Leptasterias spp., a six-rayed sea star, is found in rocky intertidal habitats ranging from Alaska to central California. Leptasterias spp. can be monitored on a broad scale throughout their range by a variety of means using timed counts and random plot censusing in order to detect both large-scale and local-level changes in the environment due to climate change, land-based human activity, or other environmental events. Leptasterias brood their young externally until the embryos grow into fully developed juveniles. These juveniles disperse by crawling away, limiting their dispersal potential. This localized dispersal provides an opportunity to use Leptasterias spp. as sentinel species of local environmental health across a broad geographic range. We aim to develop an effective method for monitoring these small brooding sea stars along a heterogeneous coastline. We describe two methods for monitoring Leptasterias spp. populations that take into account the patchy distribution patterns of the species in multiple habitat types. Variable sized plots, line transects, and timed counts were used. Monitoring sites were strategically chosen for assessing environmental factors including temperature and terrestrial runoff nearest to San Francisco Bay. Split into two categories of habitat type, beach and tide pool habitat, sites were censused using methods that maximize accuracy of sampling efforts in determining population sizes
