The Stewards of Alberta’s Protected Area Association (SAPAA) will transition into a dormant state, ceasing active programs. Although memberships and many activities will end, the organization will maintain its website and accept site inspections. SAPAA’s long history faces challenges in volunteer engagement and funding, leading to this pivotal change.
With sadness, the SAPAA board plans to move the organization into a dormant state with no active programs. This website will be maintained, and site inspection reports collected. No other efforts are planned unless the Alberta government decides to support a site inspection program.
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What Will SAPAA Continue to (Not) Do?
Twenty five years of hard work, passion, and expertise has gone into SAPAA. As much as possible, that work will be preserved. The fact that you are reading this on the SAPAA website is an indication that the organization has chosen to become dormant rather than wound down. The following are planned activities to (not) continue as available Time, Talent, and Treasure permit.
Activities that Will Continue
- Corporate Entity. SAPAA will remain a registered nonprofit with Service Alberta for as long as there are at least two individuals to serve on the board and be bank signing authorities. The annual general meetings will consist of these individuals.
- Membership and Nature Alberta. SAPAA will limit membership to the above individuals and become a dormant Nature Alberta affiliated club.
- SAPAA Website. The domain and hosting will continue for as long as possible with minimal maintenance and no new content or features.
- Site Inspections. SAPAA will accept site inspections and continue to provide these to the province as received.
- SAPAA will not actively recruit new individuals or organizations.
- The site inspections questions will not change except for a pressing need for revision.
- Training and orientation will be done ad hoc and mostly based on existing content and methods.
- Submission of the site inspections will be done through existing contacts with the government or public channels such as the 310-LAND phone line.
Activities to Preserve or Shut Down
SAPAA has created resources of value that other peer organizations may want to take over.
- Site Inspection Application (SIR-SAPAA). The code based and documentation will be preserved and this application wound down, placed in dormancy, or transferred.
- Safety Program. The program will be maintained on the SAPAA website.
- Newsletters. No new newsletters will be issued following the March, 2027 edition discussing the final Minister’s Report. Legacy newsletters will be preserved on the website.
Activities Stopped
- Field Trips. No new SAPAA organized trips.
- Minister’s Annual Report. The last report produced will be the 2026 edition, planned for March 2027.
- Participation in the General Community. Other than the resources listed above (e.g. the website), SAPAA will withdraw from the nature community.
How We Got Here
SAPAA’s history is convoluted and for those new to the organization or the government stewardship program, they are encouraged to read the background information provided below.
In a nutshell, SAPAA was created to support individuals who were Alberta Government volunteer stewards. With the long-term pausing of the government program, SAPAA considered its options in offering its replacement. This was encapsulated in two strategic questions and the SAPAA 2.0 concept.
Two Strategic Questions for SAPAA
- What is SAPAA ‘product’ Provided to its Members and Volunteers?
- Integrating the Above Product, Can a Small Nonprofit Take Over the Former Government Program?
SAPAA’s Product: the Possible and the Reality
In an ideal world, a well-trained volunteer would use SAPAA’s safety program to identify, visit, and report on the far flung corners of Alberta’s protected areas. More experienced volunteers could share their expertise with others through online forums in addition to field trips and workshops. In recognition of the costs and risks to volunteers, stipends would be paid based on distances travelled and the relative importance of visiting a particular area.
Most of the above vision is possible or exists within SAPAA except for the resources to recruit and retain highly experienced volunteers. Alberta’s most generous government grant specifically disallows compensating volunteers. Thus, volunteers have to visit sites at their own cost and risk.
SAPAA Delivering the Stewardship Program
The second question was whether a small nonprofit could take on the program formerly run by the province? Called ‘SAPAA 2.0, it was examined in detail in 2025 and determined to be unrealistic. In 2026, a scaled back program was considered with a focus on peer organizations. Unfortunately, peer organizations are busy trying to survive themselves.
The answer to both questions is clear: without dedicated resources from the province, a nonprofit cannot operate a program similar to that formerly run by the Alberta Government.
A Faint Hope Plan
So why not simply shut down SAPAA? Because hope springs eternal and politics is a strange business. Placing SAPAA into a dormant state costs very little and if the province wishes to revisit the program, hopefully the organization can help at that time. While unlikely in the extreme, a faint hope is better than none.
On a personal note, the last five years has been interesting and a fantastic experience. I have visited oft forgotten bits of Alberta, met incredible people, and learned so much. The proposed course of action was completely predictable in retrospect – still, the effort to prove this prediction wrong was well worth it.
Annex – Further Reading on SAPAA’s History
Annex – What is a SAPAA?
For the uninitiated, it is recommended that you visit these links and, in the order, presented.
- Volunteer Stewardship – Backgrounder | SAPAA
- CBC Story – Volunteer Stewardship Program | SAPAA
- A Short Selected History of SAPAA | SAPAA
More Background