Alpine marmot research launches quirky Fat Marmot Week amid climate stress and funding cuts
Researchers at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory have started a playful Fat Marmot Week to raise money for a long-term marmot study threatened by federal budget cuts and warming winters.
A severe lack of snow cover during the previous winter caused roughly two-thirds of a Colorado marmot cohort to die in their burrows, highlighting the vulnerability of alpine species to a warming climate. Scientists at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, led by Dan Blumstein, have responded by launching Fat Marmot Week, an online voting event that mirrors the popular Fat Bear Week, to spark public interest and secure donations.
The campaign leverages quirky outreach, including marmot videos posted on OnlyFans and a meme-coin called $OnlyMarms, which has raised around $100,000 so far. The research program, operating out of a UCLA partnership and ongoing since 1962, faces a loss of one-third of its graduate students due to recent federal funding cuts. Researchers argue that the long-term data set is essential for tracking how climate-driven snow droughts affect not only marmots but also downstream water supplies and broader mountain ecosystems.
Why it matters
The story shows how climate change threatens wildlife and how scientists are turning to unconventional fundraising to keep critical long-term research alive.
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