Join us in the field

We work in high elevation streams at one of the most beautiful places in the world, the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, which is situated in the West Elk Mountains near Crested Butte, Colorado. Our sites include headwater snow-melt streams and spring streams that are fishless, but contain predatory aquatic insects, and lake outlet streams and lower gradient streams that contain predatory brook trout. The favorite prey of aquatic insect predators and brook trout are mayflies of the genus Baetis, who lay their eggs under rocks in many of these high elevation streams.

Upper Copper Creek

East River Meanders

East River

Our methods include sampling invertebrates, fish and algae as well as physical, chemical attributes in the field, and experiments conducted in artificial streams (mesocosms and microcosms).

Matt and Bryan at Weatherport	Andrea Encalada counting eggs	Boys e-fishing
Weatherport Emergence Traps	Discharge Copper Creek	Electrofishing
Exuvia Pickin	Alie and AJ electrobugging	Cattle tanks
Gus, Brad, & Jen		Hoffman sampler Matt & Bobbi