Our Mission
The Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory’s mission is to advance the deep scientific understanding of nature that promotes informed stewardship of the Earth.
We provide scientists and students access to diverse habitats, research and education infrastructure, a collaborative and internationally recognized scientific community, and a base of knowledge about the ecology of mountain environments. A deeply understood place and supportive research community make RMBL ideal for training the next generation of field scientists.
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High altitude field research finds its home in the mountains around Gothic. Photo by Dr. David Inouye
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RMBL is famous for its pollinator research.
Photo by Dave Larson -
Amphibian research ponds at the Mexican Cut Nature Preserve. Photo by Erin Olson
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RMBL hosts some of the longest running research on stream ecology in the world. Photo by Wendy Brown
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2010 was a big year for monument plants (Frasera speciosa), one of the most notable botanical phenomenon in the Gothic area. Photo by Sarah Rudeen
Our Unique Role
Sustained scientific investigation makes clear that the natural world is sufficiently complex and that only by weaving together the work of many scientists will it be possible to achieve an understanding that does justice to the richness of the world. As one of the oldest and largest independent field stations in North America RMBL is generating a data rich environment in which scientists leverage the intellectual capital created by the previous generations of scientists in order to ask and answer questions that cannot be pursued anywhere else. RMBL is forging a new direction by shifting its focus to collaborating with scientists to create one of the best understood ecosystems in the world. In a time of substantial societal concern about a changing environment, this direction allows us to provide a critical service that differentiates us from other organizations while increasing the quality of RMBL science and education.