Boat House

Click here for Long-Term trends

Click here for Biodiversity Survey findings

Boat House is located in the Central Coast region of California, on Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB). Boat House's location on VAFB limits human visitation, but it is a popular destination for military personnel, and the area is used by surfers, scuba divers and fishermen. This gently sloping site consists of moderately uneven terrain, containing few cracks and folds.

Boat House is dominated by consolidated bedrock, and the area surrounding the site is comprised of a mixture of consolidated bedrock, boulder fields, and sandy beach. The primary coastal orientation of this site is south/southwest.

Long-Term Monitoring Surveys at Boat House were established in 1992, and are done by University of California Santa Cruz. Long-Term MARINe surveys currently target the following species: Anthopleura (Anemones), Chthamalus/Balanus (Acorn Barnacles), Mytilus (California Mussel), Silvetia (Golden Rockweed), Endocladia (Turfweed), and Pisaster (Ochre Star). In addition, motile invertebrates, barnacle recruitment, mussel size structure, and water temperature are monitored at this site. Click here to view Long-Term trends at this site.

Biodiversity Surveys were done by University of California Santa Cruz in 2001, 2007, 2017, 2020, and 2024. The Biodiversity Survey grid encompasses two sections that are approximately 21 meters (along shore) x 20 meters (seaward), and 6 meters (along shore) x 10 meters (seaward). Click here to view Biodiversity Survey findings at this site.

For more information about Boat House, please contact Pete Raimondi (raimondi@ucsc.edu).