During 2001-2003, we developed a rocky intertidal monitoring program to be used by NOAA’s National Marine Sanctuary program on the west coast of the US. The goals were to 1) inform the public about the rocky intertidal habitat and the species that live there, 2) directly involve students (7th - 12th grade) and other volunteers in the field, and 3) collect and archive data that can be analyzed to detect changes in intertidal life over time.