[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 208 (Tuesday, October 27, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68034-68036]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-23758]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Information Collection: Interagency Generic Clearance for Federal 
Land Management Agencies Collaborative Visitor Feedback Surveys on 
Recreation and Transportation Related Programs and Systems

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 
Forest Service is seeking comments from all interested individuals and 
entities on the renewal of a currently approved information collection, 
Generic Clearance for Recreation and Transportation.

DATES: Comments must be received in writing by December 28, 2020.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to USDA Forest Service, National Forest 
System, Pacific-Northwest Office, Attention: Eric M. White, Social 
Science and Economics Lead (Acting), Ecosystem Management System, 1220 
SW 3rd Avenue, Suite 310, Portland, OR 97204. Comments also may be 
submitted via email to [email protected]. All comments, including 
names and addresses when provided, will be placed in the record and 
will be available for public inspection and copying. The public may 
review comments at: http://www.regulations.gov.
    The public may inspect comments received at USDA Forest Service, 
Pacific North West-Portland Office during normal business hours. 
Visitors are encouraged to call ahead to facilitate entry to the 
building at (503) 808-2468.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Eric M. White, Social Science and 
Economics Lead (Acting), Ecosystem Management System, National Forest 
Systems by telephone at (360) 999-0580 or by email at 
[email protected].
    Individuals who use telecommunication devices for the deaf may call 
the Federal Relay Service at 800-877-8339 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. 
eastern time, Monday through Friday.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title: Interagency Generic Clearance for Federal Land Management 
Agencies Collaborative Visitor Feedback Surveys on Recreation and 
Transportation Related Programs and Systems.
    OMB Number: 0596-0236.
    Expiration Date of Approval: November 30, 2020.
    Type of Request: Renewal with Revisions.
    Type of Respondents: Individuals, businesses, and non-federal 
governmental entities.
    Abstract: Federal Land Management Agencies (FLMAs) need to acquire 
visitor and user feedback about site- or area-specific services, 
facilities, road and/or travel systems, needs, programs, demographics, 
management of FLMA lands, and/or other quantitative information on FLMA 
lands in cross-jurisdictional landscapes. FLMAs include, but are not 
limited, to: USDA Forest Service; National Park Service; Bureau of Land 
Management; U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service; U.S. Geological

[[Page 68035]]

Survey; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; Presidio Trust; and Bureau of 
Reclamation.
    This direct feedback is vital to establish or revise goals and 
objectives for FLMA recreation-related transportation system programs, 
inform land management plans, and facilitate interagency coordination 
across multijurisdictional landscapes. As a result of using this 
feedback, FLMAs are better able to meet the needs of the public and 
more effectively utilize the resources under FLMA management.
    The benefits of an FLMA interagency generic information collection 
(IC) include significant public and agency time and cost savings. If 
multiple FLMAs in an area work jointly on one visitor feedback 
information collection under a generic clearance from OMB, there would 
be significant savings in government time and costs related to survey 
development, administration, and data processing. The public burden 
would be diminished as the public would only need to respond to one, 
jointly-sponsored, survey.
    There are several authorities that obligate participating FLMAs to 
solicit public input to improve public lands management to better serve 
the public, including:
    1. Forest Service Administration Organic Act of 1897 (16 U.S.C. 
473-478, 479-482, and 551) as amended by the Transfer Act of 1905 (16 
U.S.C. 472, 524, 554);
    2. National Forest Management Act of 1976 (Pub. L. 94-588, 2(3), 
6(d)), as amended;
    3. Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (Pub. L. 103-62) 
as amended;
    4. National Park Services Act of 1916;
    5. National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966;
    6. National Wildlife Refuge System Centennial Act (Pub. L. 106-
408);
    7. The Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) of 1976; and
    8. National Environmental Policy Act of 1969.
    Respondents include visitors and potential visitors to FLMA units 
and residents of communities in or near FLMA units. Additionally, 
respondents may include state or local agency/organization staff who 
are involved with public lands management, as well as businesses near 
FLMA lands. Because many of the FLMA information collections may be 
similar in terms of the populations being surveyed, types of questions 
addressed, research methodologies, and data applications, the Forest 
Service is requesting renewal of this generic Interagency IC clearance 
from OMB to obtain quantitative and qualitative visitor and user 
feedback through surveys, focus groups, and/or interviews.
    Information collection could occur at one location, several 
locations, across FLMA units, across regions, across the nation, and 
could be multi-jurisdictional at any of these levels. Information 
collection activities could occur once, could occur as iterative 
collections over a short time period, or could occur over long periods 
of time at some periodic, planned time interval. Individual, agency/
organization, or business feedback could be collected through 
facilitated focus groups, surveys, individual interviews (qualitative 
or quantitative), and comment cards with information electronically-
recorded or hand-written, via telephone, via mail-back survey, or via 
electronic means (e.g., QR codes on Smartphones or via social media 
engagement). Potential participants would be contacted at pertinent 
sites, including FLMA access points. Information could be gathered pre- 
or post-visit.
    In general, questions will relate to the recreation experience at 
one or more specific locations (e.g., one or more FLMA's lands) and 
could address one or more of the following key categories:
    1. Mobility and access (for example, different transportation modes 
used to access sites;
    2. Satisfaction with transportation related services and 
facilities; use and satisfaction with traveler information; reasons for 
non-visitation);
    3. Resource management (for example, support for different 
management approaches);
    4. Safety (for example, safety-related incidents that occurred);
    5. Environment (for example, visitor priorities with respect to 
natural and cultural resources; perceptions related to sound);
    6. Economic development (for example, amount of money visitors 
spend within the area);
    7. Trip characteristics (for example, length of trip, trip purpose, 
activities, and destinations); and
    8. Visitor/user demographics (for example, home city and state, age 
group, gender, race, and number of people/vehicles in party).
    Should any personally identifiable information (PII) be collected, 
to ensure anonymity, PII will not be stored with contact information at 
any time, and contact information will be redacted from researcher's 
files once data collections are completed.
    Participation will be strictly voluntary. The information could be 
collected and analyzed by FLMA personnel, private contractors, other 
government agency partners, or universities or other educational 
institutions conducting the information collection on behalf of the 
FLMAs. All results will be aggregated so specific responses cannot be 
connected to specific respondents. The data collected would provide 
managers with statistically reliable visitor data necessary to help 
FLMA units provide their customers with better service and coordinate 
more effectively across jurisdictions. More specifically, the collected 
information can better inform strategic planning; allocations of 
physical, fiscal, or human resources; modification or refinement of 
various program management goals and objectives or management plan 
revisions; and future planning efforts focused on developing more 
effective and efficient delivery of program services, whether on one or 
several unit(s) or at an interagency, cross-jurisdictional scope. This 
information may also help FLMAs respond to queries from the general 
public and organizations including Congressional staffs, newspapers, 
magazines, and transportation or recreational trade organizations.
    Without these joint, coordinated information collections, the FLMAs 
will lack the information necessary to identify and implement feasible 
and publicly accepted transportation, facility, and service 
improvements that protect public land resources and enhance visitor 
experience. These joint information collections will become more 
important as demand for access to FLMA recreation sites and 
opportunities continues to grow. Information from these collections 
will improve management of FLMA resources and visitor experiences while 
helping the FLMAs meet their various resource, recreation, and 
transportation management mandates.
    Estimate of Burden: Public reporting burden for this collection of 
information is estimated to average 0.25 hours for surveys, 1.5 hours 
for focus groups, 1 hour for interviews, and 0.05 hours for comment 
cards.
    Respondents: Respondents would include visitors and potential 
visitors to FLMA units or subunits, and residents of communities in or 
near FLMA units. Additionally, respondents may include state or local 
agency/organization staff who are involved with public lands, as well 
as, businesses near FLMA lands.
    Affected Public: Individuals and Households, Businesses and Non-
Profit Organizations, and/or State, Local or Tribal Government.

[[Page 68036]]

    Estimated Number of Respondents: The estimated total number of 
respondents and non-respondent contacts over three years is 139,875.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent and non-respondent 
contact: 1.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden over three years on Respondents and 
non-respondent contacts: 16,830 hours.
    Comments are invited on: (1) Whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the agency, including whether the information will have practical 
utility; (2) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed 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) ways 
to minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who 
are to respond, including the use of appropriate automated, electronic, 
mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms 
of information technology.
    All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the 
request for OMB approval. All comments will become a matter of public 
record.

Christopher B. French,
Deputy Chief, National Forest System.
[FR Doc. 2020-23758 Filed 10-26-20; 8:45 am]
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