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WMRS History Page | ||
WMRS has a long and distinguished history of supporting scientific research and has played a key role in many scientific milestones, including the physiology of hypoxia and ventilation (Nello Pace, John Severinghouse), the measurement and polarization of the cosmic background radiation (David Wilkinson, George Smoot), the physiology of hibernation (Hannah Carey), and holocene paleoecology and paleoclimate in bristlecone pines (Ed Schulman, Wes Ferguson, Hal Fritts). These and many other fields of science are actively pursued today at the station, and further scientific breakthroughs are undoubtably waiting to be recognized.
This page provides a site for gathering historical photographs and information about the earlier days of WMRS. For an overview of WMRS administrative history, see the draft WMRS history outline . For more written history, with photographs, of the station's first 25 years, see NelloPace's "25 Years of High Altitude Research" pdf file. For a brief history of the station up to 1995, see the Clarence Hall's Crooked Creek History pdf file. First hand accounts by early WMRS staffers may be read on WMRS History Documents page. We hope this page will continue to grow as people associated with station continue to submit photos and other stories. Our Database of classes & projects hosted by WMRS since 1950 (excel file) list more specific information about individual researchers and classes that have used the station over the years.
Histroy summary: WMRS started over 60 years ago as a high altitude research station, primarily dedicated to the study of physiology under low oxygen and low air pressure conditions. The Barcroft site was chosen for its combination of high altitude and accessibility. Pioneering science under the direction of UC Berkeley Professor Nello Pace and colleagues began to be published soon after the facilities were completed. In the mid 1950s the Bristlecone Pine forests in the White Mountains were discovered to contain one of the world’s most remarkable paleoclimate records, and the 1960s the Barcroft site was found to be ideal for measuring the temperature of the early universe. As these activities expanded and facilities increased over the years, a base station (the Owens Valley Laboratory) was established at the foot of the White Mountains near Bishop, California. In the 1970s geologists from UCLA and other campuses began to see the tremendous value of the region for teaching field geology, and in the 1980s the station blossomed as a multi-disciplinary field station with a full palette of research including human and animal physiology, animal ecology and behavior, plant physiology, archaeology, astrophysics, several disciplines of geosciences, and other fields. In response to this demand facilities were gradually upgraded, including a full reconstruction of the Crooked Creek field station in the 1990s and temporary buildings added at OVL to increase housing, classroom space, and lab facilities. Station activity remains diverse and strong to the present day, averaging 5000-6000 user nights and 50-60 scholarly publications each year. Most years see students and faculty from nearly every UC campus as well as nearly 100 other California, national, and international universities.
The station has a tradition of organizing scientific meetings, the latest of which was the highly successful Climate, Ecosystems and Resources in Eastern California in 2008 and the annual summer GLORIA Field Week. It supports outreach activities such as the NSF-supported Roadside Heritage Program and the Road Kill Museum, used for teaching at the County Science Camp and Watershed Program. The station also offers a free public lecture program at OVL every winter and spring, and hosts an open house at Barcroft every summer. The 2004 WMRS documentary “In the Shadow of White Mountain” narrated by Peter Coyote won an Emmy award for best documentary. Finally, WMRS has a large and comprehensive web site http://www.wmrs.edu that provides a wealth of information to the public as well as users and staff.
Photos of Barcroft in the early years
Historical Photos