[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 106 (Friday, June 2, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36327-36328]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-11747]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-HQ-MB-2023-N041; FF09M21200-234-FXMB1231099BPP0; OMB Control
Number 1018-New]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the
Office of Management and Budget; Northeast Region Hunter Participation
Surveys
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, we,
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), are proposing a new
information collection not in use without Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) approval.
DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before
July 3, 2023.
ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed
information collection should be submitted within 30 days of
publication of this notice at 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, MS: PRB (JAO/3W), 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-
3803 (mail); or by email to Info_Coll@fws.gov. Please reference ``1018-
New NE Hunt Surveys'' in the subject line of your comments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 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.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction
Act (PRA; 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.) and its implementing regulations in
the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at 5 CFR 1320, 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 February 9, 2023, we published in the Federal Register (88 FR
8448) a notice of our intent to request that OMB approve this
information collection. In that notice, we solicited comments for 60
days, ending on April 10, 2023. 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 on Regulations.gov (Docket No.
FWS-R5-NWRS-2022-0152) 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 one anonymous comment in
response to that notice which did not address the information
collection requirements. Therefore, no response is required to that
comment.
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;
(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 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 Service has overall Federal responsibility for
managing the Nation's fish and wildlife resources. Part of the
Service's mission is to provide the public with wildlife-based outdoor
recreation opportunities on National Wildlife Refuges, National Fish
Hatcheries, and other Service lands (collectively, refuges). These
outdoor recreation opportunities include hunting, which is an important
opportunity for people to connect with nature, harvest food, and assist
the Service in managing wildlife populations.
The National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act, as amended
by the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act (the Act; 16
U.S.C. 668dd et seq.) stipulates that refuges undergo a comprehensive
conservation planning process that, among other things, must look at
the compatibility of wildlife-dependent recreation (including hunting)
on refuges. We will use the information from the proposed survey effort
to inform planning on refuges as mandated by the Act.
[[Page 36328]]
Hunting on refuges is regulated by both State and Federal laws, as
well as through refuge-specific regulations. These refuge-specific
regulations are made in accordance with hunt plans required to be
developed for each refuge. These hunt plans outline refuge-specific bag
limits, season dates, areas open and closed to hunting, allowed hunting
time, and other requirements. The hunt plans are an important tool that
refuges use to manage harvest, safety, and visitor experience.
Creating hunt plans relies on sound biological and social data.
Understanding hunter experience, preference, and harvest helps refuge
managers and planners tailor hunt plans to suit biological and visitor
objectives and maintain a safe environment for hunters and non-hunting
visitors.
To ensure the surveys were comprehensive, the Service convened an
interdisciplinary team made up of biologists, managers, visitor
services specialists, social scientists, and law enforcement officers.
The team identified data gaps needed to inform future hunt plan
development, identified safety concerns, and considered methods to
better understand hunter preference in order to improve visitor
experience.
The public may request copies of any form or document contained in
this information collection by sending a request to the Service
Information Collection Clearance Officer in ADDRESSES, above.
Title of Collection: Northeast Region Hunter Participation Surveys.
OMB Control Number: 1018-New.
Form Numbers: Forms 3-2557 and 3-2558.
Type of Review: Request for new OMB control number.
Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals.
Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
Frequency of Collection: On occasion.
Total Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden Cost: None.
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Average
Average Average Average completion Estimated
Requirement number of number of number of time per annual burden
annual responses annual response hours *
respondents each responses (minutes)
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Form 3-2557, ``Hunter Participation Survey''
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Individuals..................... 50 1 50 20 17
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Form 3-2558, ``Spring Turkey Hunter Participation Survey''
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Individuals..................... 50 1 50 10 8
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Totals:..................... 100 .............. 100 .............. 25
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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. 2023-11747 Filed 6-1-23; 8:45 am]
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