E9-5960. Proposed Information Collection; OMB Control Number 1018-0133; Control and Management of Resident Canada Geese

AGENCY:

Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION:

Notice; request for comments.

SUMMARY:

We (Fish and Wildlife Service, Service) will ask the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve the information collection (IC) described below. As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and as part of our continuing efforts to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, we invite the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on this IC. This IC is scheduled to expire on August 31, 2009. 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.

DATES:

Your comments must be received by May 18, 2009.

ADDRESSES:

Send your comments on the IC to Hope Grey, Information Collection Clearance Officer, Fish and Wildlife Service, MS 222-ARLSQ, 4401 North Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203 (mail); [e-mail] (e-mail).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

The Migratory Bird Treaty Act prohibits the take, possession, import, export, transport, sale, purchase, or bartering of migratory birds or their parts except as permitted under the terms of a valid permit or as permitted by regulations. In 2006, we issued regulations establishing two depredation orders and three control orders that allow State and tribal wildlife agencies, private landowners, and airports to conduct resident Canada goose population management, including the take of birds. The Service monitors the data collected for activities under these orders and may rescind an order if monitoring indicates that activities are inconsistent with conservation of Canada geese.

Control order for airports. In the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), 50 CFR 21.49 allows managers at commercial, public, and private airports and military airfields and their employees or agents to implement management of resident Canada geese to resolve or prevent threats to public safety. An airport must be part of the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems and have received Federal grant-in-aid assistance or be a military airfield under the jurisdiction, custody, or control of the Secretary of a military department. Each facility exercising the privileges of the order must submit an annual report with the date, numbers, and locations of birds, nests, and eggs taken.

Depredation order for nests and eggs. 50 CFR 21.50 allows private landowners and managers of public lands to destroy resident Canada goose nests and eggs on property under their jurisdiction provided they register annually on our website at https://epermits.fws.gov/​eRCGR. Registrants must provide basic information, such as name, address, phone number and email, and identify where the control work will occur and who will conduct it. Registrants must return to the website at the end of the nesting season to report the number of nests with eggs they destroyed.

Depredation order for agricultural facilities. 50 CFR 21.51 allows States and tribes, via their wildlife agency, to implement a program to allow landowners, operators, and tenants actively engaged in commercial agriculture to conduct damage management control when geese are committing depredations or to resolve or prevent other injury to agricultural interests. State and tribal wildlife agencies in the Atlantic, Central, and Mississippi Flyway portions of 41 States can implement the provisions of the order. Agricultural producers must maintain a log of the date and number of birds taken under this authorization. States and tribes exercising the privileges the order grants must submit an annual report of the numbers of birds, nests, and eggs taken and the county where take occurred.

Public health control order. 50 CFR 21.52 authorizes States and tribes of the lower 48 States to conduct (via the State or tribal wildlife agency) resident Canada goose control and management activities when the geese pose a direct threat to human health. States and tribes operating under this order must submit an annual report summarizing activities, including the numbers of birds taken and the county where take occurred.

Population control. 50 CFR 21.61 establishes a managed take program to reduce and stabilize resident Canada goose populations when traditional and otherwise authorized management measures are not successful or feasible. A State or tribal wildlife agency in the Atlantic, Mississippi, or Central Flyway may request approval for this population control program. If approved, the State or tribe may use hunters to harvest resident Canada geese during the month of August. Requests for approval must include a discussion of the State's or tribe's efforts to address its injurious situations using other methods or a discussion of the reasons why the methods are not feasible. If the Service Director approves a request, the State or tribe must (1) keep annual records of activities carried out under the authority of the program, and (2) provide an annual summary, including number of individuals participating in the program and the number of resident Canada geese shot. Additionally, participating States and tribes must monitor the spring breeding population by providing an annual estimate of the breeding population and distribution of resident Canada geese in their State.

II. Data

OMB Control Number: 1018-0133.

Title: Control and Management of Resident Canada Geese, 50 CFR 20.21, 21.46, 21.50, 21.51, 21.52, and 21.61.

Service Form Number(s): None.

Type of Request: Extension of a currently approved collection.

Affected Public: State fish and wildlife agencies, tribes, and local governments; airports, and landowners.

Respondent's Obligation: Required to obtain or retain a benefit.

Frequency of Collection: On occasion.

Activity	Number of annual respondents	Number of annual responses	Completion time per response	Annual burden hours
21.49 - Airport Control Order - Annual Report	110	110	1.5 hours	165
21.50 - Nest and Egg Depredation Order - Registration	1,600	1,600	.5 hours	800
21.50 - Nest and Egg Depredation Order - Annual Report	1,600	1,600	.5 hours	800
21.51 - Agricultural Depredation Order - Recordkeeping	460	460	.5 hours	230
21.51 - Agricultural Depredation Order - Annual Report	20	20	8 hours	160
21.52 - Public Health Control Order - Annual Report	20	20	1 hour	20
21.61 - Population Control Approval Request - Recordkeeping and Annual Report	15	15	24 hours	360
21.61 - Population Control Approval Request - Monitoring	10	10	160 hours	1,600
Totals	3,835	3,835		4,135

III. Request for Comments

We invite comments concerning this IC 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. We will include or summarize each comment in our request to OMB to approve this IC. 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 us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.

Dated: March 9, 2009

Hope Grey,

Information Collection Clearance Officer, Fish and Wildlife Service.