[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 71 (Friday, April 12, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14969-14970]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-07328]



[[Page 14969]]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

 Geological Survey

[GX14BA02EEW0200; OMB Control Number 1028-0103/Renewal]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; USA National 
Phenology Network--The Nature's Notebook Plant and Animal Observing 
Program

AGENCY: U.S. Geological Survey, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we, 
the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) are proposing to renew an information 
collection.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
May 13, 2019.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments on this information collection request 
(ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget's Desk Officer for the 
Department of the Interior by email at [email protected]; or 
via facsimile to (202) 395-5806. Please provide a copy of your comments 
to USGS, Information Collections Clearance Officer, 12201 Sunrise 
Valley Drive MS 159, Reston, VA 20192; or by email to [email protected]. Please reference OMB Control Number 1028-
0103 in the subject line of your comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information 
about this ICR, contact Jake F. Weltzin by email at [email protected], 
or by telephone at 520-626-3821. You may also view the ICR at http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the USGS, in accordance with the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, provide the general public and other 
Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed, revised, 
and continuing collections of information. This helps us assess the 
impact of our information collection requirements and minimize the 
public's reporting burden. It also helps the public understand our 
information collection requirements and provide the requested data in 
the desired format.
    A Federal Register notice with a 60-day public comment period 
soliciting comments on this collection of information was published on 
[October 31, 2018] (83 FR 54772). The following comment was received in 
support of this collection:

    I am commenting in support of the USA-NPN. The Phenology Network 
is an important tool for understanding plant and animal ecology in a 
changing climate. Phenology affects (1) agriculture, through timing 
of pollinator activity, changes in temperature patterns, and pest 
outbreaks; (2) recreation, particularly winter sports; (3) timber 
harvests, via pest outbreaks, weather effects on logging conditions, 
and tree health; (4) wildlife, through migration and breeding season 
changes; and (5) water quality, via changes in snowmelt and 
precipitation events. Understanding these changes are important for 
wildlife and people and directly relates to the mission and 
functions of the USGS. The USA-NPN particularly relates to USGS's 
mission areas of ecosystems, environmental health, and land and 
water resources. As a science educator and land protection 
specialist, I believe that the collected data are being processed in 
a timely manner. I use the available data to back up what landowners 
and members of the public are already noticing; the USA-NPN allows 
me to provide people with a wonderfully accessible resource. I find 
the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to the quite 
good. The visualization tool is fantastic, particularly the gridded 
layers. The visualizations are excellent for when you know which 
data have been collected at a specific location. All of this 
information is valuable for farmers and private landowners when 
making decisions on how to manage their land for the future. 
Overall, this program provides critical data on changes in 
seasonality and plant and animal patterns. Phenology is incredibly 
important to understand--for people, wildlife, and industry--and the 
USA-NPN is the best resource for compiling, analyzing, and 
distributing this information. The monetary burden to the American 
public is a perfectly reasonable amount for such a useful and 
informative program.

    We are again soliciting comments on the proposed ICR that is 
described below. We are especially interested in public comment 
addressing the following issues: (1) Is the collection necessary to the 
proper functions of the USGS; (2) will this information be processed 
and used in a timely manner; (3) is the estimate of burden accurate; 
(4) how might the USGS enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and (5) how might the USGS minimize the 
burden of this collection on the respondents, including through the use 
of information technology.
    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 may ask us in your comment to withhold your personal 
identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we 
will be able to do so.
    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 and Privacy Act requirements. 
The web application interface consists several components: User 
registration, a searchable list of 1,260 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.
    Title of Collection: USA National Phenology Network--The Nature's 
Notebook Plant and Animal Observing Program.
    OMB Control Number: 1028-0103.
    Form Number: None.
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Members of the public, registered with 
Nature's Notebook; state Cooperative Extension employees and tribal 
members.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 7,581.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 4,093,314.

[[Page 14970]]

    Estimated Completion Time per Response: When joining the program, 
responders spend 13 minutes each to register and read guidelines and 83 
minutes to watch all training videos. After that responders may spend 
about 2 minutes per record to observe and submit phenophase status 
record.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 138,857.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Frequency of Collection: On occasion; depends on the seasonal 
activity of plants and animals.
    Total Estimated Annual Non-hour Burden Cost: $11,484.

                                    Table--Annual Responses and Burden Hours
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                                                    Annual
                 Response type                     responses      Completion time per response     Annual burden
                                                  (projected)               (minutes)                 (hours)
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Registrations.................................           7,581  13 minutes (3 minutes to                   1,643
                                                                 register + 10 minutes to read
                                                                 guidelines).
Training videos...............................             758  83 minutes (to watch entire set            1,049
                                                                 of videos).
Observation records...........................       4,084,975  2 minutes (includes observation          136,166
                                                                 and reporting time).
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    Total.....................................       4,093,314  ................................         138,857
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                                       Table--Annual Non-Hour Burden Costs
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                                                                 Number of respondents expected      Non-hour
                                                 Cost per unit               to use                 burden cost
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Clipboard.....................................           $2.23  4,245...........................          $9,467
Pencils.......................................            0.10  4,245...........................             425
Flags.........................................            0.05  1,516...........................              76
Markers.......................................            0.10  1,516...........................             152
Stakes........................................            0.30  1,516...........................             455
Tags..........................................            0.30  1,516...........................             455
Popsicle Sticks...............................            0.30  1,516...........................             455
Average Marking Material Cost.................            0.19
                                                                                                 ---------------
Cost per Response.............................            2.52   Total Non-Hour Burden Cost.....         $11,484
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    An 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.
    The authority for this action is the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501, et seq.).

Jake Weltzin,
Program Manager, Status & Trends Program.
[FR Doc. 2019-07328 Filed 4-11-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4338-11-P