Uterine Prolapse in an Adult Richardson's Ground Squirrel, Spermophilus richardsonii

During a study of Richardson's Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus richardsonii) populations in southern Saskatchewan, we captured one adult female with a partially prolapsed uterus. This is the first known case of uterine prolapse in a Richardson's Ground Squirrel

An Addition to the Mammalian Fauna of Saskatchewan: The Western Harvest Mouse, Reithrodontomys megalotis

The Western Harvest Mouse (Reithrodontomys megalotis) is rare in Canada, and its distribution is believed to be restricted to south-central British Columbia and southeastern Alberta. Between 2008 and 2010, we identified Western Harvest Mouse hairs in 71 of 1424 scats (5%) of Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes), Coyote (Canis latrans), American Badger (Taxidea taxus), and Long-tailed Weasel (Mustela frenata) collected in southwestern Saskatchewan. The presence of Western Harvest Mouse was confirmed at the same latitude as populations reported in Alberta and British Columbia, in scats collected in or nearby grasslands. This is the first time that the presence of the Western Harvest Mouse has been confirmed in Saskatchewan

An Addition to the Mammalian Fauna of Saskatchewan: The Western Harvest Mouse, <em>Reithrodontomys megalotis</em>

The Western Harvest Mouse (Reithrodontomys megalotis) is rare in Canada, and its distribution is believed to be restricted to south-central British Columbia and southeastern Alberta. Between 2008 and 2010, we identified Western Harvest Mouse hairs in 71 of 1424 scats (5%) of Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes), Coyote (Canis latrans), American Badger (Taxidea taxus), and Long-tailed Weasel (Mustela frenata) collected in southwestern Saskatchewan. The presence of Western Harvest Mouse was confirmed at the same latitude as populations reported in Alberta and British Columbia, in scats collected in or nearby grasslands. This is the first time that the presence of the Western Harvest Mouse has been confirmed in Saskatchewan

An ecology of meaning: an integrative framework for understanding human motivations

In this article, we consider how motivations for meaning and meaning in life can integrate much of human thought and behavior. We defend the following claims: Humans evolved to be motivated to share meanings with each other. These shared meanings accumulate to form a shared reality which constitute the cultures within which people live. Living in such ecologies of meaning requires that people learn to master these meanings in order to successfully pursue their basic needs. These shared cultural meanings get internalized into networks of meanings that form a key component of people’s selves. People depend upon meanings in their lives so much that they are motivated to defend these meanings. People’s motivations to defend meanings help them to strive to lead meaningful lives. In sum, we argue that many different aspects of human psychology can be integrated and better understood when they are considered in terms of people’s motivations for meaning

Anticoagulant Rodenticides on our Public and Community Lands: Spatial Distribution of Exposure and Poisoning of a Rare Forest Carnivore

Anticoagulant rodenticide (AR) poisoning has emerged as a significant concern for conservation and management of non-target wildlife. The purpose for these toxicants is to suppress pest populations in agricultural or urban settings. The potential of direct and indirect exposures and illicit use of ARs on public and community forest lands have recently raised concern for fishers (Martes pennanti), a candidate for listing under the federal Endangered Species Act in the Pacific states. In an investigation of threats to fisher population persistence in the two isolated California populations, we investigate the magnitude of this previously undocumented threat to fishers, we tested 58 carcasses for the presence and quantification of ARs, conducted spatial analysis of exposed fishers in an effort to identify potential point sources of AR, and identified fishers that died directly due to AR poisoning. We found 46 of 58 (79%) fishers exposed to an AR with 96% of those individuals having been exposed to one or more second-generation AR compounds. No spatial clustering of AR exposure was detected and the spatial distribution of exposure suggests that AR contamination is widespread within the fisher’s range in California, which encompasses mostly public forest and park lands Additionally, we diagnosed four fisher deaths, including a lactating female, that were directly attributed to AR toxicosis and documented the first neonatal or milk transfer of an AR to an altricial fisher kit. These ARs, which some are acutely toxic, pose both a direct mortality or fitness risk to fishers, and a significant indirect risk to these isolated populations. Future research should be directed towards investigating risks to prey populations fishers are dependent on, exposure in other rare forest carnivores, and potential AR point sources such as illegal marijuana cultivation in the range of fishers on California public lands

Open letter to the Society for Neuroscience

This is an open letter concerning the recent launch of the new open access journal, eNeuro. We welcome the diversification of journal choices for authors looking for open access venues, as well as the willingness of eNeuro to accept negative results and study replications, its membership in the Neuroscience Peer Review Consortium, the publication of peer review syntheses alongside articles, and the requirement that molecular data be publicly available. As strong supporters of open access, we welcome the commitment of the Society to making the works it publishes freely and openly available. However, we are concerned with several aspects of the specific approach, and outline herein a number of suggestions that would allow eNeuro to provide the full benefits of open access to the communities the journal aims to serve..

Open Letter to The American Association for the Advancement of Science

This is an open letter concerning the recent launch of the new open access journal, Science Advances. In addition to the welcome diversification in journal choices for authors looking for open access venues, there are many positive aspects of Science Advances: its broad STEM scope, its interest in cross-disciplinary research, and the offering of fee waivers. While we welcome the commitment of the Association to open access, we are also deeply concerned with the specific approach. Herein, we outline a number of suggestions that are in line with both the current direction that scholarly publishing is taking and the needs expressed by the open access community, which this journal aims to serve