[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 151 (Tuesday, August 5, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45471-45473]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-17785]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


30-Day Notice of Submission to the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB); 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

[[Page 45472]]

CFR Part 1320, Reporting and Recordkeeping Requirements, the National 
Park Service (NPS) invites public comments on a reinstatement, with 
change, of a previously approved collection of information for which 
approval has expired (OMB 1024-0216).

DATES: Public comments on this Information Collection Request (ICR) 
will be accepted on or before September 4, 2008.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments directly to the Desk Officer for the 
Department of the Interior (OMB 1024-XXXX), Office of 
Information and Regulatory Affairs, OMB, by fax at 202/395-6566, or by 
electronic mail at [email protected]. Please also send a copy of 
your comments to Jennifer Hoger Russell, Park Studies Unit, College of 
Natural Resources, University of Idaho, P.O. Box 44139, Moscow, ID 
83844-1139; Phone: 208/885-4806; Fax: 208/885-4261; E-mail: 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. James Gramann, NPS Social Science 
Program, 1201 ``Eye'' St., Washington, DC 20005; or via phone at 202/
513-7189; or via e-mail at [email protected]. You are 
entitled to a copy of the entire ICR package free-of-charge. You may 
access this ICR at http://www.reginfo.gov/public/.
    Comments Received on the 60-Day Federal Register Notice: The NPS 
published a 60-day notice to solicit public comments on this ICR in the 
Federal Register on May 13, 2008 (Vol. 73, No. 93, Page 27553-27554). 
The comment period closed on July 14, 2008. After notification to 
stakeholders requesting comments, the NPS received one comment as a 
result of the publication of this 60-day Federal Register notice.
    The commenter suggested that the program should be shut-down to 
avoid wasteful spending. The NPS replied to the comment, indicating 
that the VSC Project is how the NPS complies with the Government 
Performance and Results Act of 1993. In compliance with this law, the 
NPS implemented the project in 1998. The project continues to be the 
only source of visitor satisfaction information across the entire 
system on an annual basis. Parks collect valuable information about 
visitor satisfaction with facilities, services, and recreational 
opportunities available at all the NPS sites across the country, Guam, 
Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title: National Park Service Visitor Survey Card.
    Bureau Form Number: None.
    OMB Number: 1024-0216.
    Expiration Date: To be requested.
    Type of Request: Reinstatement, with change, of a previously 
approved collection of information for which approval has expired.
    Description of Need: The National Park Service (NPS) Act of 1916, 
38 Stat 535, 16 U.S.C. 1, et seq., requires that the NPS preserve 
national parks for the use and enjoyment of present and future 
generations. At the field level, this means resource preservation, 
public education, facility maintenance and operation, and physical 
developments as are necessarily for public use, health, and safety. 
Other federal rules (National Environmental Policy Act, 1969 and NPS 
Management Policies) require visitor use data in the impact assessment 
of development on users and resources as part of each park's general 
management plan. The Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) of 
1993 (Pub. L. 103-62) requires that the NPS develop goals to improve 
program effectiveness and public accountability and to measure 
performance related to these goals. The Visitor Survey Card (VSC) 
Project measures performance toward those goals through a short visitor 
survey card. The project is an element of the NPS Strategic Plan and 
the Department of the Interior (DOI) Strategic Plan.
    The NPS has used the VSC to conduct surveys at approximately 330 
National Park System units annually since 1998. The purpose of the VSC 
is to measure visitors' opinions about park facilities, services, and 
recreational opportunities in each park unit and System wide. This 
effort is required by GPRA and other NPS and DOI strategic planning 
efforts. Data from the proposed survey is needed to assess performance 
regarding NPS GPRA goals IIa1 and IIb1.
    The relevant NPS GPRA goals state:
    II. Provide for the public enjoyment and visitor experience of 
parks;
    IIa1. 95% of park visitors are satisfied with appropriate park 
facilities, services, and recreational opportunities;
    IIb1. 86% of park visitors understand and appreciate the 
significance of the park they are visiting.
    In addition, the survey collects data to support the DOI Strategic 
Plan goal on visitor satisfaction with the value for entrance fees paid 
to access public lands managed by the DOT. NPS performance on all goals 
measured in this study will contribute to DOT Department-wide 
performance reports. Results of the VSC will also be used by park 
managers to improve visitor services at the approximately 330 units of 
the National Park System where the survey is administered.
    The VSC is a component of the Visitors Services Project, which is 
funded by the NPS through a cooperative agreement with the Park Studies 
Unit at the University of Idaho. In 1998, the NPS received clearance 
for the Visitor Survey Card (OMB 1024-0216). When that three-
year clearance expired on May31, 2001, a new clearance was acquired 
under the Programmatic Approval for NPS-Sponsored Public Surveys (1024-
0224, NPS 01-003). Clearance was again acquired in 2005 under 
Programmatic Approval for NPS-Sponsored Public Surveys (1024-0224, NPS 
05-004). This request is another extension of the on-going 
study. The obligation to respond is voluntary.
    Automated Data Collections: This information will be collected via 
mail-back surveys and on-site drop-off surveys using locked collection 
boxes. No automated data collection will take place.
    Description of Respondents: Visitors to approximately 330 NPS 
units.
    Estimated Average Number of Respondents: 132,000 respondents 
(94,000 non-respondents and 38,000 respondents).
    Estimated Average Number of Responses: 132,000 responses (94,000 
non-responses and 38,000 responses).
    Estimated Average Burden Hours per Response: 1 minute for non-
respondents and3 minutes for respondents.
    Frequency of Response: 1 time per respondent.
    Estimated Total Annual Reporting Burden: 3,467 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 being gathered; and (4) ways to minimize the burden to 
respondents, including use of automated information collection 
techniques or other forms of information. Before including your 
address, phone number, e-mail address, or other personal identifying 
infonnation 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 OMB in your comment 
to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, 
we cannot guarantee that OMB will be able to do so.


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    Dated: July 2, 2008.
Leonard E. Stowe,
NPS, Information Collection Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. E8-17785 Filed 8-4-08; 8:45 am]
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