[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 100 (Thursday, May 25, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Page 24167]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-10681]
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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Notice of Permit Applications Received Under the Antarctic
Conservation Act of 1978
AGENCY: National Science Foundation.
ACTION: Notice of permit applications received.
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SUMMARY: The National Science Foundation (NSF) is required to publish a
notice of permit applications received to conduct activities regulated
under the Antarctic Conservation Act of 1978. NSF has published
regulations under the Antarctic Conservation Act in the Code of Federal
Regulations. This is the required notice of permit applications
received.
DATES: Interested parties are invited to submit written data, comments,
or views with respect to this permit application by June 26, 2017. This
application may be inspected by interested parties at the Permit
Office, address below.
ADDRESSES: Comments should be addressed to Permit Office, Room 755,
Office of Polar Programs, National Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson
Boulevard, Arlington, Virginia 22230.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nature McGinn, ACA Permit Officer, at
the above address, or at [email protected], or at (703) 292-8224.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The National Science Foundation, as directed
by the Antarctic Conservation Act of 1978 (Pub. L. 95-541, 45 CFR part
670), as amended by the Antarctic Science, Tourism and Conservation Act
of 1996, has developed regulations for the establishment of a permit
system for various activities in Antarctica and designation of certain
animals and certain geographic areas a requiring special protection.
The regulations establish such a permit system to designate Antarctic
Specially Protected Areas.
Application Details
Permit Application: 2018-002
1. Applicant: Dr. William R. Fraser, Polar Oceans Research Group, P.O.
Box 368, Sheridan, MT 59749
Activity for Which Permit Is Requested
Enter Antarctic Specially Protected Areas (ASPAs), Take, and Import
into the USA. The applicant conducts research as part of the Palmer
Station Long-Term Ecological Research Program (Palmer LTER: Land-Shelf-
Ocean Connectivity, Ecosystem Resilience and Transformation in a Sea-
Ice Influenced Pelagic Ecosystem). The applicant will conduct research
into relating variability in seabird ecology to changes in the physical
and biological environment, especially sea ice, snow conditions and the
availability of prey. The applicants research will comprise two
complimentary components at summer breeding colonies of seabirds and in
their pelagic marine foraging environment. The applicant will continue
long term-research efforts to assess how annual environmental
variability affects seabird diets, breeding success, growth rates,
survival and recruitment, behavior, population trends, foraging success
and seasonal dispersal. The applicant will use the following methods;
(1) census populations and mark breeding territories; (2) capture,
mark, band and/or weigh adults, chicks and eggs; (3) obtain diet
samples by stomach lavage, by screening contents of terrestrial
sediment traps and/or by collecting regurgitated or defecated prey
items; (4) place transmitters on individuals; (5) place instrumented
artificial eggs under incubating individuals; (6) obtain tissue samples
from adults and chicks (e.g., preen gland oil, blood, feathers, egg
yolk, toenails); (7) collect addles/infertile eggs no longer being
incubated; (8) use GPS/GIS technologies to update existing breeding
habitat maps; and (9) salvage dead specimens in good condition for
educational purposes. The applicant will use all/some of the above
methods on the following species; Adelie Penguin, Chinstrap Penguin,
Gentoo Penguin, Brown Skua, South Polar Skua, Southern Giant Petrel,
Blue-Eyed Shag, Kelp Gull, Snowy Sheathbill. All seabirds involved in
this research will be released unharmed. To conduct the research, the
applicant plans to enter the following Antarctic Specially Protected
Areas; ASPA 107--Dion Islands, ASPA 113--Litchfield Island, ASPA 115--
Lagotellerie Island, ASPA 117--Avian Island, ASPA 139--Biscoe Point,
and ASPA 170--Charcot Island.
Location
Palmer Station area, Marguerite Bay, Charcot/Alexander Island
regions. ASPA 107--Dion Islands, ASPA 113--Litchfield Island, ASPA
115--Lagotellerie Island, ASPA 117--Avian Island, ASPA 139--Biscoe
Point, and ASPA 170--Charcot Island.
Dates
October 1, 2017 to September 30, 2022.
Nadene G. Kennedy,
Polar Coordination Specialist, Office of Polar Programs.
[FR Doc. 2017-10681 Filed 5-24-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-P