Billy Barr, a young graduate began measuring snow in a Colorado ghost town to keep himself occupied; 50 years later, his notebooks were helping scientists understand a changing climate

When Billy Barr arrived in Gothic, Colorado, as a newly graduated environmental science student, he began recording snow and weather data partly because he was bored and wanted something to keep him busy. More than five decades later, those observations have become a valuable source of information for scientists studying changes in snow, seasons and climate.

Billy Barr Started Recording Snow in Gothic, Colorado

Barr arrived in Gothic in 1972. National Geographic reports that he began making daily environmental observations during the winter of 1974.

His records included snowfall, snow depth, temperature, snow density and water content. He also recorded observations about animals, including their emergence, disappearance and migration.


Gothic was a former mining town that later became the site of the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory. Barr continued living there and recording environmental observations through the winters.

The Associated Press reported that Barr had manually recorded snowfall and weather data for more than 50 years.

His Handwritten Notebooks Became a Scientific Resource

Barr kept his observations in handwritten stenographer notebooks. The Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory says he later transferred his records to spreadsheets.

His long-term dataset includes measurements of temperature, snowfall, snow depth, snow density and water content, as well as observations of animals and seasonal changes.

The laboratory says scientists have consulted Barr’s data and that many have cited his records in scientific publications.

A 2023 paper published in Ecology also identified Barr’s long-running observations as one of five major climate-data sources around the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory.

Barr’s Records Show Changes in Snow and Seasons

Barr did not begin collecting the information as a climate research project. His original motivation was to record what was happening around him and keep himself occupied.

Over the decades, however, the observations gave researchers a long-term record that could be examined for environmental changes.

The Associated Press reported that Barr’s measurements showed snow arriving later and disappearing earlier. The Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory has also described changes in permanent snowpack, earlier spring conditions and changes in plant and animal cycles in the decades of data.

The length of the record has been important for climate research. The Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory notes that a change in climate cannot be observed from only a few years of data, while a record spanning decades can reveal longer-term changes.

Scientists Use Barr’s Data Alongside Modern Technology

Barr’s measurements have also been useful alongside newer methods of measuring snow.

The Associated Press reported that his data has informed numerous scientific papers and helped calibrate aerial snow-sensing tools. Scientist Ian Breckheimer has also used Barr’s ground-level observations in connection with satellite measurements of snow.

This gives researchers a long-term set of observations from the ground that can be compared with measurements collected using newer technologies.

Simple Habit Became a Long-Term Climate Record

What began as a way for a young graduate to keep himself occupied eventually became more than five decades of environmental observations.

Barr’s records now give scientists a long-running set of measurements from Gothic, Colorado, that has been used in scientific research and alongside modern snow-measurement methods.

His story began with a simple habit of recording what happened outside his home. Decades later, those observations became a valuable record for researchers studying changes in snow, seasons and climate.