The Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (RMBL) is an independent, nonprofit field station with no institutional affiliation. The RMBL provides facilities for those who wish to study high-altitude biology in a field setting. The facility is used by approximately 160 scientists, students, and research assistants for roughly 10,000 user-days each year. As part of finalizing a detailed facilities master plan in 2005 the Lab conducted an EPA-approved wetlands delineation and mapped the locations of its outhouses, septic tanks, and leach fields. A review of regulatory standards for waste water systems indicated that some of the Lab's systems were either in wetlands, or within wetland/riparian buffer zones. In part to avoid a potential cease and desist order, the RMBL has hired an engineering firm and has been working with county and state officials to design a plan for bringing the Lab's system into compliance and for managing future waste demands. With this award the RMBL will install a 2800 square foot leach field that will have the capacity to process approximately half of the Lab's waste water. Because of our remote location, the ability to appropriately manage human waste is a necessary part of facilitating research activities and minimizing the impact of the Lab's infrastructure on research. The RMBL has worked to diversify the scientific community. The RMBL has hosted 164 Research Experience for Undergraduate participants since 1991, including 56 students that belong to minority groups underrepresented in the sciences. Forty-seven percent of the lead investigators at the Lab in the last five years have been women. Additionally, research conducted at the Lab (and supported by these facilities) has been used for making national environmental policy.
This project paid for installation of a waste water system at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (RMBL), an independent, nonprofit field station located in the central Rockies of Colorado. Each year RMBL provides facilities for approximately 200 field scientists and students from across the United States. Founded in 1928, scientists have produced at least 1300 peer-reviewed scientific publications addressing a wide range of issues in biology, including evolution, pollination biology, behavioral ecology, stream ecology, population biology, and conservation biology. RMBL is particularly well known for its collection of long-term studies which provide insights into how biological systems are responding to a changing world. RMBL has helped create a scientifically literate workforce by training thousands of students. Each year approximately 100 undergraduates work at RMBL, either through a formal training program or by working as a research assistant under the guidance of a senior scientist. Many individuals cite a summer at RMBL as a capstone learning experience that influenced them throughout their careers. Science at RMBL also informs national policy. Work at RMBL has deepened our understanding of pollution, including informing revision of the National Clean Air Act and providing insights into the use of insects for assessing water quality. Work at RMBL led to creation of non-consumptive water rights in the state of Colorado, and has shed led on a range of policy issues including the management of genetically modified organisms, the use of exotic insects for the control of invasive plants, and the decline of pollinators. The investment in upgrading RMBL’s waste water system maintains the value of a substantial existing investment in RMBL’s infrastructure. RMBL maintains over 45,000 square feet of space distributed among cabins, research laboratories, and administrative space. Built by a range of funders including the National Science Foundation, private donors and foundations, and state foundations, RMBL is a critical part of providing scientists opportunities to work in a remote environment while minimizing the impacts on the ecosystems which the scientists are studying. Finally, supplemental funding through this project provided support for four undergraduate students, three K-12 teachers, and three faculty from teaching colleges. Consequently this project directly contributed to science training by providing opportunities for 10 individuals to work directly with scientists. These experiences allowed undergraduates an opportunity to explore whether they wish to pursue a career in science and gave the teachers and college faculty opportunities to bring research experiences into their classrooms.
