[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 233 (Tuesday, December 4, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71821-71822]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-29151]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

U.S. Geological Survey

[GX13BA02EEW0200]


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 an extension of currently approved information 
Collection, 1028-0103.

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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 USA National Phenology Network--The 
Nature's Notebook Plant and Animal Observing Program. 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 collection is scheduled to expire on 
January 31, 2013.

DATES: Submit written comments by January 3, 2013.

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 
1028-0103. 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 1028-0103 in the subject line.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jake F. Weltzin, Ecologist, U.S. 
Geological Survey, [email protected], (520) 626-3821.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: USA National Phenology Network--The Nature's Notebook Plant 
and Animal Observing Program.
    OMB Control Number: 1028-0103.
    Type of Request: Notice of an extension of a currently approved 
information collection.
    Respondent Obligation: Voluntary.
    Abstract: The USA-NPN is a program sponsored by the USGS that uses 
standardized forms for tracking plant and animal activity as part of a 
project called Nature's Notebook. The Nature's Notebook forms are used 
to record phenology (e.g., timing of leafing or flowering of plants and 
reproduction or migration of animals) as part of a nationwide effort to 
understand and predict how plants and animals respond to environmental 
variation and changes in weather and climate. Contemporary data 
collected through Nature's Notebook are quality-checked, described and 
made publicly available; data are used to inform decision-making in a 
variety of contexts, including agriculture, drought monitoring, and 
wildfire risk assessment. Phenological information is also critical for 
the management of wildlife, invasive species, and agricultural pests, 
and for understanding and managing risks to human health and welfare, 
including allergies, asthma, and vector-borne diseases. Participants 
may contribute phenology information to Nature's Notebook through a 
browser-based web application or via mobile applications for iPhone and 
Android operating systems, meeting GPEA requirements. The web 
application interface consists of several components: user 
registration, a searchable list of 877 plant and animal species which 
can be observed; a ``profile'' for each species that contains 
information about the species including its description and the 
appropriate monitoring protocols; a series of interfaces for 
registering as an observer, registering a site, registering plants and 
animals at a site, generating datasheets to take to the field, and a 
data entry page that mimics the datasheets.
    Frequency of Collection: On occasion. During the Spring and Fall 
seasons when phenology is changing quickly, we recommend respondents 
make observations twice per week.
    Estimated Number and Description of Respondents: In addition to 
those users already registered, we expect an additional 1,027 users 
will register each year. These respondents are members of the public, 
registered with Nature's Notebook.
    Estimated Annual Responses: 501,130.
    Estimated Annual burden hours: 17,032.
    Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Non-Hour Cost'' Burden: We 
estimate the non-hour cost burden to be $3.34 per respondent. This cost 
applies to new observers and includes material used to mark sites or 
plants during the first observation. Marking helps to ensure reporting 
consistency for future observations.
    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.
    Comments: To comply with the public consultation process, on August 
10, 2012, we published a Federal Register notice (77 FR 47867) 
announcing that we would submit this ICR to OMB for approval. The 
notice provided the required 60-day public comment period, which ended 
October 9, 2012. In response to our Federal Register Notice, we 
received one

[[Page 71822]]

comment, which consisted of a general invective about the U.S. 
Government and did not pertain to this information 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: November 26, 2012.
William Lellis,
Deputy Associate Director, Ecosystems Mission Area.
[FR Doc. 2012-29151 Filed 12-3-12; 8:45 am]
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