[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 148 (Wednesday, August 3, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Page 47473]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-16576]


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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 September 2, 2022. 
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 or [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Andrew Titmus, ACA Permit Officer, at 
the above address, 703-292-4479.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The National Science Foundation, as directed 
by the Antarctic Conservation Act of 1978 (Pub. L. 95-541, 45 CFR 671) 
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 as requiring special protection. 
The regulations establish such a permit system to designate Antarctic 
Specially Protected Areas.

Application Details

Permit Application: 2023-006

1. Applicant: Lee Welhouse, University of Wisconsin-Madison Space 
Science and Engineering Center, Madison, WI 53706

Activity for Which Permit Is Requested

    Enter Antarctic Specially Protected Area (ASPA). The applicant 
seeks an Antarctic Conservation Act permit authorizing entry into ASPA 
106--Cape Hallett, Northern Victoria Land for a single period of 4-6 
hours. The Antarctic Meteorological Research and Data Center has 
maintained a weather station in this ASPA since 2007. This entry would 
be to perform routine maintenance and upkeep that is necessary 
approximately every 3 years.

Location

    ASPA 106--Cape Hallett, Northern Victoria Land.

Dates of Permitted Activities

    November 1, 2022-December 1, 2022.

Permit Application: 2023-007

2. Applicant: Dr. Natasja van Gestel, Texas Tech University Biological 
Sciences Department, Lubbock, TX 79409

Activity for Which Permit Is Requested

    Take, Enter Antarctic Specially Protected Area (ASPA), import into 
USA. The applicant seeks an Antarctic Conservation Act permit 
authorizing entry to ASPA 113--Litchfield Island, Arthur Harbor, to 
study Antarctic soils, microbial communities, and vegetation. The 
applicant would access the site weekly between the period of December 
1-March 31 for four consecutive seasons between December 2022 and March 
2026. The applicant proposes to conduct warming experiments on the soil 
and plants using five 1m\2\ soil warming chambers that will also log 
soil moisture, temperature, and microclimate data. The applicant 
proposes to collect up to 100 small soil cores, 15 samples of plants of 
Polytrichum species, 15 samples of plants of Chorisodontium species, 
and 15 samples of various other moss species per year which would be 
brought back to Palmer Station for temperature incubation experiments. 
At the conclusion of the temperature experiments, the applicant would 
import all collected specimens back to the home institution for 
herbarium curation.

Location

    ASPA 113, Litchfield Island, Arthur Harbor.

Dates of Permitted Activities

    December 1, 2022-March 31, 2026.

Erika N. Davis,
Program Specialist, Office of Polar Programs.
[FR Doc. 2022-16576 Filed 8-2-22; 8:45 am]
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