[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 207 (Wednesday, October 27, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66119-66120]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-27205]



[[Page 66119]]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R9-IA-2010-N237; 96200-1672-0002-R5; OMB Control Number 1018-0123]


Proposed Information Collection; International Conservation Grant 
Programs

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: We (U.S. 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 May 31, 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 December 27, 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

    Some of the world's most treasured and exotic animals are 
dangerously close to extinction. Destruction of natural habitat, 
illegal poaching, and pet-trade smuggling are devastating populations 
of tigers, rhinos, marine turtles, great apes, elephants, and many 
other highly cherished species. The Division of International 
Conservation administers 11 competitive grant programs funded under 
the:
     African Elephant Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 4201-4245).
     Asian Elephant Conservation Act of 1997 (16 U.S.C. 4261).
     Great Apes Conservation Act of 2000 (Pub. L. 106-411).
     Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Act of 1994 (16 U.S.C. 
5306).
     Marine Turtle Conservation Act (Pub. L. 108-266).
     Endangered Species Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) (Wildlife 
Without Borders Programs--Africa, Mexico, Latin America and the 
Caribbean, Russia, Critically Endangered Species, and Amphibians in 
Decline).
    Currently, information that we collect for Critically Endangered 
Species grants is approved under OMB Control No. 1018-0142, which 
expires December 31, 2012. Information collection for Amphibians in 
Decline grants is approved under OMB Control No. 1018-0144, which 
expires September 30, 2013. We are proposing to consolidate all of our 
international conservation grants under OMB Control No. 1018-0123. If 
OMB approves this request, we will discontinue OMB Control Numbers 
1018-0142 and 1018-0144.
    Applicants submit proposals for funding in response to Notices of 
Funding Availability that we will publish on Grants.gov. We collect the 
following information:
     Cover page with basic project details (FWS Form 3-2338).
     Project summary and narrative.
     Letter of appropriate government endorsement.
     Brief curricula vitae for key project personnel.
     Complete Standard Forms 424 and 424b (nondomestic 
applicants do not submit the standard forms).
    Proposals may also include, as appropriate, a copy of the 
organization's Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NIRCA) and any 
additional documentation supporting the proposed project.
    The project summary and narrative are the basis for this 
information collection request. A panel of technical experts reviews 
each proposal to assess how well the project addresses the priorities 
identified by each program's authorizing legislation. As all of the on-
the-ground projects are conducted outside the United States, the letter 
of appropriate government endorsement ensures that the proposed 
activities will not meet with local resistance or work in opposition to 
locally identified priorities and needs. Brief curricula vitae for key 
project personnel allow the review panel to assess the qualifications 
of project staff to effectively carry out the project goals and 
objectives. As all Federal entities must honor the indirect cost rates 
an organization has negotiated with its cognizant agency, we require 
all organizations with a NICRA to submit the agreement paperwork with 
their proposals to verify how their rate is applied in their proposed 
budget. Applicants may provide any additional documentation that they 
believe best supports their proposal.
    All assistance awards under these grant programs have a maximum 
reporting requirement of a:
     Mid-term report (performance report and a financial status 
report) due within 30 days of the conclusion of the first half of the 
project period, and
     Final report (performance and financial status report and 
copies of all deliverables, photographic documentation of the project 
and products resulting from the project) due within 90 days of the end 
of the performance period.

II. Data

    OMB Control Number: 1018-0123.
    Title: International Conservation Grant Programs.
    Service Form Number: 3-2338.
    Type of Request: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Affected Public: Domestic and nondomestic individuals, nonprofit 
organizations, educational institutions, private sector entities, and 
State, local and Tribal governments.
    Respondent's Obligation: Required to obtain or retain a benefit.
    Frequency of Collection: On occasion.

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                                                                                    Completion
                    Activity                         Number of       Number of       time per      Total annual
                                                    respondents      responses       response      burden hours
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Applications....................................             619             619        12 hours           7,428
Reports.........................................             146             292        30 hours           8,760
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Totals......................................             766             911  ..............          16,188
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III. Comments

    We invite comments concerning this information collection 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: October 19, 2010.
Hope Grey,
Information Collection Clearance Officer, Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2010-27205 Filed 10-26-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P