Q73: Nearby Stewards?
• Q74: Comments

10. Close & Pictures?

Some final details. Firstly, a picture is worth a 1,000 words. If using SIR-SAPAA, you can upload your photos directly. For each photo you will need the following information:

• Date: When was the photo taken?
• Identifier: Up to 20 characters, what is the subject matter, used in the filename.
• Caption: A description about the photo; why did you take it, what makes it important?

The above information is entered with each photo you upload in the SIR-SAPAA application. If you are using the Google form, you will need to provide this information manually.

Questions Asked

• Q71: Remediation/Protection Activities Needed
• Q72: What Have You Done Recently to Help the site?
• Q73: Nearby Stewards?
• Q74: Comments