[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 14 (Thursday, January 22, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2792-2795]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2026-01144]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-HQ-IRTM-2025-N040; FXGO1664101EST0-267-FF10T90000; OMB Control 
Number 1018-0188]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ArcGIS 
Online (AGOL) Platform

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 (PRA), 
we, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), are proposing to 
renew a currently approved information collection without change.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
February 23, 2026.

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 the Service Information 
Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS: PRB 
(JAO/3W), 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803 (mail); or by 
email to [email protected]. Please reference ``1018-0188'' 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 in the United States who are 
deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability may dial 
711 (TTY,

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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 information 
collection request at https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction 
Act (PRA; 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.) and its implementing regulations at 5 
CFR part 1320, 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 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number.
    On March 21, 2025, we published in the Federal Register (90 FR 
13385) a notice of our intent to request that OMB approve this 
information collection. The Service published the Federal Register 
notice on Regulations.gov (Docket No. FWS-HQ-IRTM-2025-0010) to provide 
the public with an additional method to submit comments (in addition to 
the typical email and U.S. mail submission methods). In that notice, we 
solicited comments for 60 days, ending on May 20, 2025. We received the 
following comments in response to that notice:
    Comment 1: Electronic comment (FWS-HQ-IRTM-2025-0010-0002) received 
via Regulations.gov on 03/28/2025 from Laura Honda. The commenter did 
not directly address the information collection requirements.
    Agency Response to Comment 1: No response required as commenter did 
not address the information collection requirements.
    Comment 2: Anonymous electronic comment (FWS-HQ-IRTM-2025-0010-
0003) received via Regulations.gov on 05/12/2025. The commenter did not 
directly address the information collection requirements.
    Agency Response to Comment 2: No response required as commenter did 
not address the information collection requirements.
    Comment 3: Electronic comment (FWS-HQ-IRTM-2025-0010-0004) received 
via Regulations.gov on 05/19/2025 from Victoria Lopez. The commenter 
did not directly address the information collection requirements.
    Agency Response to Comment 3: No response required as commenter did 
not address the information collection requirements.
    Comment 4: Electronic comment (FWS-HQ-IRTM-2025-0010-0005) received 
via Regulations.gov on 05/20/2025 from Ryan Jones. The commenter did 
not directly address the information collection requirements.
    Agency Response to Comment 4: Though the commenter did not address 
the information collection requirements specifically, the comments were 
passed on to our Records Officer and the Acting Assistant Director for 
Ecological Services for awareness.
    As part of our continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent 
burdens, we are again inviting 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. 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 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 Service collects and maintains necessary geospatial 
data to meet our mission in accordance with the following authorities:
     Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 
2006, as amended (31 U.S.C. 6101 note);
     Geospatial Data Act of 2018 (43 U.S.C. ch. 46);
     National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act of 1995 
(Pub. L. 104-113);
     Open, Public, Electronic, and Necessary (OPEN) Government 
Data Act (44 U.S.C. 3506(b)(6));
     Title II of the Foundations for Evidence-Based 
Policymaking Act of 2018 (Pub. L. 115-435);
     OMB Circular A-16, ``Coordination of Geographic 
Information and Related Spatial Data Activities'';
     OMB Circular A-119, ``Federal Participation in the 
Development and Use of Voluntary Consensus Standards and in Conformity 
Assessment Activities''; and
     OMB Circular A-130, ``Managing Information as a Strategic 
Resource.''
    Geospatial data identify and depict geographic locations, 
boundaries, and characteristics of features on the surface of the 
earth. Geospatial data includes geographic coordinates (e.g., latitude 
and longitude) to identify the location of earth's features, and data 
associated to geographic locations (e.g., land survey data and land 
cover type data). The Service's organizational ArcGIS online program 
(AGOL), accessed at https://fws.maps.arcgis.com, is an easy place to 
share data with the public and partners, as well as internally among 
Service staff. It can also be used to build and deploy mobile-enabled 
online maps, applications, and services for geographic information 
systems (GIS) users and non-GIS users alike. Sensitive data is 
restricted from public access via an internal-facing intranet version 
of AGOL. Moreover, because the system contains only controlled 
unclassified information (CUI) that would be designated as low impact 
under the Federal Information Security Act (FISMA, 2002), no personally 
identifiable information (PII) is allowed within the system.
    The AGOL platform enables the Service to effectively manage 
geospatial data resources and technology to successfully deliver 
geospatial services in support of the Service's mission. Data collected 
through AGOL enables improved visualization, analysis, 
interoperability, modeling, sharing, and decision support. The benefits 
include increased accuracy, increased productivity, and more efficient 
information management and application support.
    In addition to collecting name and contact information, additional 
comments about the submission, and photographs (optional), we collect 
the following types of data from our partners through AGOL to improve 
our

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online maps, web-mapping applications, and story maps (data collected 
is specific to a particular project; we will not collect all data types 
below with each submission):
     Road crossing data, to include data such as location data, 
global positioning system (GPS) coordinates, stream name and stream 
flow, road name, structure type and quantity, road surface type and 
condition, issues present at crossing, and name and contact.
     Stream crossing data, to include data such as location/
description, GPS coordinates, crossing type, structures/barriers, 
inlet/outlet information, and stream flow type and condition.
     Conservation project data, to include data such as project 
title and description, partner names and contact information, start and 
end dates for project, whether project is new or updated, cost of 
project, relevant website information, geographical location of 
project, project species data, project strategy (e.g., protect habitat, 
reduce human conflicts, climate change, etc.), and links to project 
reports.
     Reporting locations and/or status of Service assets (such 
as trails, roads, gates, etc.), invasive species, dead animals, trash 
on public lands, and possible hazards.
     Observations of wildlife occurrences, including location, 
species, observer, counts, and other physical characteristics of 
interest.
     Vegetation monitoring data, which would include the 
condition of the resource, abundance, lifeform, and more.
    We use the information collected from our partners to support 
critical geospatial services for Service programs/functions, such as:

Endangered Species and Fisheries and Habitat Conservation

     Monitoring the extent and status of wetlands for 
management, research, policy development, education, and planning 
through the National Wetlands Inventory (https://www.fws.gov/wetlands/
).
     Performing natural resources damage assessments (NRDAs), 
including evaluating exposure of trust species to toxic spills.
     Proposing, designating, and informing the public about 
critical habitat for threatened and endangered (T&E) species, 
delivering official species lists, and undertaking consultations under 
section 7 of the Endangered Species Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).
     Providing information about sensitive resources (T&E 
species, Refuges, critical habitat) within the vicinity of a proposed 
project.
     Conducting large-scale, multidisciplinary, multi-species 
analysis for habitat conservation and landscape conservation planning 
and restoration.
     Improving fish passage and modeling the effects of barrier 
removal.

Migratory Bird Conservation

     Conducting bird surveys: Survey design, navigation GPS 
files for airplane pilots, and spatially referenced survey data.
     Assessing habitat conditions and monitoring habitat 
improvement projects in joint ventures.
     Conducting research on relationships between bird 
abundance/productivity and habitat quantity and quality, and migration 
movement patterns.

National Wildlife Refuge System

     Developing alternatives for comprehensive conservation 
plans and supporting National Wildlife Refuge System (System) 
operational activities, including asset management, law enforcement, 
water resources, and fire management.
     Mapping realty transactions and land status of Service 
properties and proposed expansions.
     Analyzing strategic growth and land acquisition planning 
opportunities for the System.
     Conducting biological surveys and managing data, including 
inventory and monitoring, invasive species control, and habitat 
management plans.
     Managing Service infrastructure and assets.
     Planning, responding, and mitigating impacts from natural 
disasters such as wildfire, hurricanes, disease outbreaks, and more.
     Producing visitor service materials (maps, brochures) for 
public use and engagement of System lands.

Landscape Conservation Cooperatives

     Evaluating, planning, and implementing strategic habitat 
conservation and adaptive management at the landscape level.
     Performing biological planning, conservation design and 
delivery, monitoring, and research for climate change and other 
stressors at the landscape level.
    Title of Collection: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ArcGIS Online 
(AGOL) Platform.
    OMB Control Number: 1018-0188.
    Form Number: None.
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Private sector; State, local, and 
Tribal governments; and/or foreign governments.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Frequency of Collection: On occasion.
    Total Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden Cost: None.

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                                                                                          Average
                                                   Average      Average      Average     completion   Estimated
                  Requirement                     number of    number of    number of     time per      annual
                                                    annual     responses      annual      response      burden
                                                 respondents      each      responses    (minutes)     hours *
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                                             AGOL Online Submissions
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Private Sector.................................          150            5          750            5           63
Government.....................................          150            5          750            5           63
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    Totals.....................................          300  ...........        1,500  ...........          126
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    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.).

Jillian Eanett,
Acting Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service.
[FR Doc. 2026-01144 Filed 1-21-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P