Mill Creek

Click here for Long-Term trends

Click here for Biodiversity Survey findings

Mill Creek is located in the Central Coast region of California, within the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. This site is only accessible by boat or from land at low tides in order to get around a couple of points. This site receives low visitation by fisherman and tidepoolers. This moderately sloping site consists of moderately uneven terrain, containing few cracks and folds.

Mill Creek is dominated by consolidated bedrock, and the area surrounding the site is comprised of a mixture of consolidated bedrock, boulder fields, and cobble beach. The primary coastal orientation of this site is west.

Long-Term Monitoring Surveys at Mill Creek were established in 1999 and are done by University of California Santa Cruz. Long-Term MARINe surveys currently target the following species: Chthamalus/Balanus (Acorn Barnacles), Mytilus (California Mussel), Silvetia (Golden Rockweed), Endocladia (Turfweed), Mastocarpus (Turkish Washcloth), Phyllospadix (Surfgrass), 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, 2003, 2004, 2017, and 2020. The Biodiversity Survey grid encompasses one section that is approximately 30 meters (along shore) x 20 meters (seaward). Click here to view Biodiversity Survey findings at this site.

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