[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 23 (Tuesday, February 4, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6212-6213]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-02084]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-HQ-ES-2019-N175; FXES11130900000-201-FF09E32000; OMB Control 
Number 1018-0095]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Endangered and 
Threatened Wildlife, Experimental Populations

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 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. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), are proposing to renew an 
information collection.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
April 6, 2020.

ADDRESSES: Send your comments on the information collection request 
(ICR) by mail to the Service Information Collection Clearance Officer, 
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS: PRB/PERMA (JAO/1N), 5275 Leesburg 
Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803 (mail); or by email to 
[email protected]. Please reference OMB Control Number 1018-0095 in the 
subject line of your comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information 
about this ICR, contact Madonna L. Baucum, Service Information 
Collection Clearance Officer, by email at [email protected], or by 
telephone at (703) 358-2503.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995 (PRA), we provide the general public and other Federal 
agencies with an opportunity to comment on new, 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.
    We are soliciting comments on the proposed information collection 
request (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 Service; (2) will this 
information be processed and used in a timely manner; (3) is the 
estimate of burden accurate; (4) how might the Service enhance the 
quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and 
(5) how might the Service 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. We will include or summarize each comment in our request 
to OMB to approve this ICR. 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 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: Section 10(j) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as 
amended (ESA, 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), authorizes the Secretary of the 
Interior to establish experimental populations of endangered or 
threatened species. Because the ESA protects individuals of 
experimental populations, the information we collect is important for 
monitoring the success of reintroduction and recovery efforts. This is 
a nonform collection (meaning there is no designated form associated 
with this collection). Regulations at 50 CFR 17.84 contain information 
collection requirements for experimental populations of vertebrate 
endangered and threatened species. These

[[Page 6213]]

regulations identify and describe the three categories of information 
we collect, which includes:
    (1) General take or removal. ``Take'' is defined by the ESA as 
``[to] harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, 
or collect, or to attempt to engage in any such conduct.'' In this 
information collection, take most commonly is considered to be in the 
form of human-related mortality, including:
    a. Unintentional taking incidental to otherwise lawful activities 
(e.g., highway mortalities);
    b. Animal husbandry actions authorized to manage the population 
(e.g., translocation or providing aid to sick, injured, or orphaned 
individuals);
    c. Take in defense of human life;
    d. Take related to defense of property (if authorized); or
    e. Take in the form of authorized harassment.
    (2) Depredation-related take. Involves take for management purposes 
of documented livestock depredation, and may include authorized 
harassment or authorized lethal take of experimental population animals 
in the act of attacking livestock. See 50 CFR 17.84 for specific 
provisions of harassment for each species within this section.
    The information that we collect includes:
 Name, address, and phone number of reporting party,
 Species involved,
 Type of incident,
 Quantity of take,
 Location and time of the reported incident, and
 Description of the circumstances related to the incident.
    (3) Specimen collection, recovery, or reporting of dead 
individuals. This information documents incidental or authorized 
scientific collection. Most of the information collected addresses the 
reporting of sightings of experimental population animals or the 
inadvertent discovery of an injured or dead individual.
    Service recovery specialists use this information to determine the 
success of reintroductions in relation to established recovery plan 
goals for the experimental populations of vertebrate endangered and 
threatened species involved. In addition, this information helps us to 
assess the effectiveness of control activities in order to develop 
better means to reduce problems with livestock for those species where 
depredation is a problem.
    Title of Collection: Endangered and Threatened Wildlife, 
Experimental Populations, 50 CFR 17.84.
    OMB Control Number: 1018-0095.
    Form Numbers: None.
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals and households, private 
sector, and State/local/Tribal governments.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Frequency of Collection: On occasion.
    Total Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden Cost: None.

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                                                  Annual  number                    Completion
                   Requirement                          of         Total annual      time per      Total annual
                                                    respondents      responses       response     burden hours *
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                                      Notification--General Take or Removal
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Individuals.....................................              12              12              .5               6
Private Sector..................................               7               7              .5               4
Government......................................              29              29              .5              15
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                                     Notification--Depredation-Related Take
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Individuals.....................................              25              25              .5              13
Private Sector..................................               2               2              .5               1
Government......................................               9               9              .5               5
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                                        Notification--Specimen Collection
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Individuals.....................................               3               3              .5               2
Private Sector..................................               2               2              .5               1
Government......................................              16              16              .5               8
rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
    Totals......................................             105             105  ..............              55
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* Rounded.

    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.).

    Dated: January 20, 2020.
Madonna Baucum,
Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-02084 Filed 2-3-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4333-15-P