2023-03538. Agency Information Collection Activities; Turtle Distribution Database

AGENCY:

U.S. Geological Survey, Interior.

ACTION:

Notice of information collection; request for comment.

SUMMARY:

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is proposing a new information collection.

DATES:

Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before April 24, 2023.

ADDRESSES:

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

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

To request additional information about this ICR, contact Margaret Lamont by email at [e-mail] or by telephone at 352-209-4306. Individuals who are hearing- or speech-impaired may call the Federal Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339 for TTY assistance. You may also view the ICR at http://www.reginfo.gov/​public/​do/​PRAMain.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

In accordance with the PRA and 5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1), all information collections require approval. We may not conduct or sponsor, nor are you 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 the agency might 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 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 can 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 order Testudines, which encompasses tortoises and freshwater and marine turtles, is among the most threatened group of vertebrates in the world. However, turtles are frequently observed during everyday activities, such as while walking through a park, driving along a roadway, or kayaking in a river or pond. Local citizen-science projects focused on single species (such as box turtles) have provided valuable demographic information for turtle populations, but these projects are isolated both spatially and specifically ( i.e., focused on one species). This project would use sighting information supplied by citizens to fill gaps in our knowledge of turtle distributions throughout Northern Florida. When a citizen observes a turtle, they would document the species (if possible), location (latitude/longitude collected via cell phone), date, and time, and they would photograph the animal. We would also ask each contributor to provide their initials (not full name) and a way to contact them if questions about the entry arise ( e.g., phone number or email address). The sighting information will be mapped and used to develop species-distribution maps.

Title of Collection: Turtle Distribution Database.

OMB Control Number: 1028-NEW.

Form Number: None.

Type of Review: New.

Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 100.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 100.

Estimated Completion Time per Response: 5 minutes on average.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 8 hours.

Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.

Frequency of Collection: On occasion.

Total Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden Cost: None.

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 authority for this action is the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).

Margaret M. Lamont,

Research Biologist, USGS Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, U.S. Geological Survey.