[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 166 (Monday, August 29, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52805-52807]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-18497]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-HQ-WSFR-2022-N046; FVWF97820900000-XXX-FF09W13000 and
FVWF54200900000-XXX-FFO9W13000; OMB Control Number 1018-0088]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; National
Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation (FHWAR)
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA),
we, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), are proposing to
revise a currently approved information collection.
DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before
September 28, 2022.
ADDRESSES: Send your comments on the information collection request
(ICR) before the close of the comment period listed under DATES to
https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular
information collection by selecting ``Currently under Review--Open for
Public Comments'' or by using the search function. Please provide a
copy of your comments to the Service Information Collection Clearance
Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 5275 Leesburg Pike, MS: PRB
(JAO/3W), Falls Church, VA 22041-3803 (mail); or by email to
Info_Coll@fws.gov. Please reference OMB Control No. 1018-0088 in the
subject line of your comments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information
about this ICR, contact Madonna L. Baucum, Service Information
Collection Clearance Officer, by email at Info_Coll@fws.gov, or by
telephone at (703) 358-2503. Individuals in the United States who are
deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability may dial
711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay
services. Individuals outside the United States should use the relay
services offered within their country to make international calls to
the point-of-contact in the United States. You may also view the ICR at
https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction
Act (PRA, 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.) and its implementing regulations at 5
CFR 1320.8(d)(1), all information collections require approval under
the PRA. We may not conduct or sponsor and you are not required to
respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently
valid OMB control number.
On April 26, 2022, we published a Federal Register notice (87 FR
24584) with a 60-day public comment period soliciting comments on this
collection of information. In an effort to increase public awareness
of, and participation in, our public commenting processes associated
with information collection requests, the Service also published the
Federal Register notice at https://www.regulations.gov (Docket No. FWS-
HQ-WSFR-2022-0035) to provide the public with an additional method to
submit comments (in addition to the typical Info_Coll@fws.gov email and
U.S. mail submission methods). We received the following comments in
response to that notice:
Comment 1: Email comment from Jean Public received April 26, 2022:
The commenter did not address the information collection requirements.
Agency Response to Comment 1: No response required.
Comment 2: Letter (submitted via email) from Holly Huchko,
Endangered Species Act Program Specialist/Sport Fish Restoration
Coordinator for the State of Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife,
received May 17, 2022:
The data provided in the National FHWAR Survey is used by the
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife when working with their partners
and public. It has also been the source of the freshwater/saltwater
split calculation for their fishing management funding. Collecting
information through mail and digital format properly reaches their
angling and hunting constituents.
Agency Response to Comment 2: The methodology for the 2022 FHWAR
survey is responsive to the needs identified in this comment. Oregon
and other coastal States will continue to receive data on the number of
freshwater/saltwater anglers within their respective States, free of
cost. The 2022 FHWAR survey responses will also be fielded in mail,
telephone, and web modes.
Comment 3: Comment submitted on June 23, 2022, via Regulations.gov
(FWS-HQ-WSFR-2022-0035-0002) from Friends of Animals:
Wildlife watchers should be a source of funding for the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service, in addition to hunters and anglers and boaters.
Quantifying wildlife watching participation and expenditures will
enable the appropriate management of non-consumptive wildlife-related
recreation and funding. Birdwatching questions should be asked during
all three waves of data collection.
Agency Response to Comment 3: Birding has always been a subset of
all wildlife watching in this Survey; we include people who bird in our
total wildlife watching estimates. After the 2022 questionnaire was
finalized for the screening and Wave 1 interview, we decided birding
warranted its own participation estimate. With this submission, we are
putting the birding participation questions back in. We won't have
clearance until Wave 3 at the earliest. The Survey is not part of/
involved in the funding source for the Service.
Comment 4: Comment submitted on June 26, 2022, via Regulations.gov
(FWS-HQ-WSFR-2022-0035-0003) from Anonymous:
The commenter did not address the information collection
requirements.
Agency Response to Comment 4: No response required.
As part of our continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent
burdens, we are again inviting the public and other Federal agencies to
comment on new, proposed, revised, and continuing collections of
information. This helps us assess the impact of our information
collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. It
also helps the public understand our information collection
requirements and provide the requested data in the desired format.
We are especially interested in public comment addressing the
following:
(1) Whether or not the collection of information is necessary for
the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including
whether or not the information will have practical utility;
[[Page 52806]]
(2) The accuracy of our estimate of the burden for this collection
of information, including the validity of the methodology and
assumptions used;
(3) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected; and
(4) How might the agency minimize the burden of the collection of
information on those who are to respond, including through the use of
appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological
collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g.,
permitting electronic submission of response.
Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of
public record. 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 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.
Abstract: The information collected for the National Survey of
Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation (FHWAR) assists the
Fish and Wildlife Service in administering the Wildlife and Sport Fish
Restoration grant programs. The 2022 FHWAR survey will provide up-to-
date information on the uses and demands for wildlife-related
recreation resources and a basis for developing and evaluating programs
and projects to meet existing and future needs.
We collect the information in conjunction with carrying out our
responsibilities under the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act
(16 U.S.C. 777-777m) and the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act
(16 U.S.C. 669-669i). Under these acts, as amended, we provide
approximately $1 billion in grants annually to States for projects that
support sport fish and wildlife management and restoration, including:
Improvement of fish and wildlife habitats,
Fishing and boating access,
Fish stocking, and
Hunting and fishing opportunities.
We also provide grants for aquatic education and hunter education,
maintenance of completed projects, and research into problems affecting
fish and wildlife resources. These projects help to ensure that the
American people have adequate opportunities for fish and wildlife
recreation. We conduct the survey about every 5 years. The 2022 FHWAR
survey will be the 14th conducted since 1955. We sponsor the survey at
the States' request, which is made through the Association of Fish and
Wildlife Agencies. We contract with the National Opinion Research
Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago, which collects the
information using internet, telephone, or mail-in paper-and-pencil
instrument (PAPI).
Respondents are invited to take the survey with a mailed letter.
NORC will select a sample of sportspersons and wildlife watchers from a
household screen and conduct three detailed interviews during the
survey year. The survey collects information on the number of days of
participation, species of animals sought, and expenditures for trips
and equipment. Information on the characteristics of participants
includes age, income, sex, education, race, and State of residence. The
Wave 3 Freshwater/Saltwater Ratio Questionnaire is designed to get
freshwater and saltwater fishing data for coastal states. The Service's
Wildlife and Sportfish Restoration Program is required to divide
fishing management funds according to the ratio of freshwater and
saltwater anglers in each coastal state.
Federal and State agencies use information from the survey to make
policy decisions related to fish and wildlife restoration and
management. Participation patterns and trend information help identify
present and future needs and demands. Land management agencies use the
data on expenditures and participation to assess the value of wildlife-
related recreational uses of natural resources. Wildlife-related
recreation expenditure information is used to estimate the impact on
the economy and to support the dedication of tax revenues for fish and
wildlife restoration programs.
Proposed Revisions
The 2022 FHWAR does not currently include the questions on
birdwatching participation and days of participation that had been
asked in previous rounds of the FHWAR. However, due to high interest in
the birdwatching data, we are submitting an amendment to add these
questions to the survey. These questions will be included in Wave 3 and
will ask about participation in birdwatching and days of participation
for the 12-month reference period of 2022. The sample will not be
affected and will be the same across modes.
Below are the questions we will add to the Wave 3 wildlife watching
questionnaire:
Last year (from January 1 to December 31, 2022), did you
closely observe or try to identify birds around your home, meaning the
area within a 1-mile radius of your home?
Last year (from January 1 to December 31, 2022), on how
many days did you closely observe or try to identify birds around your
home?
Last year (from January 1 to December 31, 2022), on your
wildlife watching trips or outings within the United States, did you
closely observe birds?
Last year (from January 1 to December 31, 2022), on how
many days did you closely observe birds on your wildlife watching trips
or outings within the United States?
Title of Collection: National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and
Wildlife-Associated Recreation (FHWAR).
OMB Control Number: 1018-0088.
Form Number: None.
Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved information
collection.
Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals/households.
Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
Frequency of Collection: Screener data collection was conducted
from January through March 2022. The first detailed sportsperson and
wildlife-watcher interviews was conducted in May 2022. The second
detailed interviews will be conducted in September 2022. The third and
final detailed interviews will be conducted in January 2023.
Total Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden Cost: None.
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Estimated number Median completion
Activity of household time per response Estimated burden
responses (minutes) hours *
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2022 Screener Survey:
Screener: web.................................... 27,639 9 4,146
Screener: phone.................................. 1,000 15 250
Screener: PAPI................................... 31,361 10 5,227
[[Page 52807]]
2022 Wave 1 Survey:
Wave Questionnaires: web......................... 43,068 13 9,331
Wave Questionnaires: phone....................... 833 22 305
Wave Questionnaires: PAPI........................ 6,972 14 1,627
2022 Wave 2 Survey:
Wave Questionnaires: web......................... 32,173 13 6,971
Wave Questionnaires: phone....................... 833 22 305
Wave Questionnaires: PAPI........................ 3,645 14 851
2022 Wave 3 Survey:
Wave Questionnaires: web......................... 46,773 13 10,134
Wave Questionnaires: phone....................... 950 22 348
Wave Questionnaires: PAPI........................ 11,811 14 2,756
Wave 3 Fishing-Only Questionnaire................ 13,500 3 675
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Grand Total.................................. 220,558 ................... 42,926
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* Rounded.
An agency 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 authority for this action is the Paperwork Reduction Act of
1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).
Madonna Baucum,
Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service.
[FR Doc. 2022-18497 Filed 8-26-22; 8:45 am]
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