Move over bears. Fat Marmot Week puts a spotlight on the alpine rodents

Last winter was tough for marmots living high in the Colorado mountains. Researchers reported that two-thirds of one population died while hibernating due to insufficient snow cover. This annual event, billed as Fat Marmot Week, aims to raise awareness about the challenges faced by these alpine rodents. The first annual Fat Marmot Week will begin Monday, with the primary goal being entertainment, but also fundraising for ongoing research into the rodents amid federal funding cuts.

Dan Blumstein, the project's leader, compares the situation to the Titanic, stating, "In some sense, we’re going to be laughing our way down as the Titanic sinks." Marmots, cat-sized furry ground squirrels, live in burrows across North America, Europe, and Asia. Found in the Rocky Mountains, yellow-bellied marmots are common, often spotted by hikers perched on boulders or scurrying through wildflowers.

With their personalities and social behaviors, marmots can be challenging to study, as some are more approachable than others. During the winter, marmots hibernate in a deeper state than bears, dropping their body temperature to as low as 41 degrees Fahrenheit (5 degrees Celsius). This hibernation process allows them to lose significant weight, doubling their mass to about 13 pounds (6 kilograms) before resuming their lives.

However, a poor snowpack affects more than just the ski season. Last winter's lack of snow and warm temperatures due to climate change caused many Colorado marmots to hibernate in too chilly conditions, leading to numerous deaths. Human-induced climate change made the snow drought about 14 times more likely, according to a new study.

The impacts of these changes cascade downstream, affecting farmers and communities that rely on water from the Colorado River. The marmot researchers, known as "marmoteers," have been studying these rodents for over half a century, with their research at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory providing valuable insights into the effects of climate change on mountain ecosystems.