[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 96 (Thursday, May 18, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28880-28881]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-7608]


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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; Research 
To Support Outdoor Recreation Management at Lake Umbagog National 
Wildlife Refuge

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

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[[Page 28881]]

SUMMARY: We (Fish and Wildlife Service) have requested that OMB approve 
our information collection associated with research to support outdoor 
recreation management at Lake Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge, Errol, 
New Hampshire. We have requested that OMB approve this information 
collection for a 1-year term.

DATES: You must submit comments on or before June 19, 2006.

ADDRESSES: Send your comments and suggestions on this information 
collection to the Desk Officer for the Department of the Interior at 
OMB-OIRA at (202) 395-6566 (fax) or [email protected] (e-mail). 
Please provide a copy of your comments to Hope Grey, Information 
Collection Clearance Officer, Fish and Wildlife Service, MS 222-ARLSQ, 
4401 North Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203 (mail); (703) 358-2269 
(fax); or [email protected] (e-mail).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request a copy of the information 
collection requirements, explanatory information, or related form, 
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 the 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)). 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.
    On January 27, 2006, we published in the Federal Register (71 FR 
4607) a notice of our intent to request information collection 
authority from OMB. In that notice, we solicited public comments for 60 
days, ending March 28, 2006. We received comments from one individual 
who objected to the use of Lake Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge for 
hunting, trapping, and related recreational uses. The commenter did not 
address the necessity, clarity, or accuracy of the information 
collection, but suggested that we seek input from the public outside 
the local area of the refuge. The proposed survey will include a 
representative sample of all visitors to the refuge, both local and 
non-local. We did not make any changes to our information collection 
based on this comment.
    The National Wildlife Refuge Improvement Act of 1997, which amended 
the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act (16 U.S.C. 
668dd-668ee), guides planning and management of the National Wildlife 
Refuge System. The law identifies six priority wildlife-dependent 
recreational uses and provides a process for ensuring that these and 
other activities do not conflict with the management purpose and goals 
of each refuge.
    The Act also requires that we develop a comprehensive conservation 
plan (CCP) for every refuge by the year 2012. A refuge CCP outlines 
goals, objectives, and management strategies for the refuge. It 
provides a vision and describes desired future conditions for the 
refuge. Development of a CCP for Lake Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge 
is ongoing and requires baseline information on recreation use and use 
patterns at the refuge. Since recreation use is dispersed at this 
refuge, the only feasible way to collect information on recreation use 
is through an onsite visitor survey. We will ask questions about 
visitor experience, wildlife disturbance, crowding, fishing, and 
camping. This type of information is especially important at Lake 
Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge because of increasing concern over 
growing recreational use and its potential impacts on sensitive 
wildlife populations.
    Title of Collection: Research to Support Outdoor Recreation 
Management at Lake Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge.
    OMB Control Number: None; this is a new collection.
    Form Number: FWS Form 3-2330.
    Frequency of Responses: On occasion.
    Description of Respondents: Visitors to Lake Umbagog National 
Wildlife Refuge.
    Number of Respondents: 500.
    Number of Responses: 500.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 125 hours. We estimate that 
the reporting burden will average 15 minutes per respondent.
    We invite your comments concerning this information collection on: 
(1) Whether or not the collection of information is necessary to 
properly manage visitor carrying capacity, including whether or not the 
information will have practical utility; (2) the accuracy of the 
agency's estimate of burden; (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 those who are 
to respond.

    Dated: April 14, 2006.
Hope Grey,
Information Collection Clearance Officer, Fish and Wildlife Service.
 [FR Doc. E6-7608 Filed 5-17-06; 8:45 am]
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