[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 133 (Thursday, July 13, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44831-44832]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-14889]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-WASO-NRSS-NPS0035687; PPWONRADE3, PPMRSNR1Y.NM0000 (223); OMB 
Control Number 1024-NEW]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Socioeconomic 
Monitoring Study of National Park Service Visitors

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 a new information 
collection.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
August 14, 2023.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of 
this notice to https://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 Phadrea Ponds, NPS 
Information Collection Clearance Officer, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive 
(MS-242) Reston, VA 20192; or [email protected] (email). Please 
reference Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Control Number 1024-NEW 
(SEM) in the subject line of your comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information 
about this ICR, contact Bret Meldrum by email

[[Page 44832]]

at [email protected] (email) or at 970-267-7295 (telephone). 
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. You may also view the ICR at https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995 (PRA, 44 U.S.C. 3501et seq.) and 5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1), all 
information collections require approval under the PRA. 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.
    A Federal Register notice with a 60-day public comment period 
soliciting comments on this collection of information was published on 
August 27, 2021 (86 FR 48244). A comment requesting a copy of the 
survey instruments was received. Copies of the surveys were sent to the 
commenter. No additional comments were received.
    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 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: The National Park Service (NPS) Social Science Program 
(SSP) is authorized by 54 U.S.C. 100701 to collect information that 
will improve the ability of the NPS to provide state-of the-art 
management, protection, and interpretation of, and research on, the 
resources of the System. However, the data currently available from 
survey research is insufficient for generalizing findings across all 
national park units in the System with regards to visitor experiences, 
attitudes, and spending behaviors. Past and present socioeconomic 
research in NPS units do not allow for comparison across units or 
against a regional and nationwide benchmark of information. Without 
this data, local, regional, and national-level NPS managers lack a 
comprehensive understanding of visitor demographics, economic 
contribution, and visitation related experiences in park units needed 
to monitor how well the System is serving the public. In 2016, the NPS 
SSP conducted a pilot study in 14 NPS units to identify and better 
understand the need for more advanced socioeconomic monitoring. The 
pilot study produced and verified a study design that will allow SSP to 
fully implement a Socioeconomic Monitoring Study (SEM). Building on the 
findings from the pilot study, the SEM will collect information from 
visitors at 30 National Park units annually to provide generalizable 
results for NPS managers and planners across the System to understand 
and monitor: visitor demographics, economic contribution, services, 
facilities, and infrastructure investments. Park units will be able to 
compare their unit data with regional and national-level data to make 
informed decisions in future planning and management efforts.
    Title of Collection: Socioeconomic Monitoring Study of National 
Park Service Visitors.
    OMB Control Number: 1024-NEW.
    Form Number: None.
    Type of Review: New.
    Respondents/Affected Public: General Public; any person visiting a 
national park during the sampling period.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 58,544. (36,936 
intercept survey respondents, 8,310 non-response survey respondents, 
and 13,298 mail-back survey respondents).
    Estimated Completion Time per Response: Intercept survey: 5 
minutes; Non-response survey: 2 minutes; and Mail-back survey: 20 
minutes.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 7,788 hours.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Frequency of Collection: Annually.
    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 Collections Clearance Officer, National Park Service.
[FR Doc. 2023-14889 Filed 7-12-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P