[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 128 (Tuesday, July 6, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40648-40649]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-15145]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


30-Day Notice of Submission of Study Package to Office of 
Management and Budget; Opportunity for Public Comment

AGENCY: Department of the Interior, National Park Service

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Yellowstone National Park Wolf Economic Study will provide 
park managers and others with important, accurate information about the 
Yellowstone National Park visitor population in general as well as 
visitor and trip characteristics of those who specifically view wolves 
in the park. The importance of visitation specifically tied to wolves 
in the park will be examined. The mail-back questionnaire is designed 
to systematically collect data from visitors in several different topic 
areas: individual characteristics,

[[Page 40649]]

trip/visit characteristics, individual activities and individual 
opinions on park and wildlife management.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                   Estimated numbers of
                                                 -----------------------
                                                                Burden
                                                   Responses     hours
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yellowstone National Park Wolf Economic Study...       5,000       1,369
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    Under provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and 5 CFR 
part 1320, Reporting and Recordkeeping Requirements, the National Park 
Service (NPS) invites comments on a request submitted to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) to approve a new collection of information 
(OMB 1024-XXXX). Comments are invited on: (1) The practical 
utility of the information being gathered; (2) the accuracy of the 
burden hour estimate; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and 
clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) ways to minimize 
the burden to respondents, including use of automated information 
collection techniques or other forms of information technology.
    The NPS goal in conducting this survey is to develop statistically 
valid estimates of Yellowstone National Park visitation and to evaluate 
the economic effects of wolf restoration in the context of an accurate 
regional economic model that measures the role of Yellowstone National 
Park in the overall regional economy.
    The broader information on visitation, visitor demographics, and 
the regional economy will have application to other park planning 
efforts where reliable visitation and economic data is needed for 
evaluation of project proposals and other management issues.

DATES: Public comments will be accepted on or before August 5, 2004.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments directly to the Desk Officer for the 
Department of the Interior, (OMB  1024-XXXX) Office of 
Information and Regulatory Affairs, OMB, by fax at (202) 395-6566, or 
by electronic mail at [email protected]. You may also mail or 
hand carry a copy of your comments to Dr.John Duffield, University of 
Montana, Department of Economics, Missoula, MT 59812 or by fax at (406) 
721-2265, or by electronic mail at [email protected].
    The OMB has up to 60 days to approve or disapprove the information 
collection but may respond after 30 days. Therefore, to ensure maximum 
consideration, OMB should receive public comments within thirty days of 
the date on which this notice is published in the Federal Register.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION OR A COPY OF THE STUDY PACKAGE SUBMITTED FOR 
OMB REVIEW, CONTACT: Dr. John Duffield, University of Montana, 
Department of Economics, Missoula, MT 59812, via phone at (406) 721-
2265, via fax at (406) 721-2265, or via electronic mail at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Titles: Yellowstone National Park Wolf Economic Study
    Bureau Form Number: None.
    OMB Number: To be requested.
    Expiration Date: To be requested.
    Type of request: New Collection.
    Description of need: Wolf restoration in Yellowstone is an 
internationally important wildlife conservation success story. The 
visibility and public interest in wolves, wolf viewing, and wolf-based 
education programs has far exceeded initial expectations. A major 
public issue with wolf restoration was the cost to implement, in tax 
dollars, versus economic benefits. Proponents thought it a boon; 
opponents predicted negative regional economic impacts. Economic 
studies done prior to restoration predicted large positive economic 
benefits. The wolf recovery program has now matured; this proposal 
would quantify the economic and social effects due to wolf restoration 
as well as provide critical baseline information for other planning and 
analyses.
    Wolf recovery generates positive economic impacts on the Greater 
Yellowstone Area (GYA) regional economy in several ways. The most 
significant impacts arise from visitors traveling from outside the 
region who choose to come to Yellowstone because wolves are present or 
who extend their stay because of wolves. Other impacts include wolf-
program related expenditures. Economic impacts depend on visitor 
numbers and expenditures, which are best measured through visitor 
surveys. Understanding the contribution of wolf recovery requires 
development of a model of the actual aggregate role of Yellowstone 
National Park in the regional economy.
    Automated data collection: At the present time, there is no 
automated way to gather this information because it includes directly 
contacting visitors to Yellowstone National Park.
    Description of respondents: Visitors to Yellowstone National Park.
    Estimated average number of respondents: 5,000.
    Estimated average number of responses: 5,000.
    Estimated average burden hours per response: 23 minutes.
    Frequency of Response: 1 time per respondent.
    Estimated annual reporting burden: 1,369 hours.

    Dated: May 25, 2004.
Leonard E. Stowe,
Acting, National Park Service Information Collection Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 04-15145 Filed 7-2-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P