Information Collection; Trends in Use and Users in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, MN, 54296-54297 [2010-22173]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
• Forest Service

[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 172 (Tuesday, September 7, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54296-54297]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-22173]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Information Collection; Trends in Use and Users in the Boundary 
Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, MN

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Request for Comment; Notice.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 
Forest Service is seeking comments from all interested individuals and 
organizations on the extension of a currently approved information 
collection: Trends in Use and Users in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area 
Wilderness, Minnesota.

DATES: Comments must be received in writing on or before November 8, 
2010 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 Alan 
E. Watson, Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute, USDA Forest 
Service Rocky Mountain Research Station, 790 E. Beckwith Ave., 
Missoula, MT 59801. Comments also may be submitted by e-mail to: 
awatson@fs.fed.us.
    The public may inspect comments received at the Aldo Leopold 
Wilderness Research Institute, USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain 
Station, 790 E. Beckwith Ave., Missoula, MT 59801during normal business 
hours. Visitors are encouraged to call ahead to (406) 542-4197 to 
facilitate entry to the building.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alan E. Watson, Aldo Leopold 
Wilderness Research Institute at (406) 542-4197. Individuals who use 
TDD may call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339, between 
8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title: Trends in Use and Users in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area 
Wilderness, Minnesota.
    OMB Number: 0596-208.
    Type of Request: Extension with revision.
    Abstract: The Wilderness Act of 1964 directs the National 
Wilderness Preservation System (System) be managed to protect natural 
wilderness conditions and to provide outstanding opportunities for the 
public to find

[[Page 54297]]

solitude or primitive and unconfined types of recreational experiences.
    To meet the requirements of the Act and help the Forest Service 
enhance visitors' recreational experiences at the Boundary Waters Canoe 
Area Wilderness in Minnesota, Agency scientists periodically monitor 
and report, to managers and the public, changes in visitor use and user 
characteristics over time. Forest Service personnel use the collected 
information to mitigate the impact of visitors' recreational activities 
on the natural resources of the National Wilderness Preservation 
System. The Agency intends to record visitor responses for comparison 
to similar surveys in 1969 and 1991 and to expand the scope of the 
survey to include things that have potentially influenced visits since 
1991. Potential influences include new recreation fees, widespread 
natural disturbances (e.g., fire and wind thrown trees) and changes in 
Agency policies. The data from this information collection will be 
stored at the Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute in Missoula, 
Montana. Scientists working at the Research Institute will conduct the 
data analysis.
    The Forest Service will use information from this collection to:
    (1) Understand changes in:
    a. Individual visitor demographics, frequency of wilderness visits, 
and residence, and
    b. Changes in recreational visits such as group size, difficulty in 
finding campsites, evaluations of conditions encountered, etc. since 
previous studies;
    (2) Gain an understanding of how the Agency's management of the 
National Wilderness Preservation System influences a visitor's 
wilderness experience;
    (3) Help understand how to educate visitors, so they may enjoy 
their wilderness experience without leaving permanent reminders of 
their visits, such as damaged vegetation, litter, and polluted lakes 
and streams; and
    (4) Provide information that will assist in planning management 
direction for many other wilderness areas managed by the Forest 
Service.
    Respondents will be visitors to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area 
Wilderness. Forest Service or university cooperator personnel will 
conduct face-to-face, on-site interviews with visitors as they enter 
the System and will send mail-back survey forms to visitors at their 
homes, using addresses that visitors voluntarily provide when 
interviewed.
    Interview questions will cover number of visits, length of visits, 
and plans (if any) for future visits. Visitors will be asked:
     Number of times they have visited, length of visits, and 
plans (if any) for future visits;
     If they are part of a group, and if so, the size of the 
group;
     Whether they use equipment, such as stoves, or use wood 
for fires while visiting;
     Preferences for social conditions (i.e. acceptance of 
crowded conditions designed to limit negative effects to the natural 
resources); and
     Ideas for reducing the burden of information collected 
(i.e. suggestions for distribution of permits and collection of fees); 
and protecting resources.

Data collected in this information collection are not available from 
other sources.
    The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is one of four areas, in 
different regions of the country, where more than one study has 
occurred in the past. The studies have sought to understand how use and 
user characteristics are changing. Periodic evaluations of responses by 
visitors about conditions and experiences, contributes to a systematic 
effort to understand the effects of management policies and societal 
influences on wilderness protection.
    Estimate of Annual Burden: 20 minutes for each respondent.
    Type of Respondents: Visitors to the Boundary Waters Canoe 
Wilderness Area, Minnesota.
    Estimated Annual Number of Respondents: 500.
    Estimated Annual Number of Responses per Respondent: Once.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 167 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 Agency, including whether the information will have 
practical or scientific utility; (2) the accuracy of the 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.

    Dated: August 31, 2010.
Carlos Rodriguez-Franco,
Acting Deputy Chief, Research and Development.
[FR Doc. 2010-22173 Filed 9-3-10; 8:45 am]
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