[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 1 (Monday, January 3, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 101-102]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-28745]


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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; Monitoring Recovered Species After Delisting as Required Under 
Section 4(g) of the Endangered Species Act--American Peregrine Falcon; 
1018-0101

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Fish and Wildlife Service (We) plan to submit to OMB a 
request to renew the collection of information described below. The 
Endangered Species Act requires that all species that are recovered and 
removed from the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife (delisted) 
be monitored. We will use the information that we collect under OMB 
Control No. 1018-0101 to determine if the American peregrine falcon 
remains recovered.

DATES: You must submit comments on or before March 4, 2005.

ADDRESSES: Send your comments on the information collection requirement 
via mail to Hope Grey, Information Collection Clearance Officer, Fish 
and Wildlife Service, 4401 North Fairfax Drive, Mail Stop 222-ARLSQ, 
Arlington, Virginia 22203; [email protected] (e-mail); or (703) 358-
2269 (fax).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request a copy of the proposed 
information collection requirement, related forms, or explanatory 
material, contact Hope Grey, Information Collection Clearance Officer, 
at the above addresses or by telephone at (703) 358-2482.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 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 5 CFR 1320.8(d)). We plan 
to submit a request to OMB to renew its approval of the collection of 
information included in the Monitoring Plan for the American Peregrine 
Falcon, a Species Recovered Under the Endangered Species Act 
(Monitoring Plan) (USFWS 2003). The Monitoring Plan is available on our 
Web site at http://endangered.fws.gov/recovery/peregrine/plan2003.pdf. 
The existing OMB approval for information collection under the 
Monitoring Plan expires on March 31, 2005. We are requesting a 3-year 
term of approval for this information collection. 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 1018-0101.
    The American peregrine falcon was removed from the List of 
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife on August 25, 1999. Section 4(g) of 
the Endangered Species Act (ESA) requires that all species that are 
recovered and removed from the List of Endangered and Threatened 
Wildlife (delisted) be monitored in cooperation with the States for a 
period of not less than 5 years. The purpose of this requirement is to 
detect any failure of a recovered species to sustain itself without the 
protections of the ESA. We work with relevant State agencies and other 
species experts to develop appropriate plans and procedures for 
systematically monitoring recovered wildlife and plants. The 
information supplied on the forms will be used to review the status of 
the American peregrine falcon in the United States and allow us to 
determine if it remains recovered and, therefore, does not require the 
protections of the ESA. The obligation to provide the information is 
voluntary.
    The American peregrine falcon has a large geographic distribution 
that includes a substantial amount of non-Federal land. Although the 
ESA requires that monitoring of recovered species be conducted for not 
less than 5 years, the life history of American peregrine falcons is 
such that it is appropriate to

[[Page 102]]

monitor this species for a longer period of time in order to 
meaningfully evaluate whether the recovered species continues to 
maintain its recovered status. We solicited public comments on the 
draft Monitoring Plan twice in 2001, and the final Monitoring Plan was 
released in 2003. Rangewide population monitoring of American peregrine 
falcons under the Monitoring Plan will take place every 3 years through 
2015. Formal collection of monitoring data commenced in 2003. 
Monitoring data will be collected again in 2006, 2009, 2012, and 2015. 
Therefore, by 2015, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will have 5 
years of population monitoring data.
    The information collection requirement in this submission 
implements the requirements of the Endangered Species Act (16 U.S.C. 
1539). There are no corresponding Service regulations for the ESA's 
post-delisting monitoring requirement. This information collection also 
implements the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (16 U.S.C. 704) contained in 
Service regulations in Chapter I, Subchapter B of Title 50 of the Code 
of Federal Regulations (CFR).
    Title: Monitoring Recovered Species After Delisting as Required 
Under Section 4(g) of the Endangered Species Act--American Peregrine 
Falcon.
    OMB Control Number: 1018-0101.
    Form Numbers: FWS Forms 3-2307, 3-2308, and 3-2309.
    Frequency of Collection: Monitoring is conducted every 3 years. For 
eggs and feathers, 15-20 of each are collected over a period of no more 
than 5 years.
    Description of Respondents: The forms are filled out by 
professional biologists employed by Federal and State agencies and 
other organizations, and by volunteers that have been involved in past 
peregrine falcon conservation efforts. The egg and feather contaminants 
data sheets are filled out by biologists with permits to collect eggs 
and feathers at nest sites, as described in the Monitoring Plan, for 
contaminants monitoring.
    Total Annual Burden Hours: 1,530.

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                                                                                  Average burden
                          FWS form No.                             Total annual      hours per     Annual burden
                                                                     responses      respondent         hours
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3-2307..........................................................           1,482             1.0           1,482
3-2308..........................................................              12             2.0              24
3-2309..........................................................              12             2.0              24
                                                                 -----------------
    Total.......................................................           1,506  ..............           1,530
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    FWS Form 3-2307 (Peregrine Falcon Monitoring Form) addresses the 
reporting requirements to record observations on the nesting pair, and 
the numbers of eggs and young during each nest visit. Each nest will be 
visited two (or more) times. FWS Form 3-2308 (Peregrine Falcon Egg 
Contaminants Data Sheet) addresses the reporting requirements to record 
data on eggs collected opportunistically during a nest visit. FWS Form 
3-2309 (Peregrine Falcon Feather Contaminants Data Sheet) addresses the 
reporting requirements to record data on feathers collected 
opportunistically during a nest visit. Once collected, the eggs and 
feathers will be archived in a deep freeze for analysis at a later 
time.
    We invite comments concerning this renewal on: (1) Whether or not 
the collection of information is necessary for the proper performance 
of monitoring of recovered species as prescribed in section 4(g) of the 
ESA, including whether or not the information will have practical 
utility; (2) the accuracy of our estimate of burden, including the 
validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (3) ways to enhance 
the quality, utility, and clarity of the information for those who are 
to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology; and (4) ways to minimize the 
burden of the collection of information on respondents. The information 
collections in this program will be part of a system of records covered 
by the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552(a)).

    Dated: December 22, 2004.
Hope Grey,
Information Collection Clearance Officer, Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 04-28745 Filed 12-30-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P