[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 118 (Tuesday, June 21, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35702-35703]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-12208]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


60 Day Notice of Intention To Request Clearance of Collection of 
Information; Opportunity for Public Comment

AGENCY: Department of the Interior, National Park Service.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The America the Beautiful Pass Study will provide the National 
Park Service (NPS), park managers, and interagency partners (Bureau of 
Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, Fish and Wildlife Service, 
USDA-Forest Service) with critical public input regarding pricing and 
benefits associated with the new America the Beautiful (ATB) Pass. 
Specifically the study will use surveys of recreationists, visitors to 
units of the National Park System and other public lands, potential 
visitors to units of the National Park System and other public lands, 
and current National Parks Pass or other federal recreation area pass 
holders to elicit (1) information about how individuals currently use 
passes, (2) opinions on how the ATB pass should be priced, (3) opinions 
about the benefits that the pass should provide, and (4) the factors 
that might influence an individual's decision to purchase an ATB pass. 
In addition, socio-economic information regarding current and potential 
visitors and pass holders is needed.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                   Estimated numbers of
                                                 -----------------------
                                                               Responses
                                                    Burden       hours
------------------------------------------------------------------------
America the Beautiful Pass Study................       3,605       1,272
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Under provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and 5 CFR 
Part 1320, Reporting and Recordkeeping Requirements, the National Park 
Service invites comments on the need for gathering the information in 
the proposed survey.
    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.

DATES: Public comments will be accepted on or before August 22, 2005.
    Send Comments to: Ms. Jane Moore, Fee Program Manager, National 
Park Service, Fee Program, 1849 C Street, NW., (Mail Stop 2608) 
Washington, DC 20240-0001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Jane Moore, Fee Program Manager, 
National Park Service by telephone at 202-513-7132 or by electronic 
mail at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Titles: America the Beautiful Pass Study.
    Bureau Form Number: None.
    OMB Number: To be requested.
    Expiration Date: To be requested.
    Type of request: New Collection.
    Description of need: The Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act 
authorized the issuance of a new federal recreation pass, the America 
the Beautiful (ATB) pass. The ATB pass will take the place of the 
existing Golden Eagle Pass and the National Parks Pass and will provide 
similar benefits. The existing Golden Age and Golden Access passes will 
be replaced by ATB-senior and ATB-access passes. The primary purpose of 
the ATB pass is to provide convenient access, at a fair price, to 
federal recreation sites that charge fees. A secondary purpose is to 
provide opportunities for education and support for public lands and 
develop partnerships with organizations that support recreation and 
stewardship. Information from the public is needed in order to assure 
that the new ATB Pass is administered in a convenient way and provided 
at a fair price. Prior to issuance of the ATB pass, a price has to be 
established. The price selected needs to make sense in economic terms 
and be defensible and understandable to decision makers and the public. 
In order to be defensible the particular price selected will need to be 
backed up by a set of analyses. The price of the ATB pass should at 
least allow the government to break even in the sense that, on average, 
the sale of an ATB pass does not result in a revenue loss relative to 
the revenue that would be received absent the ability to purchase an 
annual pass. The expected price should also take into account 
individuals' willingness to pay for the convenience of using a pass as 
well as any altruistic motives they may have.
    The factors that play a role in an individual's decision to 
purchase a pass

[[Page 35703]]

include recreation patterns on public land, the relative price of the 
pass compared to purchasing daily (or weekly in some cases) entry, the 
benefits provided by the pass (e.g., number of individuals covered by a 
pass, whether the pass is per vehicle or per person, etc.), household 
income and other socioeconomic factors, the availability and prices of 
potential recreation substitutes, and perhaps the strength of any 
altruistic motives that might cause an individual to purchase the pass 
even though it might only be used on a limited basis. The strength of 
any altruistic motives could potentially be impacted by the quantity 
and quality of marketing associated with the pass.
    This study will include several focus groups and a survey of 
current and potential pass holders.
    Focus groups will be administered to gather information from 
recreationists about current and potential pricing and pass use. The 
focus group respondents will include individuals that have purchased 
one or more of the existing passes, which include the Golden Eagle, 
Golden Age, Golden Access, Duck Stamp, and National Park Pass. The 
focus groups will elicit information about how individuals use passes, 
views on how the ATB pass should be priced, views about the benefits 
that the pass should provide, and the factors that might influence an 
individual's decision to purchase a pass. The focus groups will be held 
in selected locations across the country. It is estimated that up to 
seven focus groups will be conducted with approximately 15 respondents 
each. Focus group sessions will take approximately one hour for a total 
burden of 105 hours.
    The survey of current and potential pass holders will be used to 
obtain information about their pass use, motives for purchasing, and 
socioeconomic characteristics. The survey will be designed to obtain 
information that will assist in determining the value (including, 
specifically, willingness to pay for the convenience value associated 
with using a pass) individuals place on the existing passes and in 
establishing a price for the new ATB pass. In addition, the survey will 
gather information concerning the factors that might influence an 
individual's decision to purchase a pass. The survey will elicit 
information about the incremental value individuals place on an annual 
pass that provides access to all federal recreation sites compared to 
access to only NPS sites. Surveys will be conducted with approximately 
3,500 individuals. The survey is estimated to take approximately 20 
minutes per respondent for a total burden of 1,167 hours.
    The combined burden for this study is estimated to be 1,272 hours.
    Automated data collection: Data collection from respondents to the 
survey of pass users will include an automated option. It is estimated 
that up to half of the 3,500 respondents will chose the automated 
option. The focus groups will require face-to-face contact thus no 
automated data collection will take place in that portion of the study.
    Description of respondents: Recreationists, visitors to units of 
the National Park System and other public lands, potential visitors to 
units of the National Park System and other public lands, and current 
National Parks Pass or other federal recreation area pass holders.
    Estimated average number of respondents: 3,605 (105 for focus 
groups; 3,500 for survey).
    Estimated average number of responses: 3,605 (105 for focus groups; 
3,500 for survey).
    Estimated average burden hours per response: One hour for focus 
group respondents; 1/3 hour for survey respondents.
    Frequency of Response: 1 time per respondent.
    Estimated annual reporting burden: 1,272 hours.

Leonard E. Stowe,
National Park Service Information Collection Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 05-12208 Filed 6-20-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P