[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 73 (Monday, April 16, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22604-22606]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-9035]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R9-IA-2012-N085; FXIA16710900000P5-123-FF09A30000]
Endangered Species; Marine Mammals; Receipt of Applications for
Permit
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of receipt of applications for permit.
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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, invite the public to
comment on the following applications to conduct certain activities
with endangered species, marine mammals, or both. With some exceptions,
the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and Marine Mammal Protection Act
(MMPA) prohibits activities with listed
[[Page 22605]]
species unless Federal authorization is acquired that allows such
activities.
DATES: We must receive comments or requests for documents on or before
May 16, 2012. We must receive requests for marine mammal permit public
hearings, in writing, at the address shown in the ADDRESSES section by
May 16, 2012.
ADDRESSES: Lisa Lierheimer, Division of Management Authority, U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service, 4401 North Fairfax Drive, Room 212, Arlington, VA
22203; fax (703) 358-2280; or email DMAFR@fws.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lisa Lierheimer, (703) 358-2104
(telephone); (703) 358-2280 (fax); DMAFR@fws.gov (email).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Public Comment Procedures
A. How do I request copies of applications or comment on submitted
applications?
Send your request for copies of applications or comments and
materials concerning any of the applications to the contact listed
under ADDRESSES. Please include the Federal Register notice publication
date, the PRT-number, and the name of the applicant in your request or
submission. We will not consider requests or comments sent to an email
or address not listed under ADDRESSES. If you provide an email address
in your request for copies of applications, we will attempt to respond
to your request electronically.
Please make your requests or comments as specific as possible.
Please confine your comments to issues for which we seek comments in
this notice, and explain the basis for your comments. Include
sufficient information with your comments to allow us to authenticate
any scientific or commercial data you include.
The comments and recommendations that will be most useful and
likely to influence agency decisions are: (1) Those supported by
quantitative information or studies; and (2) Those that include
citations to, and analyses of, the applicable laws and regulations. We
will not consider or include in our administrative record comments we
receive after the close of the comment period (see DATES) or comments
delivered to an address other than those listed above (see ADDRESSES).
B. May I review comments submitted by others?
Comments, including names and street addresses of respondents, will
be available for public review at the street address listed under
ADDRESSES. The public may review documents and other information
applicants have sent in support of the application unless our allowing
viewing would violate the Privacy Act or Freedom of Information Act.
Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other
personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware
that your entire comment--including your personal identifying
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can
ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be
able to do so.
II. Background
To help us carry out our conservation responsibilities for affected
species, and in consideration of section 10(a)(1)(A) of the Endangered
Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), and the
Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1361 et
seq.), along with Executive Order 13576, ``Delivering an Efficient,
Effective, and Accountable Government,'' and the President's Memorandum
for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies of January 21,
2009--Transparency and Open Government (74 FR 4685; January 26, 2009),
which call on all Federal agencies to promote openness and transparency
in Government by disclosing information to the public, we invite public
comment on these permit applications before final action is taken.
Under the MMPA, you may request a hearing on any MMPA application
received. If you request a hearing, give specific reasons why a hearing
would be appropriate. The holding of such a hearing is at the
discretion of the Service Director.
III. Permit Applications
A. Endangered Species
Applicant: Wild Acres Ranch, Sandusky, OH; PRT-64940A
The applicant requests a permit to import four captive-bred
cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus), one male and three females, from Bester
Birds and Animals Zoo Park, Pretoria, South Africa, for the purpose of
enhancement of the survival of the species through captive breeding and
zoological exhibition.
Applicant: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Corpus Christi, TX; PRT-
71576A
The applicant requests a permit to import one Kemp's ridley sea
turtle (Lepidochelys kempii) found stranded in the Netherlands for the
purpose of enhancement of the survival of the species.
Applicant: The Dallas World Aquarium, Dallas, TX; PRT-71351A
The applicant requests a permit to import two captive-bred Harpy
eagles (Harpia harpyja), one male and one female, from UMA Vida
Silvestre Jesus Estudillo Lopez, Ixtapaluca, Mexico, for the purpose of
enhancement of the survival of the species through captive breeding and
zoological exhibition.
Multiple Applicants
The following applicants each request a permit to import the sport-
hunted trophy of one male bontebok (Damaliscus pygargus pygargus)
culled from a captive herd maintained under the management program of
the Republic of South Africa, for the purpose of enhancement of the
survival of the species.
Applicant: Jon W. Holman, West Fargo, ND; PRT-47905A
Applicant: Billy R. Hablinski, Athens, TX; PRT-71492A
B. Endangered Marine Mammals
Applicant: Edmund Gerstein, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton,
FL; PRT-063561
The applicant requests a renewal of the permit to take Florida
manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris) for the purpose of scientific
research. The applicant is requesting no changes to his permit but an
extension of time to allow him to complete a study to archive and
evaluate manatee responses to controlled boat approaches; his research
was hampered by weather and other circumstances beyond his control.
This notification covers activities to be conducted by the applicant
over a 2-year period.
Applicant: Dr. Milton Levin, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT;
PRT-48161A
The applicant requests a permit to acquire biological samples from
polar bears (Ursus maritimus) and Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus
latirostris) held in captivity and to import biological samples from
polar bears in the wild for the purpose of scientific research. This
notification covers activities to be conducted by the applicant over a
5-year period.
Concurrent with publishing this notice in the Federal Register, we
are forwarding copies of the above applications to the Marine Mammal
Commission and the Committee of Scientific Advisors for their review.
[[Page 22606]]
Dated: April 6, 2012.
Lisa J. Lierheimer,
Supervisory Policy Specialist, Branch of Permits, Division of
Management Authority.
[FR Doc. 2012-9035 Filed 4-13-12; 8:45 am]
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