02-22101. Information Collection To Be Submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Approval Under the Paperwork Reduction Act

AGENCY:

Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION:

Notice; request for comments.

SUMMARY:

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will submit the collection of information listed below to OMB for approval under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act. A copy of the information collection requirement is included in this notice. If you wish to obtain copies of the proposed information collection requirement, related forms, and explanatory material, contact the Service Information Collection Clearance Officer at the address listed below.

DATES:

You must submit comments before the 30 day deadline.

ADDRESSES:

Send your comments on specific requirements to the Office of Management and Budget, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Attention: Department of the Interior Desk Officer, 725 17th Street, NW., Washington DC 20503, and to Anissa Craghead, Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, ms 222-ARLSQ, 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203, [phone].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

To request a copy of the information collection request, explanatory information and related forms, contact Anissa Craghead at [phone], or electronically to [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations at 5 CFR 1320, which implement provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13), require that interested members of the public and affected agencies have an opportunity to comment on information collection and recordkeeping activities (see 5 CFR 1320.8(d)). The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (We) plan to submit a request to OMB to renew its approval of the collection of information for the North American Woodcock Singing Ground Survey. We are requesting a 3-year term of approval for this information collection activity.

Federal agencies 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 OMB control number for this collection of information is 1018-0019.

The Migratory Bird Treaty Act (16 U.S.C. 703-711) and Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 (16 U.S.C. 742d) designate the Department of the Interior as the key agency responsible for the wise management of migratory bird populations frequenting the United States and for the setting of hunting regulations that allow appropriate harvests that are within the guidelines that will allow for those populations' well being. These responsibilities dictate the gathering of 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. This survey is conducted annually by State and Federal conservation agencies to provide the necessary data 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. The information is used primarily by us to develop recommendations for hunting regulations. It is also used by us, State conservation agencies, University associates and other interested parties for various research and management projects. Without information on the population's status, we might promulgate hunting regulations that were too liberal thus causing harm to the woodcock population, or too conservative, thus unduly restricting recreational opportunities afforded by woodcock hunting.

Title: North American Woodcock Singing Ground Survey.

Approval Number: 1018-0019.

Service Form Number: 3-156.

Frequency of Collection: Annually.

Description of Respondents: State, local, tribal, provincial, or Federal employees.

Total Annual Burden Hours: The reporting burden is estimated to average 0.67 hours per respondent. With an estimated 40% entering data electronically, the reporting burden is estimated to average 0.75 hours per respondent. The Total Annual Burden hours is 527 hours.

Total Annual Responses: About 750 individuals are expected to participate in the survey.

We invite comments concerning this renewal on: (1) Whether the collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of our migratory bird management functions, including whether the information will have practical utility; (2) the accuracy of our estimate of the burden of the 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. The information collections in this program are part of a system of record covered by the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552(a)).

Sincerely,

Anissa Craghead,

Collections Clearance Officer.