[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 75 (Friday, April 17, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21450-21451]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-08119]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-HQ-NWRS-2019-N052; FXRS126109HD000-189-FF09R23000; OMB Control
Number 1018-New]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Programmatic Clearance
for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Social Science Research
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.
DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before
June 16, 2020.
ADDRESSES: Send your comments on the information collection request by
mail 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 OMB Control Number 1018-New 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.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with the PRA and 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.
As part of our continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent
burdens, we invite 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. We will include or summarize each comment in our request
to OMB to approve this ICR. 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.
Abstract: Improving customer experience with Federal services is
part of the President's Management Agenda (OMB Circular A-11, Section
280, ``Managing Customer Experience and Improving Service Delivery'').
The
[[Page 21451]]
collection of information is necessary to enable the Service to garner
customer and stakeholder feedback in an efficient, timely manner, in
accordance with our commitment to improving service delivery.
Additionally, this new programmatic clearance is needed in order to be
more responsive to Secretarial Orders 3355 (National Environmental
Policy Act), 3356 (hunting and fishing opportunities), 3362 (big game
habitat), and 3366 (outdoor recreation). This proposed new collection
of information will also allow the Service to improve customer service
delivery and response. This is important because OMB Circular A-11
designates the Service as a High-Impact Service Provider.
The programmatic clearance applies to social science surveys,
interviews, and focus groups designed to provide information to Service
managers and practitioners to improve quality and utility of agency
programs, services, and planning efforts. To ensure continuous
improvement, Service activities and projects require ongoing systematic
assessment of their design, implementation, and outcomes. Data from
collections undertaken through the proposed programmatic clearance
would provide information for planning, monitoring, and evaluating
National Wildlife Refuge System efforts as well as efforts of other
Service programs. The scope of this programmatic clearance includes
individual surveys, focus groups, and interviews of refuge visitors,
potential visitors, and residents of communities near Service-managed
units, and stakeholders and partners, including tribal interests.
To qualify for the generic programmatic review process, survey
questions must show a clear tie to Service management needs. The
programmatic review may only be used for noncontroversial information
collections that are unlikely to attract or include topics of
significant public interest. We must obtain OMB approval of all surveys
developed using the pre-approved suite of questions before the survey
can be initiated. This suite of questions will be used to develop
customer experience and satisfaction surveys to meet requirements of
OMB Circular A-11 as well as commitments to respond to the above-named
Secretarial Orders.
Title of Collection: Programmatic Clearance for U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service Social Science Research.
OMB Control Number: 1018-New.
Form Number: None.
Type of Review: New.
Respondents/Affected Public: Persons visiting units managed by the
Service; potential visitors, including ``virtual visitors'' who access
content from a Service website; local community members; educators
taking part in programs both on and off Service lands; government
officials representing the local area; landowners; partners;
stakeholders; and tribal interests.
Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
Frequency of Collection: On occasion.
Total Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden Cost: None.
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Annual estimates
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Completion
Mode Number of time per Burden hours
respondents response (avg. **
minutes)
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On-site, mail, internet surveys *............................... 22,366 20 7,455
Telephone surveys............................................... 916 25 382
All non-response surveys........................................ 862 5 72
Focus groups/In-person interviews............................... 65 60 65
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Annual Total................................................ 24,209 -- 7,974
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3 Year Total................................................ 72,627 .............. 23,922
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* Includes 2-minute contact time for some surveys, interviews, focus groups, and approximately 2,500 electronic
surveys.
** All figures are 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.).
Dated: April 14, 2020.
Madonna Baucum,
Information Collection Clearance Officer,U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-08119 Filed 4-16-20; 8:45 am]
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