[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 124 (Friday, June 27, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Page 38383]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-16310]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


Information Collection Submitted to the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) for Approval Under the Paperwork Reduction Act; Sandhill 
Crane Harvest Survey

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has submitted the 
collection of information listed below to OMB for approval under the 
provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act. If you wish to obtain copies 
of the proposed information collection requirement, related forms, or 
explanatory material, contact the Service Information Collection 
Clearance Officer at the address listed below.

DATES: We will accept comments until July 28, 2003.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments on this information collection renewal 
to the Desk Officer for the Department of the Interior at OMB-OIRA via 
facsimile or e-mail using the following fax number or e-mail address: 
(202) 395-5806 (fax); [email protected] (e-mail). Please 
provide a copy of your comments to the Fish and Wildlife Service's 
Information Collection Clearance Officer, 4401 N. Fairfax Dr., MS 222 
ARLSQ, Arlington, VA 22207; (703) 358-2269 (fax); or [email protected] (e-mail).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request a copy of the information 
collection request, explanatory information, or related forms, contact 
Anissa Craghead at (703) 358-2445, or electronically to [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
regulations at 5 CFR 1320, which implement provisions of the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), require that interested 
members of the public and affected agencies have an opportunity to 
comment on information collection and recordkeeping activities (see 5 
CFR 1320.8(d)). The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (We) have submitted 
a request to OMB to renew its approval of the collection of information 
for the Sandhill Crane Harvest Survey. We are requesting a 3-year term 
of approval for this information collection activity.
    Federal agencies 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 OMB control number for this 
collection of information is 1018-0023.
    The Migratory Bird Treaty Act (16 U.S.C. 703-712) and Fish and 
Wildlife Act of 1956 (16 U.S.C. 742d) designate the Department of the 
Interior as the key agency responsible for the wise management of 
migratory bird populations frequenting the United States and for the 
setting of hunting regulations that allow appropriate harvests that are 
within the guidelines that will allow for those populations' well 
being. These responsibilities dictate the gathering of accurate data on 
various characteristics of migratory bird harvest. Knowledge attained 
by determining harvests and harvest rates of migratory game birds is 
used to regulate populations (by promulgating hunting regulations) and 
to encourage hunting opportunity, especially where crop depredations 
are chronic and/or lightly harvested populations occur. Based on 
information from harvest surveys, hunting regulations can be adjusted 
as needed to optimize harvests at levels that provide a maximum of 
hunting recreation while keeping populations at desired levels.
    This information collection approval request seeks approval for us 
to continue conducting the Sandhill Crane Harvest Survey. This is an 
annual questionnaire survey of people who obtained a sandhill crane 
hunting permit. At the end of the hunting season, we randomly select a 
sample of permit holders and send those people a questionnaire that 
asks them to report the date, State, county, and number of birds 
harvested for each of their sandhill crane hunts. Their responses 
provide estimates of the temporal and geographic distribution of the 
harvest, as well as the average harvest per hunter, which, combined 
with the total number of sandhill crane permits issued, enables the 
Service to estimate the total harvest of sandhill cranes.
    The Sandhill Crane Harvest Survey enables us to annually estimate 
the magnitude of the harvest and the portion it constitutes of the 
total mid-continent sandhill crane population. Based on information 
from this survey, hunting regulations are adjusted as needed to 
optimize harvest at levels that provide a maximum of hunting recreation 
while keeping populations at desired levels.
    On November 19, 2002, we published in the Federal Register (67 FR 
69756) a notice informing the public that we are submitting the forms 
described below to OMB for approval under the Paperwork Reduction Act. 
We requested public comment on the information collection for 60 days, 
ending January 21, 2003. By that date, we did not receive any comments 
in response to the notice.
    Title: Sandhill Crane Harvest Survey.
    Approval Number: 1018-0023.
    Service Form Number(s): 3-530, 3-530A, 3-2056N.
    Frequency of Collection: Annually.
    Description of Respondents: Individuals and households.
    Number of Respondents: About 6,500 hunters will respond to the 
Sandhill Crane Harvest Survey annually.
    Total Annual Burden Hours: We estimate the reporting burden to 
average 5 minutes per respondent. Total annual burden is 540 hours.
    We again invite comments concerning this renewal on: (1) Whether 
the collection of information is necessary for the proper performance 
of our migratory bird management functions, including whether the 
information will have practical utility; (2) the accuracy of our 
estimate of the burden of the collection of 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. The information collections in this program 
are part of a system of records covered by the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C 
552(a)).

    Dated: June 24, 2003.
Anissa Craghead,
Information Collection Officer, Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 03-16310 Filed 6-26-03; 8:45 am]
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