[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 32 (Wednesday, February 18, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8681-8682]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-03237]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FW-HQ-WSFR-2015-N036; FVWF97820900000-XXX-FF09W13000 and
FVWF54200900000-XXX-FFO9W13000]
Proposed Information Collection; National Survey of Fishing,
Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation (FHWAR)
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: We (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) will ask the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) to approve the information collection (IC)
described below. As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and
as part of our continuing efforts to reduce paperwork and respondent
burden, we invite the general public and other Federal agencies to take
this opportunity to comment on this IC. We 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.
DATES: To ensure that we are able to consider your comments on this IC,
we must receive them by April 20, 2015.
ADDRESSES: Send your comments on the IC to the Service Information
Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS BPHC,
5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803 (mail); or
hope_grey@fws.gov (email). Please include ``1018-0088'' in the subject
line of your comments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information
about this IC, contact Hope Grey at hope_grey@fws.gov (email) or 703-
358-2482 (telephone).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. 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 2016 FHWAR will provide up-to-date
information on the uses and demands for wildlife-related recreation
resources, trends in uses of those 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 Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act
(16 U.S.C. 777-777m), commonly referred to as the Dingell-Johnson Act,
and the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 669-669i),
commonly referred to as the Pittman-Robertson Act. 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 2016 FHWAR will be
the 13th 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 Census Bureau, which collects the
information using computer-assisted telephone or in-person interviews.
The Census Bureau 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.
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 managing 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 economic
impact on the economy and to support the dedication of tax revenues for
fish and wildlife restoration programs.
II. Data
OMB Control Number: 1018-0088.
Title: National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated
Recreation (FHWAR).
Service Form Number: None.
Type of Request: Reinstatement with change of a previously approved
collection.
Description of Respondents: Individuals and households.
Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
Frequency of Collection: Pre-screener internet/paper questionnaire
data collection will be conducted in January 2016. Household screen
interviews and the first detailed sportsperson and wildlife-watcher
interviews will be conducted April-June 2016. The second detailed
interviews will be conducted September-October 2016. The third and last
detailed interviews will be conducted January-March 2017.
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Number of
Activity Number of household participant Completion time per Annual burden hours
responses respondents response (minutes)
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Pre-screener.................................................... 6,970 .................... 5 581
Screener........................................................ 7,040 .................... 7 821
Wave 1 Sportsperson interviews.................................. .................... 1,505 11 276
Wave 2 Sportsperson interviews.................................. .................... 2,580 15 645
Wave 3 Sportsperson interviews.................................. .................... 4,444 35 2,592
Wave 1 Wildlife Watching interviews............................. .................... 1,252 11 230
Wave 2 Wildlife Watching interviews............................. .................... 2,146 11 393
[[Page 8682]]
Wave 3 Wildlife Watching interviews............................. .................... 3,697 20 1,232
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Totals...................................................... 14,010 15,624 .................... 6,770
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III. Comments
We invite comments concerning this information collection on:
Whether or not the collection of information is necessary,
including whether or not the information will have practical utility;
The accuracy of our estimate of the burden for this
collection of information;
Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected; and
Ways to minimize the burden of the collection of
information on respondents.
Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of
public record. We will include or summarize each comment in our request
to OMB to approve this IC. 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.
Dated: February 11, 2015.
Tina A. Campbell,
Chief, Division of Policy, Performance, and Management Programs, U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2015-03237 Filed 2-17-15; 8:45 am]
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