West Coast Vancouver Island Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, Parks and Heritage Canada

• visitation is increasing at 4 - 7% annually, with close to 1 million people visiting Long Beach in 1999; and
• the unknown impact(s) of visitors on the living plants and animals that comprise the exposed rocky intertidal zone.

The objectives of this monitoring are to:

• obtain baseline information on the distribution, abundance, size, and population of animals and macro-flora of the exposed rocky intertidal zone;
• identify natural sources of disturbance (e.g. storm damage from waves and logs) and human-induced disturbance (e.g. beach combing and trampling; and
• to provide early detection of disturbance (natural or human-induced).

The data collected will potentially be used:

• To modify visitor use patterns in the park reserve;
• To make decisions about where park interpretive programs are offered, minimizing environmental impacts on intertidal zones; and
• By other agencies