[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 168 (Friday, August 29, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45880-45882]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-22985]
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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Notice of Permit Applications Received Under the Antarctic
Conservation Act of 1978 (Pub. L. 95-541)
AGENCY: National Science Foundation.
ACTION: Notice of permit applications received under the Antarctic
Conservation Act of 1978, Public Law 95-541.
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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 reviews with respect to these permit applications by September 23,
1997. Permit applications may be inspected by interested parties at the
Permit Office, address below.
ADDRESSES: Comments should be addressed to Permit Office, Room 775,
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) 306-1033.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The National Science Foundation, as directed
by the Antarctica Conservation Act of 1978 (Pub. L. 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 Antarctic and designation of certain animals and
certain geographic areas requiring special protection. The regulations
established such a permit system to designate Specially Protected Areas
and Sites of Special Scientific Interest.
The application received is as follows:
Permit Application No. 98-007
1. Applicant: Arthur L. DeVries, Department of Physiology, 524 Burrill
[[Page 45881]]
Hall, University of Illinois, 407 South Goodwin Avenue, Urbana,
Illinois 61801-3704
Activity for Which Permit is Requested: Introduction of Non-
indigenous Species into Antarctica.
Fifteen (15) specimens of New Zealand black cod, Notothenia
angustata, will be cold acclimated in a closed seawater system in the
aquarium at McMurdo Station. The cold acclimated specimens will be used
in experiments to determine the role of the antifreeze glycopeptides in
freezing avoidance, and for isolating DNA. The DNA will be screened for
the presence of an ``unexpressed'' antifreeze glycopeptide gene.
Sensitive blood serum freezing habit tests suggest cold acclimated
black cod synthesize small amounts of antifreeze glycopeptide after
acclimation to +4 deg.C for 6 weeks.
Some specimens will be injected with purified antifreeze
glycopeptides to determine if the presence of the antifreeze
glycopeptides in the circulation is sufficient to provide avoidance of
freezing or if it needs to be integrated into the membranes of
protected cells by synthetic ice crystals and the fate of the ice is
determined.
The integument of the cod will also be used in experiments to
determine whether it is a barrier to ice propagation due to its
physical properties or whether antifreeze glycopeptides provide a
physioco-chemical barrier in conjunction with the integument. Brain
lipids will also be analyzed to determine the degree of unsaturation of
the phospholipid fatty acids.
Upon completion of experiments, the black cod will be sacrificed
and preserved in 10% formalin.
Location: McMurdo Station, Ross Island, Antarctica.
Dates: October 1, 1996-March 31, 1997.
Permit Application: 98-008
2. Applicant: Ian Whillans, Department of Ecological Sciences, Ohio
State University, 125 South Oval Mall, Columbus, OH 43210
Activity for Which Permit is Requested: Enter Specially Protected
Area.
The applicant proposes to enter Beaufort Island, Specially
Protected Area No. 5, to measure the motion of the island with respect
to the Transantarctic Mountains due to mountain building activity and
related processes. Access to the area will be by twin otter or
helicopter to an area above sea level to install GPS receivers. The GPS
will operate for 5 days or less and then be removed. Small markers will
be left behind for reoccupation in 1998/99 and again 10 years later.
Every effort will be made to avoid disturbance to wildlife.
Location: Beaufort Island, Specially Protected Area No. 5, Ross
Sea.
Dates: November 1, 1997-February 25, 1998.
Permit Application: 98-009
3. Applicant: Thomas A. Day, Department of Botany, Arizona State
University, Box 871601, Tempe, AZ 85287-1601
Activity for Which Permit is Requested: Taking, Enter Specially
Protected Areas and Sites of Special Scientific Interest, and Import
into the U.S. Strong evidence indicates the climate of the Antarctic
Peninsula has changed appreciably this century. In addition, springtime
ozone depletion events have resulted in well-documented increases in
UV-B radiation levels. The applicant's previous work with two plant
species collected near Palmer Station, indicate both species are
sensitive to higher air temperatures and limited in ability to
acclimate photosynthethically to warmer temperatures. The applicant
proposes to enter Biscoe Point (SSSI #20) and Admiralty Bay (SSSI #8)
to collect up to 50 shoots and up to 500 seeds of antarctic grass hair
(Deschampsia antarctica) of antarctic perlwort (Colobanthus guitensis).
Both plant species will be grown in the lab to examine changes in
photosynthesis, growth and reduction following warming or exclusion of
different UV components. The species collected from the Specially
Protected areas will be used to determine whether different populations
from contrasting weather regimes differ in their acclimation abilities.
In addition, the applicant plans to visit Litchfield Island (SPA #17)
on a site visit to assess animal damage to plant communities. The need
for both shoots and seeds of each species is that in all but very
favorable growing seasons, the vast majority of seeds produced by these
plants are not viable. If seeds are not viable, plants must be
propagated from shoots.
Location: Biscoe Point (SSSI #20), Admiralty Bay (SSSI #8), and
Litchfield Island (SPA #17), Antarctic Peninsula.
Dates: October 15, 1997 to April 30, 1999.
Permit Application No. 98-010
4. Applicant: Donald Croll, Institute of Marine Science, University of
California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064
Activity for Which Permit is Requested: Taking; Import into the
U.S.; and, Enter Site of Special Scientific Interest.
The applicant proposes to collect blood, tracheal swabs, and coacal
swab samples from 125 adult Adelie penguins per colony (10 colonies
total) for analysis of antibody presence. Additional blood will be
taken from 10 Adelies per colony to test for the presence of trace
metal or trace organic contamination. The objectives of this study are
to test the hypothesis that introduced avian diseases are more likely
to be present in penguins whose rookeries are located in areas of high
human use than those located in areas of low human use. A second
hypothesis will be tested predicting penguins in high human use
colonies will have higher contaminate levels than those in lower human
use colonies. While visiting the colonies, the applicant also proposes
to collect up to 30 adult Adelie carcasses and 15 South Polar Skua
carcasses, if found, for contaminant analysis and archival storage for
future research needs.
Location: From 5 of the six high human contact colonies and 5 of
the eight low human contact colonies listed below:
High Human Contact: Pt. Thomas, King George Island, Lions Rump
(SSSI #34), King George Island, Arthur Harbor, Anvers Island, Hope Bay,
Trinity Peninsula, Paulet Island, Petermann Island
Low Human contact: Cone Island, Margueritte Bay, Barcroft Island,
Fish Island, Grandidier Channel, Avian Island, Margueritte Bay,
Andressen Island, Crystal Sound, North Pitt Island, Grandidier Channel,
Danger Island, Three Sisters Point, King George Island
Dates: December 1, 1997--March 1, 1999.
Permit Application No. 98-011
5. Applicant: Bill J. Baker, Department of Chemistry, Florida Institute
of Technology, Melbourne FL 32901
Activity for Which Permit is Requested: Introduce Non-indigenous
species into Antarctica.
The applicant proposes to introduce 2 slants each of the following
species; Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli,
Microccoccus luteus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus,
Aspergillus niger, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. These eight species of
non-pathogenic microorganisms will be used for bioassay of marine
invertebrate extracts. The microorganisms will be propagated for each
bioassay, then disposed of by sterilization at the conclusion of the
field season. Sterile techniques will be used to handle the microbes to
ensure they remain contained.
[[Page 45882]]
Location: Crary Lab, McMurdo Station, Antarctica.
Dates: October 1, 1997-December 31, 1997.
Permit Application No. 98-012
6. Applicant: Donald B. Siniff, Dept. of Ecology, Evolution and
Behavior, 100 Ecology Building, University of Minnesota, St. Paul,
Minnesota 55108
Activity for Which Permit is Requested: Taking. Import into the
U.S.
The applicant plans to tag and release approximately 350 Weddell
adult seals and approximately 550 Weddell pups as part of a continuing
investigation of the McMurdo Sound Weddell seal population, which was
begun in the early 1960's and has continued to the present. In
addition, blood and tissue samples will be taken from up to 300
individuals and imported to the U.S. for DNA extraction and toxins
analysis. These samples are primarily to supplement future research
into the paternity and genetic characteristics of the McMurdo
populations specifically and Antarctic seals in general. Aspects of
this research are: (1) To continue the long-term tagging studies by
tagging all pups born into the McMurdo Sound population and to replace
tags on previously tagged individuals so they will not be lost from the
tagged population; (2) to update estimates of population parameters
annually, using mark-recapture surveys, to continue the analyses and
test of hypotheses associated with this data base; (3) collect blood
and tissue samples for research examining the social structure and
behavioral ecology of Weddell seals. The samples will be analyzed at
the Universities of Minnesota and Alberta for DNA fingerprinting; (4)
Previous research of stomach samples from harvested seals indicated
that Antarctic silver fish is the major prey constituent during the
austral summer. Since stomach content is no longer a viable option, and
otoliths from fecal samples are often too eroded for accurate age
estimation, lavage techniques (performed under supervision of a marine
mammal veterinarian) offer a non-lethal technique of obtaining this
data; and (5) VHF radio transmitters will be used to monitor the
activity of territorial males during the breeding season in conjunction
with the studies of behavioral ecology and paternity. The radio
transmitters will be attached with marine epoxy and removed after use.
If animals cannot be recaptured, the radios will fall off during their
annual molt.
Location: McMurdo Sound vicinity, Antarctica.
Dates: October 1, 1997-September 30, 1998.
Permit Application No. 98-013
7. Applicant: Donald B. Siniff, Dept. of Ecology, Evolution and
Behavior, 100 Ecology Building, University of Minnesota, St. Paul,
Minnesota 55108
Activity for Which Permit is Requested: Take. Import into the U.S.
Enter Site of Special Scientific Interest.
The applicant proposes the enter the White Island Site of Special
Scientific Interest (SSSI#18) to tag up to 15 adult Weddell seals, and
tag and draw blood samples from approximately 5-8 Weddell pups, as part
of a continuing population biology study. The White Island seal
population has been a focus of interest dating to the early 1960's.
This group of seals represents an isolated population that is very
small and the evidence suggests it has very limited exchange of
individuals with the McMurdo Sound population. Since intensive
censusing was begun in the late 1980's, no new (tagged) adults have
appeared in the population. Thus, the genetics of this population is of
interest because it will increase understanding of such concepts as
inbreeding depression and genetic drift.
Location: SSSI#18--North-west White Island, McMurdo Sound,
Antarctica.
Dates: October 1, 1997-September 30, 1998.
Nadene G. Kennedy,
Permit Officer, Office of Polar Programs.
[FR Doc. 97-22985 Filed 8-28-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-M