Site Inspections

You can help to protect Alberta’s Natural and Protected Areas by submitting a Site Inspection. There are three ways to do this, as: a Casual Visitor, Organization, or a Full Contributor.

Susan from ENPC examining interesting flora as we work our way back N to RR 133, Lloyd Creek NA, 2024-09-30, P. Potter.
Susan from ENPC examining interesting flora as we work our way back N to RR 133, Lloyd Creek NA, 2024-09-30, P. Potter.
  1. A Field Guide to Site Inspectors
  2. Are You Volunteering, Privacy, and Your Data?
  3. How to Submit A Report – Casual Visitor
  4. Full Contributor
  5. Photograph Naming Convention Notes
  6. Notes and Further Reading

A Field Guide to Site Inspectors

Site Inspectors or contributors fall into one of the following groups:

  1. The Casual Visitor. You have seen something and want to report it, use: Site Inspection Form – Simple.
  2. Organizations. You are part of a larger group looking after a specific site. Organizations are welcome to use these forms if they do not have their own reporting mechanisms.
  3. Full Contributor. You can contribute via the Full Inspection Form because of your expertise

Are You Volunteering, Privacy, and Your Data?

In Alberta, volunteers fall under the Occupational, Health, and Safety Act [1] as unpaid employees. As a result, please note the following:

  1. You are NOT a SAPAA Volunteer. SAPAA is not asking you to conduct site inspections of protected areas, nevertheless….
  2. Send Us a Report. If you have visited a protected area on your own, please document your visit.
  3. Your Privacy and Data. Your personal information shared with SAPAA (name, email, phone numbers) are protected and will never be re-shared except for…
  4. The GoA: we will share the data set with the relevant government department(s) and which will include your name, visit details, and contact information. Once shared, it is the Government of Alberta’s responsibility to protect this information.
  5. Select SAPAA Members: will have access equivalent to the GoA but have agreed to SAPAA’s privacy terms and conditions.
  6. Use iNaturalist.ca to document biophysical details about your visit. It is free to join and is the gold standard for identifying plants, animals, and the like. Stay tuned for eBird.ca, maybe in 2026 or 2027.
  7. Administrative Details:
    • Revisions. You will receive a copy of the submission. If significant changes are needed, contact: webmaster@sapaastewards.com.
    • Report Frequency. If you visit a site more than once, submit a report for each visit.
    • Editorial Prerogative. In reporting on visits, SAPAA reserves editorial control over reporting on the visits.

How to Submit A Report – Casual Visitor

Use the simplified form: Site Inspection Form – Simple. Remember, if this is:

  • An Emergency: Call 911 or contact the local RCMP or police detachment.
  • Significant damage or disturbances: To report illegal activity and public safety issues on public land or in Provincial Parks, call 310-LAND.
  • Poaching: Report suspicious or illegal hunting and fishing activity, or dangerous wildlife encounters online or by phone, 1-800-642-3800.

Full Contributor

These individuals have undergone SAPAA training, have advanced skills, and use their personal GMail account to log into the Site Inspection Form. A login benefits:

  • Save your progress.
  • Be emailed a copy of the results.
  • Document invasive species (plants or critters).
  • Notes of what has changed from your last visit.

Photograph Naming Convention Notes

SAPAA loves pictures. If you have digital files (pictures, videos, audio files, geo-location data – gpx, kml, screenshot of the location), here is how to get them to us:

  1. Trained Contributor: save files to the digital file staging area [LINK].
  2. Contributor: Email the webmaster@sapaastewards.com your photos. 

Before sending, please use these standards to identify your images: 

  • File Name: [WHERE]_[WHEN]_[WHO]_[IDENTIFIER],
  • — Good: BilbyNA_2098-12-31_JSmith_Pineforest
  • — Not so good: IMG_1234
  • File size: e.g. resize an image down to be no more than 1,000 pixels on the largest dimension (Height or Width).
  • Cropping: Extraneous information from the image should be removed; ‘fill the picture with the subject’ is the mantra.
  • Captions: If you use captions (e.g. IPTC), feel free to include details there ideally with this format: [SUBJECT], [SITE], [DATE], [PHOTOGRAPHER] (e.g. Dandelions on an ATV track on site, St. Francis NA, 2098-12-31, Bob Suruncle).
  • Feel free to include watermarks. 

Notes and Further Reading

  1. To better understand how Alberta’s OHS legislation may affect you, visit: Notes About a Safe Space – OHS and the Non-Profit | Organizational Biology.