[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 111 (Friday, June 11, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31332-31333]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-12288]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-HQ-MB-2021-N030; FF09M28100, FXMB1231092MFR0, 212; OMB Control
Number 1018-New]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Online Eastern
Population Sandhill Crane Survey Data Entry Portal
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
July 12, 2021.
ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed
information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of
this notice to 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--Sandhill Cranes'' 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 who are hearing or speech
impaired may call the Federal Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339 for TTY
assistance. You may also view the information collection request (ICR)
at http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction
Act of 1995 (PRA, 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.) and 5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1), we
provide the general public and other Federal agencies with an
opportunity 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.
On January 4, 2021, we published in the Federal Register (86 FR
116) a notice of our intent to request that OMB approve this
information collection. In that notice, we solicited comments for 60
days, ending on March 5, 2021. We received one comment, which did not
address the information collection requirements. Therefore, no response
was required.
As part of our continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent
burdens, we are again soliciting comments from the public and other
Federal agencies on the proposed ICR that is described below. 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 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: The Migratory Bird Treaty Act (16 U.S.C. 703-712)
designates the Department of the Interior as the primary agency
responsible for managing migratory bird populations frequenting the
United States and setting hunting regulations that allow for the well-
being of migratory bird populations. These responsibilities dictate
that we gather accurate data on various characteristics of migratory
bird populations.
The Service's fall survey for eastern population sandhill crane was
established in 1979. It is implemented by State and Federal agencies
and public volunteers from eight States in the Atlantic and Mississippi
Flyways, as well as Ontario, Canada. Sandhill cranes are widely
dispersed during the breeding and wintering seasons and are difficult
to count. The optimal time to survey cranes is during the last week of
October, when the majority of eastern population cranes breeding in
Canada migrate to traditional staging grounds in the Great Lake States
(e.g., Jasper-Pulaski Fish and Wildlife Area, Medaryville, Indiana).
Since the initial survey in 1979, crane numbers have increased to over
90,000 birds.
The information collected through this survey is vital in assessing
the relative changes in the geographic distribution of the species. We
use the information primarily to inform managers of changes in sandhill
crane distribution and population trends. Without information on the
population's status, we might promulgate hunting regulations that:
Are not sufficiently restrictive, which could cause harm
to the sandhill crane population, or
Are too restrictive, which would unduly restrict
recreational opportunities afforded by sandhill crane hunting.
Notifications for the survey are sent to volunteers, and data
results are entered into the data portal in order to calculate numbers
of sandhill cranes. This survey is conducted via an online survey
platform to reduce cost, improve data quality, and decrease respondent
burden. This survey has no statistical
[[Page 31333]]
design. We collect the following information in conjunction with the
account setup process and survey data submission:
Account setup process:
[cir] Email address,
[cir] Username,
[cir] Photo (optional),
[cir] Option for other users to contact the registrant,
[cir] Time zone,
[cir] First and last name,
[cir] Phone number, and
[cir] Start date.
Survey data submission:
[cir] Data submission location via online map,
[cir] Date and time of observation,
[cir] Number of cranes,
[cir] Method (ground count or point count),
[cir] Habitat (agricultural field, sandbar, wetland, or mixed-
wetland agricultural field), and
[cir] Any additional notes the user would like to submit.
We received OMB approval to conduct usability testing of the data
entry portal in 2019 under Interior's generic clearance process ``DOI
Generic `Fast Track' Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative
Feedback on Agency Service Delivery'' (OMB Control No. 1090-0011).
After conducting the usability testing of the data entry portal for 1
year, we are now ready to seek OMB's full approval of this information
collection under the PRA.
Title of Collection: Online Eastern Population Sandhill Crane
Survey Data Entry Portal.
OMB Control Number: 1018-New.
Form Number: None.
Type of Review: New.
Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals and State agencies.
Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 112.
Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 157.
Estimated Completion Time per Response: Varies from 3 minutes to 5
minutes, depending on activity.
Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 11.
Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
Frequency of Collection: One time for the initial registration, and
on occasion for survey submission.
Total Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden Cost: None.
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: June 8, 2021.
Madonna Baucum,
Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service.
[FR Doc. 2021-12288 Filed 6-10-21; 8:45 am]
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