[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 117 (Friday, June 18, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34758-34759]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-14763]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R9-MB-2010-N127] [91200-1231-00WH-M3]


Proposed Information Collection; OMB Control Number 1018-0023; 
Migratory Bird Surveys

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: We (Fish and Wildlife Service) will ask the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) to approve the information collection (IC) 
described below. As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and 
as part of our continuing efforts to reduce paperwork and respondent 
burden, we invite the general public and other Federal agencies to take 
this opportunity to comment on this IC. This IC is scheduled to expire 
on February 28, 2011. We 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.

DATES: To ensure that we are able to consider your comments on this IC, 
we must receive them by August 17, 2010.

ADDRESSES: Send your comments on the IC to Hope Grey, Information 
Collection Clearance Officer, Fish and Wildlife Service, MS 222-ARLSQ, 
4401 North Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203 (mail); or [email protected] (e-mail).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information 
about this IC, contact Hope Grey by mail or e-mail (see ADDRESSES) or 
by telephone at (703) 358-2482.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

     The Migratory Bird Treaty Act (16 U.S.C. 703-711) and the Fish and 
Wildlife Act of 1956 (16 U.S.C. 742d) designate the Department of the 
Interior as the key agency responsible for (1) the wise management of 
migratory bird populations frequenting the United States, and (2) 
setting hunting regulations that allow appropriate harvests that are 
within the guidelines that will allow for those populations' well-
being. These responsibilities dictate that we gather accurate data on 
various characteristics of migratory bird harvest. Based on information 
from harvest surveys, we can adjust hunting regulations as needed to 
optimize harvests at levels that provide a maximum of hunting 
recreation while keeping populations at desired levels.
    Under the Migratory Bird Harvest Program, State licensing 
authorities collect the name and address information needed to provide 
a sample frame of all licensed migratory bird hunters. Since Federal 
regulations require that the States collect this information, we are 
including the associated burden in our approval request to OMB.
    The Migratory Bird Hunter Survey is based on the Migratory Bird 
Harvest Information Program, under which each State annually provides a 
list of all migratory bird hunters in the State. We randomly select 
migratory bird hunters; send them either a waterfowl questionnaire, a 
dove and band-tailed pigeon questionnaire, a woodcock questionnaire, or 
a snipe, rail, gallinule and coot questionnaire; and ask them to report 
their harvest of those species. The resulting estimates of harvest per 
hunter are combined with the complete list of migratory bird hunters to 
provide estimates of the total harvest of those species.
    The Parts Collection Survey estimates the species, sex, and age 
composition of the harvest, and the geographic and temporal 
distribution of the harvest. Randomly selected successful hunters who 
responded to the Migratory Bird Hunter Survey the previous year are 
asked to complete and return a postcard if they are willing to 
participate in the Parts Collection Survey. We provide postage-paid 
envelopes to respondents before the hunting season and ask them to send 
in a wing or the tail feathers from each duck or goose they harvest, or 
a wing from each mourning dove, woodcock, band-tailed pigeon, snipe, 
rail, or gallinule they harvest. We use the wings and tail feathers to 
identify the species, sex, and age of the harvested sample. We also ask

[[Page 34759]]

respondents to report on the envelope the date and location of harvest 
for each bird. We combine the results of this survey with the harvest 
estimates obtained from the Migratory Bird Hunter Survey to provide 
species-specific national harvest estimates.
    The combined results of these surveys enable us to evaluate the 
effects of season length, season dates, and bag limits on the harvest 
of each species, and thus help us determine appropriate hunting 
regulations.
     The Sandhill Crane Harvest Survey is an annual questionnaire 
survey of people who obtained a sandhill crane hunting permit. At the 
end of the hunting season, we randomly select a sample of permit 
holders and ask them to report the date, location, and number of birds 
harvested for each of their sandhill crane hunts. Their responses 
provide estimates of the temporal and geographic distribution of the 
harvest as well as the average harvest per hunter, which, combined with 
the total number of permits issued, enables us to estimate the total 
harvest of sandhill cranes. Based on information from this survey, we 
adjust hunting regulations as needed.

II. Data

    OMB Control Number: 1018-0023.
    Title: Migratory Bird Surveys.
    Service Form Number(s): 3-165, 3-165A, 3-165B, 3-165C, 3-165D, 3-
165E and 3-2056J-N.
    Type of Request: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Affected Public: States and migratory game bird hunters.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Frequency of Collection: Annually or on occasion.

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                                   Number of annual    Number of annual   Completion time per    Annual burden
            Activity                  respondents          responses            response             hours
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Migratory Bird Harvest                            49                 686  185 hours..........            126,910
 Information Program.
Migratory Bird Hunter Survey....              84,200              84,200  4.3 minutes........              6,034
Parts Collection Survey.........              27,300             140,600  4.5 minutes........             10,545
Sandhill Crane Harvest Survey...               8,300               8,300  3.5 minutes........                484
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    Totals......................             119,849             233,786  ...................            143,973
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III. Request for Comments

     We invite comments concerning this IC on:
     Whether or not the collection of information is necessary, 
including whether or not the information will have practical utility;
     The accuracy of our estimate of the burden for this 
collection of information;
     Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
     Ways to minimize the burden of the collection of 
information on respondents.
    Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of 
public record. We will include or summarize each comment in our request 
to OMB to approve this IC. 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: June 11, 2010.
Hope Grey,
Information Collection Clearance Officer, Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2010-14763 Filed 6-17-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-S