[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 31 (Tuesday, February 17, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8340-8341]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-03096]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

[NPS-WASO-NRSS-EQD-SSB-17651; PPWONRADE3, PPMRSNR1Y.NM000]


Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request: A Survey of 
Direct Recreational Uses Along the Colorado River

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: We (National Park Service) are asking the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) to approve the Information Collection Request (ICR) 
described below. The National Park Service (NPS) is requesting approval 
of a new collection that will be collected in collaboration with the 
U.S. Geological Survey's Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center 
and used to provide information concerning the direct recreational uses 
along the Colorado River--specifically the stretch between the Glen 
Canyon Dam and Lee's Ferry. To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act 
of 1995 and as a part of our continuing efforts to reduce paperwork and 
respondent burden, we invite the general public and other Federal 
agencies to comment on this ICR.

DATES: To ensure that your comments on this ICR are considered, OMB 
must receive them on or before March 19, 2015.

ADDRESSES: Please submit written 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, to [email protected] (email) or 
202-395-5806 (fax); and identify your submission as 1024-DREC. Please 
also send a copy of your comments to Phadrea Ponds, Information 
Collection Coordinator, National Park Service, 1201 Oakridge Drive, 
Fort Collins, CO 80525 (mail); or [email protected] (email). Please 
reference Information Collection 1024-DREC in the subject line.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Phadrea Ponds, Information Collection 
Review Coordinator, National Park Service, 1201 Oakridge Drive, Fort 
Collins, CO 80525 (mail); or [email protected] (email). Please 
reference Information Collection 1024-DREC in the subject line. You may 
also access this ICR at www.reginfo.gov.

I. Abstract

    We wish to conduct this study to understand the social and economic 
impacts of water levels on recreation uses of the Colorado River, 
specifically the areas from Glen Canyon Dam to the head of Lake Mead. 
We are requesting approval to administer two versions of the key 
valuation questions (CV and conjoint). The rationale for administering 
two surveys containing CV and conjoint questions is because the survey 
design recognizes that the state of the art methods used in non-market 
valuation have substantially

[[Page 8341]]

advanced since these user groups were surveyed on these issues more 
than 25 years ago. A survey will be mailed to a sample of whitewater 
floaters and anglers to collect information concerning (1) trip/visit 
characteristics, (2) activities and (3) opinions on river management. 
This information collection will be used to provide empirical data that 
will help NPS managers and planners understand the impacts of direct 
recreational uses along the Colorado River.

II. Data

    OMB Control Number: 1024-DREC.
    Title: A Survey of Direct Recreational Uses Along The Colorado 
River.
    Type of Request: NEW.
    Affected Public: General public; individual households.
    Respondent Obligation: Voluntary.
    Frequency of Collection: One time.
    Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 2,340.
    Estimated Annual Burden Hours: 780 hours.
    Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Non-Hour Cost'': 
None.

III. Request for Comments

    On August 26, 2014, we published a Federal Register notice (79 FR 
50940) announcing that we would submit this ICR to OMB for approval. 
Public comments were solicited for 60 days ending October 27, 2014. We 
received one comment in response to that notice. The commenter 
suggested that this study is unnecessary because the Socio-Economic Ad 
Hoc Group (SEAHG) is in the process of developing a study to address 
the informational needs related to the Glen Canyon Dam operations and 
the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon. We contend that this study does 
not cause a conflict because the survey does not duplicate any ongoing 
or parallel effort but rather is intended to provide information that 
will be used to update a more than 25 year old study of the same 
resources.
    We again 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.
    A Federal agency 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. Comments that you submit 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: February 9, 2015.
Madonna L. Baucum,
Information Collection Clearance Officer, National Park Service.
[FR Doc. 2015-03096 Filed 2-13-15; 8:45 am]
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