[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 209 (Friday, October 29, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63172-63173]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-24207]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
Information Collection Renewal Submitted to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for Approval Under the Paperwork Reduction
Act; OMB Control Number 1018-0095; Endangered and Threatened Wildlife,
50 CFR 17.84, Experimental Populations
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the
Fish and Wildlife Service (We/Service) is requesting OMB to extend an
existing approval to collect information on some experimental
populations of threatened and endangered wildlife, as described below.
We will use the information that we collect to monitor the success of
reintroduction efforts and recovery efforts in general.
DATES: You must submit comments on or before November 29, 2004.
ADDRESSES: Send your comments on this information collection renewal to
the Desk Officer for the Department of the Interior at OMB-OIRA at
(202) 395-6566 (fax) or at OIRA--Docket@OMB.eop.gov (e-mail). Please
provide a copy of your comments to Hope Grey, Information Collection
Clearance Officer, Fish and Wildlife Service, 4401 North Fairfax Drive,
MS 222-ARLSQ, Arlington, Virginia 22203 (mail); (703) 358-2269 (fax);
or hope_grey@fws.gov (e-mail).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request a copy of the information
collection requirement or explanatory information, contact Hope Grey,
Information Collection Clearance Officer, at the address or fax number
listed above or by telephone at (703) 358-2482.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We have sent a request to OMB to renew
approval of the information collection requirements for Endangered and
Threatened Wildlife, Experimental Populations. Currently we have
approval from OMB to collect information under OMB Control Number 1018-
0095, which expires on October 31, 2004. 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. OMB regulations at 5 CFR 1320, which
implement provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C.
3501 et seq.), 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)).
Following our submittal, OMB has up to 60 days to approve or disapprove
our information collection renewal; however, they may respond as early
as 30 days after our submittal. Therefore, to ensure consideration,
send your comments and suggestions to OMB by the date listed in the
DATES section near the beginning of this notice.
On July 29, 2004, we published a 60-day notice on this information
collection requirement in the Federal Register (69 FR 45341) and
invited public comment. The comment period ended on September 27, 2004.
We received one comment from an individual who opposed collecting
depredation information from certain groups of individuals, such as
hunting or trapping clubs. We cannot exclude any group or individual
from reporting information that they believe may be related to this
information collection. The commenter did not address the
appropriateness of the information or the burden hours. Therefore, we
have not made any changes to our information collection requirements.
Section 9 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) describes
prohibited acts involving threatened or endangered species (16 U.S.C.
1538(a)(1)(B)). Information collection and reporting to the Service is
required for some experimental populations established under section
10(j) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA), as amended. We
collect three major categories of information under the experimental
population regulations (50 CFR 17.84):
(1) General take or removal. General take or removal information
refers to human-related mortality including unintentional taking
incidental to otherwise lawful activities (e.g., highway mortalities),
take in defense of human life, take related to defense of property (if
authorized), or take in the form of authorized harassment. Most
contacts related to this type of information collection are sightings
of experimental animals or the inadvertent discovery of an injured or
dead individual.
(2) Depredation-related take. Depredation-related take refers to
take for management purposes where livestock depredation has been
documented and may include authorized harassment or lethal take of
experimental animals in the act of attacking livestock. The information
collected for this type of take is necessary for follow-up reports
after the Service has authorized harassment or lethal take of
experimental animals in relation to confirmed instances of livestock
depredation or in defense of human life.
(3) Collection of specimens or the recovery of dead animals that
are part of an experimental population. Specimen collection is for the
purpose of documenting incidental or authorized scientific collection.
Most of the information collection requirements for this take pertain
primarily to the reporting of sightings of experimental population
animals or the inadvertent discovery of an injured or dead individual.
The information collected is necessary for follow-up reports when we
have authorized take of experimental animals for specimen collection.
Because individuals of designated experimental populations for
species listed as threatened or endangered under the ESA are
categorically protected, documentation of human-related mortalities,
recovery of dead specimens, and other types of take related to the
status of experimental populations are important for monitoring the
success of reintroduction efforts and recovery efforts in general. To
minimize potential conflict with humans, which could undermine recovery
efforts, livestock depredations connected with some experimental
populations of listed species require prompt attention to (1) determine
the location, timing, and nature of the predatory behavior involved,
(2) accurately determine the species responsible for a livestock kill,
and (3) apply necessary control measures.
In cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture,
Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service, Division of Wildlife
Services, or other cooperating Federal agencies, we rely on prompt
public reporting of depredation in order to resolve livestock related
problems. Therefore, a time sensitive requirement for reporting
problems (generally within 24 hours) to the appropriate Service office
is necessary. Cooperating Federal agencies provide the vast majority of
the information collected by the Service as a result of experimental
population regulations.
[[Page 63173]]
However, some of the information is provided by the public. Information
collection is achieved primarily by means of telephone calls from
members of the public to Service offices specified in the individual
regulations (some may choose to use facsimile or electronic mail).
Reporting parties include, but are not limited to, individuals or
households, farms, businesses, and other nonprofit organizations. We
collect the following information:
(a) Name, address, and phone number of the reporting party.
(b) Type of incident.
(c) Location and time of the incident.
(d) Species of experimental population involved.
(e) Description of circumstances related to the incident.
The reporting of specimen collections, recovery, and dead
individuals from experimental populations is important to our efforts
to monitor these individuals and for other scientific purposes. Because
the number of reports generated annually by the general public (rather
than cooperating agencies or separately permitted individuals) under
the experimental population regulations is extremely small (far less
than one report per year, per rule) and to assure thorough
documentation of results, we estimate the number of expected reports to
assume a maximum number per year based on allowance for increased
population size and public awareness of experimental populations.
Several of the existing experimental populations described under 50 CFR
17.84 contain information collection requirements. This information
collection would also apply to any future experimental populations that
become established that require the same types of reports as listed
above.
Title: Endangered and Threatened Wildlife, 50 CFR 17.84,
Experimental populations.
OMB Control Number: 1018-0095.
Form Numbers: None.
Frequency: Occasionally.
Description of Respondents: Private individuals, households,
businesses, nonprofit organizations, and farms.
Total Annual Responses: 62.
Total Annual Burden Hours: 15.5 hours.
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Average time
Number of required per Total annual
Type of report respondents report burden (hours)
(minutes)
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General take or removal......................................... 20 15 5
Depredation related take........................................ 22 15 5.5
Specimen collection............................................. 20 15 5
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We again invite comments concerning this information collection on:
(1) Whether or not the collection of information is necessary for the
proper performance of our native endangered and threatened species
management functions, including whether or not 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
records covered by the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552(a)).
Dated: October 20, 2004.
Hope Grey,
Information Collection Clearance Officer, Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 04-24207 Filed 10-28-04; 8:45 am]
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