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Participatory research approaches hold potential to better understand society through valuing lived experience. Formula feeding babies is routinely stigmatised in the UK, despite inadequate support to facilitate breastfeeding. Our community science project investigated the safety of powdered infant formula preparation in the home through the completion of an at-home experiment and a research diary with closed and open questions (n = 151). To add validity to the interpretation of open text data in research diaries, a community analysis group of five formula-feeding mothers was established. The community analysts undertook inductive thematic analysis through a series of analysis group meetings focused around data extracts, contributed to the study's empirical outputs and this methodological output, meeting 23 times over a nine-month period. Detailed notes were taken during meetings and the methodological elements of these were thematically analysed with the community analysts to produce this article, with extracts from the academic researchers' field notes added where relevant. The overarching themes, presenting both positive experiences and areas for improvement, focused on: (i) clarity of expectations and the impact this had on community analysts' confidence, (ii) the stigmatising topic area and how this was managed by the facilitators, and (iii) feeling valued, in relation to honoraria, inclusion in outputs and community analysts coming to recognise their own expertise. Furthermore, the community analysts co-produced recommendations for including community analysts in future research. It provides guidance on how this can be appropriately costed for and supported by funding bodies and research teams, as well as providing guidance on recruitment and chairing meetings. We hope that this article can provide valuable input into how to involve the community more inclusively as research partners in qualitative analysis related to stigmatised topics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus Erxleben, 1777) fluctuate in 9-10 year cycles throughout much of their North American range. Regional synchrony has been assumed to be the rule for these cycles, so that hare populations in virtually all of northwestern North America have been assumed to be in phase. We gathered qualitative and quantitative data on hare numbers and fur returns of Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis Kerr, 1792) in the boreal forest regions of Alaska, Yukon, Northwest Territories, and northern British Columbia to describe synchrony in the time window of 1970-2012. Broad-scale synchrony in lynx fur returns was strong from 1970 to about 1995 but then seemed to break down in different parts of this region. Hare populations at 20 sites in Alaska, the Yukon, and Northwest Territories showed peak populations that lagged by 1-4 years during the 1990s and 2000s cycles. The simplest hypothesis to explain these patterns of asynchrony in hare cycles is the movement of predators from British Columbia north into the Yukon and then east into the Northwest Territories and west into Alaska. A traveling wave of these cycles is clearly seen in the lynx fur returns from western Canada and Alaska from 1970 to 2009. One consequence of a failure of synchrony is that hare predators like Canada lynx and Great-horned Owls (Bubo virginianus (Gmelin, 1788)) can move from one adjacent area to the next within this region and survive long enough to prolong low densities in hare populations that have declined earlier. Key words: Lepus americanus, 10 year cycle, boreal forest, Alaska, Yukon, British Columbia, Northwest Territories, predation, climate, traveling waves. Les populations de lievres d'Amerique (Lepus americanus Erxleben, 1777) fluctuent selon un cycle de 9 a 10 ans dans une bonne partie de l'aire de repartition nord-americaine de l'espece. Il etait presume que ces cycles etaient regis par une synchronie regionale faisant en sorte que les populations de lievres de la presque totalite du nord-ouest de l'Amerique du Nord etaient en phase. Nous avons recueilli des donnees qualitatives et quantitatives sur le nombre de lievres et le nombre de peaux de lynx du Canada (Lynx canadensis Kerr, 1792) rapportees dans les regions de foret boreale de l'Alaska, du Yukon, des Territoires-du-Nord-Ouest et du nord de la Colombie-Britannique afin de decrire cette synchronie durant la periode de 1970 a 2012. Une forte synchronie regionale du nombre de peaux de lynx etait observable de 1970 a 1995 environ, mais semble s'etre estompee par la suite dans differentes parties de cette region. Les populations de lievres dans 20 localites en Alaska, au Yukon et dans les Territoires-du-Nord-Ouest montrent des maximums decales de 1 a 4 ans durant les cycles des decennies 1990 et 2000. L'hypothese la plus simple pour expliquer ces patrons d'asynchronie des cycles des lievres est le mouvement de predateurs vers le nord, de la Colombie-Britannique au Yukon, puis vers l'est, jusqu'aux Territoires-du-Nord-Ouest, et vers l'ouest, jusqu'en Alaska. Le nombre de peaux de lynx rapportees dans l'Ouest canadien et en Alaska de 1970 a 2009 temoigne clairement de l'evolution d'une onde progressive de ces cycles. Une des consequences de l'interruption de la synchronie est que les predateurs des lievres comme le lynx du Canada et le grand-duc d'Amerique (Bubo virginianus (Gmelin, 1788)) peuvent se deplacer entre differentes zones attenantes a l'interieur de cette region et survivre assez longtemps pour que perdurent les faibles densites des populations de lievres deja en baisse. Mots-cles: Lepus americanus, cycle decennal, foret boreale, Alaska, Yukon, Colombie-Britannique, Territoires-du-Nord- Ouest, predation, climat, ondes progressives., Introduction Snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus Erxleben, 1777) are a classic textbook example of animals with relatively regular population cycles (Elton and Nicholson 1942; Krebs 2009, p. 203). While much interest [...]

In the United States, the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act prohibits take of golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) unless authorized by permit, and stipulates that all permitted take must be sustainable. Golden eagles are unintentionally killed in conjunction with many lawful activities (e.g., electrocution on power poles, collision with wind turbines). Managers who issue permits for incidental take of golden eagles must determine allowable take levels and manage permitted take accordingly. To aid managers in making these decisions in the western United States, we used an integrated population model to obtain estimates of golden eagle vital rates and population size, and then used those estimates in a prescribed take level (PTL) model to estimate the allowable take level. Estimated mean annual survival rates for golden eagles ranged from 0.70 (95% credible interval = 0.66–0.74) for first‐year birds to 0.90 (0.88–0.91) for adults. Models suggested a high proportion of adult female golden eagles attempted to breed and breeding pairs fledged a mean of 0.53 (0.39–0.72) young annually. Population size in the coterminous western United States has averaged ~31,800 individuals for several decades, with λ = 1.0 (0.96–1.05). The PTL model estimated a median allowable take limit of ~2227 (708–4182) individuals annually given a management objective of maintaining a stable population. We estimate that take averaged 2572 out of 4373 (59%) deaths annually, based on a representative sample of transmitter‐tagged golden eagles. For the subset of golden eagles that were recovered and a cause of death determined, anthropogenic mortality accounted for an average of 74% of deaths after their first year; leading forms of take over all age classes were shooting (~670 per year), collisions (~611), electrocutions (~506), and poisoning (~427). Although observed take overlapped the credible interval of our allowable take estimate and the population overall has been stable, our findings indicate that additional take, unless mitigated for, may not be sustainable. Our analysis demonstrates the utility of the joint application of integrated population and prescribed take level models to management of incidental take of a protected species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The postfledging dependence period is not well documented for many species of raptors, including Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos). From 1997 to 1999, we used satellite telemetry to estimate the length of the postfledging dependence period, and the finite survival rate of fledglings during that period, for migratory Golden Eagles in Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Length of the postfledging dependence period averaged 50.1 days and ranged from 39 to 63 days. The postfledging dependence period was longer for Golden Eagles that hatched earlier, but hatching date did not influence the date they departed their natal area. Average date of departure from the natal area was 25 September. The departure period spanned a 17-day period from 15 September to 5 October, and coincided with a series of environmental changes including decreases in day length, temperature, and prey diversity. Probability of survival during the postfledging dependence period was 0.98 (95% CI = 0.94 to 1.00). Key words: Alaska, Aquila chrysaetos, Denali, Golden Eagle, postfledging dependence period, survival. El periodo de dependencia posterior al emplumamiento no ha sido bien documentado en muchas especies de rapaces, incluyendo a Aquila chrysaetos. Desde 1997 hasta 1999 usamos telemetrla satelital para estimar la duracion del periodo de dependencia posterior al emplumamiento y la tasa finita de supervivencia de los volantones durante este periodo para el aguila migratoria A. chrysaetos en el Parque Nacional y Reserva Denali, Alaska. La duracion del periodo de dependencia posterior al emplumamiento promedio 50.1 dias y vario entre 39 y 63 dias. El periodo fue mas largo para las aguilas que eclosionaron mas temprano, pero la fecha de eclosion no influencio la fecha de partida del area natal. La fecha promedio de partida desde el area natal fue el 25 de septiembre. El periodo de partida se extendio por un periodo de 17 dias (desde el 15 de septiembre hasta el 5 de octubre) y coincidio con una serie de cambios ambientales, incluyendo la disminucion en la extension del dia, en la temperatura yen la diversidad de presas. La probabilidad de supervivencia durante el periodo de dependencia posterior al emplumamiento fue 0.98 (95% IC = 0.94 a 1.00).

A recent summary of raptor migration count data concluded that the status of Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) in western North America warranted concern (Hoffman and Smith 2003). Our analysis of these data did not lead us to the same conclusion. We have three specific concerns. First, the regional characterizations of eagle migration in Hoffman and Smith (2003) are based on a very small sample of sites. Therefore, we recommend that these characterizations be considered as hypothetical in nature. Second, we suggest that the population cycles and patterns of age-specific population change described by Hoffman and Smith (2003) are neither as general nor as clear-cut as they indicated. Finally, although the authors expressed concern about the status of Golden Eagles based upon both their findings and data from other sources, we did not find compelling evidence for population declines in our inspection of those same data. Key words: Aquila chrysaetos, Golden Eagles, migration counts, population cycles, population trends.

Mt. McKinley National Park was created in 1917, mainly because of its rich wildlife resources. With the passage of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (commonly referred to as [...]