[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 67 (Wednesday, April 8, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17148-17149]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-9234]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Information Collection on the Economic, Social, and Cultural 
Contributions of Livestock Ownership

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 
Forest Service announces its intent to establish a new information 
collection. The new collection is necessary to provide baseline data on 
the economic, social, and cultural contributions of livestock ownership 
by surveying grazing permittees on two ranger districts of the Carson 
and Santa Fe National Forests, New Mexico. The information provided by 
both this pilot study and the proposed larger study, encompassing all 
the permittees on the two forests, will be used to help the Forest 
Service address issues related to grazing permit administration in 
northern New Mexico.

DATES: Comments must be received in writing on or before June 8, 1998.

ADDRESSES: All comments should be addressed to: Carol Raish, Research 
Social Scientist, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Forest Service, 
USDA, 2205 Columbia SE, Albuquerque, NM, 87106.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Carol Raish, Rocky Mountain Research 
Station, telephone: (505) 766-1045.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    The Forest Service intends to invite private landowners, who hold 
federal grazing permits on the Canjilon Ranger District (Carson 
National Forest) and the Espanola Ranger District (Santa Fe National 
Forest, to participate in a pilot study designed to evaluate and refine 
the research methods and techniques proposed for a larger study to be 
conducted on the two forests. Forest Service researchers plan to 
distribute questionnaires to the 112 permittees associated with the two 
districts, with approximately one-third of the respondents from each 
district (or at least 18 persons per district) receiving a follow-up 
interview. Participation in the study is completely voluntary. In 
addition to collecting data on the contributions of livestock 
ownership, researchers are assessing the use of a questionnaire in 
terms of response rate and quality; clarity, comprehensibility, and 
relevance of questions; and effectiveness and impact of interviewing 
techniques.
    This study will focus on the rural communities of northern New 
Mexico. many of the permittees are descendants of Hispanic settlers who 
have farmed and ranched in northern New Mexico for over 400 years. Much 
of the land which they now use under federal permit was formerly owned 
or used by local communities under Spanish and Mexican land grants. 
Cultural differences and historical issues of land ownership and use 
contribute to disagreements over land use between permittees and 
Federal land managers. This research study is designed to provide 
information to help agency managers manager the lands more effectively, 
work more cooperatively with livestock grazing permittees, and improve 
agency-community relations by promoting greater understanding.

Description of Information Collection

    The following describes the information collection for which 
approval will be requested:
    Title: Economic, Social, and Cultural Contribution of Livestock 
Ownership.
    OMB Number: New.
    Expiration Date of Approval: New.
    Type of Request: The following describes a new collection 
requirement, which has not received approval by the Office of 
Management and Budget.
    Abstract: The information collected in both the pilot study and the 
larger study will assist Forest Service managers in understanding the 
role and contribution of livestock ownership to the economy, culture, 
and social interactions of the primarily Hispanic grazing permittees 
(and the small, rural communities) of northern New Mexico. Data 
gathered in this information collection is not available from other 
sources. The information collected and research outcomes will be 
presented in scientific and technology transfer publications and will 
be available to federal agencies and local communities, as well as to 
the study participants.

Questionnaire

    Forest Service research personnel will administer a questionnaire 
to the 112 grazing permittees on the Canjilon and Espanola Ranger 
Districts. Response to the questionnaire will be voluntary.
    The questionnaire consists of 46 questions divided into seven 
sections. Two sections request demographic

[[Page 17149]]

information and descriptive information on livestock operations. 
Questions on age, education, employment, primary language spoken in the 
household, and years of residence in the area provided demographic 
data. Information on livestock operations consists of questions 
concerning number of years the permittee and his family have owned 
livestock and have had Forest Service or Bureau of Land Management 
grazing permits. The number and type of animals owned is also 
requested. A third section deals with costs and benefits of owning 
livestock with questions focused on the costs of the livestock 
operation and on the economic contribution of the livestock to family 
income. Use of the animals and their by-products for household 
consumption and exchange with relatives and neighbors is also included.
    The remaining four sections emphasize social, lifestyle, and 
cultural contributions of livestock ownership, including the reasons 
for owning livestock, community activities related to owning livestock, 
a rancher's preferred means of saving money, uses of the money earned 
from the livestock operation, and plans to use the livestock operation 
as a retirement activity. Questions also elicit information on the role 
of livestock ownership in selecting a place of residence, the social 
and business activities that result from livestock ownership, and 
whether a permittee grazes his cattle with relatives or neighbors or 
both.
    A section on family goals requests respondents to prioritize 
statements concerning increasing family income, increasing the quality 
of life, maintaining traditional lifestyles and values, and having 
greater respect within the community. Another question asks respondents 
to prioritize family goals for the livestock operation, such as making 
more money from the operation, increasing the family's quality of life, 
avoiding being forced out of ranching, and increasing the size of the 
operation. the section on land ownership and use attitudes contains 
questions concerning the merits of hiring local versus non-local 
workers, selling land to local versus non-local buyers, and managing 
federal lands primarily for the benefit of local residents or for all 
U.S. citizens. Other questions deal with a rancher's willingness to 
sell inherited land and their views on what factors constitute land 
ownership
    Estimate of Burden: 1 hour and 15 minutes per respondent.
    Type of Respondents: Voluntarily responding grazing permittees on 
the Canjilon and Espanola Ranger districts.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 112.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 1.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 140 hours.

Interviews

    Forest Service researchers intent to conduct personal interviews 
with a randomly selected sample of one-third of the questionnaire 
respondents from each district (or at least 18 individuals per 
district). These interviews will be used to discuss views and opinions 
about the livestock operations in greater depth. The interviews will 
also expand the discussion concerning the role of livestock operations 
in family life and the maintenance of cultural traditions.
    The questions for the interviews are the following:
    1. Please describe your feelings about the land and livestock 
operation you own and what role they play in your family's life.
    2. Do you use your land and livestock to teach your children about 
traditional values and their heritage? If so, how do you accomplish 
this?
    3. Please give your opinion concerning who has the right to own 
land and make decisions concerning its use.
    4. What are your views on the implementation of the Treaty of 
Guadalupe Hidalgo signed in 1848 by the United States and Mexico?
    5. Describe your experiences and feelings concerning working with 
the government (Forest Service or Bureau of Land Management) on your 
allotment(s).
    6. Please discuss the most serious problems you face in your 
livestock operation today. How would you solve these problems?
    Since we seek to record the respondent's own story and opinions in 
the interview section, there may be some instances where questions are 
expanded or added to clarify or more fully develop a response due to 
the ethnographic nature of this portion of the study.
    Estimate of Burden: 2 hours per respondent.
    Type of Respondents: Voluntarily responding sample of grazing 
permittees from the Canjilon and Espanola Districts, who filled out the 
questionnaire.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 36.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 1,
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 72 hours.

Comment is Invited

    The agency invites comments on the following: (a) Whether the 
proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper 
performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the 
information will have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the 
agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of 
information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions 
used; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and (d) 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.

Use of Comment

    All comments, including name and address when provided, will become 
a matter of public record. Comments received in response to his notice 
will be summarized and included in the request for Office of Management 
and Budget approval.

    Dated: April 3, 1998.
Ronald E. Stewart,
Acting Associate Chief,
[FR Doc. 98-9234 Filed 4-7-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-M