[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 246 (Tuesday, December 22, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 83604-83606]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-28260]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R7-NWRS-2020-N158; FF07R08000F-XRS-1263-0700000-201; OMB Control 
Number 1018-0141]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Alaska Guide 
Service Evaluation

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 
January 21, 2021.

[[Page 83605]]


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 Review--Open for 
Public Comments'' or by using the search function. Please provide a 
copy of your comments to the Service Information Collection Clearance 
Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS: PRB/PERMA (JAO/3W), 5275 
Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803 (mail); or by email to 
[email protected]. Please reference OMB Control Number 1018-0141 in the 
subject line of your comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Madonna L. Baucum, Service Information 
Collection Clearance Officer, by email at [email protected], or by 
telephone at (703) 358-2503. 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 information collection request (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.
    On August 26, 2020, we published in the Federal Register (85 FR 
52631) a notice of our intent to request that OMB approve this 
information collection. In that notice, we solicited comments for 60 
days, ending on October 26, 2020. We received no comments in response 
to that notice.
    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 information collection request (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 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. 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: We collect information via FWS Form 3-2349 (Alaska Guide 
Service Evaluation) to help us evaluate commercial guide services on 
our national wildlife refuges in the State of Alaska (State). The 
National Wildlife Refuge Administration Act of 1966, as amended (16 
U.S.C. 668dd-ee), authorizes us to permit uses, including commercial 
visitor services, on national wildlife refuges when we find the 
activity to be compatible with the purposes for which the refuge was 
established. With the objective of making available a variety of 
quality visitor services for wildlife-dependent recreation on National 
Wildlife Refuge System lands, we issue permits for commercial guide 
services, including big game hunting, sport fishing, wildlife viewing, 
river trips, and other guided activities. We use FWS Form 3-2349 as a 
method to:
     Monitor the quality of services provided by commercial 
guides.
     Gauge client satisfaction with the services.
     Assess the impacts of the activity on refuge resources.
    The client is the best source of information on the quality of 
commercial guiding services. We collect:
     Client name.
     Guide name(s).
     Type of guided activity.
     Dates and location of guided activity.
     Information on the services received, such as the client's 
expectations, safety, environmental impacts, and client's overall 
satisfaction.
    We encourage respondents to provide any additional comments that 
they wish regarding the guide service or refuge experience, and ask 
whether or not they wish to be contacted for additional information.
    The above information, in combination with State-required guide 
activity reports and contacts with guides and clients in the field, 
provides a comprehensive method for monitoring permitted commercial 
guide activities. A regular program of client evaluation helps refuge 
managers detect potential problems with guide services so that we can 
take corrective actions promptly. In addition, we use this information 
during the competitive selection process for big game and sport fishing 
guide permits to evaluate an applicant's ability to provide a quality 
guiding service.
    The Service is actively reviewing the current evaluation form to 
identify ways to improve the information collected to:
     Provide more quantifiable and defensible data;
     Provide statistical data for each completed and submitted 
form;
     Provide more quantifiable rather than qualitative 
information; and
     Translate the client responses into useful information, in 
order for refuge management to make informed decisions.
    The Service initially planned to submit the new form (tentatively 
assigned FWS Form 3-2538, ``Alaska Guide Service Evaluation'') to OMB 
for approval to conduct usability testing under OMB Control No. 1090-
0011, ``DOI Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative 
Feedback on Agency Service Delivery,'' in time to pretest it during the 
2020 Alaska guide season. However, the pandemic significantly limited 
the number of guide trips during the 2020 guide season, necessitating 
the usability testing be conducted during the 2021 Alaska guide season 
(and possibly the 2022 season). At the conclusion of the usability 
testing, the Service will evaluate all feedback of the new evaluation 
form to determine whether additional updates need to be made to it. At 
that time, we will begin the process to initiate a revision to this 
information collection by publishing the required notices in the 
Federal Register announcing to the public our intention to submit the 
final evaluation form to OMB for approval prior to the calendar year 
2023 Alaska guide season. In addition, the Service will provide the

[[Page 83606]]

Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) Coordinator 
for the State of Alaska with a copy of the proposed new guide form for 
review/comment.
    Title of Collection: Alaska Guide Service Evaluation.
    OMB Control Number: 1018-0141.
    Form Number: FWS Form 3-2349.
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Clients of permitted commercial guide 
service providers.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 264.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 264.
    Estimated Completion Time per Response: 15 minutes.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 66.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Frequency of Collection: One time, following use of commercial 
guide services.
    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.).

    Dated: December 17, 2020.
Madonna Baucum,
Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-28260 Filed 12-21-20; 8:45 am]
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