North Beach is located on the northwest shore of Calvert Island, on the central coast of British Columbia. The site is separated into two sub-sites, North Beach and Crazytown, to capitalize on the larger mussel beds at Crazytown. North Beach has a moderate slope with few large cracks. There are some large tidepools and steep sections on the periphery. Crazy Town has a shallow slope with some channels around the edges and a few large tidepools.
North Beach is dominated by granite bedrock, with the surrounding area being a mixture of granite bedrock, boulder fields, and sandy beaches. The primary coastal orientation of this site is northwest.
Long-Term Monitoring Surveys at North Beach were established in 2016 and are carried out by the Hakai Institute. Long-Term monitoring surveys currently target the following species: Fucus (Northern Rockweed) and Pisaster (Ochre Star). In addition, water temperature are monitored at this site. For more information see the Long-Term trends at this site.
Below is a virtual tour of the fucus plots and sea star plots at North Beach.
Crazytown is dominated by granite bedrock, with the surrounding area being a mixture of granite bedrock, boulder fields, and sandy beaches. The primary coastal orientation of this site is north.
Long-Term Monitoring Surveys at Crazytown were established in 2016 and are carried out by the Hakai Institute. Long-Term monitoring surveys currently target the following species: Chthamalus/Balanus (Acorn Barnacles) and Mytilus (California Mussel). In addition, mussel size structure are monitored at this site. For more information see the Long-Term trends trends at this site
Below is a virtual tour of the barnacle and mussel plots at Crazytown.
For more information about North Beach and Crazytown, please contact Alyssa Gehman (alyssa.gehman@hakai.org).