The March 20, 2026, session informed Alberta’s MLAs about the WAERNAHR Act, emphasizing the importance of protected areas for biodiversity and local economies. It aimed to raise awareness of challenges these areas face and promote responsible use. SAPAA plays a key role in stewardship and monitoring these lands.
Download: Briefing Note for this meeting; Riding & Site Count: RuralMLA_SiteCount.
Riding/Protected Areas Map (same as the Annex Below)
Alberta’s updated Plan for Parks aims to enhance conservation and recreation on provincial lands, focusing on collaboration with various stakeholders. While it emphasizes parks for public enjoyment, there are concerns about the lack of detail on conservation efforts and the role of the Crown Land Recreation and Conservation Strategy, which prioritizes development over true conservation.
Continue readingFor the Stewards of Alberta’s Protected Areas of Alberta (SAPAA), the Site Inspection Report (SIR) is a key activity to better understand the state of these protected areas. SAPAA took over the SIR function from the Alberta government in 2023 and created a manual process. Collaborating with the University of Alberta, SAPAA is developing an application that streamlines the reporting process. A presentation at the 2026 Dragon’s Den virtual meeting will showcase its features while inviting expert feedback.
Continue readingAlberta Forestry and Parks is soliciting feedback on the new draft Plan for Parks, which aims to direct the management of provincial parks. The engagement period runs from May 27 to July 26, 2025. This plan, building on the 2009 framework, addresses emerging challenges and opportunities in park management.
Continue readingThe 2022 Miistakis Report evaluated Alberta’s lapsed Volunteer Steward Program, revealing significant weaknesses like insufficient support and lack of data on conservation impacts. It recommends reintroducing citizen science, enhancing government capacity, and employing modern technology for data management. This Post provides notes on from the Miistakis Report – January 30 Debrief.]
Continue readingThe Alberta Government commissioned the Miistakis Institute to evaluate the Volunteer Steward Program, resulting in the ‘Miistakis Report’. SAPAA is hosting a private debriefing for members and guests to discuss the findings. Registration is needed for the meeting link, but not for report access.
Continue readingSAPAA partners with the UofA CSL program and runs student projects. For the winter semester, we are welcoming about 7 individuals from the Sustainability 202 course. For students unfamiliar with SAPAA, see the Annex at the end of this post.
Continue readingA field trip to Tawatinaw Natural Area is planned for October 7, with no alternatives dates. Pre-registration is required for the event.
Continue readingA field trip to Lloyd Creek Natural Area is planned for September 30, with alternatives on October 1 and 4. Pre-registration is required for the event.
Continue readingTwo locations are planned: Magee Lake and JJ Collette. Both are south of Ponoka and east of Morningside. An easy drive from Edmonton and slightly longer one from Calgary.
Continue reading
SAPAA 