Support An Enduring Institution

RMBL needs your financial support in 2010! Please join my family and I in supporting RMBL; Jennie and I have donated $2,500 to RMBL this year. We believe this is a critical time to support RMBL and we strongly believe in RMBL’s importance to larger society. Because of the large investments funders are making in RMBL’s physical plant, it is critical that RMBL raise the funds needed to make certain those investments are used wisely. While we are closing in on our funding benchmarks, we still have approximately $20,000 to raise.

Occasionally people suggest RMBL should focus more on research and education and less on fundraising. Unfortunately, we don’t have that luxury. RMBL will only exist if we can afford to run it. Eighty years ago RMBL could operate largely by opening its doors and encouraging people to come. Running water and amenities were largely a luxury. If we had such amenities, great! If not, well, science and education went on.

We live in a different world. Running water is no longer a luxury, and providing it no longer involves running a pipe from a spring to a cabin. RMBL has to provide basic services in order to attract scientists and students. And those services are highly regulated. It simply costs more to stay open, whether we are talking about water, financial oversight, or buildings.

What RMBL does is critical for the world. RMBL has a demonstrated track record of providing critical insights into maintaining clean air and clean water, and understanding how biological systems work. We generate the knowledge that our children will eventually use to make informed choices about the world they inherit from us. The value of our long-term research is only going to increase.

Just as importantly, RMBL has had a huge impact on generations of students. Thousands of students have had life-changing experiences at RMBL. Our students go on to careers in a wide range of professions such as scientists, lawyers, doctors, and resource managers. Large numbers of them tell us their time at RMBL was critical in the careers they chose and their ability to incorporate science into those careers. RMBL has helped create a scientifically literate society.

For these reasons, I have no problems with shouting out to the world that RMBL needs your help. Please join Jennie and I in providing the support needed to create an enduring institution.