[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 124 (Friday, June 26, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38396-38397]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-13780]


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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 July 27, 2020. This 
application may be inspected by interested parties at the Permit 
Office, address below.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be addressed to Permit Office, Office of 
Polar Programs, National Science Foundation, 2415 Eisenhower Avenue, 
Alexandria, Virginia 22314.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nature McGinn, ACA Permit Officer, at 
the above address, 703-292-8030, or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The National Science Foundation, as directed 
by the Antarctic Conservation Act of 1978 (Pub. L. 95-541, 45 CFR 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: 2021-002

1. Applicant: Megan Cimino, University of California at Santa Cruz, 
1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064.

    Activity for Which Permit is Requested: Enter Antarctic Specially 
Protected Areas (ASPAs), Take, Harmful Interference, and Import into 
the USA. The applicant would conduct research as part of the Palmer 
Station Long-Term Ecological Research Program (Palmer LTER) relating 
variability in seabird ecology to changes in the physical and 
biological environment, especially sea ice, snow conditions and the 
availability of prey. The research would comprise two complimentary 
components at summer breeding colonies of seabirds and in their pelagic 
marine foraging environment. The applicant would 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 would engage in take by capture and release in 
order to (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 would use all/some of the above 
methods on the following species:

[[Page 38397]]

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 would be released 
unharmed. To conduct the research, the applicant would 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 and vicinity, Charcot 
Island, Rosenthal Islans. 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 of Permitted Activities: October 1, 2020-September 30, 2023.

Erika N. Davis,
Program Specialist, Office of Polar Programs.
[FR Doc. 2020-13780 Filed 6-25-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-P