[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 21 (Thursday, January 31, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6805-6806]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-02090]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Information Collection: Arctic National Wildlife Refuge 
Recreation Visitor Study--2013

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 
Forest Service is seeking comments from all interested individuals and 
organizations on the new information collection, Arctic National 
Wildlife Refuge Recreation Visitor Study--2013.

DATES: Comments must be received in writing on or before April 1, 2013 
to be assured of consideration. Comments received after that date will 
be considered to the extent practicable.

ADDRESSES: Comments concerning this notice should be addressed to Alan 
E. Watson, Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute, USDA Forest 
Service Rocky Mountain Research Station, 790 E. Beckwith Ave., 
Missoula, MT 59801.
    Comments also may be submitted via facsimile to (406) 542-4196 or 
by email to: [email protected].
    The public may inspect comments received at the Aldo Leopold 
Wilderness Research Institute, USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain 
Station, 790 E. Beckwith Ave., Missoula, MT 59801 during normal 
business hours. Visitors are encouraged to call ahead to (406) 542-4197 
to facilitate entry to the building.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alan E. Watson, Aldo Leopold 
Wilderness Research Institute, (406) 542-4197.
    Individuals who use TDD may call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 
1-800-877-8339, 24 hours a day, every day of the year, including 
holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title: Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Recreation Visitor Study--
2013.
    OMB Number: 0596-NEW.
    Expiration Date of Approval: Not applicable.
    Type of Request: New.
    Abstract: The Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute in 
Missoula, Montana, works under an interagency agreement with the U.S. 
Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior, to provide 
information in support of public wild lands management planning. The 
management of specific refuges is directed by laws, policies, and 
Comprehensive Conservation Plans. The Wilderness Act of 1964 directs 
the management of the National Wilderness Preservation System to 
protect natural wilderness conditions and provide outstanding 
opportunities for the public to find solitude or primitive and 
unconfined types of recreational experiences. The Arctic National 
Wildlife Refuge contains 8,000,000 acres of federally protected 
wilderness, Molly Beattie Wilderness, and over 11,000,000 acres of land 
and water managed for multiple values (e.g. subsistence, wildlife, 
water quality, scenic values, etc.). The wildlife refuge is also 
mandated to provide recreation experiences to visitors under the 
following laws: (1) The National Wildlife Refuge System Administration 
Act, as amended by the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act, 
(2) The Refuge Recreation Act, and (3) The Alaska National Interest 
Lands Conservation Act.
    Scientists at the Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute 
periodically monitor and report visitor use, user characteristics, and 
visitor feedback on federal land management actions, to managers and 
the public, to help meet federal mandates related to visitor use 
management planning. Agency personnel use the collected information to 
ensure visitor recreational activity does not harm the natural 
resources of the refuge and to guarantee the protection of wilderness-
type recreation experiences. The Agency intent is to compare 2013's 
recorded visitor responses to the previous survey responses, dated in 
1977 before Refuge status and Wilderness designation. Additionally, the 
Agency will expand the scope of the survey to include visitor feedback 
to understand major dimensions of visitor experiences there and factors 
that influence those experiences. Potential factors of influence could 
include encounters with other visitors, subsistence users, researchers, 
and agency personnel, and information sources used to plan the trip. 
The data from this information collection will be stored at the Aldo 
Leopold Wilderness Research Institute in Missoula, Montana. Scientists 
working at the Research Institute will conduct the data analysis.
    The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will use information from this 
collection to:
    1. Understand changes in visitor demographics, frequency of visits, 
and residence,
    2. Understand changes in visit characteristics, such as whether 
they are hunting, river floating, method of access, size of group, 
difficulty in finding campsites, evaluations of conditions encountered, 
and feedback on information available for trip planning,

[[Page 6806]]

    3. Gain an understanding of how the agency's management of the 
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and other potential factors facilitate 
and constrain a visitor's recreation experience,
    4. Gain an understanding of how to educate recreation visitors so 
they do not leave impacts from their visits, such as damaged 
vegetation, litter, polluted lakes and streams, and wildlife 
disturbance while engaging in high quality, safe, and responsible 
recreation visits, and
    5. Provide insight into what visitors value most about this place 
to help inform development of a Wilderness Stewardship Plan and a 
Visitor Use Management Plan for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
    Respondents will be recreation visitors to the Arctic National 
Wildlife Refuge. Visitors will be contacted as they enter the Refuge, 
or upon exit and will be provided with a postage-paid postcard that 
offers them alternate methods to respond to the survey: (1) Mail the 
postage-paid postcard to the Leopold Institute with a name and address 
to receive a mail back survey, (2) mail the postage-paid postcard to 
the Leopold Institute with an electronic email address to receive an 
electronic form of the survey, or (3) keep the postcard that contains a 
web address for on-line completion of the survey. All responses will be 
voluntary and confidential. Data collected in this information 
collection are not available from other sources and have not been 
collected since 1977.
    This study will only ask recreation visitors, who are non-local and 
non-subsistence users, questions about their recreation visit, their 
personal demographics relevant to education and interpretation goals, 
and factors that have influenced or are likely to influence their 
recreation visits. Survey respondents will be told that this 
information is voluntary and confidential so their names will not be 
connected to their responses in any way. The Survey will not include 
questions related to oil exploration or development within the 
boundaries of the Refuge.
    Estimate of Annual Burden: 20 minutes for each respondent (2 
minutes on-site, 18 minutes mail-back or email back survey).
    Type of Respondents: Recreation visitors to the Arctic National 
Wildlife Refuge.
    Estimated Annual Number of Respondents: 850 targeted contacts.
    Estimated Sampling Success: 65% of those agreeing to participate 
(80% of 850 = 680), yielding approximately 450 responses.
    Estimated Annual Number of Responses per Respondent: 1.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 196.25 hours (contact 
with 850 visitors for on-site completion of survey request form; 80% 
agree to receive survey, 65% response--450 responses).
    Comment is invited on: (1) Whether this collection of information 
is necessary for the stated purposes and the proper performance of the 
functions of the agency, including whether the information will have 
practical or scientific utility; (2) the accuracy of the Agency's 
estimate of the burden of the collection of information, including the 
validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (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, including the use of automated, electronic, mechanical, or 
other technological collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology.
    All comments received in response to this notice, including names 
and addresses when provided, will be a matter of public record. 
Comments will be summarized and included in the request for Office of 
Management and Budget approval.

    Dated: January 24, 2013.
Cynthia D. West,
Associate Deputy Chief, Research & Development.
[FR Doc. 2013-02090 Filed 1-30-13; 8:45 am]
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