29422 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 103 / Friday, May 29, 1998 / Notices

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

Notice of Receipt of Applications for

Permit

The following applicants have

applied for a permit to conduct certain

activities with endangered species. This

notice is provided pursuant to Section

10(c) of the Endangered Species Act of

1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531, et

seq.):

PRT–842872

Applicant: The North Carolina Arboretum,

Asheville, NC

The applicant requests a permit to

export 40 leaf samples from artificially

propagated spreading avens (Geum

radiatum) to Acadia University,

Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada, for

scientific research.

PRT–842530

Applicant: Carolynn Crutchley, Manheim,

PA

The applicant requests a permit to

import 10 wild-caught parma wallabies

(Macropus parma) from an introduced

population on Kawau Island, New

Zealand, to enhance the survival of the

species through captive-breeding.

PRT–842519

Applicant: L. Renee Irvine, Titusville, FL

The applicant requests a permit to

import 2 captive-born golden-headed

lion tamarins (Leontopithecus

chrysomelas) from Ivan Crab,

Nagyborszony, Hungary to enhance the

survival of the species through captivebreeding.

PRT–842517

Applicant: Nicholas Mundy, University of

California San Diego, La Jolla, CA

The applicant requests a permit to reexport hair and DNA samples from

Goeldi’s marmoset (Callimico goeldii) to

the Anthropological Institute, Zurich,

Switzerland for scientific research.

PRT–842516

Applicant: Nicholas Mundy, University of

California San Diego, La Jolla, CA

The applicant requests a permit to reexport hair and DNA samples from

white-eared marmosets (Callithrix

aurita) and buff-headed marmosets

(Callithrix flaviceps) to the

Anthropological Institute, Zurich,

Switzerland for scientific research.

PRT–842900

Applicant: Richard Wrangham, Kibale

Chimpanzee Project, Harvard University

The applicant requests a permit to

import non-invasive biological samples

collected from East African

chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes

schweinfurthii) for the purpose of

scientific research.

PRT–842998

Applicant: Brenda Bradley, Anthropolgy

Department, State University of New York,

Stony Brook, NY

The applicant requests a permit to

import non-invasively collected

biological samples taken from western

lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla) in the

Central African Republic for the

purpose of scientific research.

Written data or comments should be

submitted to the Director, U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service, Office of Management

Authority, 4401 North Fairfax Drive,

Room 700, Arlington, Virginia 22203

and must be received by the Director

within 30 days of the date of this

publication.

The public is invited to comment on

the following application for a permit to

conduct certain activities with marine

mammals. The application was

submitted to satisfy requirements of the

Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972,

as amended (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.) and

the regulations governing marine

mammals (50 CFR 18).

PRT–773494

Applicant: Florida Department of Natural

Resources, St. Petersburg, FL

Permit Type: Take for scientific

research.

Name of Animals: West Indian

manatee (Trichecus manatus),

Amazonian manatee (Trichechus

inunguis), West African manatee

(Trichecus senegalensis), and Dugong

(Dugong dugong).

Summary of Activity to be

Authorized: The applicant requests an

amendment to their permit to change

the principal officer responsible for the

permit; to conduct up to 5 non-harmful,

non-invasive behavioral and

physiological studies on captive West

Indian manatees and up to 10 nonharmful, non-invasive behavioral and

physiological studies on free-ranging

West Indian manatees; to collect colon

temperatures on captive and wild West

Indian manatees in order to describe

and analyze vascular structures that

influence thermal insult to the manatee

reproductive system; to do 12 recaptures

of West Indian manatees; to implant up

to 90 (60 wild and 30 rehabilitated)

West Indian manatees with passive

integrated transponder tags; and to

import biological samples from wild or

captive specimens of West Indian

manatees, Amazonian manatees, West

African manatees, and dugongs.

Source of Marine Mammals: Wild and

captive West Indian manatees within

their range in the United States and

wild and captive salvage specimens of

West Indian manatee, Amazonian

manatee, West African, dugong where

ever found.

Period of Activity: Up to 5 years from

issuance date of permit, if issued.

Concurrent with the publication of

this notice in the Federal Register, the

Office of Management Authority is

forwarding copies of this application to

the Marine Mammal Commission and

the Committee of Scientific Advisors for

their review.

PRT–842478

Applicant: David Van Collis, San Ysidro, NM

The applicant requests a permit to

import a polar bear (Ursus maritimus)

sport-hunted prior to April 30, 1994

from the Northern Beaufort Sea polar

bear population, Northwest Territories,

Canada for personal use.

PRT–842766

Applicant: Wade Marshall, Rainer, OR

The applicant requests a permit to

import a polar bear (Ursus maritimus)

sport-hunted from the McClintock

Channel polar bear population,

Northwest Territories, Canada for

personal use.

PRT–842970

Applicant: Gerald L. Warnoch, Portland, OR

The applicant requests a permit to

import a polar bear (Ursus maritimus)

sport-hunted from the McClintock

Channel polar bear population,

Northwest Territories, Canada for

personal use.

PRT–843165

Applicant: Wallace W. Bednarz,

Williamsport, PA

The applicant requests a permit to

import a polar bear (Ursus maritimus)

sport-hunted prior to April 30, 1994

from the Viscount Melville polar bear

population, Northwest Territories,

Canada for personal use.

Documents and other information

submitted with these applications are

available for review, subject to the

requirements of the Privacy Act and

Freedom of Information Act, by any

party who submits a written request for

a copy of such documents to the

following office within 30 days of the

date of publication of this notice: U.S.

Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of

Management Authority, 4401 North

Fairfax Drive, Room 700, Arlington,

Virginia 22203. Phone: (703/358–2104);

FAX: (703/358–2281).
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 103 / Friday, May 29, 1998 / Notices 29423

Dated: May 22, 1998.

MaryEllen Amtower,

Acting Chief, Branch of Permits, Office of

Management Authority.

[FR Doc. 98–14199 Filed 5–28–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

Notice of Availability of an Application

Submitted by Gulf States Paper

Corporation for an Incidental Take

Permit and Safe Harbor Agreement for

Red-Cockaded Woodpeckers in

Association Timber Harvest and

Management Activities

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: Gulf States Paper Corporation

(Applicant), has submitted an

application for an incidental take permit

(ITP), including a Safe Harbor/

Memorandum of Agreement

Conservation Plan (Plan), to the Fish

and Wildlife Service (Service), pursuant

to Section 10(a)(1)(B) of the Endangered

Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et

seq.) (Act), as amended. If granted, the

ITP would authorize for a period of 50

years, the incidental take of the

endangered red-cockaded woodpecker,

Picoides borealis, (RCW) throughout the

Applicant’s ownership of approximately

400,000 acres in west-central Alabama.

The take of the RCW would be

incidental to timber management

operations performed by the Applicant.

Further, the Applicant approval of a

Safe Harbor Agreement for the RCW

associated with implementation and

administration of the Plan/ITP. The

proposed ITP would authorize

incidental take of the RCW associated

with, where necessary and appropriate,

shifting of the Applicant’s RCW baseline

responsibilities as described below.

Mitigation and minimization strategy in

the application involves establishing

and maintaining a 10,000 acre RCW

management area, with the expectation

of increasing the extant population of 5

RCW groups to as many as 15 RCW

groups (See the SUPPLEMENTARY

INFORMATION Section below.) By

consolidating the RCW population

under control of the Applicant, the

Applicant will increase the stability of

the extant population. Under the Safe

Harbor Agreement, no erosion of the

current RCW population would occur.

The Service has determined that the

Plan qualifies as a ‘‘low-effect’’ Habitat

Conservation Plan as defined by the

Service’s Habitat Conservation Planning

Handbook (November 1996). The

Service has further determined that

approval of the Plan qualifies as a

categorical exclusion under the National

Environmental Policy Act, as provided

by the Department of Interior Manual

(516 DM 2, Appendix 1 and 516 DM 6,

Appendix 1). This notice is provided

pursuant to section 10(c) of the Act.

Copies of the application/Plan may be

obtained by making a request to the

Regional Office (see ADDRESSES).

Requests must be in writing to be

processed. Further, the Service

announces that it has determined that

the Applicant’s request is eligible for a

Categorical Exclusion under the

National Environmental Policy Act (see

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION).

DATES: Requests for the applications

and/or written comments on the

application should be sent to the

Service’s Regional Office (see

ADDRESSES) and should be received on

or before June 29, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Persons wishing to review

the application may obtain a copy by

writing the Service’s Southeast Regional

Office, Atlanta, Georgia. Documents will

also be available for public inspection

by appointment during normal business

hours at the Regional Office, 1875

Century Boulevard, Suite 200, Atlanta,

Georgia 30345 (Attn: Endangered

Species Permits), or U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service, P.O. Drawer 1190,

Daphne, Alabama 36526. Written data

or comments concerning the application

should be submitted to the Regional

Office. Comments must be submitted in

writing to be processed. Please reference

permit under PRT–842707 in such

comments, or in requests of the

documents discussed herein.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.

Rick G. Gooch, Regional Permit

Coordinator, (see ADDRESSES above),

telephone: 404/679–7110, facsimile:

7081; or Mr. Brett Wehrle, Fish and

Wildlife Biologist, Daphne Alabama

Field Office, (see ADDRESSES above),

telephone: 334/441–5181 extension 29,

facsimile: 334/694–4222.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 9

of the Act and Federal regulation

prohibit the ‘‘take’’ of a species listed as

endangered or threatened, respectively

(take is defined under the Act, in part,

as to kill, harm, or harass). However, the

Service, under limited circumstances,

may issue permits to authorize

‘‘incidental take’’ of listed species

(defined by the Act as take that is

incidental to, and not the purpose of,

the carrying out of an otherwise lawful

activity). Regulations governing permits

for threatened species are promulgated

in 50 CFR 17.32; regulations governing

permits for endangered species are

promulgated in 50 CFR 17.22.

There are five RCW groups scattered

throughout the Applicant’s ownership

of approximately 400,000 acres. The

primary goal of the application will be

to create adequate RCW nesting and

foraging habitat and to consolidate longterm management of the Applicant’s

RCW population within a 10,000 RCW

Management Area (Area). This will be

accomplished by translocation of

juvenile RCWs to the Area to establish

a larger, more secure population.

Incidental take of RCWs may occur as a

result of these actions, during

performance of land management

actions within the Area, and via other

activities associated with

implementation of the Plan. The

Applicant’s current baseline

responsibility will be adjusted upwards

should additional groups be discovered

during timber management operations

and/or periodic and systematic RCW

surveys associated with implementation

of this application. RCW foraging

habitat management, cluster and cavity

management, staff training,

administration, and monitoring are also

components of the application that will

result in conservation benefits to the

RCW. The Applicant provides a funding

source for the above-mentioned

mitigation and minimization measures.

The Service has determined that the

Plan qualifies as a ‘‘low-effect’’ Habitat

Conservation Plan as defined by the

Service’s Habitat Conservation Planning

Handbook (November 1996).

Low-effect Habitat Conservation Plans

are those involving: (1) Minor or

negligible effects on federally listed and

candidate species and their habitats,

and (2) minor or negligible effects on

other environmental values or

resources. The Plan qualifies as a loweffect Habitat Conservation Plan for the

following reasons: 1. Approval of the

Plan would result in minor or negligible

adverse effects on the RCW and its

habitat. Further, the Service does not

anticipate significant direct or

cumulative effects to the RCW resulting

from approving the application, Safe

Harbor/Memorandum of Agreement

Conservation Plan. 2. Approval would

not have adverse effects on unique

geographic, historic or cultural sites, or

involve unique or unknown

environmental risks. 3. Approval of the

Plan would not result in any cumulative

or growth inducing impacts and,

therefore, would not result in significant

adverse effects on public health or

safety. 4. The project does not require

compliance with Executive Order 11988

(Floodplain Management), Executive

Order 11990 (Protection of Wetlands), or