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Biogeographical research has long sought to document current and past species’ distributions through descriptive studies, but in recent decades this field has evolved to (1) capture local to coast-wide quantitative estimates of species’ abundances, (2) link physical processes with species’ distributions, and (3) determine how climate change disrupts biogeographic patterns. However, assessing change requires quantitatively robust data that are both geographically and temporally broad. Historically, such studies were rare, largely due to funding constraints. Here, we present a model for sustaining long-term, quantitative biogeography surveys using a collaborative approach. We also share some key contributions resulting from this model, including (1) a robust understanding of biogeographic patterns and the temporal dynamic of those patterns, (2) more comprehensive assessment of impacts at various scales (e.g., oil spill, coast-wide disease event), and (3) more informed management decisions (e.g., marine protected area design and evaluation).