Saturday, May 28, 2016

Kwasi returns!


There's something about studying these fluffy rodents in one of the most beautiful landscapes in the country that draws you back for more. My name is Kwasi Wrensford, a rising senior from the University of Connecticut by way of Albany, Georgia, and this will be my second summer as a Marmoteer! Along with the regular Marmot Team duties of trapping and observation, I will also be working on a project that looks to quantify and model escape behavior in marmots. So along with catching and watching marmots, I'll be chasing them as well (for science of course). It's an honor to work with Dr. Blumstein and the rest of the Marmoteers for another season, and I can't wait to see what the next few months have in store! 

Welcome Andy!


Hi, I'm Andy. I'm from Indianapolis, IN and I'm a sophomore at Indiana University. I just started working here at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in Gothic, CO a week and a half ago. Ana and Gabi have been teaching me everything there is to know about observing and trapping marmots. The mountains are amazing and the field work is always exciting. I'm getting a real taste of what it is like to be a wildlife biologist. Here's Colorado's second newest marmoteer signing off. Peace.


Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Welcome Rachel


Hey there, my name is Rachael and I from good ol' Maryland, home of Old Bay. I am absolutely thrilled to have the chance to study marmots here at RMBL. Not only do I get to work with such an adorable study species, but I have the opportunity to learn so much from Dr. Blumstein and the other researchers in the lab. This will definitely be a summer to remember!! 


Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Marmots Galore


Ana writes:

"After a couple weeks of anxiously waiting, we saw our first set of yearlings down valley! They are so small that they look just like they did when they first emerged last year. The snow is practically all melted down valley and we’re really excited to start trapping and get an ID on the individuals who somehow managed to escape our great marmot trapping effort at the end of last summer. We are also excited that we have our first set of undergrads coming in this week!  We have some returners and some people that are brand new to field work.  Soon they’ll meet Gothic’s favorite residents, Dandelion and Stitches, which have been hanging out by Maroon and we have one more mystery marmot in town. This marmot found entertainment in hiding behind the snow so we couldn’t see her mark."