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Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory

This Is RMBL
Our field station in Gothic, Colorado is home to one of the world’s most intensively studied ecosystems. Here, long-term research and love of the land are measured not in years, but in decades and centuries.
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Giving That Lasts
Your support sustains science and education at RMBL.
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The Long View
Scientists return to the same valley year after year, building some of the world’s longest-running ecological records.
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Beyond the Data
The research, the people, and the places.
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Science, Outside
From kindergarten to grad school, learners do real fieldwork alongside working scientists at 9,500 feet.
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14

ongoing research projects running for more than 30 years

1,990+

scientific publications based on RMBL research since the lab was founded in 1928

70+

buildings on RMBL’s campus in Gothic

140+

universities and colleges represented by researchers and students doing fieldwork in Gothic in 2025

12,736

specimen records in the RMBL Herbarium representing 1,511 species

802

K-12 students engaged in RMBL programs in 2025

Four Pillars of RMBL

Science, education, place, and independence: the foundation of nearly a century of discovery.

Science

Explore RMBL research, from long-term studies to cutting-edge satellite data

Education

Learn how we educate the next generation of scientists through hands-on experiences

Place

Visit us in Gothic and Crested Butte, where we host thousands of visitors, students, and scientists annually

Independence

Dive into RMBL’s rich history and future as an independent nonprofit field station
Marmot engraving
Support the next 100 years of science, education, place, and independence at RMBL.
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Marmot engraving

Stories

Read stories from RMBL’s researchers, students, and community

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Become an Explorer to keep science and education going at RMBL, with exclusive events alongside our scientists.
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Visit

Join us in Gothic and Crested Butte for science talks, tours, and other community gatherings.
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Watch

Get to know RMBL in Gothic and RMBL 365, our front porch in Crested Butte.

The Latest, from RMBL

October 2026 issue
Director’s Letters ·
Oct 2026
· Jeni Blacklock

From Observation to Understanding

In her October letter, Executive Director Jeni Blacklock, PhD, reflects on what decades of watching reveal about a changing world.

Science Stories ·
Oct 2026

Eureka Moments at Mexican Cut

Howard Whiteman, PhD; Kelsey Reider, PhD; Hamish Greig, PhD; and Amanda Klemmer, PhD, share what years of study at the Mexican Cut Preserve have uncovered, from glowing salamanders to a caddisfly on the move.

Voices of RMBL ·
Oct 2026

Voices of RMBL: Diane Thomson and How One RMBL Summer Can Shape a Future

Diane Thomson spent just one undergraduate summer at RMBL, and the lessons she took home about community and long-term data have shaped a career studying how ecosystems change.
Education Stories ·
Dec 2025

The Marmot Touch, and What an REU Summer Teaches

Here’s an interesting fact about marmots. They’re surprisingly strong. That’s what McKenna Sanchez discovered when she came to RMBL in 2022 through the NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program…

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