[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 196 (Tuesday, October 12, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60637-60638]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-22847]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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: OMB has up to 60 days to approve or disapprove information 
collection but may respond after 30 days. Therefore, to ensure maximum 
consideration, you must submit comments on or before November 12, 2004.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments on this information collection to the 
Desk Officer for the Department of the Interior at OMB-OIRA via 
facsimile or electronic mail: (202) 395-6566 (fax); or [email protected] (electronic mail). Please provide a copy of your 
comments to the Fish and Wildlife Service's Information Collection 
Clearance Officer via postal mail, electronic mail, or facsimile: 4401 
N. Fairfax Dr., MS 222 ARLSQ, Arlington, VA 22203; [email protected] 
(electronic mail); or (703) 358-2269 (fax).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request a copy of the information 
collection request, explanatory information, or related forms, contact 
Hope Grey at (703) 358-2482, or electronically to [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
regulations at 5 CFR parts 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 be given an 
opportunity to comment on information collection and record keeping 
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. 703-711) 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 renewal 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 March 29, 2004, we published in the Federal Register (69 FR 
16282) a notice informing the public that we planned to submit 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 May 28, 2004. 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: 3-2056N.
    Frequency of Collection: Annually.
    Description of Respondents: Individuals and households.
    Number of Respondents: About 7,500 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 625 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 record covered by the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C 
552(a)).


[[Page 60638]]


    Dated: September 30, 2004.
Hope G. Grey,
Information Collection Clearance Officer, Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 04-22847 Filed 10-8-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P