Dr. Alison Brody first saw Gothic in 1981, as a summer initiation into Dr. Ken Armitage’s marmot lab. She recalls how immediately and deeply attached she felt. “I just had this transformation. We were driving up the valley at Rosy Point—that curve where the aspens open into the first big view—and I was stunned by the expanse of the valley, especially Mt Bellview. A lot of people are pulled by Gothic Mtn. For me, it’s Bellview at the head of the valley. I cannot fully explain it. It felt like home.”

In 44 years, Dr. Brody has only missed the summers of 1985 and 2020. RMBL took hold. “I ended up earning a master’s with Ken, but came back to study plant-animal interactions, while pursuing a PhD studying with Rick Karban at UC-Davis. I considered other field stations because Rick wasn’t a RMBL scientist, but couldn’t bring myself not to return to RMBL. I fell in love with both the physical and social environments. Being with other scientists in the summer with whom I could interact socially and scientifically, amidst the beauty of the Upper East River Valley, was what kept me coming back.”

Now, as RMBL approaches the 2028 Centennial, Alison Brody chairs RMBL’s “Friends and Alumni” committee to reunite anyone who has called the lab home, regardless of role or length of stay. She discussed what it means to be an alum and how alumni can foster a culture of curiosity.

JH: When you meet other RMBL alums for the first time, what do they remember?
AB: Rather than, “what was your favorite hike around Gothic?” I hear more about the people. The first question is often “how’s billy barr?” followed by “who are the members of the RMBL community? What’s it like there now? What are some new projects? What’s happening between RMBL and the broader community?”

JH: What does it mean to be a RMBL alum?
AB: A RMBL alum is someone who has had an experience with RMBL that was instrumental in their development. In various roles—undergraduate, graduate student, researcher—being an alumnus means you shouldn’t feel disconnected from RMBL after graduation or retirement. I still feel a part of RMBL, returning every summer. Being an alum is about reconnecting with relationships that have provided growth and become part of who you are—this holds true even if you don’t go into the sciences.

JH: Tell us more about your committee’s work.
AB: Picture our group opening its arms widely to invite past, present, and future people who have had life-changing experiences at RMBL and who are interested in the lab’s success and its community vibe. We want to nurture a sense of connection around enhancing our understanding of how natural systems work for local and global benefit.

People may want to engage in different ways—remembering the lab’s past, learning about its future, getting back into research, interacting with RMBL members, or volunteering. Being a RMBL alum should foster a sense of belonging and connection to oneself, others, and the natural world. We value everyone as part of the RMBL community, whether you’re a friend, alumnus, “village elder,” or newcomer. We invite you to engage.

JH: What can the RMBL alum do for the committee?
AB: It’s not prescriptive. We want folks to reach out and tell us what they want and need. The larger community of friends and alumni will help define what it means to be part of RMBL, whether future participation in RMBL occurs in person or from afar. Some might share stories for a newsletter, donate to become voting a member, start a Zoom science writing book club with other RMBL friends, volunteer as community scientists, or revive their research. We want our RMBL friends to co-create their engagement.

The Shared View
Even after many years at Gothic, Alison retains her sense of wonder. “I still pull off when I turn up the East River at Rosy Point. I get out of the car. I breathe. I’m home.”

Inspired, I head to Rosy Point. The road closes in five days, and the late autumn snows cover north-facing slopes. I feel the footprints of countless people who have rounded this corner, driven by the discovery of ecological complexity and the human place in it.

I think of what Dr. Bobbi Peckarsky said recently, reflecting on fifty years of stream invertebrate research along the East River, “RMBL is my special place where shared experiences with mentors, students and colleagues became lifelong friendships; and where every person in my family became the best versions of themselves.”

I reflect on what I have learned from younger researchers like RMBL staff member, Winter Caretaker, and alumna Sophia Todorov (Team Marmot, 2020), “Being a RMBL alum means being connected to RMBLers across the world—it’s almost like a huge family where, wherever you go, it’s possible to meet someone that has worked at, studied at, visited, or at least heard of RMBL. During my first summer as an REU student here in 2020, I had many first-evers: doing field work, hiking peaks, giving a scientific talk, living alone, etc. During the past 3 years, I’ve helped contribute to over 20 distinct research projects here, and I feel like the luckiest person that this is my job. Working as a research technician at RMBL, especially under the direction of Ian Breckheimer, has been an incredibly enriching time for me as a scientist.”

The “RMBL Community” is not defined by geographical boundaries, even though membership is grounded in the Upper East River Valley stretched out before me. Members span the globe and extend across a century.

So, what holds this community together?

I recall something Alison said, “There are people who’ve been at RMBL for different lengths of time, but no matter how long they have been here, the RMBL spirit is to be open to everyone’s questions and presence. For example, Nick [Waser] and Mary [Price] helped welcome me to this place. I was not their student, and they were the quintessential alphas in their fields, yet they mentored me in exploring new scientific ideas and socially – they treated me as a friend and as a colleague – as they continue to include so many others. I was a  newcomer and yet they invited me to go hiking and to potlucks at their cabin. Those times were full of camaraderie and “heady” conversation about science.  That gave me a sense of belonging socially, which indicated that people were interested in what I was doing intellectually. They were willing to help. RMBL elders had my back.”

-Article written by RMBL Director of Story & Strategic Partnerships, Dr. John Hausdoerffer

Dr. John Hausdoerffer is RMBL’s Director of Story and Strategic Partnerships. He has authored and co-edited six books on cross-cultural environmental ethics. John is in his 25^th year as a Professor of Philosophy at Western Colorado University, where he was the founding Dean of the Clark School of Environment & Sustainability.

Alison Brody Bio: “I first came to RMBL in the summer of 1981 to study behavioral ecology of yellow-bellied marmots with Ken Armitage. I conducted my Master’s work at RMBL and was instantly “hooked” by the magnificence of the upper East River Valley and the engaged and welcoming RMBL community. Although I entertained the idea of conducting fieldwork elsewhere for my PhD, the RMBL-pull was strong and undeniable. I conducted my PhD work at RMBL and have returned each summer since (except in 2020). My past and current research asks how the interactions among plants and their pollinators, pre-dispersal seed predators, and herbivores affect the evolution of floral traits.  Most recently, I’ve focused on the role of multiple-species interactions in the maintenance of females in gynodioecious populations of Polemonium foliosissimum. As Chair of the RMBL Friends and Alumni committee, I wish to invite and welcome former and current RMBL’ites to be engaged with the Lab in whatever ways each of you find meaningful. Please know that each of you are valued and you have a place and a voice in the RMBL community.“