CU Boulder chancellor Justin Schwartz visits the Mountain Research Station
CU Boulder Chancellor Justin Schwartz and senior vice chancellor for research and innovation Massimo Ruzzene pose at the Niwot Ridge Long-Term Ecological Research Program Tundra Lab. Scott Taylor, 2025.
Most of CU Boulder campus is nestled beneath the flatirons where the plains meet the foothills, but there is one facility tucked away high in the mountains.The Mountain Research Station sits in the boreal forests of the Indian Peaks at 9,500 feet, 25 miles west of town. The station has been a launchpad for research and in alpine environments for more than a century.
Գٱ,CU Boulder chancellor Justin Schwartz Իsenior vice chancellor for research and innovation Massimo Ruzzene visited the station and met with the INSTAAR faculty and staff that lead operations at the high-elevation outpost.
“This place is one of the pillars upon which our sustainability culture has been built over years.”
—Chancellor Justin Schwartz
After making it up the winding dirt road to the station, chancellor Schwartz and vice chancellor Ruzzene joinedMountain Research Station director and associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology Scott Taylor in the John W. Marr laboratory building for an overview of historical operations at the site. Of particular interest were the climate stations,.
“D-1,” located at nearly 12,300 feet above-sea-level, has been in operation since 1957, making it the highest continuously operating, high-altitude climate station in North America. A bit lower down is “C-1,” where researchers at the Global Monitoring Division of NOAA’s Earth System Research Laboratory have maintained a record of atmospheric greenhouse gases concentrations for nearly 60 years.
Scott Taylor points to a map of Mountain Research Station operations at the John W. Marr laboratory. Patrick Campbell, 2025.
Taylor also spoke about his research at the station. In one experiment,Taylor and collaborators are training local chickadees to use computerized bird feeders that are programmed to open only when birds with specific ankle tags land on a perch. The results will yield insight into the genetic basis of memory and cognition.
Next on the agenda was a trip to Niwot Ridge, the site of. Before departing, the group was joined bylead aquatic research technician Sammy Yevak, who gave a safety talk before firing up the Snowcat, an all-terrain vehicle designed to travel across snow. After donning winter gear and ski goggles, they headed up the hill.
“The people here really take their work to heart and have a high level of personal conviction,”
—Massimo Ruzzene
At the end of a long and bumpy ride, Yevak pulled the snowcat into the Tundra Lab, a staging area for researchers. There, the Chancellor toured the facilities withNiwot Ridge principal investigator and associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology Nancy Emery. Emery explained that scientists have maintained records of ecological change on the ridge since the National Science Foundation first funded the project in 1980. This data has led to important insights into alpine ecology and climate change.
Back at the research station, the group was joined byINSTAAR director Nicole Lovenduski and other INSTAAR staff for lunch. The mood was jovial. The diverse group of scientists swapped stories and brainstormed future collaborations.
Chancellor Schwartz was already familiar with the station's work before his visit, but seeing it in person cemented its importance.
“The Mountain Research Station is clearly one of the jewels of our research enterprise. It dates back decades and is an example of the clear impacts of the work that we do,” he commented. “This place is one of the pillars upon which our sustainability culture has been built over years.”
Vice chancellor Ruzzene agreed, adding that Emery and Taylor’s passion for rigorous environmental science was tangible.
“The people here really take their work to heart and have a high level of personal conviction,” Ruzzene said. “This is a unique asset, nationally and world-wide. It adds to our understanding of the environment, which is key to our future and has clear societal impacts.”
This summer, the public will be invited to visit the Mountain Research Station too, during an annual summer seminar series. Each week, a rotating cast of scientists will give talks on subjects ranging from mammals to wildfire to genetics. Each talk will be preceded by a community dinner at the dining hall. You can find more information soon on ournews feed Իevents page.
Click to zoom.
If you have questions about this story, or would like to reach out to INSTAAR for further comment, you can contact Senior Communications Specialist Gabe Allen at gabriel.allen@colorado.edu.