Notice2021-17825
Notice of Permit Modification Received Under the Antarctic Conservation Act of 1978
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
August 20, 2021
Issuing agencies
National Science Foundation
Abstract
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is required to publish a notice of requests to modify permits issued to conduct activities regulated under the Antarctic Conservation Act of 1978. This is the required notice of a requested permit modification.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 159 (Friday, August 20, 2021)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 159 (Friday, August 20, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Page 46887]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-17825]
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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Notice of Permit Modification Received Under the Antarctic
Conservation Act of 1978
AGENCY: National Science Foundation.
ACTION: Notice of permit modification request.
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SUMMARY: The National Science Foundation (NSF) is required to publish a
notice of requests to modify permits issued to conduct activities
regulated under the Antarctic Conservation Act of 1978. This is the
required notice of a requested permit modification.
DATES: Interested parties are invited to submit written data, comments,
or views with respect to this permit application by September 20, 2021.
Permit applications 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: Polly Penhale, ACA Permit Officer, at
the above address, 703-292-7420, or <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#2a6b696b5a4f5847435e596a44594c044d455c"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="a2e3e1e3d2c7d0cfcbd6d1e2ccd1c48cc5cdd4">[email protected]</span></a>.
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.
Description of Permit Modification Requested: The Foundation issued
a permit (ACA 2019-001) to Ron Naveen, Oceanites Inc., on August 7,
2018. The issued permit allows the permit holder and agents to engage
in take and harmful interference, as well as to enter Antarctic
Specially Protected Areas (ASPAs), to continue data collections
activities conducted to support the Antarctic Site Inventory. Visitor
site surveys may include censusing penguin and seabird colonies
throughout the Antarctic Peninsula. There is the potential for slight
disturbance of the birds during surveying and censusing. This permit
addresses the potential for infrequent, minimal take or harmful
interference of the several penguin and other seabird species. While
conducting visitor site surveys and censuses, the permit holder and
agents may enter a number of ASPAs in the Antarctic Peninsula region.
A recent modification to this permit, dated November 20, 2019,
permitted the applicant to collect samples from adult gentoo penguins
(Pygoselis papua) for genetic analysis in order to study range
expansion, colonization of new areas, and gene flow.
Now the applicant proposes a modification to his permit to include
use of unoccupied aerial systems (UAS) to enable more efficient
monitoring of penguin breeding colonies and to improve penguin
censusing capabilities in the Antarctic Peninsula region. The applicant
has included a detailed list of mitigation measures to limit
disturbance to wild populations throughout operations. The applicant
also seeks to include opportunistic guano sampling under the existing
permit to assist in analysis of penguin diet. Guano samples will be
collected during planned operations within penguin colonies and the
disturbance to wildlife is expected to be minimal.
Location: Western Antarctic Peninsula.
Dates: September 1, 2018-August 31, 2023.
Erika N. Davis,
Program Specialist, Office of Polar Programs.
[FR Doc. 2021-17825 Filed 8-19-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on August 20, 2021.
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