[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 190 (Tuesday, October 1, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Page 60321]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-23892]



[[Page 60321]]

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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 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 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 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 this permit application by October 31, 2013. 
This application may be inspected by interested parties at the Permit 
Office, address below.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be addressed to Permit Office, Room 755, 
Division of Polar Programs, National Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson 
Boulevard, Arlington, Virginia 22230.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Adrian Dahood, ACA Permit Officer, at 
the above address or [email protected] or (703) 292-7149.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The National Science Foundation, as directed 
by the Antarctic Conservation Act of 1978 (Pub. L. 95-541), 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

1. Applicant

    Andrew Klein, Department of Geography, Texas A&M University, 
College Station, Texas.
    Permit Application: 2014-021.
    Activity for Which Permit is Requested: ASPA; Due to change in 
scope of the research, Andrew Klein has withdrawn his application for 
ACA permit 2014-012 and replaced it with this application which better 
describes his field work.
    This permit would allow entry to a number of ASPAs in the 
vicinities of McMurdo Station and Palmer Station for the purpose of 
collecting soil and marine sediment samples. The samples would be taken 
as part of the ongoing effort to monitor the spatial scale of human 
impacts in Antarctica. Samples taken near Palmer Station will be 
compared with those taken during the Bahia Pariso spill, which occurred 
near Palmer Station in 1989. Sampling sites would be situated to avoid 
disturbing native birds and mammals.
    The applicants request entry to the Barwick and Balham Valleys 
(ASPA 123) to collect surface soil samples for geochemical analysis. 
This effort would support the ASPA's values to be protected by 
providing baseline measurements on the level and extent of human 
contamination in areas of known human disturbance. This baseline is 
critical for future scientific work in the Dry Valleys which may use 
the site for comparisons to other Dry Valley sites which are more 
routinely used for scientific research. Without accurate baseline data 
such future studies could incorrectly assume the area is pristine. The 
work falls within what is allowed by the current management plan as 
``Essential management activities, including monitoring and 
inspection'' as described in section 7(iii) of the ASPA's management 
plan.
    Location: ASPA 113 Litchfield Island; ASPA 116 New College Valley; 
ASPA 123 Barwick and Balham Valleys ASPA 124 Cape Crozier; ASPA 131 
Canada Glacier; ASPA 138 Linnaeus Terrace ASPA 139 Biscoe Point; ASPA 
155 Cape Evans; ASPA 157 Backdoor Bay; ASPA 158 Hut Point; ASPA 172 
Lower Taylor Glacier and Blood Falls; ASMA 2 McMurdo Dry Valleys; ASMA 
7 Southwest Anvers Island and Palmer Basin.
    Dates: November 12, 2013 to April 30, 2017.

Nadene G. Kennedy,
Polar Coordination Specialist, Division of Polar Programs.
[FR Doc. 2013-23892 Filed 9-30-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-P