Fat Marmot Week Launched to Fund Climate Change Research Amid Federal Cuts
Researchers in Gothic, Colorado, have initiated 'Fat Marmot Week,' an online contest similar to 'Fat Bear Week,' to raise awareness and funds for their long-running study on marmots. This initiative comes after a challenging winter where two-thirds of a marmot population died due to insufficient snow cover, attributed to global warming. The project, based at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, has been ongoing since 1962, making it one of the longest-running studies of individual mammals globally. Federal funding cuts are threatening the continuation of this vital research, prompting scientists to seek alternative funding methods, including public engagement and unconventional fundraising like a cryptocurrency meme coin and posts on OnlyFans. The goal is to secure over $200,000 to ensure the research can continue for the next three years. 
