[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 50 (Thursday, March 13, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13562-13563]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-4880]


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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 the proposed Information 
Collection Request (ICR) on or before May 12, 2008.

ADDRESSES: Send Comments To: Dr. Susan A. Crate, co-PI, Department of 
Environmental Science and Policy, George Mason University, 4400 
University Drive, MS 5F2, Fairfax, Virginia 22030; or via phone at 703/
993-1517; or via fax at 703/993-1066; or via e-mail at [email protected]. 
Also, you may send comments to Leonard Stowe, NPS Information 
Collection Clearance Officer, 1849 C St., NW. (2605), Washington, DC 
20240; or via e-mail at leonard [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 
Dr. Susan A. Crate, co-PI, Department of Environmental Science and 
Policy, George Mason University, 4400 University Drive, MS 5F2, 
Fairfax, Virginia 22030; or via phone at 703/993-1517; or via fax at 
703/993-1066; or via e-mail at [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. James Gramann, NPS Social Science 
Program, 1201 ``Eye'' St., Washington, DC 20005; or via phone 202/513-
7189; or via e-mail [email protected]. You are entitled to 
a copy of the entire ICR package free of charge once the package is 
submitted to OMB for review. You can access this ICR at 
www.reginfo.gov/public/.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: Potomac Gorge Survey.
    Bureau Form Number: None.
    OMB Number: To be requested.
    Expiration Date: To be requested.
    Type of Request: New Collection.
    Description of Need: The Potomac Gorge is a IS-mile stretch along 
the Potomac River, crossing jurisdictions in the states of Maryland, 
Virginia, and the District of Columbia. Public parkland in the Gorge 
includes the NPS's Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park 
and George Washington Memorial Parkway. The Nature Conservancy and 
Potomac Conservancy own and protect areas in the Gorge. In addition, 
other public and private lands are included in the 10,000-acre area. 
The Gorge is one of the country's most biologically diverse areas, home 
to more than 1,400 plant species. The NPS has documented at least 30 
distinct natural vegetation communities, several of which are globally 
rare and imperiled. The Potomac Gorge Site Conservation Plan (SCP), 
developed by the NPS and The Nature Conservancy, identifies 
conservation targets, analyzes threats to these targets, and presents 
strategies for mitigating environmental problems currently observed in 
the Potomac Gorge. Identified threats include both internal impacts 
inherent to a heavily

[[Page 13563]]

visited area and external drivers originating from densely populated 
adjacent landscapes. The SCP considered seven conservation targets: 
Riparian Communities, Groundwater Invertebrates, Terrace Communities, 
Anadromous Fish, Upland Forest, Tributary Stream Systems, and Wetlands. 
Of these conservation targets, only tributary stream systems hold a 
``Very High'' threat status. Therefore, promoting Best Management 
Practices among neighbors of the Potomac Gorge to improve water quality 
in tributary streams is one of the priority actions in the SCP.
    To better understand and mitigate the tributary stream threats, the 
Potomac Gorge Survey will gather information that will improve the 
understanding of NPS personnel as to the behaviors of local land owners 
that affect water quality in tributary streams and the socio-
demographic characteristics that are associated with particular 
behaviors. The survey will be administered to a stratified random 
sample of residents in the Potomac Gorge watershed. The Potomac Gorge 
Survey includes questions relating to residents' choice of land use 
practices and behaviors that affect water resources in the Gorge, and 
residents' demographic profiles, mobility, information, attitudes, and 
beliefs. Survey data will be analyzed using statistical analysis to 
investigate the responsiveness of residents' environmental attitudes 
and behaviors to changes in demographic, cultural, and informational 
drivers of behavior. This pilot project will identify priorities for 
future work within the Potomac Gorge as well as provide a generalized 
application in social science issues confronting the National Parks as 
a whole. Landowner participation to respond is voluntary.
    Automated data collection: This information will be collected 
primarily via telephone surveys with an option for those contacted to 
complete the survey on the internet, if preferred. No automated data 
collection will take place.
    Description of respondents: Respondents will be among a random 
sample of watershed residents stratified by zip code.
    Estimated average number of respondents: 400 respondents.
    Estimated average number of responses: 400 responses.
    Estimated average burden hours per response: 1 minute for non-
respondents and 20 minutes for respondents.
    Frequency of Response: 1 time per respondent.
    Estimated annual reporting burden: 3,433 hours.
    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.

    Dated: March 5, 2008.
Leonard E. Stowe,
NPS, Information Collection Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. E8-4880 Filed 3-12-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-M