There’s a RMBL going on in Gothic

The snow hasn’t quite melted in many of the crevasses of the towering spires of Gothic Mountain, but the streams are running full through very lush meadows recently exploding with the area’s renowned wildflowers. Last winter’s avalanches still plug the road in points north of the former mining town. Nestled in a narrow valley of dramatic mountains, the Rocky Mountain Biological Lab (RMBL) is cooking up a new multipurpose community center that will replace their dilapidated dining hall.
The old dining hall was not built with the needs of scientists and lecturers in mind and apparently the builders didn’t consider the massive snowfall that Gothic winters bring. Not only was the dining hall built smack dab in the middle of an avalanche path; its roof wasn’t designed to withstand tons of the winter white stuff.
RMBL director Ian Billick says, “I’m convinced that it was designed by people who had never seen snow. Hey, we were shoveling snow up (just to get it off the roof since the building was entirely buried). If it collapsed we’d be out of luck.” It was time to upgrade for many reasons.
The dining hall is used for both RMBL scientists and public events such as seminars and lectures. The new design incorporates features that were sorely lacking in the old building. The noise elements of clashing pans and banging pots during seminars will be eliminated since the new community center has area-specific uses that will accommodate serving food during events. Researchers and students, many of whom could not afford the meal plans, or came in to find the room too crowded, will now be able to cook their own meals in a separate private area and can eat in the dining hall.
But one of the more important reasons is communication. The flow of ideas, to be able to share ideas, is essential to research in the science community. It’s extremely important to how science progresses. Billick says, “All the fun conversations happen when you’re sitting down talking, and the acoustics are horrible in the old dining hall.” The echo reverberated so loudly that it was deafening and impossible to even hear the person sitting right next to you.
All these reasons are why RMBL decided to name the new building the Community Center, because it will help people to share ideas.
The building will be completed this October and operational by the start of next summer. Billick says, “This project, along with some other recent programs, will enable us to do more fall programs and we’ve already got people signed up for the fall of 2015, like the Organization of Biological Field Stations,” which will bring about 150 people from all over the world to Gothic and Crested Butte.
The center will also enhance the already popular summer programs by accommodating even more programs. Another perk about the new center is that diners will be treated to the spectacular views of the surrounds and given a sense of being immersed in nature through the larger windows with a picturesque framing of Gothic Mountain, and Mt. Crested Butte.
Sturdy metal tresses can now withstand the massive snow load and the new building has been strategically located away from the avalanche area. It will be heated year-round with traditional propane, with solar heating for the water in summer, and to keep the structure to above freezing in winter.
Although RBML still needs money, with 75 percent of the funds already raised, the new center was largely financed by federal funds and from donations from outside of the county. Bank of the West provided the bridge financing for the new facility. “They want to help local organizations. They believe in investing the community,” Billick says. “They’re proof that this community has a lot of aspirations as a community, like the Mt. Crested Butte Performing Arts Center. I think our campaign is a demonstration that the community can do great things.”
Billick says RMBL depends on local support, which, in turn, also brings in more federal and outside money. “It’s a virtuous cycle for the local economy,” he says, and adds, “It’s important that all the community feels they can participate in the center. RMBL is successful because the local community has always made it a point to support RBML. We want them to take pride in it and feel that it’s theirs.” The majority of the construction was awarded to local sub-contractors, and three-quarters of the construction money is going to local contractors. Billick feels that’s a nice boost for the local economy. Once the center is completed and more events are scheduled for it, those events will also contribute to the local economy with students and event attendees staying in local accommodations, frequenting eateries and coffeehouses and shopping at local businesses.
The well-attended science tours, which include lunch, will also be held in the new community center when it’s completed next year. The Science Tours are every Thursday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The seminars are free but lunch is very reasonably priced.
And this year, on July 24, for one evening only, RMBL has added a Science Affair, which is their rendition of a gala but instead of having an auction and dancing you’ll be entertained by the RMBL scientists. After a cocktail hour, guests can mosey through various research stations and mingle with RMBL students to learn what they’re up to. Afterward, while enjoying a locally prepared Colorado dinner, each table will feature a researcher initiating creative conversations between guests and scientists.
The Science Affair will honor world-renowned David Inouye and his research. Inouye is the president elect for the Ecological Society of America, which is a huge deal. His research in plant phenology, which is the study of the flowering times of plants, is world famous. Capacity for this tented soiree is limited to 70 and will be at the home of Jerry and Andy Brown on Moon Ridge Road.
This Thursday, June 26, RMBL will host an open house, free to the public, from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. with tours, talks, and updates on all the goings-on. Also, presenting his artwork will be the artist in residence and Time Magazine–featured Mark Dorf. This is the second year for the Arts-Science Exchange program. Its concept is that science is about seeing things in new ways, and that’s also what art does. By fostering an exchange, both artists and scientists get to see the world through different eyes. Mark Dorf will be at RMBL for three weeks.
The free mini tours continue through the summer and will meet at 11 a.m. daily at the Weldon & Rosalie Weekley Visitor’s Center. So get yourself up to any of the RMBL events this summer and discover the amazing world of science around you.
Find out what’s new at RMBL including research news, construction update, public tours, kids’ activities, and refreshments at their open house, Thursday, June 26. There will be a free shuttle bus, leaving the Crested Butte Four-way Stop at 4 p.m. and Mountaineer Square at 4:15 p.m., and returning after the event.
The Science Affair tickets are $100 and include dinner, beer, wine, science and the geeks that go with it. For more information call (970) 349-7420 or email events@RMBL.org Visit their website at rmbl.org for a complete schedule of events, tours, seminars and updates.