[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 193 (Wednesday, October 5, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69074-69076]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-24064]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

U.S. Geological Survey

[GX14MB00G7400]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Request for Comments

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

ACTION: Notice of a renewal of a currently approved information 
collection (1028-0098).

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: We (the U.S. Geological Survey) will ask the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) to approve the information collection (IC) 
described below. 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 IC. This 
collection is scheduled to expire on January 31, 2017.

DATES: To ensure that your comments are considered, we must receive 
them on or before December 5, 2016.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on this information collection to 
the Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Geological Survey, 
12201 Sunrise Valley Drive MS 807, Reston,

[[Page 69075]]

VA 20192 (mail); (703) 648-7197 (fax); or [email protected] 
(email). Please reference `Information Collection 1028-0098, 
Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Sighting Reporting Form and Alert 
Registration Form in all correspondence.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Pam Fuller at (352) 264-3481 
(telephone); [email protected] (email); or by mail at U.S. Geological 
Survey, 7920 NW 71st Street, Gainesville, Florida 32653. You may also 
find information about this ICR at www.reginfo.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    America is under siege by many harmful non-native species of 
plants, animals, and microorganisms. More than 6,500 nonindigenous 
species are now established in the United States, posing risks to 
native species, valued ecosystems, and human and wildlife health. These 
invaders extract a huge cost, an estimated $120 billion per year, to 
mitigate their harmful impacts. The current annual environmental, 
economic, and health-related costs of invasive species exceed those of 
all other natural disasters combined.
    Through its Invasive Species Program (http://www.usgs.gov/ecosystems/invasive_species/), the USGS plays an important role in 
federal efforts to combat invasive species in natural and semi-natural 
areas through early detection and assessment of newly established 
invaders; monitoring of invading populations; and improving 
understanding of the ecology of invaders and factors in the resistance 
of habitats to invasion. The USGS provides the tools, technology, and 
information supporting efforts to prevent, contain, control, and manage 
invasive species nationwide. To meet user needs, the USGS also develops 
methods for compiling and synthesizing accurate and reliable data and 
information on invasive species for inclusion in a distributed and 
integrated web-based information system.
    As part of the USGS Invasive Species Program, the Nonindigenous 
Aquatic Species (NAS) database (http://nas.er.usgs.gov/) functions as a 
repository and clearinghouse for occurrence information on 
nonindigenous aquatic species from across the United States. It 
contains locality information on more than 1,900 species of 
vertebrates, invertebrates, and vascular plants introduced since 1850. 
Taxa include foreign species as well as those native to North America 
that have been transported outside of their natural range. The NAS Web 
site provides immediate access to new occurrence records through a 
real-time interface with the NAS database. Visitors to the Web site can 
use a set of predefined queries to obtain lists of species according to 
state or hydrologic basin of interest. Fact sheets, distribution maps, 
and information on new occurrences are continually posted and updated. 
Dynamically generated species distribution maps show the spatial 
accuracy of the locations reported, population status, and links to 
more information about each report.
    Information is collected from the public regarding the local 
occurrences of nonindigenous aquatic species, primarily fish, in open 
waters of the United States. This is vital information for early 
detection and rapid response for the possible eradication of organisms 
that may be considered invasive in a natural environment such as a 
lake, river, stream, or pond. Because it is not possible for USGS 
scientists to monitor all open waters for harmful nonindigenous 
organisms, the public can help by serving as the ``eyes and ears'' for 
the USGS's Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Program.
    Members of the public who wish to report the occurrence of a 
suspected nonindigenous aquatic species, usually encountered through 
fishing or some other outdoor recreational activity, may fill out and 
submit a form (http://nas.er.usgs.gov/SightingReport.aspx) posted on 
our Web site. The information requested includes type of organism, date 
and location of sighting, photograph(s) if available, and basic 
observer contact information (to allow the USGS to contact the observer 
in the event additional information, such as Photos or more specific 
location details are needed).
    NAS program staff maintains an alert system that contacts 
individuals via email when species occurrences are new to a county, 
drainage (HUC8), or state. The alerts contain information on the 
specimen occurrence, such as the date and location of the occurrence, 
where the species is newly introduced, and any comments included by the 
reporter. In order for individuals (private or public citizens) to 
receive these alerts, they must register their first and last name 
(fictitious or real), email address, and a password on our alert 
registration form (https://nas.er.usgs.gov/AlertSystem/Register.aspx). 
Custom alerts are sent via email to individuals based on the alert 
types they chose in the alert sign-up page, and these custom alerts can 
be altered by the registered individual by logging in to the alert 
login page (https://nas.er.usgs.gov/AlertSystem/AlertLogin.aspx).
    The USGS does not actively solicit or require observation or 
contact information from the public. Participation in the reporting 
process and the alert system is completely voluntary. The personally 
identifiable information given by individuals in these forms is stored 
internally in our sighting report and alert system databases, with all 
passwords encrypted to protect users' security.

II. Data

    OMB Control Number: 1028-0098.
    Form Number: NA.
    Title: Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Sighting Reporting Form and 
Alert Registration Form.
    Type of Request: Renewal of existing information collection.
    Affected Public: State and local government employees and private 
individuals.
    Respondent's Obligation: None. Participation is voluntary.
    Frequency of Collection: Occasional.
    Estimated Total Number of Annual Responses: We estimate 600 users 
(400 individuals and 200 state/local/tribal governments) per year for 
the sighting report form, and 80 users (50 individuals and 30 state/
local/tribal governments) per year for the alert registration form.
    Estimated Time per Response: We estimate 3 minutes for the sighting 
report form, and 1 minute for the alert registration form.
    Estimated Annual Burden Hours: We estimate 30 hours for the 
sighting report form, and 2 hours for the alert registration form; a 
total of 32 hours for the two forms.
    Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Non-Hour Cost'' Burden: 
There are no ``non-hour cost'' burdens associated with this IC.
    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 and current expiration date.

III. Request for Comments

    We are soliciting comments as to: (a) Whether the proposed 
collection of information is necessary for the agency to perform its 
duties, including whether the information is useful; (b) the accuracy 
of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of 
information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, usefulness, and clarity 
of the information to be collected; and (d) how to minimize the burden 
on the respondents, including the use of automated collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology.

[[Page 69076]]

    Please note that the comments submitted in response to this notice 
are a matter of public record. Before including your personal mailing 
address, phone number, email address, or other personally identifiable 
information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire 
comment, including your personally identifiable information, may be 
made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your 
comment to withhold your personally identifiable information from 
public view, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.

William Lellis,
Associate Director, Ecosystems, U.S. Geological Survey.
[FR Doc. 2016-24064 Filed 10-4-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4338-11-P