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MEET BILLY BARR. AS A STUDENT IN THE EARLY 70S, BARR MOVED FROM NEW JERSEY TO THE REMOTE MOUNTAINS OF WESTERN COLORADO. SNOW BECAME A BIG PART OF HIS LIFE. SKIING IS HOW HE GETS AROUND. THE WINTER BEFORE MY FIRST HIP REPLACEMENT, I SKIED 174 MILES, WHICH MAY SOUND LIKE A LOT. THAT’S NOT BECAUSE THE FIRST WINTER I HAD BOTH HIPS. I SKIED 931. SOON AFTER HE MOVED TO THE ROCKIES, BARR STARTED KEEPING A RECORD OF THE SNOWFALL IN HIS BACK YARD. THE AMOUNT, THE WEIGHT, AND THE DENSITY. HE’S BEEN DOING IT EVERY DAY FOR THE PAST 53 YEARS. HIS DATA IS NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE, AND SCIENTISTS AT THE NEARBY ROCKY MOUNTAIN BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY USE IT FOR THEIR RESEARCH. OUR PRODUCER, TARA CLEARY, RECENTLY VISITED BARR. SNOW HAD MELTED, BUT HE DEMONSTRATED HOW HE USUALLY COLLECTS HIS DATA. FOR EIGHT YEARS, I LIVED IN THE EIGHT BY TEN FOOT SHACK WITH NO INSULATION. IT WAS TERRIBLE, BUT IT WAS GREAT BECAUSE IT WAS NICE AND QUIET. COMING OUT HERE WAS AN ESCAPE, NOT LIKE LOOK HOW BIG AND STRONG AND WELL, OBVIOUSLY I’M NOT. WHAT CONTROLLED MY LIFE THEN AND STILL DOES NOW. IN THE WINTER ESPECIALLY IS THE WEATHER. I TRUDGE THROUGH THE SNOW. I SKI TO GET AROUND. I KNIT A BIT. I READ AND WATCH A MOVIE. PRETTY MUCH THE SAME EVERY SINGLE DAY ALL YEAR. I WAS HERE ALL BY MYSELF IN THAT LITTLE CABIN, AND I DIDN’T HAVE A LOT GOING ON. SO I WROTE DOWN WHAT LITTLE I SAW, EVERYTHING I STARTED DOING BACK THEN. I’M STILL DOING THE SAME WAY RIGHT NOW. IN THE LAST DECADE OR SO, THE SNOW DENSITY HAS BEEN A LOT MORE THAN THE LONG TERM AVERAGE. THERE’S MORE WATER IN IT, AND WHAT HAPPENS IS A COUPLE OF THINGS. ONE IS IT DOESN’T INSULATE THE GROUND AS MUCH. AND IT MELTS QUICKER. AND THAT AFFECTS ANIMALS THAT ARE HIBERNATING OR ANIMALS THAT ARE RETURNING HERE. THAT GUY’S NAME IS CHEVY. HE’S OUR RESIDENT MALE OF THE TOWN. MY NAME IS TAYLOR BASTIAN. I’M THE TEAM LEADER OF THE MARMOT PROJECT. KATIE, SEEING ANYTHING UP THERE? JUST CHIPMUNKS EATING OUR BAIT. WITHOUT BILLY’S DATA, WE WOULD BE IN A REALLY ROUGH SPOT. IN THE THREE YEARS THAT I’VE BEEN HERE, THIS YEAR HAS BEEN A RECORD LOW SNOWPACK. AND THIS YEAR THAT WAS ACTUALLY PREDICTED PRETTY WELL BY BILLY. THAT’S INCREDIBLY UNUSUAL. AND FRANKLY, KIND OF CONCERNING FOR OUR ANIMALS BECAUSE THEY HAVE EVOLVED TO HAVE THIS SPECIFIC PATTERN OF WAKING UP AT SPECIFIC TIMES. AND THAT IS BEING VERY HIGHLY ALTERED BY THE CURRENT WEATHER PATTERNS. THE LAST DECADE OR SO. THE PATTERNS ARE A LOT DIFFERENT THAN THEY WERE THE FIRST 30, 35 YEARS. IT’S CONCERNING IN A LOT OF DIFFERENT LEVELS. I WON’T BE AROUND FOR A LOT OF IT. I’LL HAVE THE TEMPERATURE DATA THAT SHOWS WHAT THE TEMPERATURE IS GOING TO BE, WHERE I’LL BE. I DON’T KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN ONCE I CAN’T DO IT ANYMORE, BUT I’M HOPING IT CONTINUES AFTER I CAN’T DO IT, YOU CAN SAY, WELL, WOW, YOU STUCK THAT ALL THE WHOLE TIME YOU WERE OUT HERE. I DIDN’T COME OUT HERE TO DO THAT. I CAME OUT HERE BECAUSE I COULDN’T DO ANYTHING ELSE. I WAS SOCIALLY INEPT. IT’S DIFFERENT.