E8-29140. Information Collection Sent to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Approval; OMB Control Number 1018-0019; North American Woodcock Singing Ground Survey

AGENCY:

Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION:

Notice; request for comments.

SUMMARY:

We (Fish and Wildlife Service) have sent an Information Collection Request (ICR) to OMB for review and approval. The ICR, which is summarized below, describes the nature of the collection and the estimated burden and cost. This ICR is scheduled to expire on December 31, 2008. We 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. However, under OMB regulations, we may continue to conduct or sponsor this information collection while it is pending at OMB.

DATES:

You must send comments on or before January 9, 2009.

ADDRESSES:

Send your comments and suggestions on this ICR to the Desk Officer for the Department of the Interior at OMB-OIRA at [phone] (fax) or [e-mail] (e-mail). Please provide a copy of your comments to Hope Grey, Information Collection Clearance Officer, Fish and Wildlife Service, MS 222-ARLSQ, 4401 North Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203 (mail) or [e-mail] (e-mail).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

To request additional information about this ICR, contact Hope Grey by mail or e-mail (see ADDRESSES) or by telephone at [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

OMB Control Number: 1018-0019.

Title: North American Woodcock Singing Ground Survey.

Service Form Number(s): 3-156.

Type of Request: Extension of currently approved collection.

Affected Public: State, Provincial, local, and tribal employees.

Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.

Frequency of Collection: Annually.

Estimated Annual Number of Responses: 680.

Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 1,206 hours. We believe 544 persons (80 percent of the respondents) will enter data electronically, with an average reporting burden of 1.8 hours per respondent. For all other respondents, we estimate the reporting burden to be 1.67 hours per respondent.

Abstract: The Migratory Bird Treaty Act (16 U.S.C. 703-712) and Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 (16 U.S.C. 742a - 754j-2) designate the Department of the Interior as the primary agency responsible for:

(1) Wise management of migratory bird populations frequenting the United States, and

(2) Setting hunting regulations that allow for the well-being of migratory bird populations.

These responsibilities dictate that we gather accurate data on various characteristics of migratory bird populations.

The North American Woodcock Singing Ground Survey is an essential part of the migratory bird management program. State, Federal, Provincial, local, and tribal conservation agencies conduct the survey annually to provide the data necessary to determine the population status of the woodcock. In addition, the information is vital in assessing the relative changes in the geographic distribution of the woodcock. We use the information primarily to develop recommendations for hunting regulations. Without information on the population's status, we might promulgate hunting regulations that (1) are not sufficiently restrictive, which could cause harm to the woodcock population, or (2) are too restrictive, which would unduly restrict recreational opportunities afforded by woodcock hunting. The Service, State conservation agencies, university associates, and other interested parties use the data for various research and management projects.

Comments: On July 24, 2008, we published in the Federal Register (73 FR 43254) a notice of our intent to request that OMB renew this ICR. In that notice, we solicited comments for 60 days, ending on September 22, 2008. We received one comment. The commenter expressed opposition to hunting and to the Government, but did not address the information collection requirements. We did not make any changes to our information collection requirements.

We again invite comments concerning this information collection on:

(1) Whether or not the collection of information is necessary, including whether or not the information will have practical utility;

(2) The accuracy of our estimate of the burden for this collection of information;

(3) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and

(4) Ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents.

Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of public record. Before including your address, phone number, e-mail 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 OMB in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that it will be done.

Dated: November 26, 2008

Hope Grey,

Information Collection Clearance Officer, Fish and Wildlife Service.