Founded in 1928, RMBL is a 501 c3 based in Crested Butte, CO (winter) and Gothic, CO (summer) with the purpose of supporting field research and education in the Gunnison Basin. RMBL's main facilities are located in Gothic, Colorado which is accessible to vehicular traffic for approximately half the year, with access the remainder of the year through skiing and snowshoeing. RMBL supports access to sites for field research, managing approximately 4,000 research sites, on the approximately 1,000 acres it owns and manages, through special use
permits on three forest service districts spread across two forests (GMUG and White River), and by permission on property owned by private individuals. Additionally, RMBL provides logistical support for field research by housing up to 180 people at a time in Gothic, providing access to research equipment and laboratory space, and providing food services. RMBL supports collaboration through undergraduate and K-12 programs that it operates. RMBL's busiest time of the year is summer research season which begins in May and extends through September. RMBL has approximately 14 year-round employees, with seasonal employees bringing the yearly total to 70+.
Universities affiliated / Parent Organization No
Federal, state, or local governmental partners? USFS
Classes Offered Undergraduate, Graduate, K-12, Continuing Education/Informal learning, and Onsite public programs
Terrestrial: Temperate Woodland and Shrubland, Temperate Forest, and Tundra
Mesocosms, plots, stream diversions, or other sets ups for outdoor manipulative experiments Yes
Additional Information Private nonprofit organization?
Names of Universities affilated 0
Federal, state, or local governmental partners? USFS
Name of partner
Tribal partners/users No
MSI/HBCU users Yes
Community College users Yes
Member of the Virtual Field Yes
Visiting a FS/ML Open to the Public No
Year round staff 11-20
Seasonal staff
Overnight housing facilities/# of beds 50+
Distance to emergency services 41-60 minutes
Library Yes
Hiking trails Yes
Internship employment Yes
Biomes Temperate Woodland and Shrubland, Temperate Forest, and Tundra
Minimum Elevation 1501-3000 meters
Maximum Elevation 3000+ meters
Köppen climate classification C (temperate)
Freshwater habitats Yes
Urban or rural
Agricultural fields Yes
Research REU host station Yes
Dry lab space Yes
Wet Lab space Yes
Research vessels available No
GIS capacity on site Yes
Long term data sets Yes
On site herbarium or voucher species
Formal Data Management Plan Yes
Mesocosms, plots, stream diversions, or other sets ups for outdoor manipulative experiments Yes
8000 County Road 317
Crested Butte, CO 81224
United States
North America
PO Box 519
Latitude 38.95850 Longitude -106.98770
Job PostingsRocky Mountain Biological Laboratory Executive Director
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