[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 67 (Wednesday, April 8, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17148-17149]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-9234]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Information Collection on the Economic, Social, and Cultural
Contributions of Livestock Ownership
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of intent; request for comment.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the
Forest Service announces its intent to establish a new information
collection. The new collection is necessary to provide baseline data on
the economic, social, and cultural contributions of livestock ownership
by surveying grazing permittees on two ranger districts of the Carson
and Santa Fe National Forests, New Mexico. The information provided by
both this pilot study and the proposed larger study, encompassing all
the permittees on the two forests, will be used to help the Forest
Service address issues related to grazing permit administration in
northern New Mexico.
DATES: Comments must be received in writing on or before June 8, 1998.
ADDRESSES: All comments should be addressed to: Carol Raish, Research
Social Scientist, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Forest Service,
USDA, 2205 Columbia SE, Albuquerque, NM, 87106.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Carol Raish, Rocky Mountain Research
Station, telephone: (505) 766-1045.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The Forest Service intends to invite private landowners, who hold
federal grazing permits on the Canjilon Ranger District (Carson
National Forest) and the Espanola Ranger District (Santa Fe National
Forest, to participate in a pilot study designed to evaluate and refine
the research methods and techniques proposed for a larger study to be
conducted on the two forests. Forest Service researchers plan to
distribute questionnaires to the 112 permittees associated with the two
districts, with approximately one-third of the respondents from each
district (or at least 18 persons per district) receiving a follow-up
interview. Participation in the study is completely voluntary. In
addition to collecting data on the contributions of livestock
ownership, researchers are assessing the use of a questionnaire in
terms of response rate and quality; clarity, comprehensibility, and
relevance of questions; and effectiveness and impact of interviewing
techniques.
This study will focus on the rural communities of northern New
Mexico. many of the permittees are descendants of Hispanic settlers who
have farmed and ranched in northern New Mexico for over 400 years. Much
of the land which they now use under federal permit was formerly owned
or used by local communities under Spanish and Mexican land grants.
Cultural differences and historical issues of land ownership and use
contribute to disagreements over land use between permittees and
Federal land managers. This research study is designed to provide
information to help agency managers manager the lands more effectively,
work more cooperatively with livestock grazing permittees, and improve
agency-community relations by promoting greater understanding.
Description of Information Collection
The following describes the information collection for which
approval will be requested:
Title: Economic, Social, and Cultural Contribution of Livestock
Ownership.
OMB Number: New.
Expiration Date of Approval: New.
Type of Request: The following describes a new collection
requirement, which has not received approval by the Office of
Management and Budget.
Abstract: The information collected in both the pilot study and the
larger study will assist Forest Service managers in understanding the
role and contribution of livestock ownership to the economy, culture,
and social interactions of the primarily Hispanic grazing permittees
(and the small, rural communities) of northern New Mexico. Data
gathered in this information collection is not available from other
sources. The information collected and research outcomes will be
presented in scientific and technology transfer publications and will
be available to federal agencies and local communities, as well as to
the study participants.
Questionnaire
Forest Service research personnel will administer a questionnaire
to the 112 grazing permittees on the Canjilon and Espanola Ranger
Districts. Response to the questionnaire will be voluntary.
The questionnaire consists of 46 questions divided into seven
sections. Two sections request demographic
[[Page 17149]]
information and descriptive information on livestock operations.
Questions on age, education, employment, primary language spoken in the
household, and years of residence in the area provided demographic
data. Information on livestock operations consists of questions
concerning number of years the permittee and his family have owned
livestock and have had Forest Service or Bureau of Land Management
grazing permits. The number and type of animals owned is also
requested. A third section deals with costs and benefits of owning
livestock with questions focused on the costs of the livestock
operation and on the economic contribution of the livestock to family
income. Use of the animals and their by-products for household
consumption and exchange with relatives and neighbors is also included.
The remaining four sections emphasize social, lifestyle, and
cultural contributions of livestock ownership, including the reasons
for owning livestock, community activities related to owning livestock,
a rancher's preferred means of saving money, uses of the money earned
from the livestock operation, and plans to use the livestock operation
as a retirement activity. Questions also elicit information on the role
of livestock ownership in selecting a place of residence, the social
and business activities that result from livestock ownership, and
whether a permittee grazes his cattle with relatives or neighbors or
both.
A section on family goals requests respondents to prioritize
statements concerning increasing family income, increasing the quality
of life, maintaining traditional lifestyles and values, and having
greater respect within the community. Another question asks respondents
to prioritize family goals for the livestock operation, such as making
more money from the operation, increasing the family's quality of life,
avoiding being forced out of ranching, and increasing the size of the
operation. the section on land ownership and use attitudes contains
questions concerning the merits of hiring local versus non-local
workers, selling land to local versus non-local buyers, and managing
federal lands primarily for the benefit of local residents or for all
U.S. citizens. Other questions deal with a rancher's willingness to
sell inherited land and their views on what factors constitute land
ownership
Estimate of Burden: 1 hour and 15 minutes per respondent.
Type of Respondents: Voluntarily responding grazing permittees on
the Canjilon and Espanola Ranger districts.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 112.
Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 1.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 140 hours.
Interviews
Forest Service researchers intent to conduct personal interviews
with a randomly selected sample of one-third of the questionnaire
respondents from each district (or at least 18 individuals per
district). These interviews will be used to discuss views and opinions
about the livestock operations in greater depth. The interviews will
also expand the discussion concerning the role of livestock operations
in family life and the maintenance of cultural traditions.
The questions for the interviews are the following:
1. Please describe your feelings about the land and livestock
operation you own and what role they play in your family's life.
2. Do you use your land and livestock to teach your children about
traditional values and their heritage? If so, how do you accomplish
this?
3. Please give your opinion concerning who has the right to own
land and make decisions concerning its use.
4. What are your views on the implementation of the Treaty of
Guadalupe Hidalgo signed in 1848 by the United States and Mexico?
5. Describe your experiences and feelings concerning working with
the government (Forest Service or Bureau of Land Management) on your
allotment(s).
6. Please discuss the most serious problems you face in your
livestock operation today. How would you solve these problems?
Since we seek to record the respondent's own story and opinions in
the interview section, there may be some instances where questions are
expanded or added to clarify or more fully develop a response due to
the ethnographic nature of this portion of the study.
Estimate of Burden: 2 hours per respondent.
Type of Respondents: Voluntarily responding sample of grazing
permittees from the Canjilon and Espanola Districts, who filled out the
questionnaire.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 36.
Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 1,
Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 72 hours.
Comment is Invited
The agency invites comments on the following: (a) Whether the
proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper
performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the
information will have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the
agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of
information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions
used; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the
collection of information on respondents, including the use of
automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection
techniques or other forms of information technology.
Use of Comment
All comments, including name and address when provided, will become
a matter of public record. Comments received in response to his notice
will be summarized and included in the request for Office of Management
and Budget approval.
Dated: April 3, 1998.
Ronald E. Stewart,
Acting Associate Chief,
[FR Doc. 98-9234 Filed 4-7-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-M
