[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 184 (Friday, September 23, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-23547]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: September 23, 1994]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------


NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
 

Permit Applications Received Under the Antarctic Conservation Act 
of 1978 (P.L. 95-541)

AGENCY: National Science Foundation.

ACTION: Notice of Permit Applications Received under the Antarctic 
Conservation Act of 1978, P.L. 95-541.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The National Science Foundation (NSF) is required to publish 
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 at Title 45 Part 670 
of 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 these permit applications by October 19, 1994. 
Permit applications 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: Nadene G. Kennedy at the above address 
or (703) 306-1031.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The National Science Foundation, as directed 
by the Antarctic Conservation Act of 1978 (Public Law 95-541), has 
developed regulations that implement the ``Agreed Measures for the 
Conservation of Antarctic Fauna and Flora'' for all United States 
citizens. The Agreed Measures, developed by the Antarctic Treaty 
Consultative Parties, recommended 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 Specially 
Protected Areas and Sites of Special Scientific Interest.
    The applications received are as follows:
Permit Application No. 95-019
    1. Applicant William R. Fraser, Biology Department, Montana State 
University, Bozeman, Montana 59717.
    Activity for Which Permit Is Requested: Taking. The applicant 
requests permission to tag 200 Adelie penguins using the subcutaneous 
tag method. The tagging of penguins is part of a long-term ecological 
research (LTER) program studying the relating variability in seabird 
reproductive success, survival and recruitment to fluctuations in 
certain biotic and abiotic features in their environment.
    Location: Palmer Station vicinity and nearby islands.
    Dates: October 15, 1994-May 15, 1995.
Permit Application No. 95-020
    2. Applicant: William R. Fraser, Biology Department, Montana State 
University, Bozeman, Montana 59717.
    Activity for Which Permit is Requested: Take. The applicant 
proposes to continue work associated with the Long-Term Ecological 
Research (LTER) on the Antarctic Marine Ecosystem project studying the 
relating variability in seabird reproductive success, survival and 
recruitment to fluctuations in certain biotic and abiotic features in 
their environment. This work involves censusing populations; marking, 
weighing and measuring adults, chicks and eggs; obtaining diet samples; 
and placing radio transmitters on some individuals to develop profiles 
on foraging efforts. As in the past, all seabirds involved in the 
research will be released unharmed.
    Location: Palmer Station vicinity and nearby islands accessible by 
zodiac.
    Dates: October 15, 1994-15 May 1995.
Permit Application No. 95-021
    3. Applicant: William R. Fraser, Biology Department, Montana State 
University, Bozeman, Montana 59717.
    Activity for Which Permit is Requested: Enter Specially Protected 
Area and Enter Site of Special Scientific Interest. The applicant 
requests permission to enter Litchfield Island (SPA #17) 3 times per 
week for 1-2 hours to census penguins and other seabirds breeding on 
the island. The island can be accessed safely and easily at time of the 
year when sea ice and bad weather make access to other penguin 
rookeries difficult or impossible. The applicant relies heavily on the 
ability to document weekly changes in penguin populations and breeding 
effort. This island has thus become a reliable source of long-term 
comparative data on penguin demography important to the hypotheses 
being tested by the LTER. All visited will be restricted to the 
unvegetated parts of the island.
    In addition, the applicant would also like to enter Biscoe Point, 
Anvers Island (SSSI #20) on 5 separate occasions to census penguins and 
other seabirds. Some penguins banded as chicks are not returning to 
their natal colonies, but are instead moving to colonies on islands 
quite distant from Palmer. The applicant needs to document how 
pervasive this trend is by finding previously banded birds so as to 
adequately incorporate them into data on survival and recruitment.
    Location: SPA #17--Litchfield Island, and SSSI #20--Biscoe Point, 
Anvers Island.
    Dates: October 15, 1994-May 15, 1995.
Permit Application No. 95-022
    4. Applicant: Arthur L. DeVries, Department of Physiology, 
University of Illinois, 407 S. Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801.
    Activities for Which Permit is Requested: Enter Site of Special 
Scientific Interest. The applicant requests permission to enter Site of 
Special Scientific Interest #18--Northwest White Island, McMurdo Sound 
to take temperature-salinity measurements through an open crack located 
near the north-west corner of the island. This is the only known open 
crack in the Ross Ice Shelf that gives access to the waters beneath the 
shelf. A distance of several hundred meter will be maintained from the 
occasional seal that uses the crack for access.
    Location: SSSI #18--North-West White Island, McMurdo Sound.
    Dates: December 1, 1994-March 15, 1995.
Nadene G. Kennedy,
Permit Office, Office of Polar Programs.
[FR Doc. 94-23547 Filed 9-22-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-M