[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 78 (Tuesday, April 24, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20363-20364]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 07-2019]



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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: Under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 
and 5 CFR part 1320, Reporting and Record Keeping Requirements, the 
National Park Service (NPS) invites public comments on a proposed new 
collection of information (1024-xxxx).

DATES: Public comments will be accepted on or before June 25, 2007.

ADDRESSES: Send Comments To: Dr. Wayne Freimund, Department of Society 
and Conservation, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59801; Phone: 
(406) 243-5184; Fax (406) 243-6656, e-mail: 
umontana.edu">wayne.friemund@umontana.edu. Also, you may send comments to Leonard 
Stowe, NPS Information Collection Clearance Officer, 1849 C St., NW. 
(2605), Washington, DC 20240, or by e-mail at [email protected] 
All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the 
request for the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval. All 
comments will become a matter of public record.
    To Request a Draft of Proposed Collection of Information Contact: 
Wayne Freimund, Department of Society and Conservation, University of 
Montana, Missoula, MT 59801; Phone: (406) 243-5184; e-mail: 
umontana.edu">wayne.freimund@umontana.edu

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Michael Patterson, Department of 
Society and Conservation, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59801; 
Phone: (406) 243-6614; Fax (406) 243-6656; e-mail: michael.patterson@ 
umontana.edu. You are entitled to a copy of the entire ICR package free 
of charge.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: Winter Visitor Experiences in Yellowstone National Park.
    Bureau Form Number: None.
    OMB Number: To be requested.
    Expiration Date: To be requested.
    Type of Request: New collection.
    Description of Need: The proposed study would provide key 
information for implementation of a decision on winter use planning in 
Yellowstone National Park. The purpose of this research is to assist 
Park managers in identifying efficient, salient and effective 
dimensions of the visitor experience for applications in monitoring 
efforts. Those monitoring efforts can then be tailored to the 
evaluation of NPS policy and management actions.
    Winter use activities in the park are guided by monitoring, 
mitigation and adaptive management. As such, ``Scientific studies and 
monitoring of winter visitor use and park resources (including air 
quality, natural soundscapes, wildlife, employee health and safety, 
water quality, and visitor experience) will continue. Selected areas of 
the parks, including sections of roads, may be closed to visitor use if 
studies indicate that human presence or activities have unacceptable 
effects on wildlife or other park resources that could not otherwise be 
mitigated.'' (NPS Winter Use EIS, 2007 P. 32) No winter-specific social 
science research has been conducted since the managed winter program 
went into effect in 2002; this was identified as a weakness during 
scoping and in cooperating agency discussions. This proposed research 
will provide needed information by evaluating three components: (1) The 
role of the natural soundscape in visitor experiences, (2) visitor 
perceptions of human-wildlife interactions, and (3) snowcoach and 
snowmobile guides' perceptions of the effectiveness of the guide-only 
policy.

1. The Role of the Natural Soundscape in Visitor Experiences

    Yellowstone National Park (YNP) has requested research into visitor 
experiences of natural sounds. The recent changes in winter use 
motorized access in YNP require snowmobiles in the park to use clean 
and quiet technology. These changes have led to the need to better 
understand the role of natural sounds in the winter visitor experience. 
The purpose of this study is to provide park managers with specific 
information on visitor perceptions of the experience of the natural 
soundscape and on visitor willingness to support management actions 
that affect the natural soundscape in Yellowstone National Park. The 
purpose of the interview approach for soundscape research is to obtain 
an in-depth understanding of visitor experiences of the natural 
soundscape and to better understand the context within which soundscape 
policies affect the visitor experience.
    Previous research in Yellowstone National Park has documented the 
existence of differing values held among visitors for the park itself. 
Strong relationships between perceived park values and visitor 
willingness to support park management activities have been previously 
documented. The research proposed for the next winter use season will 
build on this knowledge, expanding it to include the natural soundscape 
resource, providing the park with information on the status of visitor 
perceptions of park values, visitor perceptions of the importance of 
natural sounds to their experience, and visitor willingness to support 
management actions affecting the natural soundscape. In addition to the 
in-depth interviews, an on-site questionnaire will be utilized for this 
portion of the soundscape research.

2. Visitor Perceptions of Human-Wildlife Interactions

    This study seeks to provide park managers with specific information 
on visitor perceptions of wildlife interactions that occur in 
Yellowstone National Park. The recent changes in winter use policy 
require the snowmobile experience to be guided, which leads to 
different types of visitor-wildlife interactions. YNP has requested 
research exploring how winter visitors appraise the human-bison 
interactions they observe during their visit. The primary goals are to 
explore snowcoach and snowmobile passengers' appraisals of the human-
bison interactions they witness during their visits, to analyze 
situational and visitor characteristics that might influence those 
appraisals, and to explore visitors' judgments about when consequences 
of winter use for bison are serious enough to warrant management 
intervention regulating these interactions.

3. The Effectiveness of the Guide-Only Policy in Yellowstone National 
Park: The Perspective of Snowcoach and Snowmobile Guides

    Recent winter use plans at Yellowstone National Park have required 
that each snowmobile comply with best available technology, that all 
groups be guided, and that the total number of daily winter visitors be 
capped. These restrictions were implemented to reduce impacts to 
wildlife, improve compliance with winter use rules, reduce visitor 
conflict, and address visitor carrying capacity. This study will look 
at the effectiveness of these managerial interventions through the eyes 
of the professional guides. Many guides have been working in the park 
on a daily basis for years; thus, they offer a unique perspective on 
how the conditions in the park have changed and what seems to be 
working best within the new winter use system. Interviews, to be 
conducted during the

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winter use season, will rely on an open-ended, in-depth process.
    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. Before including 
your address, phone number, e-mail address, or other personal 
identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your 
entire comment--including your personal identifying information--may be 
made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your 
comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public 
review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
    Automated data collection: This information will be collected via 
in-person interviews and surveys. No automated data collection will 
take place.
    Description of respondents: Components 1 and 2: Visitors stopping 
at the Old Faithful Snow Lodge and Old Faithful Geyser on 20 days 
during the 2007-2008 winter use season. Component 3: Snowmobile and 
snowcoach guides in Yellowstone National Park.
    Estimated average number of respondents: Component 1: 165 (120 
respondents for on-site survey; 45 respondents for interviews). 
Component 2: 400. Component 3: 30.
    Estimated average number of responses: Component 1: 165 (120 
respondents for on-site survey; 45 respondents for interviews). 
Component 2: 400. Component 3: 30.
    Estimated average burden hours per response: Component 1: 25 
minutes for on-site survey respondents; 30 minutes for interview 
respondents. Component 2: 25 minutes. Component 3: 33 minutes.
    Frequency of Response: 1 time per respondent.
    Estimated annual reporting burden: 256 hours.

    Dated: April 16, 2007.
Leonard E. Stowe,
NPS, Information Collection Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 07-2019 Filed 4-23-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-CT-M