[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 191 (Tuesday, October 4, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60197-60199]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-21465]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[Docket No. FWS-HQ-ES-2022-0140; FXES11130900000/223/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

[[Page 60198]]

(Service), are proposing to renew an existing information collection.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
December 5, 2022.

ADDRESSES: Send your comments on the information collection request 
(ICR) by one of the following methods (please reference 1018-0095 in 
the subject line of your comments):
     Internet (preferred): https://www.regulations.gov. Follow 
the instructions for submitting comments on Docket No. FWS-HQ-ES-2022-
0140.
     Email: [email protected].
     U.S. mail: Service Information Collection Clearance 
Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 5275 Leesburg Pike, MS: PRB 
(JAO/3W), Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.

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. Individuals in the United States who are 
deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability may dial 
711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay 
services. Individuals outside the United States should use the relay 
services offered within their country to make international calls to 
the point-of-contact in the United States.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction 
Act (PRA, 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.) and its implementing regulations at 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: 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 regulations identify and 
describe the three categories of information we collect, which include:
    (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:
    a. Name, address, and phone number of reporting party,
    b. Species involved,
    c. Type of incident,
    d. Quantity of take,
    e. Location and time of the reported incident, and
    f. 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.

[[Page 60199]]



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                                       Annual number of    Total  annual     Completion time      Total annual
             Requirement                 respondents         responses         per 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
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    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.).

Madonna Baucum,
Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service.
[FR Doc. 2022-21465 Filed 10-3-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P