[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 149 (Friday, August 4, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51851-51853]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-16617]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Geological Survey

[GX23BA000AD0100; OMB Control Number 1028-0103]


Agency Information Collection Activities; USA National Phenology 
Network--The Nature's Notebook Plant and Animal Observing Program

AGENCY: U.S. Geological Survey, Department of the Interior.

ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), 
the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is proposing to renew an information 
collection.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
October 3, 2023.

ADDRESSES: Send your comments on the information collection request 
(ICR) by mail to the U.S. Geological Survey, Information Collections 
Clearance Officer, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive MS 159, Reston, VA 20192; 
or by email to [email protected]. Please reference Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) Control Number 1028-0103 in the subject 
line of your comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information 
about this ICR, contact Melanie J. Steinkamp by email at 
[email protected], or by telephone at 703-261-3128.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with the PRA, we provide the 
general public and other Federal agencies with an opportunity to 
comment on 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 soliciting comments on the proposed ICR that is described 
below. We are especially interested in public comment addressing the 
following questions: is the collection necessary to the proper 
functions of the USGS? Will this information be processed and used in a 
timely manner? Is the estimate of burden accurate? How might the USGS 
enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be 
collected? How might the USGS minimize the burden of this collection on 
the respondents, including through the use of information technology?

[[Page 51852]]

    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 personally identifiable information 
(PII) in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment--
including your PII--may be made publicly available at any time. While 
you may ask us in your comment to withhold your PII from public review, 
we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
    Abstract: The USA National Phenology Network (NPN) is a program 
sponsored by the USGS that uses standardized forms for tracking plant- 
and animal activity as part of a project called Nature's Notebook. The 
Nature's Notebook forms are used to record phenology (e.g., timing of 
leafing or flowering of plants and reproduction or migration of 
animals) as part of a nationwide effort to understand and predict how 
plants and animals respond to environmental variation and changes in 
weather and climate. Contemporary data collected through Nature's 
Notebook are quality-checked, described, and made publicly available 
and are used to inform decision-making in a variety of contexts 
including agriculture, drought monitoring, and wildfire-risk 
assessment. Phenological information is also critical for the 
management of wildlife, invasive species, and agricultural pests, as 
well as for understanding and managing risks to human health and 
welfare, including allergies, asthma, and vector-borne diseases. 
Participants may contribute phenology information to Nature's Notebook 
through a browser-based web application or via mobile applications for 
iPhone and Android operating systems which meet Government Paperwork 
Elimination Act (GPEA) and Privacy Act requirements. The web-
application interface consists of several components: user 
registration, a searchable list of 1,756 observable plant and animal 
species, and a ``profile'' that contains information about each species 
including its description and the appropriate monitoring protocols. The 
application also consists of a series of interfaces for registering an 
observer, a site, and plants and animals found at a site, and a data-
entry page that mimics downloadable datasheets that can be taken into 
the field.
    Title of Collection: USA National Phenology Network--The Nature's 
Notebook Plant and Animal Observing Program.
    OMB Control Number: 1028-0103.
    Form Number: None.
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Members of the public registered with 
Nature's Notebook, state cooperative extension employees, and Tribal 
members.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 6,640.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 4,094,800.
    Estimated Completion Time per Response: When joining the program, 
responders spend 13 minutes each to register and read guidelines, and 
210 minutes to complete the Observer Certification Course. After that, 
responders may spend about two minutes on each observation and 
submission of a phenophase status record.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 141,418.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Frequency of Collection: On occasion; depends on the seasonal 
activity of plants and animals.
    Total Estimated Annual Non-hour Burden Cost: $11,484
    Table: Annual Responses and Burden Hours: 4,102,436 responses, 
141,418 burden hours.

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                                                 Annual
               Response type                    responses        Completion time per response      Annual burden
                                               (projected)                (minutes)                   (hours)
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Registrations..............................           6,640  13 minutes (3 minutes to register +           1,439
                                                              10 minutes to read guidelines).
Certification Course *.....................             996  210 minutes (to complete the                  3,486
                                                              Observer Certification Course).
Observation records........................       4,094,800  2 minutes (includes observation and         136,493
                                                              reporting time).
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    Total..................................       4,102,436  ...................................         141,418
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* Note that the Certification Course is optional, and we estimate a completion rate of 15% during the clearance
  period.


                                       Table--Annual Non-Hour Burden Costs
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                                                                 Estimated number of respondents     Non-hour
                                                 Cost per unit           expected to use            burden cost
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Clipboard.....................................           $2.23  1,328...........................          $2,961
Pencils.......................................            0.10  1,328...........................             133
Flags.........................................            0.05  1,328...........................              66
Markers.......................................            0.10  1,328...........................             133
Stakes........................................            0.30  1,328...........................             398
Tags..........................................            0.30  1,328...........................             398
Popsicle Sticks...............................            0.30  1,328...........................             398
Average Marking Material Cost.................            0.19  ................................  ..............
Cost Per Response.............................            2.52  Total Non-Hour Burden Cost......           4,489
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[[Page 51853]]

    An agency may not conduct or sponsor, nor is a person required to 
respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently 
valid OMB control number.
    The authorities for this action are the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501, et 
seq.).

Melanie J. Steinkamp,
Program Coordinator, USGS Species Management Research Program.
[FR Doc. 2023-16617 Filed 8-3-23; 8:45 am]
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