[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 60 (Monday, March 29, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16282-16283]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-6875]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


Information Collection To Be 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 will submit the collection 
of information listed below to OMB for approval under the provisions of 
the Paperwork Reduction Act. A description of the information 
collection requirement is included in this notice. 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 accept comments until May 28, 2004.

ADDRESSES: Mail your comments on the requirement to Anissa Craghead, 
Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service, ms 222-ARLSQ, 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203; or 
fax (703) 358-2269.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request a copy of the information 
collection request, explanatory information, or related forms, contact 
by phone at Anissa Craghead at (703) 358-2445.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
regulations at 5 CFR part 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 CFR 1320.8(d)). The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (We) 
plan to submit 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. 703-711) 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.
    Title: Sandhill Crane Harvest Survey.
    OMB Control 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 8,000 hunters will respond to the 
Sandhill Crane Harvest Survey annually.
    Total Annual Burden Hours: The reporting burden is estimated to 
average 5 minutes per respondent. Total annual burden is 667 hours.
    We 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

[[Page 16283]]

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 record covered by the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552(a)).

    Dated: March 23, 2004.
Anissa Craghead,
Information Collection Officer, Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 04-6875 Filed 3-26-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P