December 2022 E Newsletter
the power of PLACE
Longer days
While the acceleration of time with age can be distressing, when it is -10 F and daylight is a precious commodity, the blur of time can be comforting. But my New Year’s resolution is to seek comfort not in escaping, but in looking up.
I’m back in my early morning routine of walking up and skiing down Crested Butte Mountain. Every year, my turning point is further away, even if the location is unchanged. Time may be moving faster, but I’m moving slower. Reaching the top, I’m sweaty and cold. Despite the wind I have to take my gloves off so I can fumble with gear. An hour to walk up, it’s easy to focus on the two-minute ski down that will have me sipping mocha in the Coffee Lab. But when I linger and look up, I am rewarded with a warm glow, the tingle of the fingers of a rose-colored dawn caressing Gothic Mountain and the Elk Mountain Range. How lucky am I to be there, in that moment, at that place?
Ian Billick | PhD
Executive Director, RMBL
sciencestories
RMBL in the news
RMBL in the News
(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.