Information Collection Request Sent to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Approval; National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Check-In Permit and Use Report, 52343 [2012-21269]

Agencies

• Fish and Wildlife Service
• DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 168 (Wednesday, August 29, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Page 52343]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-21269]



[[Page 52343]]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R4-R-2012-N212; FXRS126104000004A-123-FF04R08000]


Information Collection Request Sent to the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) for Approval; National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Check-
In Permit and Use Report

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: We (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) have sent an Information 
Collection Request (ICR) to OMB for review and approval. We summarize 
the ICR below and describe the nature of the collection and the 
estimated burden and cost. 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: You must submit comments on or before September 28, 2012.

ADDRESSES: Send your comments and suggestions on this information 
collection to the Desk Officer for the Department of the Interior at 
OMB-OIRA at (202) 395-5806 (fax) or OIRA_DOCKET@OMB.eop.gov (email). 
Please provide a copy of your comments to the Service Information 
Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS 2042-
PDM, 4401 North Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203 (mail), or 
INFOCOL@fws.gov (email). Please include ``1018-XXXX'' in the subject 
line of your comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information 
about this ICR, contact Hope Grey at INFOCOL@fws.gov (email) or 703-
358-2482 (telephone). You may review the ICR online at https://www.reginfo.gov. Follow the instructions to review Department of the 
Interior collections under review by OMB.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    OMB Control Number: 1018-XXXX.
    Title: National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Check-In Permit and Use 
Report.
    Service Form Number: 3-2405.
    Type of Request: Request for a new OMB control number.
    Description of Respondents: Visitors to national wildlife refuges. 
Respondent's Obligation: Required to obtain or retain a benefit.
    Frequency of Collection: On occasion.
    Estimated Annual Number of Respondents: 650,000.
    Estimated Annual Number of Responses: 650,000.
    Estimated Completion Time per Response: 5 minutes.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 54,167.
    Abstract: The National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 
1966 (16 U.S.C. 668dd-668ee), as amended by the National Wildlife 
Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997, and the Refuge Recreation Act of 
1962 (16 U.S.C. 460k-460k-4) govern the administration and uses of 
national wildlife refuges and wetland management districts. We are 
authorized to permit public uses on lands of the National Wildlife 
Refuge System, including hunting, fishing, wildlife observation, 
wildlife photography, and environmental education and interpretation, 
and other visitor uses when we find that the activities are compatible 
and appropriate with the purpose or purposes for which the refuges were 
established.
    We need to collect information on hunters and anglers and other 
visitors in order to protect refuge resources and administer and 
evaluate the success of visitor programs. Because of high demand and 
limited resources, we often provide visitor opportunities by permit, 
based on dates, locations, or type of public use. We may not allow all 
opportunities on all refuges and harvest information differs for each 
refuge. We are proposing to use a new form (FWS Form 3-2405) to collect 
this information. Not all refuges will use the form and some refuges 
may collect the information in a nonform format. We propose to collect:
     Information on the visitor (name, address, and contact 
information). This information is used to identify the visitor or 
driver/passengers of a vehicle while on the refuge. Having this 
information readily available is critical in a search and rescue 
situation. We will not maintain or record this information.
     Whether or not hunters/anglers were successful (number and 
type of harvest/caught).
     Purpose of visit (hunting, fishing, wildlife observation, 
wildlife photography, auto touring, birding, hiking, boating/canoeing, 
visitor center, special event, environmental education class, 
volunteering, other recreation).
     Date of visit.
    This information will be a vital tool in meeting refuge objectives 
and maintaining quality visitor experiences. The above information will 
help us:
     Administer and monitor visitor programs and facilities on 
refuges.
     Distribute visitor permits to ensure safety of visitors.
     Ensure a quality visitor experience.
     Minimize resource disturbance, manage healthy game 
populations, and ensure the protection of fish and wildlife species.
     Assist in Statewide wildlife management and enforcement 
and develop reliable estimates of the number of all game fish and 
wildlife.
     Determine facility and program needs and budgets.
    Comments: On May 6, 2010, we published in the Federal Register (75 
FR 24964) a notice of our intent to request that OMB approve this 
information collection. In that notice, we solicited public comments 
for 60 days, ending July 6, 2010. We received one comment in response 
to this notice. The commenter expressed displeasure with the fact that 
this card is being used to count ``wildlife murderers,'' which this 
person believes is not a good use of the taxpayer's dollars. The 
commenter did not address the information collection requirements, and 
we did not make any changes to the requirements.
    We again 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. 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 OMB in your comment to withhold your personal 
identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that it 
will be done.

    Dated: August 21, 2012.
Tina A. Campbell,
Chief, Division of Policy and Directives Management, U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2012-21269 Filed 8-28-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P