`[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 156 (Friday, August 12, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50272-50273]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-20477]


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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION


Notice of Permit Modification Received Under the Antarctic 
Conservation Act of 1978 (Pub. L. 95-541)

AGENCY: National Science Foundation.

ACTION: Notice of Permit Modification Request Received under the 
Antarctic Conservation Act of 1978, Pub. L. 95-541.

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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. 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 a requested permit modification.

DATES: Interested parties are invited to submit written data, comments, 
or views with respect to this permit application by September 12, 2011. 
Permit applications may be inspected by interested parties at the 
Permit Office, address below.

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

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nadene G. Kennedy at the above address 
or (703) 292-7405.

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 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 (2011-002) to David Ainley on May 28, 2010. The issued permit 
allows the applicant to enter Beaufort Island ASPA 105, Cape Royds ASPA 
121, and Cape Crozier ASPA 124 to band 1800 Adelie fledglings, implant 
PIT tags on 300 Adelie adults, apply TDR/satellite tags, weigh and 
blood sample 45 Adelie adults, and mark nests as part of a study to 
determine the effect of age, experience and physiology on individual 
foraging efficiency, breeding success and survival, and develop a 
comprehensive model for the Ross-Beaufort island metapopulations 
incorporating all the factors investigated.
    The applicant requests a modification to his permit to allow:
    (1) Inject PIT tags under the skin of <=120 Adelie chicks at Cape 
Crozier (ASPA 124) and <=100 chicks at Cape Royds (ASPA 121) which they 
will attempt to detect with a ground-based antennae to read the tags of 
the birds when they return to the colony in the future, thus 
eliminating the need for metal flipper bands to monitor penguin 
demography.

[[Page 50273]]

    (2) Would like to increase the 45 adult birds to 55 with TDR/
satellite tags. The addition of 10 birds allows for potential 
instrument failure and the need to maintain an overall sample size of 
45+ birds with working TDRs each season.
    (3) Given the cold temperatures at in Antarctica, especially Cape 
Crozier, it is very difficult to collect blood from the leg or flipper 
of a penguin in the short time period needed for measuring 
corticosterone levels. They would like to switch to drawing blood from 
the jugular vein. Dr. Lisa Balance has extensive experience with 
penguin physiology and jugular blood draw techniques and will deploy 
with the team to refresh their training in this blood draw technique.
    (4) Follow chicks from the 55 adults equipped with TDR instruments 
through the creching stage, which has never been studied. They will 
need to individually mark chicks using ``T-bar anchor tags'' (or Fish 
tags) during the first weighing. By studying the chicks at this stage 
to adult would help to determine a more accurate measure of 
reproductive success. The tag will be removed, however if the chick is 
not found, the tag will eventually wear off.
    (5) Finally, they plan to extract ~3 feathers from the backs of 
adults with TDRs and PIT tags in order to determine sex using genetic 
analysis, as well as to relate melanin levels to bird condition..
    Location: ASPA 121--Cape Royds, and ASPA 124--Cape Crozier, Ross 
Island, and ASPA 105--Beaufort Island, Ross Sea.
    Dates: September 1, 2011 to August 31, 2015.

Nadene G. Kennedy,
Permit Officer, Office of Polar Programs.
[FR Doc. 2011-20477 Filed 8-11-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-P`