[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 75 (Friday, April 17, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21450-21451]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-08119]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-HQ-NWRS-2019-N052; FXRS126109HD000-189-FF09R23000; OMB Control 
Number 1018-New]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Programmatic Clearance 
for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Social Science Research

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 a new 
information collection.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
June 16, 2020.

ADDRESSES: Send your comments on the information collection request by 
mail to the Service Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish 
and Wildlife Service, MS: PRB (JAO/3W), 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls 
Church, VA 22041-3803 (mail); or by email to [email protected]. Please 
reference OMB Control Number 1018-New 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 PRA and 5 CFR 
1320.8(d)(1), all information collections require approval under the 
PRA. We 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.
    As part of our continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent 
burdens, we invite the public and other Federal agencies 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 especially interested in public comment addressing the 
following:
    (1) Whether or not the collection of information is necessary for 
the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including 
whether or not the information will have practical utility;
    (2) The accuracy of our estimate of the burden for this collection 
of information, including the validity of the methodology and 
assumptions used;
    (3) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
    (4) How might the agency minimize the burden of the collection of 
information on those who are to respond, including through the use of 
appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological 
collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., 
permitting electronic submission of response.
    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: Improving customer experience with Federal services is 
part of the President's Management Agenda (OMB Circular A-11, Section 
280, ``Managing Customer Experience and Improving Service Delivery''). 
The

[[Page 21451]]

collection of information is necessary to enable the Service to garner 
customer and stakeholder feedback in an efficient, timely manner, in 
accordance with our commitment to improving service delivery. 
Additionally, this new programmatic clearance is needed in order to be 
more responsive to Secretarial Orders 3355 (National Environmental 
Policy Act), 3356 (hunting and fishing opportunities), 3362 (big game 
habitat), and 3366 (outdoor recreation). This proposed new collection 
of information will also allow the Service to improve customer service 
delivery and response. This is important because OMB Circular A-11 
designates the Service as a High-Impact Service Provider.
    The programmatic clearance applies to social science surveys, 
interviews, and focus groups designed to provide information to Service 
managers and practitioners to improve quality and utility of agency 
programs, services, and planning efforts. To ensure continuous 
improvement, Service activities and projects require ongoing systematic 
assessment of their design, implementation, and outcomes. Data from 
collections undertaken through the proposed programmatic clearance 
would provide information for planning, monitoring, and evaluating 
National Wildlife Refuge System efforts as well as efforts of other 
Service programs. The scope of this programmatic clearance includes 
individual surveys, focus groups, and interviews of refuge visitors, 
potential visitors, and residents of communities near Service-managed 
units, and stakeholders and partners, including tribal interests.
    To qualify for the generic programmatic review process, survey 
questions must show a clear tie to Service management needs. The 
programmatic review may only be used for noncontroversial information 
collections that are unlikely to attract or include topics of 
significant public interest. We must obtain OMB approval of all surveys 
developed using the pre-approved suite of questions before the survey 
can be initiated. This suite of questions will be used to develop 
customer experience and satisfaction surveys to meet requirements of 
OMB Circular A-11 as well as commitments to respond to the above-named 
Secretarial Orders.
    Title of Collection: Programmatic Clearance for U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service Social Science Research.
    OMB Control Number: 1018-New.
    Form Number: None.
    Type of Review: New.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Persons visiting units managed by the 
Service; potential visitors, including ``virtual visitors'' who access 
content from a Service website; local community members; educators 
taking part in programs both on and off Service lands; government 
officials representing the local area; landowners; partners; 
stakeholders; and tribal interests.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Frequency of Collection: On occasion.
    Total Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden Cost: None.

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                                                                                 Annual estimates
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
                                                                                    Completion
                              Mode                                   Number of       time per      Burden hours
                                                                    respondents   response (avg.        **
                                                                                     minutes)
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On-site, mail, internet surveys *...............................          22,366              20           7,455
Telephone surveys...............................................             916              25             382
All non-response surveys........................................             862               5              72
Focus groups/In-person interviews...............................              65              60              65
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
    Annual Total................................................          24,209              --           7,974
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
    3 Year Total................................................          72,627  ..............          23,922
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* Includes 2-minute contact time for some surveys, interviews, focus groups, and approximately 2,500 electronic
  surveys.
** All figures are 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: April 14, 2020.
Madonna Baucum,
Information Collection Clearance Officer,U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-08119 Filed 4-16-20; 8:45 am]
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