The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on issuance of permits for research on northern right whales in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The EIS will address the information needs for species conservation, including the types of research activities available for collecting samples and data, and the appropriate levels of research intensity, including temporal and geographic extent of activities, sample sizes, and frequency of sampling. The EIS will also address appropriate mitigation measures and potential cumulative impacts of research activities on right whales and the environment. As an initial step in the EIS process, NMFS is hosting a series of public scoping meetings. NMFS invites the public, including permit holders, researchers and scientists from all disciplines, elected officials, regulatory agencies, environmental groups, and other interested parties, to attend the scoping meetings and to provide input on the range of actions, alternatives, and impacts that should be considered in the EIS. The first scoping meeting was held in New Bedford, MA, in association with the North Atlantic Right Whale Research Consortium meeting. Additional scoping meetings will be held in December 2005 and January 2006 at the following locations and dates: San Diego, CA (Note: this meeting will be held the weekend before, and at the same venue as the 16th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals) December 10, 2005 6:30-9:30 pm Manchester Grand Hyatt, Douglas Pavilion D One Market Place Silver Spring, MD January 19, 2006 1:00-4:00 pm NOAA Science Center (SSMC IV) 1301 East-West Highway In addition, comments may be submitted in writing through January 31, 2006 in one of the following ways: Email: rweis.comments@noaa.gov Fax: 301-427-2582 Mail to: Mr. Steve Leathery Office of Protected Resources Permits, Conservation, and Education Division (F/PR1) National Marine Fisheries Service 1315 East-West Highway, Room 13705 Silver Spring, MD 20910 For additional information about the EIS, please visit our website http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/permits/eis/rightwhale.htm or one of the established information repositories below: New Bedford Library 613 Pleasant Street New Bedford, MA 02740 La Jolla/Riford Branch Library 7555 Draper Avenue San Diego, CA 92037 NOAA Central Library 1315 East-West Highway 2nd Floor, SSMC3 Silver Spring, MD 20910