Stewards of Alberta’s Protected Areas Association

By HUBERT TAUBE

The Stewards of Alberta’s Protected Areas Association (SAPAA) has existed since 1999 as a support society for stewards enrolled in the Alberta government’s Volunteer Steward Program. Several Alberta Crown lands, set aside for conservation and local recreation within the Protected Areas system, were already being served by stewards as monitors and caretakers. In 1987, the government instituted a formal program of recruiting stewards to be its “eyes and ears” and report at least annually on the status of the protected areas (natural area, ecological reserve, or wildland park). It later created a parallel system of “campground hosts” to spend the summers in popular provincial parks.

Some stewards banded together to form organizations with considerable capacity to increase the value of their sites for visitors, such as installing trails, interpretive signage, fencing, and other government-sanctioned infrastructure. In return, the government provided on-the-ground assistance, educational materials, and workshops to all its stewards, and promoted collegiality with newsletters and annual conferences.

SAPAA, an arm’s-length organization sometimes critical of the government, came about when stewards, seeing themselves mostly as conservation-oriented land managers, encountered problems with the government’s multi-use policies. Land-use challenges included inappropriate off-highway vehicle operation, legacy industrial uses, and even threats from adjacent development.

Thirty years later, the government steward program had been mostly withdrawn, owing to more stringent provincial health and safety regulations (which make the government liable for steward safety) and confusion over goals for data collection and management. However, SAPAA continues and remains supported by a small membership of legacy stewards who appreciate the fellowship it provides.

In 2021, SAPAA began a revitalization, revamping its website to achieve a more public profile — updating basic protected area information, adding maps and blogs of recent site visits, and maintaining a regular schedule of newsletters. SAPAA has developed and is testing a site inspection form, which it hopes will be used by seasoned stewards and casual visitors alike to provide monitoring data that will also be useful to the government. Students and youth groups are being invited to participate in SAPAA activities, projects, field visits, and webinar productions. SAPAA continues to communicate with the government and hopes to collaborate on a new initiative of citizen science projects.

Rather than supporting the government’s volunteer program, SAPAA now aspires to succeed it in a meaningful way, in cooperation with like-minded steward and naturalist organizations, including Nature Alberta.

You don’t have to be a government steward to join SAPAA. We invite all lovers of exploration, the outdoors, and nature to check out our website and discover the natural treasures near you. For more details on any of the above and on becoming a member, please visit our website at sapaastewards.com.

Hubert Taube is a government steward of Northwest of Bruderheim Natural Area and past president of SAPAA.