[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 100 (Tuesday, May 24, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30186-30187]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-12807]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R9-MB-2011-N104; FY 11 91100-3740-GRNT 7C]


Proposed Information Collection; Migratory Birds and Wetlands 
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 December 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 July 25, 2011.

ADDRESSES: Send your comments on the IC to the Service Information 
Collection Clearance Officer, Fish and Wildlife Service, MS 2042-PDM, 
4401 North Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203 (mail); or 
[email protected] (e-mail). Please include 1018-0100 in the subject line 
of your comments.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    The Division of Bird Habitat Conservation administers grant 
programs associated with the North American Wetlands Conservation Act 
(NAWCA), Public Law 101-233 and the Neotropical Migratory Bird 
Conservation Act (NMBCA), Public Law 106-247. Currently, information 
that we collect for NMBCA grants is approved under OMB Control No. 
1018-0113, which expires March 31, 2012. We are proposing to 
consolidate NAWCA and NMBCA grants under OMB Control No. 1018-0100. If 
OMB approves this request, we will discontinue OMB Control Number 1018-
0113.

North American Wetlands Conservation Act Grants

    NAWCA provides matching grants to organizations and individuals who 
have developed partnerships to carry out wetlands conservation projects 
in the United States, Canada, and Mexico for the benefit of wetlands-
associated migratory birds and other wildlife. There is a Standard and 
a Small Grants Program. Both are competitive grants programs and 
require that grant requests be matched by partner contributions at no 
less than a 1-to-1 ratio. Funds from U.S. Federal sources may 
contribute to a project, but are not eligible as match.
    The Standard Grants Program supports projects in Canada, the United 
States, and Mexico that involve long-term protection, restoration, and/
or enhancement of wetlands and associated uplands habitats. In Mexico, 
partners may also conduct projects involving technical training, 
environmental education and outreach, organizational infrastructure 
development, and sustainable-use studies.
    The Small Grants Program operates only in the United States. It 
supports the same type of projects and adheres to the same selection 
criteria and administrative guidelines as the U.S. Standard Grants 
Program. However, project activities are usually smaller in scope and 
involve fewer project dollars. Grant requests may not exceed $75,000, 
and funding priority is given to grantees or partners new to the NAWCA 
Grants Program.
    We publish notices of funding availability on the Grants.gov Web 
site at http://www.grants.gov as well as in the Catalog of Federal 
Domestic Assistance at http://cfda.gov. To compete for grant funds, 
partnerships submit applications that describe in substantial detail 
project locations, project resources, future benefits, and other 
characteristics that meet the standards established by the North 
American Wetlands Conservation Council and the requirements of NAWCA. 
Materials that describe the program and assist applicants in 
formulating project proposals are available on our Web site at http://www.fws.gov/birdhabitat/Grants/NAWCA. Persons who do not have access to 
the Internet may obtain instructional materials by mail. We have not 
made any major changes in the scope and general nature of the 
instructions since the OMB first approved the information collection in 
1999.

Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act

    NMBCA establishes a matching grant programs to fund projects that 
promote the conservation of neotropical migratory birds in the United 
States, Canada, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
    We publish notices of funding availability on the Grants.gov Web 
site as well as in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance. To 
compete for grant funds, partnerships submit applications that describe 
in substantial detail project locations, project resources, future 
benefits, and other characteristics that meet the standards established 
by the Fish and Wildlife Service and the requirements of NMBCA.
    Materials that describe the program and assist applicants in 
formulating project proposals for consideration are available on our 
Web site at http://www.fws.gov/birdhabitat/Grants/NMBCA/index.shtm. 
Persons who do not have access to the Internet may obtain instructional 
materials by mail. We have not made any major changes in the scope and 
general nature of the instructions since the OMB first approved the 
information collection in 2002.

II. Data

    OMB Control Number: 1018-0100.
    Title: Migratory Birds and Wetlands Conservation Grant Programs.
    Service Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Request: Extension of currently approved collection.
    Description of Respondents: Domestic and foreign individuals, 
businesses and other for-profit organizations; educational 
organizations; not-for-profit institutions; and Federal, State, local, 
and/or tribal governments.
    Respondent's Obligation: Required to obtain or retain a benefit.
    Frequency of Collection: On occasion.

[[Page 30187]]



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                                                                                    Completion
                                                     Number of       Number of       time per      Total annual
                    Activity                        respondents      responses       response      burden hours
                                                                                      (hours)
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NAWCA Small Grants--Applications................              87              87              58           5,046
NAWCA Small Grants--Reports.....................             109             109              33           3,597
NAWCA U.S. Standard Grants--Applications........              77              77             215          16,555
NAWCA Canadian and Mexican Standard Grants--                  32              32              80           2,560
 Applications...................................
NAWCA Standard Grants--Reports..................             188             188              86          16,168
NMBCA Grant Applications........................             106             106              62           6,572
NMBCA Reports...................................              71              71              42           2,982
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Totals......................................             670             670  ..............          53,480
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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: May 19, 2011.
Tina A. Campbell,
Chief, Division of Policy and Directives Management, U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-12807 Filed 5-23-11; 8:45 am]
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