[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 116 (Friday, June 15, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35997-35998]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-14704]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Geological Survey

[GX12LC00BM3FD00]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Submitted for Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) Review; Comment Request

AGENCY: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Interior.

ACTION: Notice of a request for an extension of a currently approved 
information collection (1028-0079).

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SUMMARY: To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), the 
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is inviting comments on an information 
collection request (ICR) that we have sent to the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. The ICR concerns the 
paperwork requirements for the ``North American Breeding Bird Survey.'' 
As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) 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 ICR. This Information Collection is 
scheduled to expire on July 31, 2012.

DATES: Submit written comments by July 16, 2012.

ADDRESSES: Please submit comments on this information collection 
directly to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Office of 
Information and Regulatory Affairs, Attention: Desk Officer for the 
Department of the Interior via email: ([email protected]); or by 
fax (202) 395-5806; and identify your submission with 1028-
0079. Please also submit a copy of your comments to Information 
Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Geological Survey, 807 National 
Center, Reston, VA 20192 (mail); or [email protected] (email). Please 
reference Information Collection 1028-0079.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Keith Pardieck at (301) 497-5843. 
Copies of the full Information Collection Request and the form can be 
obtained at no cost at http://www.reginfo.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS).
    OMB Control Number: 1028-0079.
    Bureau Form Number: None.
    Type of Request: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Abstract: The BBS is a long-term, large-scale avian monitoring 
program to

[[Page 35998]]

track the status and trends of North American bird populations. 
Volunteers conduct avian point counts once per year during the breeding 
season (primarily June). Volunteers skilled in avian identification 
listen for 3 minutes at 50 stops along the route recording all birds 
seen or heard. Data are submitted electronically via the Internet or on 
hard copy. These data are used to estimate population trends and 
abundances at various geographic scales and assist with documenting 
species distribution.
    Frequency: Annually.
    Estimated Number and Description of Respondents: Approximately 
2,500 volunteer respondents per year.
    Estimated Number of Responses: 2,500.
    Annual Burden Hours: 27,500.
    Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Hour'' Burden: We 
estimate the public reporting burden averages 11 hours per response. 
This includes the time for driving to/from the survey route locations 
and scouting route, 50 3-minute data collection periods (one at each 
sampling station along the route), data submission, and data 
verification.
    Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Non-Hour Cost'' Burden: We 
estimate the total ``nonhour'' cost burden to be $127,500. This total 
includes costs of mileage for conducting the surveys.
    Public Disclosure Statement: The PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501, et seq.) 
provides that an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and you are not 
required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays 
a currently valid OMB control number. Until OMB approves a collection 
of information, you are not obligated to respond.
    Comments: To comply with the public consultation process, on March 
2, 2012, we published a Federal Register notice (77 FR 12871) 
announcing that we would submit this ICR to OMB for approval. The 
notice provided the required 60-day public comment period, which ended 
May 1, 2012. We received no comments germane to the collection. We 
again invite comments concerning this information collection on:
    (1) Whether or not the collection of information is necessary, 
including whether or not the information will have practical utility;
    (2) The accuracy of our estimate of the burden for this collection 
of information;
    (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.
    Please note that the comments submitted in response to this notice 
are a matter of public record. Before including your address, phone 
number, email 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 OMB in your comment to withhold your 
personal identifying information from public review, we cannot 
guarantee that it will be done.

    Dated: May 29, 2012.
Anne Kinsinger,
Associate Director for Ecosystems.
[FR Doc. 2012-14704 Filed 6-14-12; 8:45 am]
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