At the end of this month, I will let my name stand for the president of SAPAA, an organization supporting citizen stewardship in Alberta. The following are my thoughts about what should be the organization’s priorities.

1. A SAPAA Primer
2. A Long Road to 2.0
3. A Common(s) Definition of Citizen Stewardship
4. The Demise of Citizen Stewardship in Alberta
5. Citizen Stewardship and SAPAA 2.0
6. Principles of 2.0
7. Nine Presidential Priorities [6]
8. Come Back in a Year
9. Notes and References

A SAPAA Primer

It looks like I am soon to be the president of the Stewards of Alberta’s Protected Areas Association or SAPAA. This organization was set up to support volunteers in an Alberta Government program. Although technically not canceled, the government program is in a zombie like state. It is not accepting new volunteers. The program has been silent for years and its final disposition is unknown.

In its heyday, the Alberta Government did an excellent job of Paying its Volunteers Very Well. However, the last conference was in 2017 [2] and the program paused in 2018 because of changes to occupational health and safety legislation in 2018. The occasional stirring from the Alberta Government has given intermittent hope to SAPAA members, but they have come to naught.

The irony is that by becoming the president, I am taking over an organization whose raison d’être has evaporated, whose members are aging out, and relevancy is diminishing. Why on earth would any sane person become the president?

A Long Road to 2.0

Thank You Affiliates. The first part of the answer is that I have immensely enjoyed my association with SAPAA over the past five years. I will admit, I was dismissive of the organization in the first year. I regret this because I have subsequently learned of the great passion and contributions individuals have made. These individuals (Hubert, Patsy, Judith, Myrna, Krystin, Chris) freely shared their deep knowledge and their passion for Alberta’s natural areas. Thank you to all who are still with us for the lessons you have shared.

Thank You for the Experiences. The second part is that I have learned an incredible amount. I got involved with SAPAA because I was frustrated with the extensive OHV damage done to protected areas while researching YEGVille.ca. Subsequently, I now understand the legal framework for conservation areas in Alberta. Continuing on the theme of Paying Volunteers with Experience, I have refined my web [3], and my geographic information system (GIS) knowledge and skills.

A Common(s) Definition of Citizen Stewardship

Science Sibling. The final reason I am willing to step forward in a leadership position is because SAPAA still has a role to play in protecting Alberta’s ample natural riches through Citizen Stewardship. This is a sister concept to Citizen Science. While its sibling focuses on adding to a body of knowledge, Citizen Stewardship is about keeping an eye on the ‘Commons’.

Tragedy of the Commons is an economic and social concept that individuals will over consume a shared resource (e.g. the English land concept of the Commons) even though this will lead to those resources eventual ruin. Crown Land is an example of a Common. It is accessible to all with limited oversight as to its use.

Citizen Stewardship is based on the shared responsibility and trust in maintaining the Commons and so uses this definition [4]:

Individuals, acting on their own or through organizations, ensure the designated lands are protected from over-consumption so the land is available for future enjoyment and ongoing nature conservation. A Citizen Steward uses sousveillance to communicate the state of a land parcel so that appropriate actions can be taken. Typically, a Citizen Steward has no vested legal powers but may be granted special permissions from the landowner to support their activities (e.g. posting signs, fencing, education, etc.).

The Demise of Citizen Stewardship in Alberta

Alberta Volunteer Stewardship Program of the Alberta Government was a Citizen Stewardship initiative. The program was designed to accelerate communications about the Commons from the individual to the landowner (the province). The volunteers were not beholden to the province nor were the individuals an employee-like liability.

Direct to Crown Volunteers is the name of the relationship and the 2018 OHS changes made this untenable to the province. This is understandable. A volunteer host in a campground works on a single site and can be readily integrated into the existing staff safety program. An individual visiting a natural area on their own does not have this infrastructure.

Citizen Stewardship and SAPAA 2.0

SAPAA’s 2.0 Defined. There is still a need to collect and communicate information about the sites and this is where ‘SAPAA 2.0’ comes in with this working definition:

Develop programs and resources to support the remaining government Stewards, recruit new ones, and improve the body of knowledge/ practice of Stewardship.

White Persian Cat Optional [5]. It is possible that SAPAA could take over the Volunteer Stewardship role from the Alberta Government. Beyond the scope of this post, but under this scenario, the province receives Protected Area information without direct to Crown volunteers. The dark side to this scenario is that if you are the President of Alberta Treasury Board, you might be saying at this point:

‘Ahh…. SAPAA gets all the risk and costs, we get the data and keep the program budget…. Excellent, our plan is coming along nicely, BRUHaHaHa… .

Principles of 2.0

To prevent any harm to long-haired felines, SAPAA 2.0 will use the following principles:

1. Effort Requires Resources. Any effort exerted needs Time, Talent, and Treasure. Volunteers may be happy to provide the first two; donors may be solicited for the last one. Until funding magically appears, SAPAA 2.0 must be, by necessity, less and different from the government program.
2. Broker First, Builder Last. Wherever possible, SAPAA will re-use existing resources. Partnerships are critical and SAPAA will support but not re-create resources already available. Examples include knowledge from peer organizations (e.g. AWA, CPAWS, Nature Alberta); or technology (e.g. iNaturalist, eBird). Only if absolutely necessary will SAPAA build a process or system (our website is an example of this necessity).
3. WAERNAHR First but Not All. The focus will be on the WAERNAHR lands [7] (and its future legislative equivalents). As resources permit, SAPAA 2.0 can expand into other areas. These might include non-designated Crown Lands, Provincial Parks, land trusts, etc.
4. Fun and Learning is Common. Finally, SAPAA will be built on lifelong affiliation. To do this, it will adopt best practices in the care and feeding of its volunteers (in particular those in leadership roles).

Nine Presidential Priorities [6]

Using the above principles, here are my 2025 priorities as president.

1. WAERNAHR Promotion. SAPAA is the only organization in Alberta specifically interested in this group of protected areas. Other areas are important but let’s start here.
2. Support Legacy Stewards. This is done through interactions with the government, communications, and programming. The website, site inspection form, newsletter are ongoing examples of this support.
3. Site Inspections. Continue to develop and refine the site inspection process. This includes aligning questions to GoA priorities, Ministerial reporting, and increasing submissions.
4. Communicate WAERNAHR. Using the above resources, communicate to the responsible Minister(s), peer organizations, and the public the state of these sites.
5. Google Map. The Google Map referenced on the website is owned by a friend of SAPAA but not under the organization’s direct control. Create and integrated a new Google map owned by SAPAA.
6. Mini Conference. Run a mini conference for Stewards in 2025. Size, complexity, location, to be determined based on funding, etc.
7. Cultivate Peer Relationships. In particular with Nature Alberta, the Land Stewardship Center, the GoA, AWA, CPAWS, and other organizations.
8. Stewardship Best Practices. Identify and communicate best practices to members and peer organizations. The topics range from administrative to safety to science and beyond. Best practices may come from Alberta, across Canada, and Globally.
9. Membership Benefits. Increase the value of a paid SAPAA membership. This may be through programming, access to resources, discounts, etc. Sharing the above with members is an example of such a benefit.

Come Back in a Year

I predict that in the fall of 2025 we will be lucky to have done half of the above. This is actually a good thing because half is a lot more than last year and last year was a lot more than the year before. Best of all, many of the above are interesting and fun. See you in 2025!

Notes and References

1. From a strategy document published in SAPAA Newsletter No. 48, October 2023. The left-hand options are self-explanatory. A merger was examined and found to be wanting. The reality is that all nonprofits have their own problems so why would they take on SAPAA’s baggage and problems. A merger requires a successful SAPAA 2.0, at which point would we still want to merge? A classic chicken and egg problem.
2. See Patsy Cotterill’s excellent summary of the history of SAPAA: A Short Selected History of SAPAA.
3. Because of SAPAA, I am a convert to worpress.com versus worpress.org. So much so, I moved my websites off .org to .com in the past year.
4. A limited internet search failed to turn up a generally agreed upon definition. This is a good/bad news situation as I am unable to steal someone else’s efforts but am not bound by them either!
5. The cat seen in early James Bond films, Blofeld’s cat too obscure of a cultural reference?
6. Sorry for the pomp and circumstance in the heading, I am writing this on the eve of 2024 US Presidential election… and you now know how that turned out (’cause I don’t, its the eve…).
7. WAERNAHR stands for the Alberta Wilderness Areas, Ecological Reserves, Natural Areas and Heritage Rangelands Act.