[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 68 (Friday, April 10, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16350-16351]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-8187]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Information Collection; Land Management Agency Volunteer Surveys

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 
Forest Service is seeking comments from all interested individuals and 
organizations on the new information collection, the Land Management 
Agency Volunteer Surveys.

DATES: Comments must be received in writing on or before June 9, 2009 
to be assured of consideration. Comments received after that date will 
be considered to the extent practicable.

ADDRESSES: Comments concerning this notice should be addressed to James 
Absher, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture (Forest 
Service), 4955 Canyon Crest Drive, Riverside, CA 92507.
    Comments also may be submitted via facsimile to (951) 680-1501 or 
by e-mail to: [email protected].
    The public may inspect comments received at Building One Reception, 
4955 Canyon Crest Drive, Riverside, CA 92507 during normal business 
hours. Visitors are encouraged to call ahead to (951) 680-1500 to 
facilitate entry to the building.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: James Absher, Pacific Southwest 
Research Station, Forest Service, (951) 680-1559. Individuals who use 
telecommunication devices for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Relay 
Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339 twenty-four hours a day, every day of 
the year, including holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title: Land Management Agency Volunteer Surveys.
    OMB Number: 0596-New.
    Type of Request: New.
    Abstract: The Forest Service and university researchers will 
contact individuals who currently volunteer, or have recently 
volunteered, for selected natural resource (land) management agencies 
(LMA). Through a short Web-based survey, respondents will provide 
information regarding how often and why they volunteer, the positive 
and negative aspects of that experience, and basic socio-demographics. 
The results of this information collection will help researchers and 
managers improve their ability to provide land management services to 
the public, as well as strengthen volunteers' experiences at their 
respective agencies.
    Participation in the survey will be strictly voluntary. If 
necessary, respondents will be allowed to answer via postal mail at 
their convenience. A Forest Service researcher, agency technician, or a 
cooperating university researcher will collect and analyze the data. 
The Forest Service and university researchers are experts in applied 
social research and survey methods.
    Additionally, in order to ensure anonymity, personal information 
will not be stored with contact information at any time, and contact 
information will be purged from researcher files once data collection 
is complete. Responses will be used to assess volunteers' experience 
with agencies that have a land management function such as parks, 
forests, recreation areas or wildlife refuges. Although an abundance of 
research exists regarding volunteering in general, there is very little 
rigorous, academic research on volunteering as it applies to LMAs, 
largely because there is no reliable, uniform, and comprehensive data 
available. Further, it is unknown whether the findings emerging from 
other studies of volunteerism are applicable in the context of LMAs. 
Because of the enormous role that volunteers play in the operations of 
LMAs, clarity and insight into volunteer characteristics and 
experiences is imperative. Ultimately, findings will help researchers 
and resource managers determine the best ways to involve, retain, and 
manage volunteers.
    The primary beneficiaries of results from these surveys will be 
LMAs, such as the Forest Service, and other agencies at all levels of 
government that are concerned with enjoyment, preservation, and 
advancement of our natural resources. These results will be 
particularly important to LMAs because these agencies have recently 
become heavily dependent on volunteer support. Without this information 
collection, managers of volunteers in LMAs will continue to rely upon 
anecdotal or unreliable information, which may perpetuate poor 
volunteer recruitment, retention, and satisfaction. The information 
collected will help researchers develop and test models of volunteer 
management, supply information to LMA program managers and other 
voluntary action managers

[[Page 16351]]

who are focusing their own work on natural resource management values 
and objectives, and will facilitate further application of findings. 
The exact number of respondents will be dependent upon the number of 
agencies that choose to participate. Volunteers from up to ten 
different agencies, or sub-units of those agencies, per year will be 
selected to participate. Each will be allocated 200-600 surveys, for a 
maximum of 4,000 completed surveys per year for the project as a whole.
    Estimate of Annual Burden: 20 minutes.
    Type of Respondents: Individuals who currently volunteer, or who 
have recently volunteered, for a natural resources (land) management 
agency, age 18 or older.
    Estimated Annual Number of Respondents: 4000.
    Estimated Annual Number of Responses per Respondent: 1.0.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 1,333 hours.
    Comment is invited on: (1) Whether this collection of information 
is necessary for the stated purposes and the proper performance of the 
functions of the lead agency, including whether the information will 
have practical or scientific utility; (2) the accuracy of the lead 
agency's estimate of the burden of the collection of information, 
including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (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 respondents, including the use of automated, electronic, 
mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms 
of information technology.
    All comments received in response to this notice, including names 
and addresses when provided, will be a matter of public record. 
Comments will be summarized and included in the submission request 
toward Office of Management and Budget approval.

    Dated: April 6, 2009.
Richard W. Sosa,
Acting Assistant Deputy Chief, National Forest System.
[FR Doc. E9-8187 Filed 4-9-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-P