28946 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 116 / Thursday, June 18, 2009 / Notices 

The later burials at the site contained 

pottery types (e.g., Schultz Incised, 

Monongahela, shell-tempered) and 

copper ornaments (e.g., spirals) that 

usually are associated with 

Susquehannock peoples who lived in 

the Susquehanna River Valley in New 

York and Pennsylvania. Archeological 

data indicate that Susquehannock 

material culture and lifeways were 

broadly similar to other Iroquoian- and 

Algonquian- speaking peoples, 

including the Haudenosaunee, Erie, 

Petun, Huron, and Delaware among 

others. Archeological and historical 

evidence shows that, towards the end of 

the 16th century, the Susquehannock 

moved south along the Susquehanna 

River to escape warfare and position 

their villages closer to trade with the 

southern colonies. Throughout the 17th 

century, the Susquehannock were 

greatly reduced by disease and warfare. 

Historical records show that by A.D. 

1763, the Susquehannock were so 

diminished by these processes that they 

ceased to exist as a separate group. 

Individuals and groups were adopted 

and assimilated into various Indian 

Nations. Some survivors moved 

northward to live among the 

Haudenosaunee, while other 

Susquehannocks lived among their 

Delaware allies. As a result, no 

Federally-recognized Susquehannock 

groups exist today for the purposes of 

NAGPRA. Haudenosaunee oral tradition 

describes a relationship of shared group 

identity with the Susquehannock 

peoples, such as those interred at the 

Engelbert site, based on the adoption of 

many Susquehannock into Nations 

within the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. 

The Onondaga Nation asserts a 

relationship of shared group identity 

with the peoples interred at the 

Engelbert site based on oral history, 

geography, linguistics, material culture, 

and kinship. 

The Onondaga Nation petitioned the 

Native American Graves Protection and 

Repatriation Committee (Review 

Committee) to hear a dispute with the 

New York State Museum about the 

cultural affiliation of the human 

remains removed from the Engelbert 

site. The Engelbert funerary objects in 

the physical possession and control of 

Binghamton University are directly 

associated with the human remains 

removed from the Engelbert site, but 

were not part of this hearing. During 

their October 11–12, 2008 meeting in 

San Diego, CA, and in their Findings 

and Recommendations published in the 

Federal Register (74 FR 9427–9428, 

March 4, 2009), the Review Committee 

found a relationship of shared group 

identity between the human remains 

from the Engelbert site and the 

Onondaga Nation and Haudenosaunee 

Confederacy. The Onondaga Nation and 

the New York State Museum consulted 

with members of the Confederacy, as 

well as the Stockbridge-Munsee and 

Delaware Nation, and found support for 

repatriation of the Engelbert human 

remains to the Onondaga Nation, as 

documented in written support from the 

Federally-recognized Tonawanda 

Seneca Indians of New York and 

Tuscarora Nation of New York; verbal 

support from the Federally-recognized 

Oneida Nation of New York; St. Regis 

Mohawk Tribe, New York; Seneca 

Nation of New York; Cayuga Nation of 

New York, and Oneida Tribe of Indians 

of Wisconsin; and written support from 

the Delaware Tribe of Indians (part of 

the Federally-recognized Cherokee 

Nation, Oklahoma) and the Federallyrecognized Stockbridge-Munsee 

Community, Wisconsin. Based on this 

information, Binghamton University 

also supports the repatriation of the 

associated funerary objects from the 

Engelbert site to the Onondaga Nation 

within whose traditional territory the 

associated funerary objects were found. 

Officials of Binghamton University 

have determined that, pursuant to 25 

U.S.C. 3001 (3)(A), the 2,640 lots and 

objects described above are reasonably 

believed to have been placed with or 

near individual Native American human 

remains at the time of death or later as 

part of the death rite or ceremony. 

Officials of Binghamton University have 

determined that, pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 

3001 (2), there is a relationship of 

shared group identity that can be 

reasonably traced between the 

associated funerary objects and the 

Haudenosaunee Confederacy, a nonFederally-recognized Indian group for 

the purposes of NAGPRA. Based on the 

written and verbal support of 

Haudenosaunee and Delaware Nations, 

officials of Binghamton University also 

have determined that the associated 

funerary objects should be repatriated to 

the Onondaga Nation of New York 

within whose traditional territory the 

associated funerary objects were found. 

Representatives of any other Indian 

Nation or tribe that believes itself to be 

culturally affiliated with the associated 

funerary objects should contact Nina M. 

Versaggi, Public Archaeology Facility, 

Binghamton University, Binghamton, 

NY 13902–6000, telephone (607) 777– 

4786, before July 20, 2009. Repatriation 

of the associated funerary objects to the 

Onondaga Nation of New York may 

proceed after that date if no additional 

claimants come forward. 

Binghamton University is responsible 

for notifying the Cayuga Nation of New 

York; Delaware Tribe (part of the 

Cherokee Nation, Oklahoma); Delaware 

Nation, Oklahoma; Oneida Tribe of 

Indians of Wisconsin; Oneida Nation of 

New York; Onondaga Nation of New 

York; Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe, New 

York; Seneca Nation of New York; 

Seneca-Cayuga Tribe of Oklahoma; 

Stockbridge Munsee Community, 

Wisconsin; Tonawanda Band of Seneca 

Indians of New York; and Tuscarora 

Nation of New York that this notice has 

been published. 

Dated: May 18, 2009 

Sherry Hutt, 

Manager, National NAGPRA Program. 

[FR Doc. E9–14298 Filed 6–17–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4312–50–S 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

[FWS–R9–FHC–2009–N0092; 71490–1351– 

0000–M2–FY09] 

Marine Mammal Protection Act; Stock 

Assessment Report 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of availability of draft 

revised marine mammal stock 

assessment reports for the Pacific walrus 

stock and two stocks of polar bears; 

request for comments. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, 

as amended (MMPA), and its 

implementing regulations, we, the U.S. 

Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), 

have developed draft revised marine 

mammal stock assessment reports 

(SARs) for the Pacific walrus (Odobenus 

rosmarus divergens) stock and for each 

of the two polar bear (Ursus maritimus) 

stocks in Alaska: The southern Beaufort 

Sea polar bear stock and the Chukchi/ 

Bering seas polar bear stock. These three 

SARs are available for public review 

and comment. 

DATES: We must receive comments by 

September 16, 2009. 

ADDRESSES: To obtain the SARs for the 

Pacific walrus or either polar bear stock, 

and to submit comments, see Document 

Availability and Public Comment, 

respectively, under SUPPLEMENTARY

INFORMATION. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rosa 

Meehan, Marine Mammals Management 

Office, (800) 362–5148 (telephone) or 

r7_mmm_comment@fws.gov (e-mail). 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 116 / Thursday, June 18, 2009 / Notices 28947 

Background 

Under the MMPA (16 U.S.C. 1361 et 

seq.) and its implementing regulations 

in the Code of Federal Regulations 

(CFR) at 50 CFR part 18, we regulate the 

taking, possession, transportation, 

purchasing, selling, offering for sale, 

exporting, and importing of marine 

mammals. One of the MMPA’s goals is 

to ensure that stocks of marine 

mammals occurring in waters under 

U.S. jurisdiction do not experience a 

level of human-caused mortality and 

serious injury that is likely to cause the 

stock to be reduced below its optimum 

sustainable population level (OSP). OSP 

is defined as ‘‘the number of animals 

which will result in the maximum 

productivity of the population or the 

species, keeping in mind the carrying 

capacity of the habitat and the health of 

the ecosystem of which they form a 

constituent element.’’ 

To help accomplish the goal of 

maintaining marine mammal stocks at 

their OSPs, section 117 of the MMPA 

requires us and the National Marine 

Fisheries Service (NMFS) to prepare a 

SAR for each marine mammal stock that 

occurs in waters under U.S. jurisdiction. 

A SAR must be based on the best 

scientific information available; 

therefore, we prepare it in consultation 

with established regional scientific 

review groups. Each SAR must include: 

(1) A description of the stock and its 

geographic range; (2) a minimum 

population estimate, maximum net 

productivity rate, and current 

population trend; (3) an estimate of 

human-caused mortality and serious 

injury; (4) a description of commercial 

fishery interactions; (5) a categorization 

of the status of the stock; and (6) an 

estimate of the potential biological 

removal (PBR) level. The PBR is defined 

as ‘‘the maximum number of animals, 

not including natural mortalities, that 

may be removed from a marine mammal 

stock while allowing that stock to reach 

or maintain its OSP.’’ The PBR is the 

product of the minimum population 

estimate of the stock (Nmin); one-half the 

maximum theoretical or estimated net 

productivity rate of the stock at a small 

population size (Rmax); and a recovery 

factor (Fr) of between 0.1 and 1.0, which 

is intended to compensate for 

uncertainty and unknown estimation 

errors. 

Section 117 of the MMPA also 

requires us and NMFS to review the 

SARs (a) at least annually for stocks that 

are specified as strategic stocks, (b) at 

least annually for stocks for which 

significant new information is available, 

and (c) at least once every 3 years for all 

other stocks. 

A strategic stock is defined in the 

MMPA as a marine mammal stock (a) 

for which the level of direct humancaused mortality exceeds the PBR; (b) 

which, based on the best available 

scientific information, is declining and 

is likely to be listed as a threatened 

species under the Endangered Species 

Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 

et seq.; ESA), within the foreseeable 

future; or (c) which is listed as a 

threatened or endangered species under 

the ESA, or is designated as depleted 

under the MMPA. 

The following table summarizes the 

information we are now making 

available in the draft revised SARs for 

the Pacific walrus, the southern 

Beaufort Sea polar bear, and the 

Chukchi/Bering Seas polar bear stocks, 

listing each stock’s Nmin, Rmax, Fr, PBR, 

annual estimated human-caused 

mortality and serious injury, and status. 

After consideration of any public 

comments we receive, we will revise 

any or all of these SARs, as appropriate. 

We will publish a notice of availability 

and summary for each final SAR, 

including responses to comments we 

received. 

TABLE 1—SUMMARY: DRAFT REVISED STOCK ASSESSMENT REPORTS FOR THE PACIFIC WALRUS, SOUTHERN BEAUFORT

SEA POLAR BEAR, AND CHUKCHI/BERING SEAS POLAR BEAR

Stock Nmin Rmax Fr PBR 

Annual estimated average human-caused 

mortality and serious injury 

Stock status 

Pacific Walrus ............................. 15,164 0.08 1.0 607 4,963–5,460 .................. Strategic. 

Southern Beaufort Sea Polar 

Bear.

1,397 0.0603 0.5 22 33 (Alaska) ...................

21 (Canada) .................

Strategic. 

Chukchi/Bering Seas Polar Bear 2,000 0.0603 0.5 30 37 (Alaska) ...................

—(Russia) .....................

Strategic. 

Document Availability 

Draft Revised SARs for Pacific Walrus, 

Southern Beaufort Sea Polar Bear, and 

Chukchi/Bering Seas Polar Bear 

You may obtain copies by any one of 

the following methods: 

• Internet: http://alaska.fws.gov/ 

fisheries/mmm/walrus/reports.htm (for 

the walrus stock) and http:// 

alaska.fws.gov/fisheries/mmm/ 

polarbear/reports.htm (for both polar 

bear stocks). 

• Write to or visit (during normal 

business hours from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 

Monday through Friday) the Chief, U.S. 

Fish and Wildlife Service, Marine 

Mammals Management Office, 1011 East 

Tudor Road, Anchorage, AK 99503; 

telephone: (800) 362–3800. 

Public Comment 

Draft Revised SARs for Pacific Walrus, 

Southern Beaufort Sea Polar Bear, and 

Chukchi/Bering Seas Polar Bear 

You may submit a written comment 

by any one of the following methods: 

• E-mail: 

r7_mmm_comment@fws.gov. 

• Mail or hand-delivery: Chief, 

Marine Mammals Management Office 

(see address above). 

• Fax: (907) 786–3816. 

References 

In accordance with the MMPA, we 

include in this notice a list of the 

information sources and public reports 

upon which we based the SARs. 

Pacific Walrus 

Burn, D.M., M.A. Webber, and M.S. 

Udevitz. 2006. Application of airborne 

thermal imagery to surveys of Pacific walrus. 

Wildlife Society Bulletin 34(1):51–58. 

Chapskii, K.K. 1936. The walrus of the 

Kara Sea. Results of an investigation of the 

life history, geographical distribution, and 

stock of walruses in the Kara Sea. 

Transactions of the Arctic Institute 67:1–124. 

Chivers, S.J. 1999. Biological indices for 

monitoring population status of walrus 

evaluated with an individual-based model. 

Pages 239–247 In Garner, G.W., S.C. 

Amstrup, J.L. Laake, B.F.J. Manly, L.L. 

McDonald, and D.G. Robertson (eds.), Marine 

Mammal Survey and Assessment Methods. 

A.A. Balkema, Rotterdam, 287 pp. 

DeMaster, D.P. 1984. An analysis of a 

hypothetical population of walruses. Pages 

77–80 In F.H. Fay and G.A. Fedoseev (eds.), 

Soviet-American Cooperative Research on 

28948 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 116 / Thursday, June 18, 2009 / Notices 

Marine Mammals, vol. 1, Pinnipeds. NOAA 

Technical Report, NMFS 12, 104 pp. 

Estes, J.A., and J.R. Gilbert. 1978. 

Evaluation of an aerial survey of Pacific 

walruses (Odobenus rosmarus divergens). 

Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of 

Canada 35:1130–1140. 

Estes, J.A., and V.N. Gol’tsev. 1984. 

Abundance and distribution of the Pacific 

walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens): 

Results of the first Soviet-American joint 

aerial survey, autumn 1975. Pages 67–76 In 

F.H. Fay and G.A. Fedoseev (eds.), SovietAmerican Cooperative Research on Marine 

Mammals, vol. 1, Pinnipeds. NOAA 

Technical Report, NMFS 12, 104 pp. 

Fay, F.H. 1982. Ecology and Biology of the 

Pacific Walrus (Odobenus rosmarus 

divergens). North American Fauna 74. U.S. 

Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington, DC., 

279 pp. 

Fay, F.H., and J.J. Burns. 1988. Maximal 

feeding depth of walruses. Arctic 41(3):239– 

240. 

Fay, F.H., B.P. Kelly, P.H. Gehnrich, J.L. 

Sease, and A.A. Hoover. 1984. Modern 

populations, migrations, demography, 

trophics, and historical status of the Pacific 

walrus. Final Report R.U. #611. NOAA Outer 

Continental Shelf Environmental Assessment 

Program, Anchorage, AK., 142 pp. 

Fay, F.H., B.P. Kelly, and J.L. Sease. 1989. 

Managing the exploitation of Pacific 

walruses: a tragedy of delayed response and 

poor communication. Marine Mammal 

Science 5:1–16. 

Fay, F.H., J.J. Burns, S.W. Stoker, and J.S. 

Grundy. 1994. The struck-and-lost factor in 

Alaskan walrus harvests. Arctic 47(4):368– 

373. 

Fay, F.H., L.L. Eberhardt, B.P. Kelly, J.J. 

Burns, and L.T. Quakenbush. 1997. Status of 

the Pacific walrus Population, 1950–1989. 

Marine Mammal Science 13(4):537–565. 

Fedoseev, G.A. 1984. Present status of the 

population of walruses (Odobenus rosmarus) 

in the eastern Arctic and Bering Sea. Pages 

73–85 In V.E. Rodin, A.S. Perlov, A.A. 

Berzin, G.M. Gavrilov, A.I. Shevchenko, N.S. 

Fadeev, and E.B. Kucheriavenko (eds.), 

Marine Mammals of the Far East. TINRO, 

Vladivostok. 

Fedoseev, G.A., and V.N. Gol’tsev. 1969. 

Age-sex structure and reproductive capacity 

of the Pacific walrus population. Zoological 

Journal 48:407–413. 

Fedoseev, G.A., and E.V. Razlivalov. 1986. 

The distribution and abundance of walruses 

in the eastern Arctic and Bering Sea in 

autumn 1985. VNIRO, Magadan Branch. 

Mimeo report, 7 pp. 

Garlich-Miller, J., and C.V. Jay. 2000. 

Proceedings of a workshop concerning 

walrus survey methods. USFWS R7/MMM 

Technical Report 00–2, 92 pp. 

Gilbert, J.R. 1986. Aerial survey of Pacific 

walrus in the Chukchi Sea, 1985. Mimeo 

report, 43 pp. 

Gilbert, J.R. 1989a. Aerial census of Pacific 

walruses in the Chukchi Sea, 1985. Marine 

Mammal Science 5(1):17–28. 

Gilbert, J.R. 1989b. Errata: Correction to the 

variance of products, estimates of Pacific 

walrus populations. Marine Mammal Science 

5(4):411–412. 

Gilbert, J.R. 1999. Review of previous 

Pacific walrus surveys to develop improved 

survey designs. Pages 75–84 In Garner, G.W., 

S.C. Amstrup, J.L. Laake, B.F.J. Manly, L.L. 

McDonald, and D.G. Robertson (eds.), Marine 

Mammal Survey and Assessment Methods. 

A. A. Balkema, Rotterdam, 287 pp. 

Gilbert, J.R., G.A. Fedoseev, D. Seagars, E. 

Razlivalov, and A. LaChugin. 1992. Aerial 

census of Pacific walrus, 1990. USFWS R7/ 

MMM Technical Report 92–1, 33 pp. 

Hills, S., and J.R. Gilbert. 1994. Detecting 

Pacific walrus population trends with aerial 

survey—a review. Transactions North 

American Wildlife and Natural Resource 

Conference. 

Jay, C.V., P.M. Outridge, and J.L. GarlichMiller. 2008. Indication of two Pacific walrus 

stocks from whole tooth elemental analysis. 

Polar Biology 31:933–943. 

Johnson, A., J. Burns, W. Dusenberry, and 

R. Jones. 1982. Aerial survey of Pacific 

walrus, 1980. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Anchorage, AK. Mimeo report, 32 pp. 

Kavry, V.I., A.N. Boltunov, and V.V. 

Nikiforov. 2008. New coastal haulouts of 

walruses (Odobenus rosmarus)—response to 

the climate changes. Pages 248–251, In 

Collection of Scientific Papers from the 

Marine Mammals of the Holarctic V 

conference, Odessa, Ukraine, 14–18 October 

2008. 

Kochnev, A.A. Personal Communication. 

Head of Laboratory of Marine Mammals 

Study, ChukotTINRO, Pacific Research 

Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography, P.O. 

Box 29, Anadyr, Chukotka, 689000, Russia. 

Kochnev, A.A., N.V. Kryukova, A.A. 

Pereverzev, and D.I. Ivanov. 2008. Coastal 

haulouts of the Pacific walruses (Odobenus 

rosmarus divergens) in Anadyr Gulf (Bering 

Sea), 2007. Pages 267–272 In Collection of 

Scientific Papers from the Marine Mammals 

of the Holarctic V conference, Odessa, 

Ukraine, 14–18 October 2008. 

Krylov, V.I. 1965. Determination of age, 

rate of growth, and analysis of the age 

structure of the catch of the Pacific walrus. 

Pages 210–211 In E.N. Pavlovskii, B.A. 

Zenkovich, S.E. Kleinenber, and K.K. 

Chapskii (eds.), Morskie Mlekopitaiushchie. 

Nauka, Moscow. 

Krylov, V.I. 1968. On the present status of 

stocks of the Pacific walrus and prospects of 

their rational exploitation. Pages 189–204 In 

V.A. Arsen’ev and K.I. Panin (eds.), 

Lastonogie Severnoi Chasti Tikhogo Okeana. 

Pischevaya Promyshlennost’, Moscow. 

Mansfield, A.W. 1959. The walrus in the 

Canadian Arctic. Fisheries Research Board 

Canada, Circular 2, 13 pp. 

Maslanik, J.A., C. Fowler, J. Stroeve, S. 

Drobot, J. Zwally, D. Yi, & W. Emery. 2007. 

A younger, thinner Arctic ice cover: 

Increased potential for rapid, extensive seaice loss. Geophysical Research Letters 34, 

L24501. 

Meier, W., J. Stroeve, and F. Fetterer. 2007. 

Whither Arctic sea ice? A clear signal of 

decline regionally, seasonally and extending 

beyond the satellite record. Annals of 

Glaciology 46:428–434. 

Overland, J.E., and M. Wang. 2007. Future 

regional Arctic sea ice declines. Geophysical 

Research Letters 34:L17705, doi: 

17710.11029/12007GL03808. 

Overpeck, J.T., M. Sturm, J.A. Francis, D.K. 

Perovich, M.C. Serreze, R. Benner, E.C. 

Carmack, F.S. Chapin III, S.C. Gerlach, L.C. 

Hamilton, L.D. Hinzman, M. Holland, H.P. 

Huntington, J.R. Key, A.H. Lloyd, G.M. 

MacDonald, J. McFadden, D. Noone, T.D. 

Prowse, P. Schlosser, and C. Vo ̈ro ̈ smarty. 

2005. Arctic system on trajectory to new, 

seasonally ice-free state. EOS Transactions 

86(34):309–316. 

Ovsyanikov, N.G., I.E. Menyushina, and 

A.V. Bezrukov. 2008. Unusual Pacific walrus 

mortality at Wrangel Island in 2007. Pages 

413–416 In Collection of Scientific Papers 

from the Marine Mammals of the Holarctic V 

conference, Odessa, Ukraine, 14–18 October 

2008. 

Scribner, K.T., S. Hills, S.R. Fain, and M.A. 

Cronin. 1997. Population genetics studies of 

the walrus (Odobenus rosmarus): a summary 

and interpretation of results and research 

needs. In A.E. Dizon, S.J. Chivers, and W.F. 

Perrin (eds.), Molecular Genetics of Marine 

Mammals. Marine Mammal Science, Special 

publication 3:173–184. 

Sease, J.L. 1986. Historical status and 

population dynamics of the Pacific walrus. 

Univ. Alaska, Fairbanks. Thesis, 213 pp. 

Sease, J.L., and D.G. Chapman. 1988. 

Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus 

divergens). Pages 17–38 In J.W. Lentfer (eds.), 

Selected Marine Mammals of Alaska: species 

accounts with research and management 

recommendations. Marine Mammal 

Commission, Washington, DC. NTIS PB88– 

178462. 

Speckman, S.G., V. Chernook, D.M. Burn, 

M.S. Udevitz, A. Kochnev, A. Vasilev, R.B. 

Benter, and A. Lisovsky. 2009. Range-wide 

survey of Pacific walruses in 2006: Estimated 

number of walruses on sea ice. Progress 

Report. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and 

U.S. Geological Survey, Anchorage, Alaska. 

55 pp. 

Stroeve, J., M.M. Holland, W. Meier, T. 

Scambos, and M. Serreze. 2007. Arctic sea ice 

decline: Faster than forecast. Geophysical 

Research Letters 34. 

Stroeve, J., M. Serreze, S. Drobot, S. 

Gearheard, M.M. Holland, J. Maslanik, W. 

Meier, and T. Scambos. 2008. Arctic sea ice 

extent plummets in 2007. EOS Transactions, 

AGU 89:13–20. 

Udevitz, M.S., J.R. Gilbert, and G.A. 

Fedoseev. 2001. Comparison of method used 

to estimate numbers of walruses on sea ice. 

Marine Mammal Science 17:601–616. 

Udevitz, M.S., D.M. Burn, and M.A. 

Webber. 2008. Estimation of walrus 

populations on sea ice with infrared imagery 

and aerial photography. Marine Mammal 

Science 24(1):57–70. 

Wade, P.R., and R. Angliss. 1997. 

Guidelines for assessing marine mammal 

stocks: report of the GAMMS workshop April 

3–5, 1996, Seattle, Washington. U.S. Dep. 

Commer., NOAA Tech. Memo. NMFS–OPR– 

12, 93 pp. 

Southern Beaufort Sea Polar Bear 

Amstrup, S.C. 1995. Movements, 

distribution, and population dynamics of 

polar bears in the Beaufort Sea. PhD 

Dissertation. University of Alaska-Fairbanks, 

Fairbanks, Alaska, 299 pp. 

Amstrup, S.C., 2000. Polar Bear. In The 

Natural History of an Oil Field: Development 

and Biota. Edited by J.C. Truett and S.R. 

Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 116 / Thursday, June 18, 2009 / Notices 28949 

Johnson. Academic Press, Inc., New York, 

New York, USA pp. 133–157. 

Amstrup, S.C. 2003. Polar Bear (Ursus 

maritimus). Pages 587–610 in Feldhammer, 

G.A., B.C. Thompson, and J.A. Chapman, 

eds., Wild Mammals of North America— 

Biology, Management, and Conservation. 

John Hopkins University Press. Baltimore, 

Maryland. pp. 587–610. 

Amstrup, S.C., and D.P. DeMaster. 1988. 

Polar bear, Ursus maritimus. Pages 39–45 in 

J.W. Lentfer, ed., Selected Marine Mammals 

of Alaska: Species Accounts with Research 

and Management Recommendations. Marine 

Mammal Commission, Washington, DC. 

Amstrup, S., and C. Gardner. 1994. Polar 

bear maternity denning in the Beaufort Sea. 

Journal of Wildlife Management 58(1):1–10. 

Amstrup, S.C., I. Stirling, and J.W. Lentfer. 

1986. Past and present status of polar bears 

in Alaska. Wildlife Society Bulletin. 14:241– 

254. 

Amstrup, S.C., G. Durner, I. Stirling, N.J. 

Lunn, and F. Messier. 2000. Movements and 

distribution of polar bears in the Beaufort 

Sea. Canadian Journal of Zoology. 78:948– 

966. 

Amstrup, S.C., G.M. Durner, T.L. 

McDonald, D.M. Mulcahy, and G.W. Garner. 

2001a. Comparing movement patterns of 

satellite-tagged male and female polar bears. 

Canadian Journal of Zoology. 79:2147–2158. 

Amstrup, S.C., T.L. McDonald, and I. 

Stirling. 2001b. Polar bears in the Beaufort 

Sea: A 30-year mark-recapture case history. 

Journal of Agricultural, Biological, and 

Environmental Statistics, Vol. 6(2): 221–234. 

Amstrup, S.C., G. M. Durner, A. S. 

Fischbach, K. Simac, and G. Weston-York. 

2002. Polar Bear Research in the Beaufort 

Sea. in N. Lunn, E. W. Born, and S. Schliebe 

(eds.), Proceedings of the Thirteenth Working 

Meeting of the IUCN/SSC Polar Bear 

Specialist Group. 23–28 June, 2001, Nuuk, 

Greenland. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland, and 

Cambridge, UK. vii + 153 pp. 

Amstrup, S.C., T.L. McDonald, and G. 

Durner. 2004. Using satellite radiotelemetry 

data to delineate and manage wildlife 

populations. Wildlife Society Bulletin. 

32(3):661–679. 

Amstrup, S.C., G.M. Durner, I. Stirling, and 

T.L. McDonald. 2005. Allocating harvests 

among polar bear stocks in the Beaufort Sea. 

Arctic. 58:247–259. 

Amstrup, S.C., G.M. Durner, T.L. 

McDonald, and W.R. Johnson. 2006. 

Estimating potential effects of hypothetical 

oil spills on polar bears. Unpublished Report. 

U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Science 

Center, Anchorage, Alaska. 56 pp. 

Bethke, R., M. Taylor, S. Amstrup, and F. 

Messier. 1996. Population delineation of 

polar bears using satellite collar data. 

Ecological Applications 6(1):311–317. 

Brower, C. D., A. Carpenter, M. Branigan, 

W. Calvert, T. Evans, A. Fischbach, J. Nagy, 

S. Schliebe, and I. Stirling. 2002. The polar 

bear management agreement for the southern 

Beaufort Sea: An evaluation of the first ten 

years of a unique conservation agreement. 

Submitted to: Arctic 56:362–372. 

Comiso, J.C. 2003. Warming trends in the 

Arctic from clear sky satellite observations. 

Journal of Climate 16:3498–3510. 

Comiso, J.C. 2006. Arctic warming signals 

from satellite observations, Weather 

61(3):70–76. 

Cronin, M.A., S.C. Amstrup, G.W. Garner, 

and E.R. Vyse. 1991. Interspecific and 

intraspecific mitochondrial DNA variation in 

North American bears (Ursus). Canadian 

Journal of Zoology. 69:12:2985–2992. 

Cronin, M.A., S.C. Amstrup, and K.T. 

Scribner. 2006. Microsatellite DNA and 

mitochondrial DNA variation in polar bears 

(Ursus maritimus) in the Beaufort and 

Chukchi seas, Alaska. Canadian Journal of 

Zoology 84:655–660. 

DeMaster, D.P., and I. Stirling. 1981. Ursus 

maritimus. Mammalian Species:1–7. 

Dizon, A.E., C. Lockyer, W.F. Perrin, D.P. 

DeMaster, and J. Sisson. 1992. Rethinking the 

stock concept: a phylogeographic approach. 

Conservation Biology. 6:24–36. 

Durner, G.M., S.C. Amstrup, and K.J. 

Ambrosius. 2001. Remote identification of 

polar bear maternal den habitat in Northern 

Alaska. Arctic 54(2):115–121. 

Durner, G.M., S.C. Amstrup, R. Nielson, 

and T. McDonald. 2004. The use of sea ice 

habitat by female polar bears in the Beaufort 

Sea. U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Science 

Center, Anchorage, Alaska. OCS study, MMS 

2004–014. 41 pp. 

Durner, G.M., D.C. Douglas, R.M. Nielson, 

and S.C. Amstrup. 2006a. A model for 

autumn pelagic distribution of adult female 

polar bears in the Chukchi Sea, 1987–1994. 

USGS Science Center, Anchorage, Alaska. 

Contract Completion Report 70181–5–N240. 

67 pp. 

Durner, G.M., S.C. Amstrup, and K.J. 

Ambrosius. 2006b. Polar bear maternal den 

habitat in the Arctic national Wildlife refuge, 

Alaska. Arctic 59(1):31–36. 

Durner, G.M., D.C. Douglas, R.M. Nielson, 

S.C. Amstrup, T.L. McDonald, I. Stirling, M. 

Mauritzen, E.W. Born, O. Wiig, E. DeWeaver, 

M.C. Serreze, S.E. Belikov, M.M. Holland, J. 

Maslanik, J. Aars, D.C. Bailey, and A.E. 

Derocher. 2009. Predicting 21st century polar 

bear habitat distribution from global climate 

models. Ecological Monographs 79(1): 25–58. 

Evans, T. J. 2004a. Concentrations of 

selected essential and non-essential elements 

in adult male polar bears (Ursus maritimus) 

from Alaska. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

Technical Report. MMM 04–02. 68pp. 

Evans, T. J. 2004b. PCBs and chlorinated 

pesticides in adult male polar bears (Ursus 

maritimus) from Alaska. U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service Technical Report. MMM 04– 

01. 61pp. 

Fischbach, A.S., S.C. Amstrup, and D.C. 

Douglas. 2007. Landward and eastward shift 

of Alaskan polar bear denning associated 

with recent sea ice changes. Polar Biology 

30:1395–1405: doi.1007/s00300–007–0300–4. 

Fowler, C., W.J. Emery, and J. Maslanik. 

2004. Satellite-derived evolution of Arctic 

sea ice age: October 1978 to March 2003. 

Geoscience and Remote Sensing Letters, 

IEEE, Volume 1, Issue 2, April 2004 pp.71– 

74. 

Garner, G.W., S.T. Knick, and D.C. 

Douglas. 1990. Seasonal movements of adult 

female polar bears in the Bering and Chukchi 

seas. International Conference on Bear 

Research and Management 8:219–226. 

Garner, G.W., L.L. McDonald, D.S. Robson, 

D.P. Young Jr., and S.M. Arthur. 1992. 

Literature review: population estimation 

methodologies applicable to the estimation of 

abundance of polar bears. Internal Report, 

U.S.FWS. 102pp. 

Garner, G.W., L.L. McDonald, S.M. Arthur, 

and T.L. Olson. 1994. Operating procedures: 

Pilot polar bear survey Beaufort Sea: 1994. 

Internal Report, U.S.FWS, 39 pp. 

Harington, C.R. 1968. Denning habits of the 

polar bear (Ursus maritimus) Phipps. 

Canadian Wildlife Service Report, Series 5. 

33 pp. 

Holland, M., C.M. Bitz, and B. Tremblay. 

2006. Future abrupt reductions in summer 

Arctic sea ice. Geophysical Research Letters 

33 L25503: doi 10.1029/200661028024: 1–5. 

Hunter, C.M., H. Caswell, M.C. Runge, E.V. 

Regehr, S.C. Amstrup, and I. Stirling. 2007. 

Polar bears in the Southern Beaufort Sea II: 

Demography and population growth in 

relation to sea ice conditions. U.S. Geological 

Survey, Alaska Science Center, 

Administrative Report. 46 pp. 

Kannan, K., S.H. Yun, and T.J. Evans. 2005. 

Chlorinated, brominated, and perfluorinated 

contaminants in livers of polar bears from 

Alaska. Environmental Science and 

Technology. 39:9057–9063. 

Kannan, K., T. Agusa, T.J. Evans, and S. 

Tanabe. 2007. Trace element concentrations 

in livers of polar bears from tow population 

in northern and western Alaska. Archives of 

Environmental Contaminants and Toxicology 

53:473–482. 

Lentfer, J.W. 1974. Discreteness of Alaskan 

polar bear populations. Proceedings of the 

International Congress of Game Biologists 

11:323–329. 

Lentfer, J.W. 1976. Environmental 

contaminants and parasites in polar bears. 

Alaska Department of Fish and Game, 

Pittman-Robertson Project Report. W–17–4 

and W–17–5. 22 pp. 

Lentfer, J.W. 1983. Alaskan polar bear 

movements from mark and recovery. Arctic 

36:282–288. 

Lentfer, J.W., R.J. Hensel, J.R. Gilbert, and 

F.E. Sorensen. 1980. Population 

characteristics of Alaskan polar bears. 

International Conference on Bear Research 

and Management 3: 109–115. 

Lentfer, J.W., and W.A. Galster. 1987. 

Mercury in polar bears from Alaska. J. 

Wildlife Diseases 23:338–341. 

Lindsay, R.W., and J. Zhang. 2005. The 

thinning of the Arctic sea ice, 1988–2003: 

have we passed a tipping point? J. Climate 

18: 4879–4894. 

Lunn, N.J., M. Branigan, L. Carpenter, K. 

Chaulk, B. Doidge, J. Galipeau, D. Hedman, 

M. Huot, R. Maraj, M. Obbard, R. Otto, I. 

Stirling, M. Taylor, and S. Woodley. 2005. 

Polar bear management in Canada 2001– 

2004. Pages 101–116 in Jon Aars, N.J. Lunn, 

and A.E. Derocher (eds). Proceedings of the 

14th working meeting of the IUCN/SSC Polar 

Bear Specialist Group, June 2005, Seattle, 

Washington, U.S.A. 22pp. 

Manning, T.H. 1971. Geographical 

variation in the polar bear Ursus maritimus 

Phipps. Canadian Wildlife Service Report 

Series No. 13. 27 pp. 

Minerals Management Service (MMS). 

2004. Proposed oil and gas lease sale 195, 

Beaufort Sea Planning Area Environmental 

Assessment. U.S. Department of the Interior, 

28950 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 116 / Thursday, June 18, 2009 / Notices 

MMS, Anchorage, Alaska, USA. 101 pp. + 

Appendices. 

Muir, D.C.G., S. Backus, A.E. Derocher, R. 

Dietz, T.J. Evans, G.W. Gabrielsen, J. Nagy, 

R.J. Norstrom, C. Sonne, I. Stirling, M.K. 

Taylor, and R.J. Letcher. 2006. Brominated 

flame retardants in polar bears (Ursus 

maritimus) from Alaska, the Canadian Arctic, 

East Greenland and Svalbard. Environmental 

Science and Technology 40(2):449–455. 

Nageak, B.P., C.D.N. Brower, and S.L. 

Schliebe. 1991. Polar bear management in the 

southern Beaufort Sea: An Agreement 

between the Inuvialuit Game Council and the 

North Slope Borough Fish and Game 

Committee. In Transactions of North 

American Wildlife and Natural Resources 

Conference. 56:337–343. 

Paetkau, D., S.C. Amstrup, E.W. Born, W. 

Calvert, A.E. Derocher, G.W. Garner, F. 

Messier, I. Stirling, M.K. Taylor, O. Wiig, and 

C. Strobeck. 1999. Genetic Structure of the 

world’s polar bear populations. Molecular 

Ecology. 8:1571–1584. 

Parkinson, C.L., D.J. Cavalieri, P. Gloersen, 

H.J. Zwally, and J.C. Comiso. 1999. Arctic sea 

ice extents, areas, and trends, 1978–1996. 

Journal of Geophysical Research 

104(C9):20837–20856. 

Prestrud, P., and I. Stirling. 1994. The 

international polar bear agreement and the 

current status of polar bear conservation. 

Aquatic Mammals 20:113–124. 

Regehr, E.V., S.C. Amstrup, and I. Stirling. 

2006. Polar bear population status in the 

southern Beaufort Sea. U.S. Geological 

Survey Open File Report 2006–1337. 20 pp. 

Regehr, E.V., C.M. Hunter, H. Caswell, S.C. 

Amstrup, and I. Stirling. 2007. Polar bears in 

the Southern Beaufort Sea I: Survival and 

breeding in relation to sea ice conditions, 

2001–2006. U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska 

Science Center, Administrative Report. 45 

pp. 

Rode, K.D., S.C. Amstrup, and E.V. Regehr. 

2007. Polar Bears in the southern Beaufort 

Sea III: stature, mass, and cub recruitment in 

relationship to time and sea ice extent 

between 1982 and 2006. U.S. Dept. of the 

Interior, U.S. Geological Survey 

Administrative Report, Reston, Virginia. 28 

pp. 

Rothrock, D.A., Y. Yu, and G.A. Maykut. 

1999. Thinning of the Arctic sea-ice cover, 

Geophysical Research Letters 26: 3469–3472. 

Rush, S.A., K. Borga, R. Dietz, E.W. Born, 

C. Sonne, T. Evans, D.C.G. Muir, R.L. 

Letcher, R.J. Norstrom, and A.T. Fisk. 2008. 

Geographic Distribution of selected elements 

in the livers of polar bears from Greenland, 

Canada, and the United States. 

Environmental Pollution 153 (3): 618–626. 

Schliebe, S., K.D. Rode, J.S. Gleason, J. 

Wilder, K. Proffitt, T.J. Evans, and S. Miller. 

2008. Effects of sea ice extent and food 

availability on spatial and temporal 

distribution of polar bears during the fall 

open-water period in the Southern Beaufort 

Sea. Polar Biology. 12 pp. 

Schliebe, S.L., S.C. Amstrup, and G.W. 

Garner. 1995. The status of polar bear in 

Alaska, 1993. In O. Wiig, G.W. Garner (eds.), 

Proceedings of the Eleventh Working Meeting 

of the IUCN/SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group. 

IUCN, Gland, Switzerland, and Cambridge, 

UK. v + 192 pp. 

Scribner, K.T., G.W. Garner, S.C. Amstrup, 

and M.A. Cronin. 1997. Population genetic 

studies of the polar bear (Ursus maritimus): 

a summary of available data and 

interpretation of results. pp. 185–196, In 

Dizon, S., J. Chivers, and W. Perrin (eds.), 

Molecular genetics of marine mammals, 

incorporating the proceedings of a workshop 

on the analysis of genetic data to address 

problems of stock identity as related to 

management of marine mammals. Spec. Pub. 

#3 of the Society of Marine Mammalogy. 

Serreze, M.C., M.M. Holland, and J. 

Stroeve. 2007. Perspectives on the Arctic’s 

shrinking sea-ice cover. Science 315: 1533– 

1536. 

Smithwick, M., J.W. Martin, S.A. Mabury, 

K. Solomon, C. Sonne, E.W. Born, R. Dietz, 

A.E. Derocher, R.L. Letcher, T.J. Evans, G.W. 

Gabrielsonm, J. Nagy, I. Stirling, and D.C.G. 

Muir. 2005. A circumpolar study of 

perfluoroalkyl contaminants in polar bears 

(Ursus maritimus). Environmental Science 

and Technology 39 (15): 5517–5523. 

Smithwick, M. J., R. J. Norstrom, S.A. 

Maybury, K. Solomon, T.J. Evans, I. Stirling, 

M.K. Taylor, and D.C.G. Muir. 2006. 

Temporal trends of perfluoroalkyl 

contaminants in polar bears (Ursus 

maritimus) from two locations in the North 

American Arctic, 1972–2002. Environmental 

Science and Technology. 40 (4): 1139–1143. 

Stirling, I., and C.L. Parkinson. 2006. 

Possible effects of climate warming on 

selected populations of polar bears (Ursus 

maritimus) in the Canadian Arctic. Arctic 

99(3): 261–275. 

Stirling, I., N.J. Lunn, and J. Iacozza. 1999. 

Long-term trends in the population ecology 

of polar bears in western Hudson Bay in 

relation to climate change. Arctic 52:294– 

306. 

Stirling, I, T.L. McDonald, E.S. Richardson, 

and E.V. Regehr. 2007. Polar bear population 

status in the Northern Beaufort Sea. U.S. 

Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center, 

Administrative Report. 31 pp. 

Stroeve, J., M. Serreze, S. Drobot, S. 

Gearheard, M. Holland, J. Maslanik, W. 

Meier, and T. Scambos. 2008. Arctic Sea Ice 

Extent Plummets in 2007. EOS, Transactions, 

American Geophysical Union 89(2):13–14. 

Taylor, M.K., D.P. DeMaster, F.L. Bunnell, 

and R.E. Schweinsburg. 1987. Modeling the 

sustainable harvest of female polar bears. J. 

of Wildlife Management. 51:811–820. 

Thiemann, G.W., A.E. Derocher, and I. 

Stirling. 2008. Polar bear (Ursus maritimus) 

conservation in Canada: an ecological basis 

for identifying designatable units. Oryx. 

42(4): 504–515 

Treseder, L., and A. Carpenter. 1989. Polar 

bear management in the Southern Beaufort 

Sea. Info. N. 15(4):2–4. 

USFWS. Unpublished data (polar bear 

harvest information). Available from: USFWS 

Marine Mammals Office, 1011 East Tudor 

Road, Anchorage, AK 99503. 

USGS (U.S. Geological Service) 

Unpublished data (research data). Available 

from: USGS/Alaska Science Center, 4210 

University Drive, Anchorage, AK 99508. 

Uspenski, S.M., and S.E. Belikov. 1991. 

Polar bear populations in the Arctic: Current 

state, studies, and management (1985–87). In 

S.C. Amstrup and O. Wiig (eds.), Proceedings 

of the Tenth Working Meeting of the IUCN/ 

SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group, IUCN, 

Gland, Switzerland, and Cambridge, U.K. 

Verrault, J., D.C.G. Muir, R.J. Norstrom, I. 

Stirling, A.T. Fisk, G.W. Gabrielsen, A.E. 

Derocher, T.J. Evans, R. Dietz, C. Sonne, G.M. 

Sandala, W. Gebbink, F.F. Riget, E.W. Born, 

M.K. Taylor, J. Nagy, and R. J. Letcher. 2005. 

Chlorinated hydrocarbon contaminants and 

metabolites in polar bears (Ursus maritimus) 

from Alaska, Canada, East Greenland, and 

Svalbard: 1996–2002. The Science of the 

Total Environment 351–352:369–390. 

Wade, P.R., and R. Angliss. 1997. 

Guidelines for assessing marine mammal 

stocks: Report in the GAMMS Workshop, 

April 3–5, 1996, Seattle, WA. 93 pp. 

Wilson, D.E. 1976. Cranial variation in 

polar bears. International Conference Bear 

Research and Management 3:447–453. 

Woshner, V.M., T.M. O’Hara, G.R. Bratton, 

and V.R. Beasley. 2001. Concentrations and 

interactions of selected essential and nonessential elements in ringed seals and polar 

bears of Arctic Alaska. Journal of Wildlife 

Diseases. (37):711–721. 

Chukchi/Bering Seas Polar Bear 

Aars, J., N.J. Lunn, and A.E. Derocher. eds. 

2006. Polar bears: proceedings of the 14th 

working meeting of the IUCN/SSC Polar Bear 

Specialist Group, 20–24 June, Seattle, 

Washington, USA. IUCN, Gland, 

Switzerland. 189 pp. 

Administrative Law Judge. 1977. 

Environmental Impact Statement: 

Consideration of a waiver of the moratorium 

and return of management of certain marine 

mammals to the State of Alaska. 2 Volumes. 

Amstrup, S.C. 1986. Research on polar 

bears in Alaska, 1983–1985. pp. 85–115. In 

Proceedings of the Ninth Working Meeting of 

the IUCN/SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group, 

Edmonton, Canada. IUCN, Gland, 

Switzerland, and Cambridge, U.K. 152 pp. 

Amstrup, S.C. 1995. Movements, 

distribution, and population dynamics of 

polar bears in the Beaufort Sea. Ph.D. 

Dissertation. University of Alaska Fairbanks. 

Fairbanks, Alaska, 299 pp. 

Amstrup, S.C. 2000. Polar Bear. In The 

Natural History of an Oil Field: Development 

and Biota. Edited by J.C. Truett and S.R. 

Johnson. Academic Press, Inc., New York, 

New York, USA pp. 133–157. 

Amstrup, S.C., and D.P. DeMaster. 1988. 

Polar bear, Ursus maritimus. Pages 39–45 in 

J.W. Lentfer, ed. Selected Marine Mammals 

of Alaska: Species Accounts with Research 

and Management Recommendations. Marine 

Mammal Commission, Washington, DC. 

Amstrup, S.C., I. Stirling, and J.W. Lentfer. 

1986. Past and present status of polar bears 

in Alaska. Wildlife Society Bulletin. 14:241– 

254. 

Amstrup, S.C., G. Durner, I. Stirling, N.J. 

Lunn, and F. Messier. 2000. Movements and 

distribution of polar bears in the Beaufort 

Sea. Canadian Journal of Zoology. 78:948– 

966. 

Amstrup, S.C., G.M. Durner, T.L. 

McDonald, D.M. Mulcahy, and G.W. Garner. 

2001a. Comparing movement patterns of 

satellite-tagged male and female polar bears. 

Canadian Journal of Zoology. 79:2147–2158. 

Amstrup, S.C., T.L. McDonald, and I. 

Stirling. 2001b. Polar bears in the Beaufort 

Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 116 / Thursday, June 18, 2009 / Notices 28951 

Sea: A 30-year mark-recapture case history. 

Journal of Agricultural, Biological, and 

Environmental Statistics Vol.(2): 221–234. 

Amstrup, S.C., G.M. Durner, A.S. 

Fischbach, K. Simac, and G. Weston-York. 

2002. Polar Bear Research in the Beaufort 

Sea. pp. 109–125. In N. Lunn, E.W. Born, and 

S. Schliebe (eds). Proceedings of the 

Thirteenth Working Meeting of the IUCN/ 

SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group, Nuuk, 

Greenland. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland, and 

Cambridge, U.K. vii + 153 pp. 

Amstrup, S.C., T.L. McDonald, and G.M. 

Durner. 2004. Using satellite radiotelemetry 

data to delineate and manage wildlife 

populations. Wildlife Society Bulletin. 

32:661–679. 

Amstrup, S.C., G.M. Durner, I. Stirling, and 

T.L. McDonald. 2005. Allocating harvests 

among polar bear stocks in the Beaufort Sea. 

Arctic. 58:247–259. 

Belikov, S.E. 1993. Status of polar bear 

populations in the Russian Arctic 1993. pp. 

115–121. In O. Wiig, G.W. Garner (eds.). 

Proceedings of the Eleventh Working Meeting 

of the IUCN/SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group. 

IUCN, Gland, Switzerland, and Cambridge, 

U.K. v + 192 pp. 

Belikov, S.E. 1998. Research and 

management of polar bear populations in the 

Russian Arctic. pp. 113–114. In A.E. 

Derocher, G. Garner, N. Lunn, and O. Wiig 

(eds). Proceedings of the Twelfth Working 

Meeting of the IUCN/SSC Polar Bear 

Specialist Group. 3–7 February, 1997. Oslo, 

Norway. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland, and 

Cambridge, U.K. v + 159 pp. 

Belikov, S.E., A.N. Boltunov, N.G. 

Ovsianikov, G.I. Belchanskiy, and A.A. 

Kochnev. 2006. Polar bear management and 

research in Russia 2000–2004. pp. 153–155. 

In J. Aars, N.J. Lunn, and A.E. Derocher 

(eds.). Proceedings of the 14th Working 

Meeting of the IUCN/SSC Polar Bear 

Specialist Group, 20–24 June 2005, Seattle, 

Washington, U.S.A. IUCN, Gland, 

Switzerland, and Cambridge, U.K. 

Brower, C.D., A. Carpenter, M. Branigan, 

W. Calvert, T. Evans, A.S. Fischbach, J. Nagy, 

S. Schliebe, and I. Stirling. 2002. The polar 

bear management agreement for the Southern 

Beaufort Sea: An evaluation of the first ten 

years of a unique conservation agreement. 

Arctic 56:362–372. 

Chelintsev, N.G. 1977. Determination of 

the absolute number of dens based on the 

selective counts. Pp. 66–85, In Uspenski, 

S.M. (ed.). The polar bear and its 

conservation in the Soviet Arctic. Moscow, 

Central Laboratory on Nature Conservation. 

(In Russian with English summary). 

Comiso, J.C. 2003. Warming trends in the 

Arctic from clear sky satellite observations. 

Journal of Climate 16:3498–3510. 

Comiso, J.C. 2006. Arctic warming signals 

from satellite observations. Weather 

61(3):70–76. 

Cronin, M.A., S.C. Amstrup, G.W. Garner, 

and E.R. Vyse. 1991. Interspecific and 

intraspecific mitochondrial DNA variation in 

North American bears (Ursus). Canadian 

Journal of Zoology. 69:12:2985–2992. 

Cronin, M.A., S.C. Amstrup, K.T. Scribner. 

2006. Microsatellite DNA and mitochondrial 

DNA variation in polar bears (Ursus 

maritimus) in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas, 

Alaska. Canadian Journal of Zoology 84:655– 

660. 

DeMaster, D.P., and I. Stirling. 1981. Ursus 

maritimus. Mammalian Species: 1–7. 

Dizon, A.E., C. Lockyer, W.F. Perrin, D.P. 

DeMaster, and J. Sisson. 1992. Rethinking the 

stock concept: a phylogeographic approach. 

Conservation Biology 6:24–36. 

Durner, G.M., D.C. Douglas, R.M. Nielson, 

S.C. Amstrup, T.L. McDonald, I. Stirling, M. 

Mauritzen, E.W. Born, O. Wiig, E. DeWeaver, 

M.C. Serreze, S.E. Belikov, M.M. Holland, J. 

Maslanik, J. Aars, D.C. Bailey, and A.E. 

Derocher. 2009. Predicting 21st century polar 

bear habitat distribution from global climate 

models. Ecological Monographs 79(1): 25–58. 

Evans, T.J. 2004a. Concentrations of 

selected essential and non-essential elements 

in adult male polar bears (Ursus maritimus) 

from Alaska. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

Technical Report. MMM 04–02. 68 pp. 

Evans, T.J. 2004b. PCBs and chlorinated 

pesticides in adult male polar bears (Ursus 

maritimus) from Alaska. U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service Technical Report. MMM 04– 

01. 61 pp. 

Evans, T.F., A.S. Fischbach, S. Schliebe, B. 

Manley, S. Kalxdorff, and G. York. 2003. 

Polar bear aerial survey in the Eastern 

Chukchi Sea: A Pilot Study. Arctic 

56(4):359–366. 

Fowler, C., W.J. Emery and J. Maslanik. 

2004. Satellite-derived evolution of Arctic 

sea ice age: October 1978 to March 2003. 

Geoscience and Remote Sensing Letters, 

IEEE, Volume 1, Issue 2, April 2004. pp. 71– 

74. 

Garner, G.W., S.T. Knick, and D.C. 

Douglas. 1990. Seasonal movements of adult 

female polar bears in the Bering and Chukchi 

seas. International Conference on Bear 

Research and Management 8:219–226. 

Garner, G.W., L.L. McDonald, D.S. Robson, 

D.P. Young Jr., and S.M. Arthur. 1992. 

Literature review: population estimation 

methodologies applicable to the estimation of 

abundance of polar bears. Internal Report, 

U.S.F.W.S. 102 pp. 

Garner, G.W., S.E. Belikov, M.S. Stishov, 

V.G. Barnes, and S.A. Arthur. 1994. Dispersal 

patterns of maternal polar bears from the 

denning concentration on Wrangel Island. 

International Conference on Bear Research 

and Management 9(1):401–410. 

Garner, G.W., M.S. Stishov, O. Wiig, A. 

Boltunov, G.I. Belchansky, D.C. Douglas, L.L. 

McDonald, D.M. Mulcahy, and S. Schliebe. 

1998. Polar bear research in western Alaska, 

eastern and western Russia 1993–1996. pp. 

125–129. In A.E. Derocher, G. Garner, N. 

Lunn, and O. Wiig (eds.). Proceedings of the 

Twelfth Working Meeting of the IUCN/SSC 

Polar Bear Specialist Group. 3–7 February, 

1997. Oslo, Norway. IUCN, Gland, 

Switzerland, and Cambridge, U.K. v + 159 

pp. 

Hanna, G.D. 1920. Mammals of the St. 

Matthew Islands, Bering Sea. Journal of 

Mammalogy 1:118–122. 

Harington, C.R. 1968. Denning habits of the 

polar bear (Ursus maritimus Phipps). 

Canadian Wildlife Service Report, Series 5. 

33 pp. 

Holland, M., C.M. Bitz, and B. Tremblay. 

2006. Future abrupt reductions in summer 

Arctic sea ice. Geophysical Research Letters 

33 L25503: doi 10.1029/200661028024: 1–5. 

Hunter, C.M., H. Caswell, M.C. Runge, E.V. 

Regehr, S.A. Amstrup, and I. Stirling. 2007. 

Polar bears in the Southern Beaufort Sea II: 

Demography and population growth in 

relation to sea ice conditions. U.S. Geological 

Survey, Alaska Science Center, 

Administrative Report. 46 pp. 

IUCN. 2006. Status of the polar bear. pp. 

33–56 in J. Aars J., N.J. Lunn, and A.E. 

Derocher (eds.), Proceedings of the 14th 

Working Meeting of the IUCN/SSC Polar Bear 

Specialist Group, Seattle, United States. 

IUCN, Gland, Switzerland, and Cambridge, 

U.K. 

Kannan, K., S.H. Yun, and T.J. Evans. 2005. 

Chlorinated, brominated, and perfluorinated 

contaminants in livers of polar bears from 

Alaska. Environmental Science and 

Technology. 39:9057–9063. 

Kannan, K., T. Agusa, T.J. Evans, and S. 

Tanabe. 2007. Trace element concentrations 

in livers of polar bears from tow population 

in northern and western Alaska. Archives of 

Environmental Contaminants and Toxicology 

53:473–482. 

Kochnev, A.A. 2006. Research on polar 

bear autumn aggregations on Chukotka, 

1989–2004. pp. 157–166. In J. Aars, N.J. 

Lunn, and A.E. Derocher (eds.) Proceeding of 

the 14th Working Meeting of the IUCN/SSC 

Polar Bear Specialist Group, 20–24 June 

2005, Seattle, Washington, U.S.A. IUCN, 

Gland, Switzerland, and Cambridge, U.K. 

Lentfer, J.W. 1974. Discreteness of Alaskan 

polar bear populations. Proceedings of the 

International Congress of Game Biologists 

11:323–329. 

Lentfer, J.W. 1976. Environmental 

contaminants and parasites in polar bears. 

Alaska Department of Fish and Game, 

Pittman-Robertson Project Report. W–17–4 

and W–17–5. 22 pp. 

Lentfer, J.W. 1983. Alaskan polar bear 

movements from mark and recovery. Arctic 

36:282–288. 

Lentfer, J.W., and W.A. Galster. 1987. 

Mercury in polar bears from Alaska. Journal 

of Wildlife Diseases 23:338–341. 

Lentfer, J.W., R.J. Hensel, J.R. Gilbert, and 

F.E. Sorensen. 1980. Population 

characteristics of Alaskan polar bears. 

International Conference on Bear Research 

and Management 3: 109–115. 

Lindsay, R.W., and J. Zhang. 2005. The 

thinning of the Arctic sea ice, 1988–2003: 

have we passed a tipping point? J. Climate 

18:4879–4894. 

Lunn, N.J., S. Schliebe, and E.W. Born, eds. 

2002. Polar bears: Proceedings of the 13th 

working meeting of the IUCN/SSC Polar Bear 

Specialist Group. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland, 

and Cambridge, U.K. vii +153pp. 

Manning, T.H. 1971. Geographical 

variation in the polar bear Ursus maritimus 

Phipps. Canadian Wildlife Service Report 

Series No. 13. 27 pp. 

Muir, D.C.G., S. Backus, A.E. Derocher, R. 

Dietz, T.J. Evans, G.W. Gabrielsen, J. Nagy, 

R.J. Norstrom, C. Sonne, I. Stirling, M.K. 

Taylor, and R.J. Letcher. 2006. Brominated 

flame retardants in polar bears (Ursus 

maritimus) from Alaska, the Canadian Arctic, 

East Greenland and Svalbard. Environmental 

Science and Technology 40(2):449–455. 

Nageak, B.P., C.D.N. Brower, and S.L. 

Schliebe. 1991. Polar bear management in the 

28952 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 116 / Thursday, June 18, 2009 / Notices 

southern Beaufort Sea: An Agreement 

between the Inuvialuit Game Council and the 

North Slope Borough Fish and Game 

Committee. In Transactions of North 

American Wildlife and Natural Resources 

Conference 56:337–343. 

Ovsyanikov, N.G. 2006. Research and 

conservation of polar bears on Wrangel 

Island. Pp. 167–171, In J. Aars, N.J. Lunn, 

and A.E. Derocher (eds.), Proceeding of the 

14th Working Meeting of the IUCN/SSC Polar 

Bear Specialist Group, 20–24 June 2005, 

Seattle, Washington, U.S.A. IUCN, Gland, 

Switzerland, and Cambridge, U.K. 

Overland, J.E., and M. Wang. 2007. Future 

regional Arctic sea ice declines. Geophysical 

Research Letters 34: L17705. 

Paetkau, D., S.C. Amstrup, E.W. Born, W. 

Calvert, A.E. Derocher, G.W. Garner, F. 

Messier, I. Stirling, M.K. Taylor, O. Wiig, and 

C. Strobeck. 1999. Genetic Structure of the 

world’s polar bear populations. Molecular 

Ecology 8:1571–1584. 

Parkinson, C.L., D.J. Cavalieri, P. Gloersen, 

H.J. Zwally, and J.C. Comiso. 1999. Arctic sea 

ice extents, areas, and trends, 1978–1996. 

Journal of Geophysical Research 

104(C9):20837–20856. 

Ray, C.E. 1971. Polar bear and mammoth 

on the Pribilof Islands. Arctic 24:9–19. 

Regehr, E.V., S.C. Amstrup, and I. Stirling. 

2006. Polar bear population status in the 

Southern Beaufort Sea. Report Series 2006– 

1337, U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. 

Geological Survey, Anchorage, Alaska. 55 pp. 

Regehr, E.V., C.M. Hunter, H. Caswell, S.C. 

Amstrup, and I. Stirling. 2007. Polar bears in 

the Southern Beaufort Sea I: Survival and 

breeding in relation to sea ice conditions, 

2001–2006. U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska 

Science Center, Administrative Report. 45 

pp. 

Rode, K.D., S.C. Amstrup, and E.V. Regehr. 

2007. Polar Bears in the southern Beaufort 

Sea III: stature, mass, and cub recruitment in 

relationship to time and sea ice extent 

between 1982 and 2006. U.S. Dept. of the 

Interior, U.S. Geological Survey 

Administrative Report, Reston, Virginia. 28 

pp. 

Rothrock, D.A., Y. Yu, and G.A. Maykut. 

1999. Thinning of the Arctic sea-ice cover, 

Geophysical Research Letters 26:3469–3472. 

Rush, S.A., K. Borga, R. Dietz, E.W. Born, 

C. Sonne, T. Evans, D.C.G. Muir, R.L. 

Letcher, R.J. Norstrom, and A.T. Fisk. 2008. 

Geographic Distribution of selected elements 

in the livers of polar bears from Greenland, 

Canada, and the United States. 

Environmental Pollution 153 (3): 618–626. 

Schliebe, S.L., S.C. Amstrup, and G.W. 

Garner. 1995. The status of polar bear in 

Alaska, 1993. Pp. 125–139, In O. Wiig, G.W. 

Garner (eds.), Proceedings of the Eleventh 

Working Meeting of the IUCN/SSC Polar Bear 

Specialist Group, Copenhagen, Denmark. 

IUCN, Gland, Switzerland, and Cambridge, 

UK. v + 192 pp. 

Schliebe, S., T.J. Evans, S. Miller, C. 

Perham, J. Wilder, and L.J. Lierheimer. 2006. 

Polar bear management in Alaska 2000–2004. 

Pp. 63–76, In J. Aars, N.J. Lunn, and A.E. 

Derocher (eds.), Proceeding of the 14th 

Working Meeting of the IUCN/SSC Polar Bear 

Specialist Group, 20–24 June 2005, Seattle, 

Washington, U.S.A. IUCN, Gland, 

Switzerland, and Cambridge, U.K. 

Scribner, K.T., G.W. Garner, S.C. Amstrup, 

and M.A. Cronin. 1997. Population genetic 

studies of the polar bear (Ursus maritimus): 

a summary of available data and 

interpretation of results. Pp. 185–196, In 

Dizon, S., J. Chivers, and W. Perrin (eds.), 

Molecular genetics of marine mammals, 

incorporating the proceedings of a workshop 

on the analysis of genetic data to address 

problems of stock identity as related to 

management of marine mammals. Spec. Pub. 

#3 of the Society of Marine Mammalogy. 

Serreze, M.C., M.M. Holland, and J. 

Stroeve. 2007. Perspectives on the Arctic’s 

shrinking sea-ice cover. Science 315: 1533– 

1536. 

Smithwick, M., J.W. Martin, S.A. Mabury, 

K. Solomon, C. Sonne, E.W. Born, R. Dietz, 

A.E. Derocher, R.L. Letcher, T.J. Evans, G.W. 

Gabrielsonm, J. Nagy, I. Stirling, and D.C.G. 

Muir. 2005. A circumpolar study of 

perfluoroalkyl contaminants in polar bears 

(Ursus maritimus). Environmental Science 

and Technology 39(15):5517–5523. 

Smithwick, M.J., R.J. Norstrom, S.A. 

Maybury, K. Solomon, T.J. Evans, I. Stirling, 

M.K. Taylor, and D.C.G. Muir. 2006. 

Temporal trends of perfluoroalkyl 

contaminants in polar bears (Ursus 

maritimus) from two locations in the North 

American Arctic, 1972–2002. Environmental 

Science and Technology. 40(4):1139–1143. 

Stishov, M.S. 1991a. Results of aerial 

counts of the polar bear dens on the arctic 

coast of the extreme Northern Asia. Pp. 90– 

92, In Amstrup, S.C., and Wiig, ;. (eds.), 

Polar Bears: Proceedings of the Tenth 

Working Meeting of the IUCN/SSC Polar Bear 

Specialist Group. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland, 

and Cambridge, U.K. 

Stishov, M.S. 1991b. Distribution and 

number of polar bear maternity dens on 

Wrangel and Herald islands, in 1985–1989, 

pp. 91–115 in Amerirkhavov, A.M. (ed.), 

Population and Communities of Mammals on 

Wrangel Island. Moscow, CNIL Glavokhhoty 

RSFSR. (in Russian). 

Stishov, M.S., G.W. Garner, S.M. Arthur, 

and V.G.B. Barnes Jr. 1991. Distribution and 

relative abundance of maternal polar bear 

dens in the Chukotka Peninsula region, 

U.S.S.R. p. 67 in Abstracts, Ninth Biennial 

Conference on the Biology of the Marine 

Mammals, 5–9 December 1991, Chicago, 

Illinois, U.S.A. 

Stroeve, J., M. Serreze, S. Drobot, S. 

Gearheard, M. Holland, J. Maslanik, W. 

Meier, and T. Scambos. 2008. Arctic Sea Ice 

Extent Plummets in 2007. EOS, Transactions, 

American Geophysical Union 89(2):13–14. 

Treseder, L., and A. Carpenter. 1989. Polar 

bear management in the Southern Beaufort 

Sea. Info. N. 15(4):2–4. 

USFWS. Unpublished data (polar bear 

harvest information). Available from: USFWS 

Marine Mammals Office, 1011 East Tudor 

Road, Anchorage, AK 99503. 

Uspenski, S.M. 1986. Research and 

management of polar bear populations in the 

USSR, 1981–85. Pages 133–136 in 

Proceedings of the Ninth Working Meeting of 

the IUCN/SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group, 

IUCN, Gland, Switzerland, and Cambridge, 

U.K. 

Verrault, J., D.C.G. Muir, R.J. Norstrom, I. 

Stirling, A.T. Fisk, G.W. Gabrielsen, A.E. 

Derocher, T.J. Evans, R. Dietz, C. Sonne, G.M. 

Sandala, W. Gebbink, F.F. Riget, E.W. Born, 

M.K. Taylor, J. Nagy, and R.J. Letcher. 2005. 

Chlorinated hydrocarbon contaminants and 

metabolites in polar bears (Ursus maritimus) 

from Alaska, Canada, East Greenland, and 

Svalbard: 1996–2002. The Science of the 

Total Environment 351–352:369–390. 

Wade, P.R., and R. Angliss. 1997. 

Guidelines for assessing marine mammal 

stocks: Report in the GAMMS Workshop, 

April 3–5, 1996, Seattle, WA. 93 pp. 

Wilson, D.E. 1976. Cranial variation in 

polar bears. International Conference Bear 

Research and Management 3:447–453. 

Woshner, V.M., T.M. O’Hara, G.R. Bratton, 

and V.R. Beasley. 2001. Concentrations and 

interactions of selected essential and nonessential elements in ringed seals and polar 

bears of Arctic Alaska. Journal of Wildlife 

Diseases. (37):711–721. 

Zdor, Eduard. Personal Communication. 

Executive Director, Association of 

Traditional Marine Mammal Hunters of 

Chukotka. 

Authority: The authority for this action is 

the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, 

as amended (16 U.S.C. 1361 et al.). 

Dated: June 9, 2009. 

Marvin Moriarty, 

Acting Director, Fish and Wildlife Service. 

[FR Doc. E9–14346 Filed 6–17–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P 

INTERNATIONAL BOUNDARY AND 

WATER COMMISSION 

United States Section; Notice of 

Availability of a Final Environmental 

Assessment and Final Finding of No 

Significant Impact for Flood Control 

Improvements to the Arroyo Colorado 

Floodway, Hidalgo and Cameron 

Counties, TX 

AGENCY: United States Section, 

International Boundary and Water 

Commission, United States and Mexico. 

ACTION: Notice of Availability of Final 

Environmental Assessment (EA) and 

Final Finding of No Significant Impact 

(FONSI). 

SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 102(2)(c) 

of the National Environmental Policy 

Act (NEPA) of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et 

seq.), the Council on Environmental 

Quality Final Regulations (40 CFR Parts 

1500 through 1508), and the United 

States Section, International Boundary 

and Water Commission’s (USIBWC) 

Operational Procedures for 

Implementing Section 102 of NEPA, 

published in the Federal Register 

September 2, 1981 (46 FR 44083); the 

USIBWC hereby gives notice of 

availability of the Final Environmental 

Assessment and FONSI for Flood 

Control Improvements to the Arroyo 

Colorado Floodway, a component of the