(Apologies in advance if you hit unexpected paywalls on any of the following articles.)

Always charismatic, mammals got plenty of attention. Work by Drs. Gabriela Pinho and Dan Blumstein (both UCLA) caught the attention of both the Smithsonian and Discover Magazines for what marmots can tell us about human aging. The NY Times asked Blumstein to weigh in as an expert on long-term marmot research. Dr. Jaclyn Aliperti (UC-Davis) caught the attention of the Washington Post with her work on ground squirrel personalities as did Drs. Christian Dewey and Scott Fendorf (both at Stanford) with ABC News on climate change and beavers.

Not to be outdone, RMBL insects also captured attention. Drs. Andy Gloss (New York University) and Noah Whiteman (Berkeley) had their work on insect evolution written up in the NY Times, including some data collected at Gothic. Mongabay Magazine also interviewed Dr. Carol Boggs and Nimue Shive (both from the Univ. of South Carolina) about the effects of climate change on Gothic butterflies. But in the wildflower capital of the world, it’s hard to outshine plants. The Wall Street Journal, 9 News, and the CBS Sunday Morning show all mentioned RMBL’s wildflower tours, with RMBL Wildflower Tour leader Rick Reavis taking several star turns.

The concern about water and explosion in atmospheric research brought a great deal of attention, with Aspen Public Radio drawing attention to mountains of data and 9 News quoting Dr. Ken Williams (Lawrence Berkeley Lab) about the nation’s first atmosphere to bedrock field laboratory. The Colorado Sun featured the use of airplanes for water forecasting, an approach that builds on RMBL field work, led by Dr. Jeff Deems (UC-Boulder) and assisted by Dr. Rosemary Carroll (Desert Research Institute). A PBS documentary highlighted how new technology extends from field sensors through airplanes all the way to satellites.

RMBL students caught some attention too! East Los Angeles College featured Daniel Novoa and Nhan Nguyen, Pomona College featured Sofia Dartnell, and Colorado State University profiled Ayaka Paul, with each piece mentioning the time spent by students in Gothic. RMBL’s use of ebikes to support student transportation while reducing our carbon footprint caught the attention of documentary makers associated with the Gunnison County Electric Association.

Finally, Hakai Magazine interviewed RMBL Executive Director, Dr. Ian Billick, about the impacts of climate change on operating field stations and marine laboratories.