[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 148 (Friday, July 31, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46172-46173]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-16654]



[[Page 46172]]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-WASO-VRP-WS-NPS0028481; PPWOWMADL3, PPMPSAS1Y.TD0000 (200); OMB 
Control Number 1024-0022]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Backcountry/
Wilderness Use Permit

AGENCY: National Park 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 National Park Service (NPS) are proposing to renew an information 
collection with revisions.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
August 31, 2020.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of 
this notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular 
information collection by selecting ``Currently under 30-day Review--
Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search function. Please 
provide a copy of your comments to Phadrea Ponds, NPS Information 
Collection Clearance Officer, 1201 Oakridge Drive, Fort Collins, CO 
80525; or by email at [email protected]. Please reference OMB 
Control Number 1024-0022 in the subject line of your comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information 
about this ICR, contact Roger Semler, Chief, Wilderness Stewardship 
Division by email at [email protected]; or by telephone at 406-542-
3247. Individuals who are hearing or speech impaired may call the 
Federal Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339 for TTY assistance. You may 
also view the ICR at http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995 (PRA, 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.) and 5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1), 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.
    A Federal Register notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting 
comments on this collection of information was published on March 18, 
2020 (85 FR 15494). We received one response from the State of Alaska 
on May 18, 2020, requesting the following changes to the application 
form:
    Comment: Should OBM continue to authorize NPS Form 10-404 for use 
in Alaska park units, to improve clarity and eliminate misinformation 
and confusion for a significant number of park visitors and Alaskan 
residents, the form needs to be revised to clarify:
    (1) It only applies to Alaska park units that have regulatory 
requirements for backcountry wilderness permits;
    (2) not all park units require an entrance fee; and
    (3) exceptions apply where enabling legislation, such as ANILCA, 
allows for motorized and mechanized access in designated wilderness.''
    NPS Response/Action Taken: The National Park Service accepted the 
suggested revisions and has created the 10-404AK Alaska Backcountry/
Wilderness Use Permit Application specifically for National Park 
Service units in Alaska (i.e., Denali National Park and Preserve and 
Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve).
    As part of our continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent 
burdens, we are again soliciting comments from the public and other 
Federal agencies on the proposed ICR that is described below. 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 NPS, 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 NPS 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. 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: The Backcountry/Wilderness Use Permit is an extension of 
the NPS statutory authority and responsibility to protect the park 
areas it administers and to manage the public use thereof (54 U.S.C. 
100101, 100751, 320102). NPS regulations codified in 36 CFR parts 1 
through 7, 12 and 13 are designated to implement statutory mandates 
that provide for resource protection and public enjoyment. In 1976, the 
NPS initiated a backcountry registration system in accordance with the 
regulations codified in 36 CFR 1.5, 1.6 and 2.10. The objective of the 
registration system is to provide users access to backcountry and 
wilderness areas of national parks with continuing opportunities for 
solitude. These areas provide primitive and unconfined recreation, 
while enhancing protection of natural and cultural resources and 
providing a means of disseminating public safety and outdoor ethics 
messages regarding backcountry/wilderness travel and camping. The 
objectives of the permit system carried out by park managers are to 
ensure:
    (1) Requests by backcountry users are evaluated by park managers in 
accordance with applicable statutes and NPS regulations.
    (2) The use of consistent standards and permitting criteria 
throughout the agency.
    (3) To the extent possible, the use of a single and efficient 
permitting document.
    The NPS uses the registration system as a means of ensuring 
backcountry/wilderness users receive up-to-date information on outdoor 
ethics which minimize social and resource impacts. The information 
collected is an important source of information for first responders in 
the event of an emergency requiring search and rescue operations 
backcountry/wilderness areas. NPS Forms 10-404 Backcountry/Wilderness 
Use Permit Application and 10-404A Backcountry/Wilderness Use Permit 
Hangtag are used to provide access into NPS backcountry areas, 
including areas that require a reservation to enter where use limits 
are imposed in accordance with other NPS regulations.
    In response to a public comment on the 60-day Federal Register 
Notice, we

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are seeking approval for a new form, 10-404AK Alaska Backcountry/
Wilderness Use Permit Application specifically for National Park 
Service units in Alaska (i.e., Denali National Park and Preserve and 
Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve). This form does not request any 
new information not already approved by OMB for collection in Form 10-
404. It serves to clarify the legal authorities governing permitted 
activities only allowable within Alaskan park units, removes permit 
application fees which are not collected in these parks, and includes 
additional permitted methods of travel as regulated by ANILCA Section 
1110(a).
    Title of Collection: Backcountry/Wilderness Use Permit, 36 CFR 1.5, 
1.6, and 2.10.
    OMB Control Number: 1024-0022.
    Form Number: NPS Forms 10-404 Backcountry/Wilderness Use Permit 
Application, 10-404A Backcountry/Wilderness Use Permit Hangtag, and 10-
404AK Alaska Backcountry/Wilderness Use Permit Application.
    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals, private sector, and 
state, local, or tribal government entities applying to use backcountry 
and wilderness areas within units of the national park system.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 351,121.
    Estimated Completion Time per Response: Varies from 5 minutes to 8 
minutes depending on activity.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 39,116.
    Respondent's Obligation: Required to obtain or retain a benefit.
    Frequency of Collection: On occasion.
    Total Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden Cost: None.
    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.).

Phadrea Ponds,
Information Collection Clearance Officer, National Park Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-16654 Filed 7-30-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P