[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 194 (Thursday, October 7, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54647-54649]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-26164]


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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, Pubic 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 views with respect to these permit applications by November 5, 1999. 
Permit applications may be inspected by interested parties at the 
Permit Office, address below.


[[Page 54648]]


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) 306-1030.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The National Science Foundation, as directed 
by the Antarctic 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 Antarctica and designation of certain animals and 
certain geographic areas as requiring special protection. The 
regulations establish such a permit system to designate Antarctic 
Specially Protected Areas (formerly called Specially Protected Areas 
and Sites of Special Scientific Interest).
    The applications received are as follows:
    1. Applicant: Bruce R. Mate, Hatfield Marine Science Center, Oregon 
State University, Newport, OR 97365-5269.
    Permit Application No.: 2000-015.
    Activity for Which Permit Is Requested: Take, and Import into the 
U.S.A.
    The applicant proposes to conduct tagging studies of humpback 
whales, blue whales, and fin whales along the Antarctic Peninsula. The 
applicant proposes to apply Argos satellite-monitored radio tags to 
approximately 24 humpback whales annually, and if the opportunity 
arises, 5 each of blue and fin whales. The objectives of the proposed 
research are to: (1) Track whale movements within their feeding habitat 
during the austral summer; (2) examine the relationship between these 
movements and prey distribution, as well as physical and biological 
oceanographic conditions; and, (3) identify migration routes from their 
summer feeding grounds in the Antarctic Peninsula region to their 
winter breeding and calving areas.
    The applicant also proposes to conduct biopsy sampling of all 
tagged whales for sex determination and genetic analysis. The samples 
will be collected and returned to the U.S. for final analysis.
    Location: Antarctic Peninsula Region.
    Date: January 01, 2000 to January 01, 2004.

    2. Applicant: Philip R. Kyle, E&ES Department, New Mexico Tech, 
Socorro, NM 87801.
    Permit Application No.: 2000-016.
    Activity for Which Permit Is Requested: Enter Antarctic Specially 
Protected Area.
    The applicant proposes to enter Antarctic Specially Protected Area 
No. 130, Tramway Ridge, Mt. Erebus, Ross Island, to measure the 
temperature of the soil as a means of monitoring the volcanic activity 
of Mount Erebus. In addition, the applicant wishes to measure the 
quantity of CO2 in the soil and its rate of flux into the 
atmosphere. This will provide information on the degassing behavior of 
the magmata system underlying Mount Erebus.
    Location: Tramway Ridge, Mt. Erebus, Ross Island (ASPA #130).
    Dates: December 01-30, 1999.

    3. Applicant: Bess B. Ward, Geosciences Department, M-51 Guyot 
Hall, Washington Road, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544.
    Permit Application No.: 2000-017.
    Activity for Which Permit Is Requested: Introduction of a non-
indigenous species.
    The applicant proposes to measure denitrification raters at Lake 
Bonney, by performing positive control experiments using cultures of 
bacteria originally isolated from the lake during the 1992-93 season. 
The original samples were purified and characterized in the laboratory. 
During the intervening time since collection, the cultures were stored 
at -70 deg.C, except when grown for experiments. The applicant plans to 
initiate new transfers from the frozen stock to produce inoculate to be 
used in the Crary Lab at McMurdo Station. There is a slight chance that 
the original organism may have changed during the prolonged culture/
storage period, such that returning them to Antarctica may constitute 
introduction of a non-indigenous species. The isolates will be used in 
experiments carried out in solely in Crary Lab. After use, the cultures 
and any contaminated containers will be autoclaved and discarded as 
appropriate.
    Location: Crary Science and Engineering Center, McMurdo Station, 
Antarctica.
    Dates: November 01, 1999-December 15, 1999.

    4. Applicant: Brenda Hall, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469-
5790.
    Permit Application No.: 2000-018.
    Activity for Which Permit Is Requested: Enter Antarctic Specially 
Protected Area.
    The applicant is currently studying the lake-level changes in the 
Dry Valley region of Antarctica.
    As a result, they have discovered that over the past 30,000 years, 
the Dry Valleys have been repeatedly filled with large lakes that were 
up to 400m deeper than the present lakes. The applicant plans to 
document evidence of past lake-level fluctuations and developing an 
accurate chronology. There has been very little work done in the 
Barwick Valley, which was last mapped in the 1960's and then only at a 
reconnaissance level. The applicants mapping reconnaissance over the 
past few years led to the identification of widespread lacustrine 
deposits, including small deltas with datable organic material. The 
applicant proposes to enter the Barwick Valley Special Site of 
Scientific Interest No. 123 to continuing the mapping program and to 
collect a few samples of evaporates and, if present, algae, from key 
lacurstirne deposits for radiocarbon and uranium-thorium dating. The 
applicant will sample an area of about 10 cm  x  10 cm and replace all 
surface material (gravel, artifacts) that might be disturbed.
    Location: Barwick Valley, Victoria Land.
    Dates: November 01 to December 31, 1999.

    5. Applicant: Donal T. Manahan, Biological Sciences, University of 
Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0371.
    Permit Applicant No.: 2000-019.
    Activity for Which Permit Is Requested: Introduce Non-indigenous 
Species into Antarctica.
    The applicant proposes to bring bacterial cultures of E. coli to 
Antarctica as a component of several molecular biology DNA cloning kits 
that will be used by the Integrative Biology course at McMurdo Station. 
E. coli will be used to replicate DNA during gene cloning. The 
bacterial stocks will be transported on dry ice, along with other kit 
reagents. All experiments will be conducted in the Crary Science and 
Engineering Center at McMurdo Station, Antarctica. Immediately after 
conducting experiments using E. coli cultures, all media and materials 
will be sterilized by autoclaving. Standard P-2 containment guidelines 
will be strictly followed for the subsequent disposal of all materials 
and supplies. All E. coli cultures will be sterilized and killed at the 
end of the season.
    Location: McMurdo Station, Antarctica.
    Dates: December 20, 1999 to February 20, 2000.

    6. Applicant: Gerald L. Kooyman, Scholander Hall, Rm. 0204, 
University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093.
    Permit Application No.: 2000-020.

[[Page 54649]]

    Activity for Which Permit Is Requested: Taking.
    The applicant proposes to continue seabird research during the 
Antarctic Pack Ice Seals cruise in the eastern Ross and Amundsen Seas. 
The objectives are to: (1) Survey bird molt habitat and determine bird 
density; (2) conduct bird counts for general distribution and density 
from line transects along the route of the ship, and from helicopter 
survey tracks; (3) determine prey type from stomach samples collected 
from approximately 20 birds; (4) determine foraging behavior by 
attaching TDR's to Emperor penguins, then recovering the TDR's using 
VHF locating transmitters; and (5) attach Platform Transmitter 
Terminals (PTT) to approximately 10 birds to obtain tracks of post-molt 
birds. In order to achieve objectives 3, 4 and 5, up to 20 Emperor 
penguins will be captured, then released.
    Diet studies of large penguins that range widely are usually 
accomplished after a long journey back to the colony. This will be one 
of the few, if not the only, study to conduct a diet analysis at the 
foraging site concurrent with a study of prey distribution and 
abundance. Also, Emperor penguins have never been tracked from the molt 
area back to the colony to determine the favored foraging areas. As one 
of the most important top predators in the Ross Sea, this information 
will be valuable for an ecosystem analysis of the Ross Sea.
    Location: Ross and Amundsen Seas pack ice.
    Dates: December 15, 1999 to April 01, 2000.

    7. Applicant: John L. Bengtson, National Marine Mammal Laboratory, 
National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, 7600 Sand Point Way, N.E., 
Seattle, WA 98115.
    Permit Application No.: 2000-021.
    Activity for Which Permit Is Requested: Taking; Import into the 
U.S. and Export from the U.S.
    The applicant is a participant in the Antarctic Pack Ice Seals 
project that consists of penniped studies in the circumpolar pack ice 
zone and land-based studies at selected sites around the continent. A 
primary objective is to study the feeding ecology, seasonal movements, 
diving patterns, reproduction, and population dynamics of Antarctic 
seals and to examine their role in the marine ecosystem.
    The applicant plans to capture and release up to 500 Crabeater 
seals, 300 Leopard and Weddell seals, and 100 Ross, Antarctic fur and 
Southern elephant seals for purposes of attaching time-depth recorders 
and radio transmitters to monitor their feeding and diving behavior. In 
addition, selected individuals may be tagged to assist in 
identification and to monitor migrations. Seals will also be marked, 
weighed, measured, and tissue samples collected. Tissue specimens may 
also be collected form dead seals. Aerial surveys will be conducted to 
assess the abundance and distribution of pinnipeds in various habitats. 
To optimize the use of specimen materials collected, the applicant 
proposes to exchange specimens with researchers in various countries. 
The collected materials will be imported into the U.S., then exported 
to collaborating investigators in other countries.
    Location: Circumpolar pack ice areas.
    Dates: January 01, 2000 to December 31, 2003.
Nadene G. Kennedy,
Permit Officer, Office of Polar Programs.
[FR Doc. 99-26164 Filed 10-6-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-M