Ronald D. Tabler was an expert in blowing snow research and blowing snow mitigation. He designed numerous snow fence types and implementation plans that have been used along highways and railroads, and at airports, ski areas, and other sites including oil fields and mining operations. Other projects he was involved included in areas such as national forests to increase water storage for municipal water supplies, such as the city of Cheyenne. He authored or co-authored more than one hundred articles on various topics related to blowing snow, snow control, highway safety improvements, and weather information systems. He also authored an exhaustive publication, , for the Transportation Research Board. As an expert, he presented papers at many conferences, provided training workshops, and was an adjunct professor at the University of Wyoming in the Mechanical Engineering Department.

Tabler received his B.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Colorado State University. He was employed as a research hydrologist for the U.S. Forest Service beginning in the 1960s and was stationed at the Laramie research facility. During his time with the USFS, he was contracted by the Wyoming Highway Department to provide assistance with the design and implementation of snow fences along the newly constructed Interstate 80 as well as other highways across the state. After 25 years with the USFS, he started his own engineering firm, Tabler & Associates, in 1985, and provided independent consulting for clients all around the world until the time of his death. Tabler was born in Denver, Colorado on May 18, 1937. He and his wife, Alicia, had two children, Ed and Alice. Tabler passed away on February 15, 2010.