[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 141 (Friday, July 21, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45389-45391]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-18445]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


Information Collection Renewal To Be Submitted to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) for Approval Under the Paperwork Reduction 
Act

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The collection of information listed below has been submitted 
by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) for renewal under the provisions of the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. Copies of the specific information 
collection requirements, related forms, and explanatory material may be 
obtained by contacting the Service's Information Collection Clearance 
Officer at the address provided below.

DATES: Consideration will be given to all comments received on or 
before August 21, 2000. OMB has up to 60 days to

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approve or disapprove information collection but may respond after 30 
days. Therefore, to ensure maximum consideration OMB should receive 
public comments by August 21, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Comments and suggestions on the requirements should be sent 
to the Office of Management and Budget, Attention: Department of the 
Interior Desk Officer, 725 17th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20503, and 
to Rebecca Mullin, Service Information Collection Clearance Officer, 
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS 222-ARLSQ, 1849 C Street, NW., 
Washington, DC 20240.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request a copy of the draft of the 
information collection request, explanatory information and related 
forms contact Rebecca A. Mullin at 703/358-2287, or electronically to 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We submitted the following proposed 
information collection clearance requirement to OMB for review and 
approval under the Paper work Reduction Act of 1005 (Pub. L. 104-13). 
OMB has up to 60 days to approve or disapprove information collection. 
To ensure maximum consideration, OMB should receive public comments by 
[insert 30 days from date of publication]. We may not conduct or 
sponsor a collection of information unless it displays a currently 
valid OMB control number. We previously published a 60-day notice 
inviting public comment on this information collection in the Federal 
Register on May 9, 2000 (65 FR 26849). Only one public comment on the 
previous notice was received as of June 19, 2000. The Service's 
response is discussed below:
    Issue: The Ornithological Society commented that the wildlife-
watching section does not go into adequate detail, specifically that 
the data on the amount of birding activity and related economic 
activity were insufficient.
    Service Response: Past National Surveys have focused on wildlife 
watching around the home (residential) and more than a mile from home 
(nonresidential). The Service has provided participation and trip-
related expenditure estimates for nonresidential wildlife (including, 
but not only, birds) watching and participation estimates for 
residential bird watching and feeding. With all these data revolving 
around the recreational enjoyment of birds, there was no one estimate 
for the overall number of bird watchers. The Service is addressing this 
issue in the 2001 Survey. The Service will include questions on the 
nonresidential observation of birds and the residential observation of 
birds, which will enable the Service to provide estimates of the total 
number of bird watchers at both the national level and the state level. 
The Service has added questions on the number of species the bird 
watcher can identify and whether or not the bird watcher has a birding 
life list. As for the expenditures of bird watchers, the Service 
addresses the wildlife-watching expenditure section the same as the 
hunting and fishing expenditure sections, which means the Service gets 
expenditures by type of activity (residential, nonresidential, 
freshwater, saltwater, big game, small game, etc.), not by species 
sought.
    This notice provides an additional 30 days in which to comment on 
the following information.
    The Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 777-777K), 
and the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 669-699i) 
authorizes the Service to provide grants annually to the States for 
projects to support sport fish and wildlife management and restoration, 
including the acquisition and improvement of aquatic resources, fishing 
access, fish stocking, and the acquisition and improvement of wildlife 
management areas, facilities, and access. Grants also are provided for 
aquatic education and hunter education, maintenance of completed 
projects, and research into the problems affecting fish and wildlife 
resources. Those projects help ensure that the American people have 
adequate opportunities for wildlife-related recreation. To assist in 
carrying out its responsibilities, the Service has sponsored national 
surveys of fishing and hunting at about 5-year intervals sine 1955. The 
Bureau of the Census conducts the Survey for the Service. The survey 
data are needed to allow the Service to effectively administer the 
Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Grant Programs, and to help States 
develop project proposals and conservation programs that meet the needs 
of their populations. The Survey collects information on the number of 
people participating in wildlife-related recreation, the number of days 
and expenditures spent on those activities. Survey data are needed to 
provide comparable state level information on existing recreation 
demands and to provide a basis for projecting future demands to 
effectively meet the needs of the American people. The information is 
needed to evaluate the effectiveness of existing programs in meeting 
those needs, formulate new policies, develop programs, and support 
budget proposals and legislation for the benefit of sport fish and 
wildlife restoration. Data are needed to evaluate the status and trends 
of recreational uses, as well as the values and benefits, of fish and 
wildlife resources. The comprehensive comparable state-level data 
provided by the Survey are not available from other sources..
    We invite your comments on: (1) Whether the collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the agency including whether the information will have practical 
utility; (2) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the 
collection information; (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.
    Title:: 2001 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-
Associated Recreation.
    Approved Number: 1018-0088.
    Service Form Number(s): N/A.
    Description and Use: The 2001 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, 
and Wildlife-Related will be the 10th one conducted since 1955. It is 
conducted every 5 years and is requested by the States through the 
International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. It will be 
conducted by the Bureau of the Census using computer-assisted telephone 
or in-person interviews. A sample of sportsmen and non-consumptive 
participants will be selected from a household screen. Sample persons 
will be asked about their participation and expenditures. Three 
detailed interviews will be conducted during the Survey year. The 
Survey will be similar in scope to past surveys. It will generate 
information identified as priority data needed by the Federal and State 
fish and wildlife agencies responsible for administering the Sport Fish 
and Wildlife Restoration grant programs. Accordingly, the 2001 Survey 
will be a comprehensive data base of fish and wildlife-related 
recreation activities and expenditures. It will include the number of 
persons participating in different types of activities such as 
freshwater, saltwater, and Great Lakes fishing; and big game, small 
game, migratory bird, and other animal hunting. Wildlife watching (non-
consumptive activities) include wildlife observation, feeding, and 
photographing around the home and on trips away from home. Information 
is collected on days of participation, the species of animals sought, 
and how much money was spent on trips and for equipment. Information on 
the characteristics of participants will include age, income, sex, 
education, race, and residency. The

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Survey data has State level reliability. Federal and State fish and 
wildlife agencies use information from the Survey as a basis to 
formulate management and policy decisions related to sport fish and 
wildlife restoration. Participation patterns and trend information 
assist in identifying present and future needs and demands. The 
information is used for planning the acquisition, development, and 
enhancement of fish and wildlife resources for the benefit of wildlife-
related recreation. Data on expenditures, economic evaluation, and 
participation are used by land managing agencies to assess the value of 
fish and wildlife-related uses of natural resources. Expenditure 
information is used by states to estimate the economic impact of 
wildlife-related recreation expenditures on their economies and to 
support the dedication of tax revenues to support fish and wildlife 
restoration programs. The information collected on resident saltwater 
fishing will assist coastal States in determining the proper ratio for 
allocating funds between freshwater and saltwater projects as required 
by the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act, as amended. The 
information is not readily available elsewhere because few States have 
saltwater licenses or conduct their own surveys. If the Survey data 
were not available it would impair the ability of those States to meet 
their obligations under the Act.
    In summary, the information collection is needed to assist the Fish 
and Wildlife Service and the State fish and wildlife agencies in 
administering the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration grant programs. 
The Survey will provide up-to-date information on the uses and demands 
for wildlife-related recreation resources, trends in the uses of those 
resources, and a basis for developing and evaluating programs and 
projects to meet existing and future needs. The information collection 
is subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act requirements for such 
activity, which includes soliciting comments from the general public 
regarding the nature and burden imposed by the collection.
    Frequency of Collection: Household screen interviews and the first 
detailed sportsmen and non-consumptive participant interviews will be 
conducted April-June 2001. The second detailed interviews will be 
conducted September-October 2001. The third and last detailed 
interviews will be conducted January-March 2002.
    Description of Respondents: Individuals.
    Estimated Completion Time: We estimate the average completion time 
per respondent to be about 7 minutes for the screen and 15 minutes for 
the detailed interviews. A respondent will average 2 interviews during 
the survey period. Total estimated respondent burden hours for all 
respondents are 27,000 hours.
    Number of Respondents: It is estimated that there will be 80,000 
total respondents.

    Dated: July 14, 2000.
Rebecca Mullin,
Fish and Wildlife Service Information Collection Officer.
[FR Doc. 00-18445 Filed 7-20-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-M