[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 155 (Monday, August 14, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Page 55081]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-17358]


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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 13, 2023. 
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: 2024-006

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

    Activity for Which Permit is Requested: Take, Harmful Interference, 
Enter Antarctic Specially Protected Areas (ASPAs), and Import into 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 biologging devices 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 addled/infertile eggs no 
longer being incubated; (8) use GPS/GIS technologies to update existing 
breeding habitat maps; (9) salvage dead specimens for educational 
purposes; and (10) collect fecal samples using cloacal swabs. The 
applicant would use all/some of the above methods on the following 
species: 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. Up to four time-lapse cameras attached to poles on 
square bases anchored by rocks would be deployed to monitor penguin 
occupation patterns. 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; ASPA 170, Charcot 
Island; and ASPA 176 Rosenthal Islands.
    Location: Palmer Station area, Antarctic Peninsula; ASPA 107, Dion 
Islands; ASPA 113, Litchfield Island; ASPA 115, Lagotellerie Island; 
ASPA 117, Avian Island; ASPA 139, Biscoe Point; ASPA 170, Charcot 
Island; and ASPA 176 Rosenthal Islands.
    Dates of Permitted Activities: October 1, 2023--September 30, 2028.

Kimiko S. Bowens-Knox,
Program Analyst, Office of Polar Programs.
[FR Doc. 2023-17358 Filed 8-11-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-P