November 2019 E Newsletter

the power of PLACE

Giving Starts at Home

RMBL relies upon donations to operate.  Scientists and students all pay to be at RMBL.  But we maintain 70+ buildings in a harsh environment almost 2 miles above sea level.  The elevation is a double whammy.  Not only does almost 40 feet of snow beat up the cabins, but Gothic is closed for half the year, limiting our ability to rent the cabins out year-round and spread out the cost of maintaining them.  Donations also allow us to support year-round K-12 programs and to accelerate discoveries by creating a data rich environment.

Ian Billick - Director RMBL

Ian Billick | PhD
Executive Director, RMBL

sciencestories

Rick Williams, PhD & Rosemary Smith, PhD

Botany and Beetle Mania

It’s hard not to admire burying beetles. They fly around, lured by the aroma of a small mammal’s fresh carcass (which they can smell from far away). When they find a carcass, they meet a date, hook up, and start preparing the carcass to feed their growing family. It’s quite a ritual. They strip off the animal’s hair, roll the body into a ball, and neatly bury it next to their eggs. The body feeds parents and larva until the kids leave home.