Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Efficacy of Oak Savanna Restoration History Information Request, 64150 [2018-26983]

Agencies

• Geological Survey
• DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 239 (Thursday, December 13, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Page 64150]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-26983]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Geological Survey

[GR18NDOOGQ44100 OMB Control Number 1028--NEW]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Efficacy of 
Oak Savanna Restoration History Information Request

AGENCY: U.S. Geological Survey, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is proposing a new information 
collection.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
January 14, 2019.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments on this information collection request 
(ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget's Desk Officer for the 
Department of the Interior by email at [email protected]; or 
via facsimile to (202) 395-5806. Please provide a copy of your comments 
by mail to USGS, Information Collections Clearance Officer, 12201 
Sunrise Valley Drive, MS 159, Reston, VA 20192; or by email to [email protected]. Please reference OMB Control Number 1028--
NEW in the subject line of your comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information 
about this ICR, contact Noel B. Pavlovic by email at 
[email protected], or by telephone at (219) 926-8336 X428. You may 
also view the ICR at https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The USGS, in accordance with the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995, provides the general public and other Federal 
agencies with an opportunity to comment on 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.
    A Federal Register notice with a 60-day public comment period 
soliciting comments on this collection of information was published on 
4/25/2018 (FR 2018-08678). We received one comment. The comment did not 
address the issue of requesting information from land managers about 
multiple oak savanna management techniques.
    We are again soliciting comments on the proposed ICR that is 
described below. We are especially interested in public comment 
addressing the following issues: (1) Is the collection necessary to the 
proper functions of the USGS; (2) will this information be processed 
and used in a timely manner; (3) is the estimate of burden accurate; 
(4) how might the USGS enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and (5) how might the USGS minimize the 
burden of this collection on the respondents, including through the use 
of information technology.
    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 may 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: Managers from sites where we will have collected 
vegetation data will be contacted for information about management 
activities. The information will be used by the Principal Investigators 
(PIs) and Co-PIs and research assistant(s) to generate a history of 
management database for all the sites and treatments sampled. Most 
sites will include three or four subsites as indicated by these 
treatment types: Control, burned, thinned, and/or burned and thinned. 
The data table will include site name and subsite treatment types as 
identification without any manager's name, title or contact 
information, since this latter information is irrelevant to the 
analysis. The data table of management history will be used to relate 
to the condition and status of the groundlayer vegetation, as expressed 
in variables such as species richness, species turnover, composition 
through ordination and other statistical methods including structural 
equation modeling. Results of analyses may include site names and 
treatment types, but no specific manager information will be retained 
or relevant to the results.
    Title of Collection: Efficacy of Oak Savanna Restoration History 
Information Request.
    OMB Control Number: 1028--NEW.
    Form Number: None.
    Type of Review: New.
    Respondents/Affected Public: State property managers; local 
property managers; and private land managers.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 30.
    Estimated Completion Time per Response: 1 hour.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 30.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Frequency of Collection: One time, sometimes twice for 
clarification.
    Total Estimated Annual Non-hour Burden Cost: $0.
    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.).

Shonnie Fearon,
Acting Director, Great Lakes Science Center.
[FR Doc. 2018-26983 Filed 12-12-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4338-11-P