Information Collection; Land Management Agency Volunteer Surveys, 16350-16351 [E9-8187]
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Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 68 / Friday, April 10, 2009 / Notices
response to SNPLMA requirements. In
addition, the Bureau of Land
Management intends to partner with the
Forest Service to use the NVUM
program as its means for estimating the
volume of visitation and describing key
visitor characteristics.
At recreation sites or access points,
agency personnel or contractors will
conduct onsite interviews of visitors as
they complete their visit. Interviewers
will ask about the purpose and length of
the visit, the trip origin, activities,
annual visitation rates, trip-related
spending patterns, use of recreation
facilities, satisfaction with agency
services and facilities, and the
composition of the visiting party.
Primary analysis of the information for
the Forest Service and partnering
agencies will be performed by Forest
Service staff in the Washington Office
and by scientists in one or more of the
agency’s research stations.
Estimate of Annual Burden: 9 minutes
(average).
Type of Respondents: Visitors to lands
managed by the US Forest Service, USDI
Bureau of Land Management, and
within Clarke County, Nevada to lands
managed by the USDI—Fish and
Wildlife Service, and National Park
Service.
Estimated Annual Number of
Respondents: 69,000.
Estimated Annual Number of
Responses per Respondent: One.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on
Respondents: 9,900 hours.
Comment is invited on: (1) Whether
this collection of information is
necessary for the stated purposes and
the proper performance of the functions
of the lead agency, including whether
the information will have practical or
scientific utility; (2) the accuracy of the
lead agency’s estimate of the burden of
the 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)
ways to minimize the burden of the
collection of information on
respondents, including the use of
automated, electronic, mechanical, or
other technological collection
techniques or other forms of information
technology.
All comments received in response to
this notice, including names and
addresses when provided, will be a
matter of public record. Comments will
be summarized and included in the
request for Office of Management and
Budget approval.
VerDate Nov<24>2008
15:39 Apr 09, 2009
Jkt 217001
April 6, 2009.
Richard W. Sowa,
Acting Associate Deputy Chief, National
Forest System.
[FR Doc. E9–8188 Filed 4–9–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–11–P
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Information Collection; Land
Management Agency Volunteer
Surveys
Forest Service, USDA.
Notice; request for comment.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
SUMMARY: In accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the
Forest Service is seeking comments
from all interested individuals and
organizations on the new information
collection, the Land Management
Agency Volunteer Surveys.
DATES: Comments must be received in
writing on or before June 9, 2009 to be
assured of consideration. Comments
received after that date will be
considered to the extent practicable.
ADDRESSES: Comments concerning this
notice should be addressed to James
Absher, Forest Service, U.S. Department
of Agriculture (Forest Service), 4955
Canyon Crest Drive, Riverside, CA
92507.
Comments also may be submitted via
facsimile to (951) 680–1501 or by e-mail
to: jabsher@fs.fed.us.
The public may inspect comments
received at Building One Reception,
4955 Canyon Crest Drive, Riverside, CA
92507 during normal business hours.
Visitors are encouraged to call ahead to
(951) 680–1500 to facilitate entry to the
building.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
James Absher, Pacific Southwest
Research Station, Forest Service, (951)
680–1559. Individuals who use
telecommunication devices for the deaf
(TDD) may call the Federal Relay
Service (FRS) at 1–800–877–8339
twenty-four hours a day, every day of
the year, including holidays.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Land Management Agency
Volunteer Surveys.
OMB Number: 0596–New.
Type of Request: New.
Abstract: The Forest Service and
university researchers will contact
individuals who currently volunteer, or
have recently volunteered, for selected
natural resource (land) management
agencies (LMA). Through a short Webbased survey, respondents will provide
information regarding how often and
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Frm 00002
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
why they volunteer, the positive and
negative aspects of that experience, and
basic socio-demographics. The results of
this information collection will help
researchers and managers improve their
ability to provide land management
services to the public, as well as
strengthen volunteers’ experiences at
their respective agencies.
Participation in the survey will be
strictly voluntary. If necessary,
respondents will be allowed to answer
via postal mail at their convenience. A
Forest Service researcher, agency
technician, or a cooperating university
researcher will collect and analyze the
data. The Forest Service and university
researchers are experts in applied social
research and survey methods.
Additionally, in order to ensure
anonymity, personal information will
not be stored with contact information
at any time, and contact information
will be purged from researcher files
once data collection is complete.
Responses will be used to assess
volunteers’ experience with agencies
that have a land management function
such as parks, forests, recreation areas
or wildlife refuges. Although an
abundance of research exists regarding
volunteering in general, there is very
little rigorous, academic research on
volunteering as it applies to LMAs,
largely because there is no reliable,
uniform, and comprehensive data
available. Further, it is unknown
whether the findings emerging from
other studies of volunteerism are
applicable in the context of LMAs.
Because of the enormous role that
volunteers play in the operations of
LMAs, clarity and insight into volunteer
characteristics and experiences is
imperative. Ultimately, findings will
help researchers and resource managers
determine the best ways to involve,
retain, and manage volunteers.
The primary beneficiaries of results
from these surveys will be LMAs, such
as the Forest Service, and other agencies
at all levels of government that are
concerned with enjoyment,
preservation, and advancement of our
natural resources. These results will be
particularly important to LMAs because
these agencies have recently become
heavily dependent on volunteer
support. Without this information
collection, managers of volunteers in
LMAs will continue to rely upon
anecdotal or unreliable information,
which may perpetuate poor volunteer
recruitment, retention, and satisfaction.
The information collected will help
researchers develop and test models of
volunteer management, supply
information to LMA program managers
and other voluntary action managers
E:\FR\FM\10APN1.SGM
10APN1
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 68 / Friday, April 10, 2009 / Notices
who are focusing their own work on
natural resource management values
and objectives, and will facilitate further
application of findings. The exact
number of respondents will be
dependent upon the number of agencies
that choose to participate. Volunteers
from up to ten different agencies, or subunits of those agencies, per year will be
selected to participate. Each will be
allocated 200–600 surveys, for a
maximum of 4,000 completed surveys
per year for the project as a whole.
Estimate of Annual Burden: 20
minutes.
Type of Respondents: Individuals
who currently volunteer, or who have
recently volunteered, for a natural
resources (land) management agency,
age 18 or older.
Estimated Annual Number of
Respondents: 4000.
Estimated Annual Number of
Responses per Respondent: 1.0.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on
Respondents: 1,333 hours.
Comment is invited on: (1) Whether
this collection of information is
necessary for the stated purposes and
the proper performance of the functions
of the lead agency, including whether
the information will have practical or
scientific utility; (2) the accuracy of the
lead agency’s estimate of the burden of
the 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)
ways to minimize the burden of the
collection of information on
respondents, including the use of
automated, electronic, mechanical, or
other technological collection
techniques or other forms of information
technology.
All comments received in response to
this notice, including names and
addresses when provided, will be a
matter of public record. Comments will
be summarized and included in the
submission request toward Office of
Management and Budget approval.
Dated: April 6, 2009.
Richard W. Sosa,
Acting Assistant Deputy Chief, National
Forest System.
[FR Doc. E9–8187 Filed 4–9–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–11–P
VerDate Nov<24>2008
15:39 Apr 09, 2009
Jkt 217001
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Bend/Fort Rock Ranger District;
Deschutes National Forest; Oregon;
Lava Rock OHV System
Forest Service, USDA.
Notice of intent to prepare an
environmental impact statement.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
SUMMARY: The USDA Forest Service will
prepare an environmental impact
statement (EIS) on a proposed action to
designate a motorized off-highway
vehicle (OHV) trail system on a portion
the Bend/Fort Rock Ranger District. In
addition, the project would close and
decommission roads and unneeded
trails. The project area encompasses
140,650 acres and is roughly bounded
by U.S. Highway 97 to the west;
Newberry National Volcanic Monument
to the east, Forest Roads 9701–900 and
1801–400 to the north, and Forest Road
22 to the south. The project area is
approximately six miles south of Bend,
Oregon. The alternatives will include
the proposed action, no action, and
additional alternatives that respond to
issues generated through the scoping
process. The agency will give notice of
the full environmental analysis and
decision making process so that
interested and affected people may
participate and contribute to the final
decision.
DATES: Comments concerning the scope
of the analysis must be received by 30
days following the date that this notice
appears in the Federal Register. The
Draft Environmental Impact Statement
is expected to be available in July 2009
and the final environmental impact
statement is expected September 2009.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to
Shane Jeffries, District Ranger, Bend/Ft.
Rock Ranger District, 1230 NE 3 St.,
Suite A–262, Bend, OR 97701.
Comments may also be sent via e-mail
to comments-pacificnorthwestdeschutes-bend-ftrock@fs.fed.us, or via
facsimile to (541) 383–4700. Please put
‘‘Lava Rock OHV Project’’ in the subject
line of your e-mail.
Individuals who use
telecommunication devices for the deaf
(TDD) may call the Federal Information
Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–800–877–8339
between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern
Time, Monday through Friday.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Peter Sussmann, Interdisciplinary Team
Leader, at (541) 383–5594 or via e-mail
at prsussman@fs.fed.us.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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16351
Purpose and Need for Action
The purpose of the Lava Rock OHV
Project is to designate appropriate
motorized trails for Class 1, Class 2 and
Class 3 OHVs while reducing overall
road and trail densities within the
project area. The need for this sitespecific proposal results directly from
the implementation of the Forest
Service Travel Management Rule, a
nationally codified rule that prohibits
motorized travel off of designated
routes. The Deschutes National Forest is
currently in the process of developing
an EIS to display the effects of
implementing the rule, which is
expected to be completed by 2010.
Recognizing the effect to the OHV
community once the Rule is
implemented, the Deschutes and
Ochoco National Forests worked in
conjunction with the recommendations
of the Deschutes Provincial Advisory
Committee’s Travel Management
Working Group to identify opportunities
for trail systems in sustainable
locations. The Lava Rock OHV area is
one of three areas identified by the
working group of participants
representing motorized and nonmotorized recreation interests that had
potential community support for a
designated trail system.
Additionally, there is a need to meet
the objectives for recreation as stated in
the Deschutes National Forest Land and
Resource Management Plan (‘‘Forest
Plan’’) and under Forest Service policy.
The Forest Plan directs land managers
to provide a full range of recreation
opportunities, maintain existing trail
systems, provide additions or
modifications which will meet
increasing and changing demands in
dispersed recreation, and to designate
trails and areas where OHVs can operate
legally. Forest Service policy, as stated
in the Forest Service Manual at FSM
2355, further directs land managers to
provide a diversity of off-road
recreational opportunities when use is
compatible with established land and
resource objectives, where use is
consistent with resource capability and
suitability, when the off-road
opportunity is an appropriate National
Forest Recreation Activity, and when
there is a demonstrated demand for
these opportunities.
Finally, there is an opportunity to
reduce negative impacts to resources
within the area that are caused by
unregulated motorized use. There is a
need to reduce the density of system
roads within the project area to reduce
fragmentation and minimize motorized
disturbance to wildlife. Additionally,
there is a need to concentrate motorized
E:\FR\FM\10APN1.SGM
10APN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 68 (Friday, April 10, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16350-16351]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-8187]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Information Collection; Land Management Agency Volunteer Surveys
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice; request for comment.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the
Forest Service is seeking comments from all interested individuals and
organizations on the new information collection, the Land Management
Agency Volunteer Surveys.
DATES: Comments must be received in writing on or before June 9, 2009
to be assured of consideration. Comments received after that date will
be considered to the extent practicable.
ADDRESSES: Comments concerning this notice should be addressed to James
Absher, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture (Forest
Service), 4955 Canyon Crest Drive, Riverside, CA 92507.
Comments also may be submitted via facsimile to (951) 680-1501 or
by e-mail to: jabsher@fs.fed.us.
The public may inspect comments received at Building One Reception,
4955 Canyon Crest Drive, Riverside, CA 92507 during normal business
hours. Visitors are encouraged to call ahead to (951) 680-1500 to
facilitate entry to the building.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: James Absher, Pacific Southwest
Research Station, Forest Service, (951) 680-1559. Individuals who use
telecommunication devices for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Relay
Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339 twenty-four hours a day, every day of
the year, including holidays.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Land Management Agency Volunteer Surveys.
OMB Number: 0596-New.
Type of Request: New.
Abstract: The Forest Service and university researchers will
contact individuals who currently volunteer, or have recently
volunteered, for selected natural resource (land) management agencies
(LMA). Through a short Web-based survey, respondents will provide
information regarding how often and why they volunteer, the positive
and negative aspects of that experience, and basic socio-demographics.
The results of this information collection will help researchers and
managers improve their ability to provide land management services to
the public, as well as strengthen volunteers' experiences at their
respective agencies.
Participation in the survey will be strictly voluntary. If
necessary, respondents will be allowed to answer via postal mail at
their convenience. A Forest Service researcher, agency technician, or a
cooperating university researcher will collect and analyze the data.
The Forest Service and university researchers are experts in applied
social research and survey methods.
Additionally, in order to ensure anonymity, personal information
will not be stored with contact information at any time, and contact
information will be purged from researcher files once data collection
is complete. Responses will be used to assess volunteers' experience
with agencies that have a land management function such as parks,
forests, recreation areas or wildlife refuges. Although an abundance of
research exists regarding volunteering in general, there is very little
rigorous, academic research on volunteering as it applies to LMAs,
largely because there is no reliable, uniform, and comprehensive data
available. Further, it is unknown whether the findings emerging from
other studies of volunteerism are applicable in the context of LMAs.
Because of the enormous role that volunteers play in the operations of
LMAs, clarity and insight into volunteer characteristics and
experiences is imperative. Ultimately, findings will help researchers
and resource managers determine the best ways to involve, retain, and
manage volunteers.
The primary beneficiaries of results from these surveys will be
LMAs, such as the Forest Service, and other agencies at all levels of
government that are concerned with enjoyment, preservation, and
advancement of our natural resources. These results will be
particularly important to LMAs because these agencies have recently
become heavily dependent on volunteer support. Without this information
collection, managers of volunteers in LMAs will continue to rely upon
anecdotal or unreliable information, which may perpetuate poor
volunteer recruitment, retention, and satisfaction. The information
collected will help researchers develop and test models of volunteer
management, supply information to LMA program managers and other
voluntary action managers
[[Page 16351]]
who are focusing their own work on natural resource management values
and objectives, and will facilitate further application of findings.
The exact number of respondents will be dependent upon the number of
agencies that choose to participate. Volunteers from up to ten
different agencies, or sub-units of those agencies, per year will be
selected to participate. Each will be allocated 200-600 surveys, for a
maximum of 4,000 completed surveys per year for the project as a whole.
Estimate of Annual Burden: 20 minutes.
Type of Respondents: Individuals who currently volunteer, or who
have recently volunteered, for a natural resources (land) management
agency, age 18 or older.
Estimated Annual Number of Respondents: 4000.
Estimated Annual Number of Responses per Respondent: 1.0.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 1,333 hours.
Comment is invited on: (1) Whether this collection of information
is necessary for the stated purposes and the proper performance of the
functions of the lead agency, including whether the information will
have practical or scientific utility; (2) the accuracy of the lead
agency's estimate of the burden of the 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) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of
information on respondents, including the use of automated, electronic,
mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms
of information technology.
All comments received in response to this notice, including names
and addresses when provided, will be a matter of public record.
Comments will be summarized and included in the submission request
toward Office of Management and Budget approval.
Dated: April 6, 2009.
Richard W. Sosa,
Acting Assistant Deputy Chief, National Forest System.
[FR Doc. E9-8187 Filed 4-9-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-P
