Researcher Rates for 2023

All prices are in USD. A summary of commonly used fees is below. For a full list of fees and a printable fee document, please visit: 2023 RMBL Rate Schedule

Application Fees

Data Curation:  RMBL offers data services for scientists. Our goals are to foster collaboration by creating a data-rich environment through improved archiving, discoverability, and interpretation of data.  We also want to make it easier for scientists to fulfill federal data-sharing requirements.

Participation in these efforts is voluntary. We will provide interested scientists up to 4 hours of annual staff time to assist with data curation, archiving, and submission to a database. If scientists would like data services beyond the initial 4 hours of support, RMBL would charge $30/hr. To cover the initial 4 hours of staff time of curation services we increased application fees in 2020 by $50 for scientists and students who will be collecting data. Visiting scientists who are not collecting data and research assistants working under a PI’s plan will not be charged this fee. After 2020, there were no additional fee increases for curation services.

Specific services include providing scientists with a template metadata form that they can use as a starting point and which includes RMBL metadata (e.g., location data from our geodatabase) already filled in. Additionally, we will review scientists’ data and metadata for interpretability. Our default data repository will be with the Environmental Data Initiative (EDI), https://environmentaldatainitiative.org/ , but we are happy to help archive data in any reasonable location. Except in unusual circumstances, the support for archiving data will happen outside summer, though we can do a brief initial consultation in summer.

Portal: In 2022, we increased application fees by $25 for researchers and by $10 for research assistants/research team members. The increase in fee is to help cover the cost of the RMBL portal. The RMBL Community Portal allows for researchers and RMBL community members to arrange and manage many aspects of their RMBL activity under one online account, including project submission, housing reservations, trainings, meal reservations, and much more coming soon.

Station Use Fee for Scientists: $25.50/day for every person 17 or over living in Gothic. The station use fee is calculated from the arrival date until the departure date; individuals will be charged for days during which they are gone unless they have completely moved out of their cabin and made prior arrangements with the Director of Operations.

This fee also applies to researchers and their lab team members who live off-site but work through RMBL. While station fees are charged for family members living in Gothic, family members living off-site are not charged station fees. The station fee covers the cost of permitting, research site coordination, geodatabase support, research support, managing relationships with landowners and the general public, and other administrative expenses.

RMBL policy is for offsite researchers to be charged station fees from the arrival date until the departure date. For scientists spending time in the Gunnison Basin for non-research reasons, they can elect to track their RMBL research days and report them monthly to the Accounting office.  This arrangement must be documented in writing with the Chief Operating Officer (kelly@rmbl.org) before the research visit.  In cases where this arrangement is made please complete this reservation for the entire stay in the Gunnison Basin.  Failure to timely submit research days to the Accounting office may result in the revocation of this privilege.

Station Use Fee for Non-Scientists: RMBL charges a 25% surcharge on station fees and housing for anybody who is not a scientist (a scientist is defined as: someone who has an approved research application or is a visiting scientist), a research assistant, a student, staff member, or an immediate family member (partner, parent, or child) of a scientist, research assistant, student, or staff member. In 2023, station fees for guests, alumni, and visitors will be $31.75 per person per day.

Undergraduate Students Participating in RMBL Education Program:

• Applications: $40.00 submitted after Feb.15; there is no fee for applications submitted on/before Feb.15.
• Deposit: Except for federally funded students and students with full scholarships, accepted students must pay a personal deposit of $500 to hold their spot, which will be applied toward the program fee. If you decide not to come to RMBL, the $500 deposit is non-refundable.
• Coursework fees: $8,500 for the 10–week summer session (June 8 – August 15). This is one program fee that includes 70 consecutive days of housing, meals, station fees, and tuition.
• Airport/Bus Station Transportation: RMBL will arrange Alpine Express Shuttle Services for students arriving on June 8 and departing on August 15 to and from the Gunnison Bus Stop or the Gunnison Airport, if booked on or before May 1^st. The cost to book shuttle transportation through RMBL is $20 per person each way. After May 1st, the student will need to arrange for their own travel to Gothic.
• Early arrival and late departure: All students receive 70 consecutive days of housing, meals, station fees, and tuition. Two additional days may be added onto the beginning and/or the end for no additional cost. Students are responsible for paying for any days beyond those. RMBL does not reduce fees for shorter stays or when the stay is outside of the Dining Hall opening hours.

Other Deposits: PIs, RAs, staff, and family members should not submit deposits.

Housing: Detailed information on housing can be found here.

Cabin Cleaning Penalty: Residents are responsible for working with their roommates to ensure their assigned cabin is left clean at the end of the season. Failure to return a cabin in a clean manner will result in all roommates being charged a $50/hour cleaning charge with a minimum of one hour.

Changing Housing Dates:

• Between April 1^st and May 1^st, researchers or their assistants who change their length of stay for a total of more than 7 days (e.g., if you planned to be in Gothic for 65 days but change that to 57) will incur a one- time fee of $100.00.
• Any date changes after May 1^st that result in a total reduction in length of stay of more than 7 days during the period of June 1^st and August 24^th will result in a charge of 100% of the lost revenue associated with station fees, laboratory fees, and housing to RMBL (after the 7 days have been subtracted).
• Dates may be changed once at no charge. After one change has been made (either reduction or extension of stay), RMBL will charge a $25.00 processing fee for each additional change of dates affecting the period between June 1^st and August 24^th. The processing fee does not apply to date changes affecting early season arrivals or late season departures.
• Fee waivers will only be granted in cases of personal illness (with doctor’s documentation) or family emergencies such as death or illness in the family.
• Researchers who decide after May 1^st that they wish to extend the length of their stay, should understand that housing and lab accommodations may not be available. There is no financial penalty for extending a stay. If a researcher decides to extend their stay, they will need to let the Administration office know as soon as possible. A researcher may not be able to stay in the same cabin if the stay is extended.

Laboratory, Office & Storage Fees: Please go here to read about laboratory and office space rental rates as well as storage fees.

Meals: Residents in non-cooking housing have priority for space in the Dining Hall, and meal costs are included in their housing rates. For those in cooking cabins, it is possible to purchase a variety of meal plans, as long as space allows. For those eating all of their meals on the meal plan, meals are $39.75/day. Meal hours are: Breakfast 7:00am – 8 am, Lunch 12:00pm – 1 pm, Dinner 6:00pm – 7 pm. Menus are posted weekly to aid in meal planning.

Individual meals cost:

• $10.25 for breakfast
• $14.50 for lunch
• $18.00 for dinner
• Children under 4 are free and ages 4 – 12 are half-price.

Use of Domestic Kitchen: Residents who would like to use the domestic kitchen in the billy barr community center will sign up through the Administration Office to get a zone and code assigned. The cost is $50.00 for the season. If we assign a resident to use the domestic kitchen due to housing constraints, the use is free. A cleaning fee of $45.00/hr. may be charged, if the space is not left in a clean condition after check-out.

Parking: Parking permits in Gothic are mandatory and need to be purchased per vehicle. Detailed information on Parking can be found here.

Non-Scientists (Guests, Alumni, and Visitors): Read here about having Guests visit.

Groups: RMBL has special rates for visiting groups. Please go here for details.

Grants Run Through RMBL: RMBL provides a 25% discount on station fees and housing paid by grants or subcontracts run through RMBL.

Pets: Pets, such as dogs or cats, are not allowed at RMBL any time of the year. Pets should not be inside the RMBL fence line, even within vehicles. Please park vehicles with pets at the Visitor Center parking lot or on the county road. People violating these restrictions will be warned once, and then fined $50.00/incident.

Phones: A phone line can be installed at your request in the laboratory buildings in your lab and in the following cabins: Galena, Gates, Mt. Emmons, Rogers Boggs, and Teocalli. RMBL charges $70.00 per summer for the installation and maintenance of a phone line. All charges are in addition to CenturyLink fees for service and installation.

Personal Items:
RMBL will charge $50/person/hour with a $50.00 minimum for dealing with personal items. This includes, but is not limited to, cleaning up personal items in cabins, moving personal items between cabins, shipping large or time-sensitive items, moving items between research labs, and cleaning up research materials in the field.

Responsibility to Pay Fees: Once accepted, researchers, research assistants, students and others are obligated to pay all fees that apply to the facilities and services they have requested. Principal Investigators are responsible for the financial obligations of all team members they employ. Bills outstanding for more than 60 days will incur an interest charge of 5% per annum. Persons delinquent in payment of fees may not return to RMBL until all outstanding bills for themselves and their research teams have been paid. All individuals are responsible for any collection fees above and beyond interest charges for accounts delinquent more than one year. It is RMBL’s policy to take payment of incurred fees with either check or cash. We make exceptions to this policy for international scientists only. U.S. scientists can apply in writing to the Director of Operations for an exception which will be granted only under extreme circumstances.

Exceptions: Any exceptions to these rates and policies must be granted in advance in writing from the
Director of Administration or the Chief Operating Officer.

Interpretation: The rate sheet found HERE supersedes any other information on the website or that is given orally. In case of a contradiction, we go by information on the rate sheet. Interpretation of this rate sheet is by the Director of Operations and can be appealed to the Chief Operating Officer.