Rocky Mountain Biologists Turn to OnlyFans to Fund Marmot Research After Trump-Era NSF Cuts

The Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (RMBL) has launched an OnlyFans account, “OnlyMarms,” to share videos of yellow-bellied marmots and solicit donations after the National Science Foundation (NSF) halted funding following President Trump’s budget reductions that eliminated more than $700 million in NSF grants. Graduate student Emily Renkey created the G-rated channel, posting “unfiltered yellow-bellied marmot content” and promoting an online tournament called “Fat Marmot Week,” scheduled for later this month, with weekly “contenders” featured on the lab’s website.

Good Good Good

RMBL has monitored yellow-bellied marmots near Gothic, Colorado since 1962, making it one of the world’s longest continuous mammal studies, second only to Jane Goodall’s chimpanzee research. For the past decade, the project was largely supported by NSF grants, but after President Trump’s second term began, the agency froze or slashed the funding stream.

Good Good Good

Emily Renkey, a first-year master’s student in Blumstein’s lab, acknowledged his view but argued that public engagement is a legitimate part of scientific work.

Good Good Good

• “After the third time, our program officer told my colleague ... that they will never fund us because they think we have too much data,” — Daniel Blumstein, a UCLA ecology and evolutionary biology professor

Good Good Good

Voting for the inaugural Fat Marmot Week winner will open to the public soon, and participants are encouraged to donate to support ongoing marmot research. The event runs through the end of the month, with weekly contests and a final crowning of the “fat” marmot champion.

Good Good Good