[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 112 (Friday, June 10, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37633-37634]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-13750]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R7-R-2016-N099; FF07RKDK00-FVRS80810700000-XXX]


Information Collection Request Sent to the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) for Approval; Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge Bear 
Viewing Survey

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: We (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) have sent an Information 
Collection Request (ICR) to OMB for review and approval. We summarize 
the ICR below and describe the nature of the collection and the 
estimated burden and cost. 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: You must submit comments on or before July 11, 2016.

ADDRESSES: Send your comments and suggestions on this information 
collection to the Desk Officer for the Department of the Interior at 
OMB-OIRA at (202) 395-5806 (fax) or [email protected] 
(email). Please provide a copy of your comments to the Service 
Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service, MS BPHC, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803 
(mail), or [email protected] (email). Please include ``1018-Kodiak bear 
viewing'' in the subject line of your comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information 
about this ICR, contact Hope Grey at [email protected] (email) or 703-
358-2482 (telephone). You may review the ICR online at http://www.reginfo.gov. Follow the instructions to review Department of the 
Interior collections under review by OMB.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Information Collection Request

    OMB Control Number: 1018-XXXX.
    Title: Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge Bear Viewing Survey.
    Service Form Number: None.
    Type of Request: Request for a new OMB control number.
    Description of Respondents: Visitors to Kodiak National Wildlife 
Refuge who come for the purpose of viewing bears.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Frequency of Collection: One time.

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                                                                                                    Completion time per
                             Activity                                  Number of responses           response (minutes)       Total annual burden hours
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Initial Contact..................................................                        1,520                            2                           51
Online Survey....................................................                          730                           15                          183
                                                                  --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Totals.......................................................                        2,250  ...........................                          234
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    Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden Cost: None.
    Abstract: The Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge has partnered with 
Utah State University to conduct a public survey of visitors to the 
Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge who participate in bear viewing at 
structured and unstructured sites. Questions will address logistical 
aspects of bear viewing (including the amount of money visitors are 
willing to spend on viewing and amenities), satisfaction with current 
experiences (based on number of bears, density of other visitors, 
length of stay, and education received), and reported changes in 
attitudes and behavior related to bear conservation based on visitors' 
experiences on the refuge. Survey results are crucial to understanding 
public demands for and expectations for bear viewing, so that the 
refuge can better facilitate bear viewing opportunities and better 
convey educational messages on bear management.

Comments Received and Our Responses

    On November 3, 2015, we published in the Federal Register (80 FR 
67784) a notice of our intent to request that OMB approve this 
information collection. In that notice, we solicited comments for 60 
days, ending on January 4, 2016. We received two comments in response 
to that notice.
    Comment: The first comment from an individual protested the entire 
survey and stated that the national survey conducted across the country 
every 5 years already contributes to Government overreach and 
misspending of tax dollars without preserving wildlife.
    Response: The National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-
Associated recreation, conducted every 5 years, does not address the 
Kodiak-specific questions of this study. The proposed study will 
provide information that allows Kodiak Refuge Management to make 
informed decisions on how to facilitate bear viewing in a way that 
protects bear populations while creating positive educational 
experiences for visitors.
    Comment: The second comment from the State of Alaska's Alaska 
National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) Implementation 
Program generally supported the proposed information collection to 
better inform decisionmakers and rejuvenate quality bear viewing on the 
refuge. The commenter made three suggestions:
     Consult with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and 
other stakeholders in the development of the survey.
     Consider surveying all refuge visitors rather than just 
bear viewers to provide a more holistic view of refuge usage.
     Conduct the survey onsite for higher response rates and 
more accurate recall among participants.

[[Page 37634]]

    Response: We thank the ANILCA Implementation Program for their 
comments. Throughout survey development, we conducted interviews with 
stakeholders to address key concerns and issues to be addressed in the 
survey. This included the Alaska Department of Fish and Game area 
biologist for the Kodiak Archipelago, the Kodiak Brown Bear Center 
(owned and operated by the Koniag Native Corporation), and commercial 
air taxi operators and guides. We sincerely appreciate the insights 
from all of these groups. Unfortunately, surveying all refuge visitors 
is not within financial and time feasibility of the current study. 
While hunting and fishing patterns are well understood due to the 
purchase of licenses and close regulation in partnership with the State 
of Alaska, an equally detailed understanding of bear viewing activity 
and satisfaction is lacking, making it the current priority for social 
science research. Finally, the primary survey is being conducted online 
instead of onsite due to affordability, logistics (weather on Kodiak is 
often not conducive to sitting outside for 10-20 minutes to complete a 
printed survey in wind and rain), and proven success with past online 
surveys. Our intent is to minimize onsite burden hours for visitors 
traveling from around the world for expensive and sometimes short 
viewing experiences.

Request for Public Comments

    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.
    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 and us in your comment to withhold your personal 
identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that it 
will be done.

    Dated: June 7, 2016.
Tina A. Campbell,
Chief, Division of Policy, Performance, and Management Programs, U.S. 
Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-13750 Filed 6-9-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4333-15-P