[MUSIC] - AWE-INSPIRING.

THAT'S KIND OF WHAT IT IS TO BE OUT HERE.

- IT'S LIKE SCIENCE SUMMER CAMP FOR ADULTS, SO IT'S A FUN PLACE TO BE.

- THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN BIOLOGICAL LAB HAS PERHAPS THE WORLD'S LARGEST COLLECTION OF LONG-TERM STUDIES.

IT'S PROBABLY THE MOST INTENSIVELY STUDIED VALLEY IN THE WORLD.

- RMBL IS A REALLY IMPORTANT PLACE BECAUSE OF HOW MUCH WE KNOW ABOUT THIS PLACE.

- SO, A LOT OF OUR QUALITY OF LIFE, A LOT OF OUR ECONOMIC SYSTEMS, REALLY SIT ON TOP OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROCESSES.

- THE SQUIRRELS THAT WE STUDY OUT HERE ARE GROUND SQUIRRELS.

THEY PROVIDE A LOT OF REALLY IMPORTANT SERVICES.

- THE MARMOT PROJECT IS THE WORLD'S SECOND-LONGEST STUDY OF FREE-LIVING MAMMALS, WHERE INDIVIDUALS ARE TRACKED OVER TIME.

- THIS ONE.

- WELL, WE NEED POLLINATORS TO KEEP PLANT POPULATIONS HEALTHY.

WE'RE LEARNING A LOT ABOUT HOW DIFFERENT SPECIES RESPOND TO CLIMATE CHANGE.

- THE MORE WE CAN DRAW THESE LINKS BETWEEN WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH CLIMATE AND WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH OUR NATURAL WORLD AND HUMANITY IN GENERAL, THE MORE PEOPLE ARE CONVINCED THAT WE NEED TO ACT.

[MUSIC] - I AM ONE OF FIVE PEOPLE THAT LIVES IN GOTHIC IN THE WINTERTIME.

SOME YEARS, THERE'S AS FEW AS TWO PEOPLE OUT HERE.

SOME YEARS, THERE'S MAYBE UP TO TEN, WHICH DOESN'T SOUND LIKE A LOT, BUT SOMETIMES IT CAN FEEL LIKE A LOT.

WHAT WE DO IS BASICALLY TAKE CARE OF THE FACILITIES AND HELP RUN THE FACILITIES FOR THE EIGHT TO NINE MONTHS OF THE YEAR WHEN THE SCIENTISTS AREN'T HERE.

THEY'RE BACK AT THEIR HOME INSTITUTION, PROCESSING THE DATA FROM THEIR FIELD SEASON.

SO, FROM SEPTEMBER UNTIL ABOUT MAY, IT'S PRETTY QUIET.

- STARTING IN APRIL, THE FIRST RESEARCHERS START TO COME OUT, AND THOSE ARE TYPICALLY DAN BLUMSTEIN AND HIS CREW WORKING ON MARMOTS BECAUSE THEY WANT TO BE HERE WHEN THE MARMOTS COME OUT OF HIBERNATION.

- IN THE SPRING, WHEN I COME OUT, IT'S LOVELY.

THERE'S NO ONE HERE.

WE HAVE THIS WHOLE VALLEY TO OURSELVES, AND IT'S PRETTY ACCESSIBLE.

IT'S A THREE-AND-A-HALF-MILE SKI FROM MOUNT CRESTED BUTTE.

GOING FROM WINTER TO SPRING, SOMETIMES IN SOME YEARS WHEN WE COME OUT HERE, THE RIVERS ARE ALL FROZEN.

YOU DON'T HEAR ANYTHING.

IT'S QUIET.

YOU HEAR THE WIND, AND THEN THE RIVER BREAKS OPEN AND YOU START HEARING WATER.

YOU STILL HEAR THE WIND WHEN THE SNOW MELTS, AND THEN THE GLACIER LILIES COME UP, AND THE GRASSES BLOOM.

[MUSIC] - THE ROAD WILL OPEN OUT HERE, DEPENDING ON THE SNOW CONDITIONS, USUALLY IN MAY SOMETIME.

WHEN THAT ROAD OPENS, WE'LL GO FROM THE FIVE PEOPLE WHO ARE OUT HERE OVER THE WINTER TO 180 WITHIN A MATTER OF A COUPLE OF WEEKS.

SO, IT IS A SPRINT TO GET EVERYTHING READY, WATER FLOWING, AND FACILITIES OPEN, AND CABINS READY.

[DINNER BELL RINGING] - USUALLY, BY THE FIRST WEEK OF JUNE, IT'S REALLY STARTING TO EXPLODE.

WE CALL IT ONE OF THE LARGEST ANNUAL MIGRATIONS OF FIELD BIOLOGISTS.

[MUSIC] THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN BIOLOGICAL LAB HAS PERHAPS THE WORLD'S LARGEST COLLECTION OF LONG-TERM STUDIES.

SO, WE HAVE QUITE A FEW STUDIES THAT STRETCH ACROSS DECADES.

WE PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR SCIENTISTS THAT WANT TO DO FIELD WORK.

WE OFFER ACCESS TO FIELD SITES, LOGISTICAL SUPPORT, AND THEN WE CREATE COMMUNITIES.

SO, WE HAVE EDUCATION PROGRAMS AND FACILITATE COLLABORATIONS.

- THERE'S A LOT OF MOVING PARTS, SO MAKING SURE THAT YOU TAKE REALLY GOOD DATA AND DOUBLE-CHECK ALL YOUR ENTRIES IS REALLY IMPORTANT.

- THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN BIOLOGICAL LAB HAS TURNED INTO THIS WORLD-CLASS FACILITY, AND THERE'S PEOPLE COMING FROM AROUND THE WORLD TO DO RESEARCH HERE.

- I THINK ONE REASON THAT THIS HAS BECOME SUCH A POPULAR PLACE FOR RESEARCHERS TO WORK IS THAT IT OFFERS EASY ACCESS TO A VARIETY OF KINDS OF HABITATS, AND THEN GOOD LOGISTICAL SUPPORT FROM THE STAFF AT THE BIOLOGICAL LAB WHO HELP WITH PLACES TO STAY, A DINING HALL, HELP WITH PERMITS THAT WE NEED TO GET FROM THE FOREST SERVICE OR THE COUNTY.

[HORN PLAYING] - AND WE HAVE ABOUT 4,000 DIFFERENT LOCATIONS THAT WE TRACK EVERY YEAR WHERE PEOPLE ARE ACTUALLY COLLECTING RESEARCH OR DATA ON THAT SPECIFIC PLOT ON THE GROUND.

IT'S PROBABLY THE MOST INTENSIVELY STUDIED VALLEY IN THE WORLD.

- THE FLY-BY IMAGE OF COMING UP THE VALLEY AND SEEING ALL OF THE STUDY SITES THAT WERE MAPPED A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO.

WHEN I SAW THAT, MY JAW DROPPED.

WE KNOW A LOT ABOUT A LOT OF THINGS IN THIS AREA.

THERE ARE RMBL STUDY PLOTS EVERYWHERE AROUND HERE.

- I LOVE THAT ABILITY TO PAY ATTENTION TO THE STORY OF A PLACE OVER A REALLY LONG TIME, AND TO GET TO KNOW THE INDIVIDUAL RESEARCHERS WHO COME UP HERE YEAR AFTER YEAR, AND JUST SEE THE STORY OF THIS PLACE PLAYING OUT OVER TIME.

[MUSIC] - GOTHIC WAS AN OLD SILVER MINING TOWN BACK IN THE 1880S.

IT WAS ONLY REALLY A BOOM TOWN FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS.

- GOTHIC WAS FOUNDED IN 1879.

THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN RIGHT ON THE EDGE OF THE HISTORIC BOUNDARY WITH THE UTES, THE 107TH MERIDIAN.

IN THE 1870S, THE MINERS STARTED FLOODING INTO COLORADO, PUSHING THE UTES OFF OF THEIR TERRITORY.

AND THEN, THE UNITED STATES WAS CHANGING THINGS WITH CURRENCY, AND THE VALUE OF SILVER DROPPED.

AND SO, THE INTEREST IN MINING HERE DISSIPATED.

AND WE WERE KIND OF FOUNDED ON THE TAIL END OF THAT.

- 1928 IS WHEN THE LAB WAS INITIATED.

SO, A FEW YEARS BEFORE THAT PROBABLY IS WHEN JOHN C. JOHNSON SR. BEGAN WORKING OUT HERE.

- RMBL WAS STARTED IN 1928 BY A PROFESSOR THEN AT WESTERN COLLEGE, AND HE SORT OF CAME UP TO USE THIS AS A PLACE TO TEACH AND STUDY ANIMALS BASICALLY.

AND ULTIMATELY, THIS ATTRACTED A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT SPENT THEIR LIVES WORKING ON THINGS HERE.

- THESE PHOTOGRAPHS WERE TAKEN IN 1929.

SO, THIS SHOWS THE GOTHIC TOWN SITE AND THE BIOLOGY LAB SHORTLY AFTER ITS FOUNDING.

AND SO, WHAT WE SEE HERE ARE A COUPLE OF SCIENTISTS DOING BASIC BIODIVERSITY WORK IN THE OLD MINING BUILDINGS.

WE CONVERTED THEM TO A BOTANICAL LAB AND A MAMMALOGY LABORATORY.

- THE FACILITIES WERE MUCH MORE RUSTIC THAN WE HAVE NOW HERE IN OUR CABIN OR IN MANY OF THE CABINS OF THE LAB.

NO FLUSH TOILETS, EVERYBODY HAD AN OUTHOUSE.

THE CABINS WERE HEATED WITH WOOD STOVES.

- SO, THIS IS ORIGINAL CHINKING FROM WHEN THEY BUILT THIS CABIN IN 1935.

AND BEFORE THE CHINKING DRIED, THEY CAME AND SCRIBBLED ALL THEIR NAMES.

IT INCLUDES DR. JOHNSON, WHO IS THE FOUNDER OF RMBL.

SO, THAT'S 1935.

SO, IT'S ALL AUGUST 1, 1935.

WHEN I CAME IN AS DIRECTOR, I JUST STARTED CONSOLIDATING ALL THE HISTORIC MATERIAL.

THIS IS A COPY OF OUR MENUS FROM 1935.

SO, THIS IS, I THINK, THURSDAY, AUGUST 1ST LUNCH, WHITE SAUCE, CHEESE, TOMATO SAUCE, SODA, AND TOAST.

DINNER, HAMBURGER, SPANISH RICE, STUFFED PRUNE SALAD, CHOCOLATE CAKE, AND LEMON SAUCE.

SO, THEY FINISHED THAT BUILDING ON AUGUST 1.

SO, THEY PROBABLY WOULD HAVE HAD LUNCH, AND THEN GONE BACK OVER TO THE CABIN, AND ENJOYED A LATE AFTERNOON, AND WANDERED OVER TO THE DINING HALL FOR HAMBURGERS THAT EVENING.

- CERTAINLY, A LOT'S CHANGED SINCE THE EARLY DAYS WHERE PEOPLE, WHEN THEY CAME OUT WITH THE SCIENTISTS, I IMAGINE THEY SPENT AS MUCH TIME ON THEIR LOGISTICS AND SUBSISTENCE AS THEY DID ON THEIR SCIENCE.

I WOULD SAY THAT'S TRANSITIONED OVER TIME TO MAKING SURE THE LAB CAN PROVIDE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE FOR THOSE BASIC NEEDS SO THE SCIENTISTS CAN FOCUS ON THE SCIENCE.

COMING OUT OF WORLD WAR II, THE UNITED STATES REALLY DECIDED TO SERIOUSLY INVEST IN SCIENCE.

AND SO, THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION, WHICH IS ONE OF THE MAIN FUNDING ENTITIES OF FIELD SCIENCE, KIND OF EMERGED AFTER WORLD WAR II.

SO, THIS PLACE REALLY OPENED UP AFTER WORLD WAR II, ATTRACTING SCIENTISTS FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

- THERE'S BEEN QUITE A VARIETY OF KINDS OF WORK BEING DONE HERE.

CURRENTLY, THE SECOND LONGEST RUNNING PROGRAM IN THE WORLD ON A FREE-LIVING MAMMAL IS THE PROJECT ON MARMOTS THAT KEN ARMITAGE STARTED BACK IN THE 1960S, AND I THINK YOU'RE GOING TO LEARN MORE ABOUT FROM DAN BLUMSTEIN, MY NEIGHBOR UP THE HILL HERE.

[MUSIC] - SO, ON THOSE ASPEN TREES ON THE RIGHT, THERE'S A MARMOT NEXT TO THE TREE.

IT WAS ON THE TREE BEFORE.

I'M DAN BLUMSTEIN.

I'M A PROFESSOR OF ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY AT UCLA, AND I'M A LONG-TERM RESEARCHER AT THE RMBL.

I RUN THE LONG-TERM MARMOT PROJECT HERE.

IT WAS STARTED IN 1962 BY MY FORMER FRIEND AND COLLEAGUE, KEN ARMITAGE.

SINCE 2001, I'VE BEEN COMING HERE EVERY YEAR, TAKING CARE OF THE MARMOTS.

THERE'S ANOTHER MARMOT FORAGING ON A SLOPE OVER THERE.

MARMOT PROJECT IS THE WORLD'S SECOND LONGEST STUDY OF FREE-LIVING MAMMALS WHERE INDIVIDUALS ARE TRACKED OVER TIME.

IT'S A REALLY INCREDIBLY VALUABLE RESOURCE.

WE HAVE FOLLOWED THE FATES OF INDIVIDUALS FOR 63 YEARS.

IT ALLOWS US TO NOT ONLY UNDERSTAND POPULATION BIOLOGY PROCESSES, WHAT MAKES POPULATIONS GO UP AND GO DOWN, BUT IT ALSO ALLOWS US TO UNDERSTAND, REALLY, EVOLUTION IN THE WILD SELECTION.

PRETTY MUCH EVERY DAY, WEATHER PERMITTING, FROM MID-APRIL TO EARLY SEPTEMBER, WE TRY TO GO OUT AND OBSERVE THE INDIVIDUALS.

WE TRY TO GET TO MOST COLONY SITES OR ALL COLONY SITES, AND WE TRY TO WATCH THEM.

SO, WE DO A LOT OF SOCIAL OBSERVATIONS.

WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THEY'RE ALIVE.

WE KEEP TRACK OF WHEN PUPS COME UP.

WE GO OUT AND RAPIDLY TRY TO CATCH THEM BEFORE THEY START BECOMING FOX PROTEIN OR COYOTE PROTEIN.

SO, WE SPEND A LOT OF TIME WATCHING THE ANIMALS, QUANTIFYING THEIR BEHAVIOR.

- SO, WE TRAP IN THE MORNING, AND WE DO IT A BIT EARLIER IN THE DAY WHEN IT'S HOT, LIKE TODAY.

I'LL GRAB BOTH SIDES.

AND THEN, JUST GO, "GO, GO, GO.” GO, GO!

THERE WE GO.

- IT'S A WIRE MESH TRAP.

WE PUT BAIT BEHIND A TREADLE AND OPEN THE DOOR, AND THEY HIT THE TREADLE AND IT CLOSES.

AND WE TRANSFER THEM INTO A HANDLING BAG WHERE WE CAN ISOLATE A LEG, AND MEASURE A FOOT, AND MEASURE THEIR ANOGENITAL DISTANCE, AND WEIGH THEM, AND COLLECT SAMPLES.

WE COLLECT SOME BLOOD SAMPLES.

WE COLLECT ORAL MICROBIOME SAMPLES.

WE COLLECT FECES IF THEY DEFECATE.

- SO ESSENTIALLY, IN ORDER TO GET THE PLASMA SEPARATED FROM THE REMAINING CELLS, WE HAVE TO CENTRIFUGE ALL THE BLOOD.

AND IM GOING TO PUT IT IN.

WE'VE GOT ABOUT ONE MILLILITER.

SO, THAT'S A FULL SAMPLE.

- WE SHARE WITH OTHER PEOPLE TO ASK VARIOUS QUESTIONS THAT WE'RE NOT ASKING AND DEVELOP NEW COLLABORATIONS THAT WAY.

SHARING ACROSS STUDIES OF PEOPLE HERE, THERE'S A PRETTY HEALTHY DINNER PARTY CIRCUIT, COCKTAIL CIRCUIT HERE, AND HANGING OUT WITH PEOPLE AND SEEING WHAT THEY'RE DOING AND SEEING HOW PEOPLE CAN COLLABORATE.

ALL SORTS OF COLLABORATIONS HAVE BEEN BORN OUT OF SOCIAL INTERACTIONS AT RMBL.

[CHATTER] - I'LL ASK DAN FROM THE MARMOT CREW, LIKE, HOW ARE THE MARMOTS THIS YEAR?

HOW MANY DO YOU HAVE IN TOWN?

AND SEE, IS IT THE SAME?

IS IT DIFFERENT?

I HAVE SO MANY CONVERSATIONS THAT WAY, TRYING TO FIGURE OUT, WELL, WHY IS IT DIFFERENT FOR THE MARMOTS THAN IT IS FOR THE GROUND SQUIRRELS?

THEY'RE IN THE SAME PLACE.

THEY'RE EXPERIENCING THE SAME CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENT.

BUT OF COURSE, THERE ARE GOING TO BE SMALL DIFFERENCES.

SO, HERE IN THIS DRAWER, YOU CAN LOOK AT OUR KEY SQUIRRELS IN THE TOWN SITE CLOSE UP.

SO, OUR SMALLEST ONE IS THIS LEAST CHIPMUNK.

THAT IS DISTINCT FROM THE SPECIES THAT I STUDY, THE GOLDEN-MANTLED GROUND SQUIRREL, WHICH IS ABOUT FOUR OR FIVE TIMES AS BIG.

SO, THESE ARE BOTH CONSIDERED GROUND SQUIRRELS, AS IS THE GIANT, COMPARATIVELY, MARMOT — YELLOW-BELLIED MARMOT, WHICH IS QUITE A BIT LARGER THAN EITHER OF THOSE.

[MUSIC] I'M DR. CAITLIN WELLS, AND I CO-RUN A LONG-TERM STUDY OF GOLDEN MANTLED GROUND SQUIRRELS HERE AT THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN BIOLOGICAL LAB.

OKAY, JUST A CHIPMUNK.

THE STUDY WAS FOUNDED IN 1990 BY DIRK VAN VUREN.

THE SQUIRRELS THAT WE STUDY OUT HERE ARE GROUND SQUIRRELS.

THEY DON'T SPEND MUCH TIME IN TREES.

THEY DIG BURROWS UNDER THE GROUND.

SO, YOU THINK SHE IS PUTTING THE NESTING MATERIAL IN A BURROW SOMEWHERE AROUND THOSE TWO ROCKS?

- OKAY.

WELL, I'M REALLY INTERESTED IN HOW THE ENVIRONMENT IMPACTS ANIMAL BEHAVIOR.

THE VERY BEGINNING OF THE SUMMER, AFTER SNOW MELTS, THAT'S WHEN ALL THE ADULTS ARE EMERGING FROM HIBERNATION.

SO, OUR FOCUS IS SAFELY TRAPPING ANIMALS TO IDENTIFY WHO THEY ARE BASED ON THE EAR TAGS THAT WE GIVE THEM AND ADDING A UNIQUE DIE MARK.

THIS IS OUR CHEAT SHEET OF ALL OF THE GROUND SQUIRRELS.

SO, IMAGINE THAT EACH RECTANGLE IS THE BACK OF A SQUIRREL.

WE ADD A FUR DIE TO IDENTIFY WITH A UNIQUE DIE MARK WHO THEY ARE.

OUR GOAL IS TO TRAP THEM SAFELY AND KNOW WHO SURVIVED OVER WINTER OR NOT.

OKAY, SO THIS IS 120701.

SHE IS A REPRODUCTIVE FEMALE AND A LEGENDARY GROUND SQUIRREL AT THIS POINT.

SHE'S EIGHT YEARS OLD WHEN MOST SQUIRRELS ARE LUCKY IF THEY MAKE IT TO TWO OR THREE.

BUT SHE'S GOT A REALLY GOOD SPOT HERE WITH LOTS OF ROCKS TO LOOK FOR PREDATORS, ACCESS TO LOTS OF VEGETATION TO FUEL HER DAILY ENERGY EXPENDITURE, AND THEN ALSO STORE ENOUGH FAT FOR HER TO SURVIVE OVER WINTER.

RIGHT NOW, MID-SUMMER, WE'RE WAITING FOR THOSE BABIES WHO WERE BORN UNDERGROUND IN EARLY JUNE AND ARE BEING NURSED UNDERGROUND TO COME ABOVE GROUND FOR THE FIRST TIME WHERE WE GET TO SEE THEM.

WE SPEND MOST OF THE MORNING, EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK, 8 TO 11, THAT IS PRIME SQUIRREL TIME.

- SO, THIS MORNING, I WAS COMING DOWN THIS TRAIL, AND I SAW ONE OF OUR FEMALES PEEK HER LITTLE HEAD, UP AND SHE WAS MUNCHING ON A DANDELION.

AND SO, I'VE BEEN HERE OBSERVING HER BEHAVIOR AND TRYING TO DETERMINE WHICH FEMALE IT IS BASED ON THE DIE MARK ON HER BACK.

- THE SURVIVAL OF ANY PARTICULAR LITTER IS ALWAYS A COIN FLIP.

THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS THAT CAN EAT A BABY GROUND SQUIRREL, AND THAT'S PART OF WHY THEY'RE SO IMPORTANT AS A SPECIES.

EVERYTHING UP AT THIS ELEVATION EATS THEM, BUT ALSO THEY BURROW AND SO THEY AERATE THE SOIL.

AND WHEN THEY COLLECT SEEDS, THEY'RE LIKE LITTLE GARDENERS AT THIS ELEVATION AS WELL.

SO, THEY PROVIDE A LOT OF REALLY IMPORTANT SERVICES, ECOSYSTEM SERVICES WE CALL IT IN ECOLOGY, AS WELL AS BEING JUST REALLY INTERESTING CREATURES TO STUDY.

[MUSIC] - OVER THE YEARS, AS IS THE CASE FOR SO MANY OF THE STUDIES HERE, THIS HAS BECOME A CLIMATE CHANGE STUDY.

BECAUSE THE CLIMATE HAS CHANGED SO MUCH AT THIS ELEVATION, TWO DEGREES WARMER DURING THE SUMMER AND WINTER, LONGER GROWING SEASONS, DRIER CONDITIONS, THAT'S A LOT OF WHAT WE'RE STUDYING AND HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO USE ALL OF THESE LONG-TERM DATA TO SEE HOW CHANGES IN CLIMATE ARE IMPACTING THIS PARTICULAR SPECIES.

IN HIGH DENSITY YEARS, WE HAVE THREE, OR FOUR, OR FIVE BOXES FULL OF SAMPLES.

THIS YEAR, WITH SO FEW SQUIRRELS ON THE TOWN SITE, WE JUST HAVE A FEW.

THE MORE WE CAN DRAW THESE LINKS BETWEEN WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH CLIMATE AND WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH OUR NATURAL WORLD AND HUMANITY IN GENERAL, I THINK THE MORE PEOPLE ARE CONVINCED THAT WE NEED TO ACT.

- WE'VE SEEN A LOT OF EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE OUT HERE.

ONE OF THE MOST DRAMATIC IS THE CHANGE IN WINTER PRECIPITATION.

THERE'S NOT AS MUCH SNOW THAT FALLS AS IT USED TO.

MORE OF OUR ANNUAL PRECIPITATION FALLS AS RAIN INSTEAD OF SNOW.

THE SPRINGS ARE WARMER, SO THE SNOW MELTS FASTER.

- WE'RE SEEING THAT THE ENVIRONMENT HAS PROFOUND INFLUENCES ON WHAT THESE ANIMALS ARE DOING AND WHAT THEIR ANNUAL CYCLE IS.

IF IT MELTS OUT SOONER BECAUSE IT'S HOTTER IN THE SPRING, THAT JUST GIVES THEM MORE TIME TO GAIN WEIGHT.

HOWEVER, EVERY DAY THEY'RE ACTIVE, THEY FACE SOME RISK OF PREDATION.

WE'VE FOUND THAT THERE'S AN OPTIMAL NUMBER OF DAYS TO BE ACTIVE.

SO, JUST BECAUSE THE SNOW MAY MELT OUT EARLIER, AND IN THEORY, INCREASE THE DURATION OF TIME THAT ALLOWS THEM TO EAT, IT ALSO INCREASES THE DURATION OF TIME THAT THEY HAVE TO GET KILLED BY A PREDATOR.

- AS THE CLIMATE WARMS AND AS SUMMERS GET LONGER, ANIMALS ARE MOVING UP TO STAY IN THEIR COMFORT ZONES.

AND AS WE WENT UP IN ALTITUDE, WE KEEP TRACK OF WHAT FLOWERS DID WE SEE AND WHAT BEES DID WE SEE.

- THE POLLINATION RESEARCH HERE GOES BACK TO THE 1970S.

THEY'RE INTERESTED IN WHAT'S THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE WILDFLOWERS AND THE POLLINATORS.

THEY'RE INTERESTED IN HOW CLIMATE CHANGE AFFECTS THE POLLINATORS.

THEY'RE INTERESTED IN HOW SUSTAINABLE OUR POLLINATOR SYSTEMS ARE.

THIS IS A FEMALE BROAD-TAILED HUMMINGBIRD, AND SHE HAS BEEN CAUGHT AT LEAST ONCE BEFORE, WHICH I CAN TELL BECAUSE SHES BANDED.

F33048 - I'M DAVID INOUYE, AND THIS IS MY 54TH SUMMER WORKING OUT HERE AT THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY.

I HAVE THE GOOD FORTUNE THAT MY TEAM OUT HERE INCLUDES BOTH MY SON, WHO GREW UP SPENDING SUMMERS OUT HERE SINCE AGE ONE, AND HIS WIFE, WHO HE MET OUT HERE.

- MY NAME IS BRIAN INOUYE, AND I'M OUT HERE AS A RESEARCHER.

I'VE BEEN COMING OUT HERE SINCE I WAS ONE.

WHEN MY WIFE AND I HAD OUR DAUGHTER, IT MADE US REALIZE HOW NICE IT WOULD BE TO SPEND SUMMERS UP HERE, WHERE SHE COULD HAVE THAT SAME EXPERIENCE OF RUNNING AROUND IN THE MOUNTAINS, AND GOING FOR HIKES, AND CLIMBING PEAKS, BUT ALSO SPENDING A LOT OF TIME WITH HER GRANDPARENTS.

- IT'S PRETTY AMAZING.

IT FEELS LIKE A SECOND HOME BECAUSE I KNOW SO MANY OF THE PEOPLE HERE, AND THIS VALLEY IS JUST SUCH AN AMAZING PLACE TO COME.

I REALLY LIKE THE HUMMINGBIRDS.

THERE'S A COUPLE HUMMINGBIRD PROJECTS GOING ON OUT HERE.

THEY'RE SO CUTE, AND THEY CAN FLY BACKWARDS AND UPSIDE DOWN IF THEY REALLY WANTED TO.

I ALSO LIKE THE FLOWERS, OF COURSE.

IT SEEMS KIND OF LOGICAL FOR ME TO TAKE OVER THE PROJECT THAT MY PARENTS ARE DOING WHEN I GROW UP.

- MY MAIN PROJECT HERE IS ONE THAT MY FATHER STARTED IN 1973, AND MY WIFE AND I HAVE TAKEN THE LEAD IN THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS.

IT'S TRACKING THE TIMING OF FLOWERING FOR A WHOLE BUNCH OF WILDFLOWER SPECIES IN PERMANENT PLOTS THAT WE VISIT THREE TIMES A WEEK, AND WE COUNT ALL THE OPEN FLOWERS OF EVERY SPECIES.

- LAST WEEK, WE HAD NINE OPEN LUPINE FLOWERS.

THAT WAS FRIDAY, AND TODAY WE HAVE 147 OPEN LUPINE FLOWERS.

- SO, POLLINATORS ARE INSECTS AND HUMMINGBIRDS THAT CARRY POLLEN FROM PLANT TO PLANT.

THE REASON THAT WE NEED SO MANY POLLINATORS IS BECAUSE THEY MAINTAIN THE DIVERSITY OF PLANTS THAT WE SEE, AND THAT'S BOTH THE DIVERSITY OF THE WILDFLOWERS THAT WE SEE OUT HERE, THE HUNDREDS OF SPECIES OF WILDFLOWERS, BUT ALSO CROPS THAT WE EAT.

- I'M GOING TO GO PUT THIS OUT ON THE TRAP.

THIS IS JUST THE COLLECTION JAR THAT GOES TO THE TOP OF THE TRAP.

PULL OUT THIS TISSUE.

SO, BUGS CAN GO UP THIS FUNNEL, AND THEN THEY GET STUCK IN HERE.

IN THE 1970S, NOBODY WAS REALLY THINKING ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE YET, AND SO THE GOALS OF THE PROJECT HAVE CHANGED OVER THE DECADES AS CLIMATE CHANGE HAS BECOME MORE OF A CONCERN, AND NEW QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH THE PLANT COMMUNITY, NOT JUST FROM A BEE'S POINT OF VIEW, BUT FROM THE PLANTS THEMSELVES.

SO, WE'VE HAD TO ADD SOME ADDITIONAL DATA.

NINE, ONE.

PLANT HEIGHTS AND PLANT COVER TO LOOK AT HOW THE PLANT COMMUNITY IS CHANGING FROM YEAR TO YEAR.

WE'VE ALSO STARTED TAGGING SOME INDIVIDUAL PLANTS AND FOLLOWING THEM AS THEY FLOWER THROUGH THE SEASON BECAUSE INSTEAD OF JUST SAYING, "OH, THIS SPECIES IS FLOWERING EARLIER,” WE WANT TO KNOW IS THAT BECAUSE ALL THE INDIVIDUALS ARE FLOWERING EARLIER IF IT'S A WARM SPRING, OR IS IT A CHANGE IN WHICH INDIVIDUALS ARE FLOWERING?

- ELEVEN.

PLUS ONE.

- AND SO, THAT HELPS US UNDERSTAND WHETHER THE WHOLE POPULATION IS SOMEHOW ADAPTING TO CONDITIONS JUST BY SHIFTING WHAT THEY DO, OR IS THERE A TURNOVER OF INDIVIDUALS WITHIN THE POPULATION AND THE POTENTIAL FOR THE PLANTS TO BE EVOLVING AS THE CLIMATE IS SHIFTING?

ARE THEY ABLE TO EVOLVE AND TRACK WHAT THE CLIMATE IS DOING?

I THINK ONE OF THE ROLES OF SCIENTISTS IN SOCIETY IS TO BE ABLE TO MAKE PREDICTIONS, AND SO WE CAN GAZE INTO OUR CRYSTAL BALL AND SAY, "WELL, IF CLIMATE CHANGE CONTINUES ON THE TRAJECTORY THAT IT'S HAPPENING NOW, AND THE CHANGES THAT WE'VE RECORDED OVER THE LAST 50 YEARS CONTINUE ON THE SAME LINE, HERE'S WHAT IT'S GOING TO LOOK LIKE HERE IN 50 YEARS.

IF YOU DON'T LIKE THAT FUTURE, THEN WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.” IN THE 80S AND 90S IS WHEN WE KIND OF REALLY STARTED TO HAVE A YOUTH PROGRAMS DEPARTMENT AND BECAME MORE FORMALIZED WITH OUR PROGRAM OFFERINGS.

- GO DO WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO DO AND MAYBE PLAY ANOTHER LITTLE GAME.

- WHOA!

- AND THEN WE CAN ALSO ADJUST THIS ONE TO GET BIGGER.

- HERE, WATCH.

- THOSE SCIENCE CAMPERS REALLY PROGRESS IN THEIR UNDERSTANDING OF THE SCIENTIFIC PROCESS AND OF WHAT THINGS ARE LIKE BEHIND THE SCENES IN A FIELD RESEARCH STATION.

- YOU CAN SEE WHAT WE'RE SHOWING YOU GUYS.

OKAY, GUYS, IS EVERYONE READY FOR A LITTLE BIT OF A LESSON?

PREDATORS ARE OMNIVORES AND CARNIVORES.

WHAT DO WE THINK THAT MEANS?

WE TALKED ABOUT IT YESTERDAY.

- THEY EAT EVERYTHING.

- I THINK KIDS START OUT EXCITED BY SCIENCE.

- COME ON THIS SIDE, AND GO AHEAD AND POP THROUGH.

THREE, TWO, ONE, GO.

- IF YOU TAKE A TODDLER ON A NATURE WALK IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD, THEY'RE GOING TO STOP FOR EVERY STICK, EVERY ANT, EVERY LEAF.

AND AS ADULTS, WE GET IMPATIENT.

- BIG LOG.

- NOT DISCOURAGING THAT NATURAL CURIOSITY LEADS TO MORE ADULTS WHO ARE STILL INTERESTED IN WHAT'S AROUND THEM.

- THE FACT THAT WE ARE JUST ABLE TO TEACH IN THIS ENVIRONMENT IS CRAZY.

THERE'S NOT A LOT OF KIDS WHO GET THIS OPPORTUNITY TO BE UP IN NATURE LIKE WE DO.

- WE GOT SO MANY BIG PAWS OVER HERE.

- IT'S JUST SO IMPORTANT THAT KIDS ACTUALLY GET OUT AND DRAW PLANTS, SEE DEER IN REAL LIFE, AND JUST LEARN ABOUT NATURE ALL AROUND.

- ON YOUR MARKS, GET SET, GO.

- I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR KIDS, WELL FOR ALL PEOPLE, TO HAVE SOME FAMILIARITY WITH SCIENCE JUST AS A WAY OF KNOWING MORE ABOUT THE WORLD AND BEING A MORE INFORMED CONSUMER OF INFORMATION.

- I ALWAYS SAY THAT KNOWLEDGE IS POWER, AND SO UNDERSTANDING HOW THINGS WORK IS REALLY KEY TO BOTH FORECASTING AND MAKING THE DECISIONS THAT WE NEED TO.

SO FOR ME, THE WORST SIN IS NOT BEING INTENTIONAL ABOUT THE LIFE AND THE DECISIONS YOU MAKE, BUT TO REALLY UNDERSTAND THE WORLD AROUND YOU AND DECIDE WHAT KIND OF WORLD YOU WANT TO LIVE IN.

TAKE OWNERSHIP OVER THAT.

SO, MY GOAL, AND I THINK OUR INSTITUTIONAL GOAL, IS JUST TO PROVIDE THAT KNOWLEDGE.

AND HOPEFULLY, A BUNCH OF YOUNG, EAGER, PASSIONATE SCIENTISTS THAT CAN REALLY UNDERSTAND AND TAKE OWNERSHIP OVER THE WORLD THAT'S COMING.

- FOR ME, ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION ISN'T JUST GETTING PEOPLE OUT HERE TO ENJOY NATURE, BUT IT'S ALSO EMPOWERING PEOPLE IN TERMS OF HOW POLITICS WORK, AND HOW CITIZENSHIP WORKS, AND HOW YOU CAN BE A CITIZEN AND A GLOBAL CITIZEN THAT TRIES TO MAKE THE CHANGE WE NEED.

- I THINK THAT BEING OUT HERE HELPS ME HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO PRESERVE THE NATURAL WORLD.

THERE'S A LOT OF INTEREST IN THE NATURAL WORLD, WHICH I THINK IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO HAVE BECAUSE IF WE DON'T HAVE THAT, THEN WE LOSE CONNECTION WITH THE EARTH, AND THAT'S NOT GOOD FOR OUR FUTURE.