Mountain Research Station

The Mountain Research Station is an interdisciplinary research facility of the Institute of Arctic and Alpine ResearchUniversity of Colorado, devoted to advancement of study of mountain ecosystems.  Our mission is to facilitate research and education to better understand the unique patterns and processes of biotic and physical systems in mountains, and how environmental changes may influence these patterns and processes.

Research is performed by investigators from numerous organizations including the National Science Foundation, sponsored programs such as the Niwot Ridge Long-Term Ecological Research Program, the Boulder Creek Critical Zone Program, the National Ecological Observatory Network, and multiple individual investigators. The Mountain Research Station is in charge of the Mountain Climate Program, established in 1952, established to provide long-term climate data from the montane, subalpine, and alpine zones of the Colorado Front Range.  Four main meteorological stations have been maintained continuously since the inception of the program.

The Mountain Research Station hosts undergraduate field courses, and provides site support for visiting K12, undergraduate, and graduate courses.  Additionally we organize research conferences, including the Guild or Rocky Mountain Ecologists and Evolutionary Biologists.

Year Founded
1917
Year Joined OBFS
2023
Size of Field Station (hectares)
501-1000
FSML Web Address
https://www.colorado.edu/mrs/

Private nonprofit organization?
No
Universities affiliated / Parent Organization
University of Colorado Boulder
Federal, state, or local governmental partners?
LTER, NEON, and USFS
Member of the Virtual Field
No

Additional Information

Private nonprofit organization?
Names of Universities affilated
0
Federal, state, or local governmental partners?
LTER, NEON, and USFS
Name of partner
Tribal partners/users
No
MSI/HBCU users
No
Community College users
Yes
Member of the Virtual Field
No

Visiting a FS/ML

Open to the Public
Yes
Year round staff
3-5
Seasonal staff
6-10
Overnight housing facilities/# of beds
50+
Distance to emergency services
41-60 minutes
Library
Yes
Hiking trails
Yes
Internship employment
Yes

Environmental Information

Biomes
Northwestern Coniferous Forest, Boreal Forest, and Tundra
Minimum Elevation
1501-3000 meters
Maximum Elevation
3000+ meters
Köppen climate classification
D (continental)
Freshwater habitats
Yes
Urban or rural
Agricultural fields
No

Research

REU host station
Yes
Dry lab space
Yes
Wet Lab space
Yes
Research vessels available
Yes
GIS capacity on site
No
Long term data sets
Yes
On site herbarium or voucher species
Formal Data Management Plan
Yes
Mesocosms, plots, stream diversions, or other sets ups for outdoor manipulative experiments
Yes
Date Joined OBFS
January 22, 2024

News And Updates

2024 Field Courses at the Mountain Research Station

Registration for summer 2024 classes will be done via your CU Portal (normal class registration process).  Classes will show in the registration portal Feb 21st and enrollment starts Mar 6th….

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