Through the LiMPETS (short for Long-term Monitoring Program and Experiential Training for Students)program, students, educators and volunteers are taught how to monitor Pacific mole crabs at sandy beaches within the Gulf of the Farallones and Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuaries, and they learn to identify 33 species associated with rocky intertidal habitats. Survey data are entered online and archived for long-term studies. This project expands the existing LiMPETS program beyond the sanctuaries’ boundaries to contribute to baseline monitoring of the North Central Coast MPAs. Researchers will also analyze historical data from the LiMPETS program to help identify long-term ecological trends. This work will further efforts to document MPA effects from natural variability. LiMPETS is a program of the San Francisco-based, nonprofit Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association.