[Federal Register: December 2, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 231)]
[Notices]
[Page 67583-67584]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr02de99-47]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
Information Collection To Be Submitted to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for Approval Under the Paperwork Reduction
Act
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will submit the collection
of information listed below to OMB for approval under the provisions of
the Paperwork Reduction Act. A copy of the information collection
requirement is included in this notice. If you wish to obtain copies of
the proposed information collection requirement, related forms, and
explanatory material, contact the Service Information Collection
Clearance Officer at the address listed below.
DATES: You must submit comments on or before January 31, 2000.
ADDRESSES: Send your comments on the requirement to the Information
Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, ms 222-
ARLSQ, 1849 C Street NW., Washington, DC 20204.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request a copy of the information
collection request, explanatory information and related forms, contact
Rebecca A. Mullin at (703) 358-2287, or electronically to
rmullin@fws.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
regulations at 5 CFR part 1320, which implement provisions of the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Public Law 104-13), require that
interested members of the public and affected agencies have an
[[Page 67584]]
opportunity to comment on information collection and recordkeeping
activities (see 5 CFR 1320.8(d)). The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
(We) plan to submit a request to OMB to renew its approval of the
collection of information for the Sandhill Crane Harvest Survey. We are
requesting a 3-year term of approval for this information collection
activity.
Federal agencies may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not
required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays
a currently valid OMB control number. The OMB control number for this
collection of information is 1018-0023.
The Migratory Bird Treaty Act (16 U.S.C. 703-711) and Fish and
Wildlife Act of 1956 (16 U.S.C. 742d) designate the Department of the
Interior as the key agency responsible for the wise management of
migratory bird populations frequenting the United States and for the
setting of hunting regulations that allow appropriate harvests that are
within the guidelines that will allow for those populations' well
being. These responsibilities dictate the gathering of accurate data on
various characteristics of migratory bird populations. The Sandhill
Crane Harvest Survey is an essential part of the migratory bird
management program. The survey helps determine sandhill crane harvests
and harvest rates that is used to regulate sandhill crane populations
(by promulgating hunting regulations) and to encourage hunting
opportunity, especially where crop depredations are chronic and/or
lightly harvested populations occur.
The annual questionnaire surveys people who obtained a sandhill
crane hunting permit. At the end of the hunting season, we randomly
selects a sample of permit holders and send those people a
questionnaire that asks them to report the date, state, county, and
number of birds harvested for each of their sandhill crane hunts. Their
responses provide estimates of the temporal and geographic distribution
of the harvest as well as the average harvest per hunter, which,
combined with the total number of sandhill crane permits issued,
enables us to estimate the total harvest of sandhill cranes.
The Sandhill Crane Harvest Survey enables us to annually estimate
the magnitude of the harvest, and the portion it constitutes of the
total mid-continent sandhill crane population. Based on information
from this survey, sandhill crane hunting regulations are adjusted as
needed to optimize harvest at levels that provide a maximum of hunting
recreation while keeping populations at desired levels.
Title: Sandhill Crane Harvest Survey.
Approval Number: 1018-0023.
Service Form Number: 3-530, 3-530A, and 3-2056N.
Frequency of Collection: Annually.
Description of Respondents: Individuals and households.
Total Annual Burden Hours: The reporting burden is estimated to
average 5 minutes per respondent. The Total Annual Burden hours is 614
hours.
Total Annual Responses: About 7,400 individuals are expected to
participate in the survey.
We invite comments concerning this renewal on: (1) Whether the
collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of
our migratory bird management functions, including whether the
information will have practical utility; (2) The accuracy of our
estimate of the burden of the collection of information; (3) Ways to
enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be
collected; and, (4) Ways to minimize the burden of the collection of
information on respondents. The information collections in this program
are part of a system of record covered by the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C.
552(a)).
Dated: November 22, 1999.
Daniel M. Ashe,
Assistant Director for Refuges and Wildlife.
[FR Doc. 99-31064 Filed 12-1-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P