Information Collection: Interagency Generic Clearance for Federal Land Management Agencies Collaborative Visitor Feedback Surveys on Recreation and Transportation Related Programs and Systems
| Published date | 27 October 2020 |
| Citation | 85 FR 68034 |
| Record Number | 2020-23758 |
| Section | Notices |
| Court | Forest Service |
Federal Register, Volume 85 Issue 208 (Tuesday, October 27, 2020)
[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 208 (Tuesday, October 27, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68034-68036]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-23758]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Information Collection: Interagency Generic Clearance for Federal
Land Management Agencies Collaborative Visitor Feedback Surveys on
Recreation and Transportation Related Programs and Systems
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice; request for comment.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the
Forest Service is seeking comments from all interested individuals and
entities on the renewal of a currently approved information collection,
Generic Clearance for Recreation and Transportation.
DATES: Comments must be received in writing by December 28, 2020.
ADDRESSES: Send comments to USDA Forest Service, National Forest
System, Pacific-Northwest Office, Attention: Eric M. White, Social
Science and Economics Lead (Acting), Ecosystem Management System, 1220
SW 3rd Avenue, Suite 310, Portland, OR 97204. Comments also may be
submitted via email to [email protected]. All comments, including
names and addresses when provided, will be placed in the record and
will be available for public inspection and copying. The public may
review comments at: http://www.regulations.gov.
The public may inspect comments received at USDA Forest Service,
Pacific North West-Portland Office during normal business hours.
Visitors are encouraged to call ahead to facilitate entry to the
building at (503) 808-2468.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Eric M. White, Social Science and
Economics Lead (Acting), Ecosystem Management System, National Forest
Systems by telephone at (360) 999-0580 or by email at
[email protected].
Individuals who use telecommunication devices for the deaf may call
the Federal Relay Service at 800-877-8339 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.
eastern time, Monday through Friday.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Interagency Generic Clearance for Federal Land Management
Agencies Collaborative Visitor Feedback Surveys on Recreation and
Transportation Related Programs and Systems.
OMB Number: 0596-0236.
Expiration Date of Approval: November 30, 2020.
Type of Request: Renewal with Revisions.
Type of Respondents: Individuals, businesses, and non-federal
governmental entities.
Abstract: Federal Land Management Agencies (FLMAs) need to acquire
visitor and user feedback about site- or area-specific services,
facilities, road and/or travel systems, needs, programs, demographics,
management of FLMA lands, and/or other quantitative information on FLMA
lands in cross-jurisdictional landscapes. FLMAs include, but are not
limited, to: USDA Forest Service; National Park Service; Bureau of Land
Management; U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service; U.S. Geological
[[Page 68035]]
Survey; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; Presidio Trust; and Bureau of
Reclamation.
This direct feedback is vital to establish or revise goals and
objectives for FLMA recreation-related transportation system programs,
inform land management plans, and facilitate interagency coordination
across multijurisdictional landscapes. As a result of using this
feedback, FLMAs are better able to meet the needs of the public and
more effectively utilize the resources under FLMA management.
The benefits of an FLMA interagency generic information collection
(IC) include significant public and agency time and cost savings. If
multiple FLMAs in an area work jointly on one visitor feedback
information collection under a generic clearance from OMB, there would
be significant savings in government time and costs related to survey
development, administration, and data processing. The public burden
would be diminished as the public would only need to respond to one,
jointly-sponsored, survey.
There are several authorities that obligate participating FLMAs to
solicit public input to improve public lands management to better serve
the public, including:
1. Forest Service Administration Organic Act of 1897 (16 U.S.C.
473-478, 479-482, and 551) as amended by the Transfer Act of 1905 (16
U.S.C. 472, 524, 554);
2. National Forest Management Act of 1976 (Pub. L. 94-588, 2(3),
6(d)), as amended;
3. Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (Pub. L. 103-62)
as amended;
4. National Park Services Act of 1916;
5. National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966;
6. National Wildlife Refuge System Centennial Act (Pub. L. 106-
408);
7. The Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) of 1976; and
8. National Environmental Policy Act of 1969.
Respondents include visitors and potential visitors to FLMA units
and residents of communities in or near FLMA units. Additionally,
respondents may include state or local agency/organization staff who
are involved with public lands management, as well as businesses near
FLMA lands. Because many of the FLMA information collections may be
similar in terms of the populations being surveyed, types of questions
addressed, research methodologies, and data applications, the Forest
Service is requesting renewal of this generic Interagency IC clearance
from OMB to obtain quantitative and qualitative visitor and user
feedback through surveys, focus groups, and/or interviews.
Information collection could occur at one location, several
locations, across FLMA units, across regions, across the nation, and
could be multi-jurisdictional at any of these levels. Information
collection activities could occur once, could occur as iterative
collections over a short time period, or could occur over long periods
of time at some periodic, planned time interval. Individual, agency/
organization, or business feedback could be collected through
facilitated focus groups, surveys, individual interviews (qualitative
or quantitative), and comment cards with information electronically-
recorded or hand-written, via telephone, via mail-back survey, or via
electronic means (e.g., QR codes on Smartphones or via social media
engagement). Potential participants would be contacted at pertinent
sites, including FLMA access points. Information could be gathered pre-
or post-visit.
In general, questions will relate to the recreation experience at
one or more specific locations (e.g., one or more FLMA's lands) and
could address one or more of the following key categories:
1. Mobility and access (for example, different transportation modes
used to access sites;
2. Satisfaction with transportation related services and
facilities; use and satisfaction with traveler information; reasons for
non-visitation);
3. Resource management (for example, support for different
management approaches);
4. Safety (for example, safety-related incidents that occurred);
5. Environment (for example, visitor priorities with respect to
natural and cultural resources; perceptions related to sound);
6. Economic development (for example, amount of money visitors
spend within the area);
7. Trip characteristics (for example, length of trip, trip purpose,
activities, and destinations); and
8. Visitor/user demographics (for example, home city and state, age
group, gender, race, and number of people/vehicles in party).
Should any personally identifiable information (PII) be collected,
to ensure anonymity, PII will not be stored with contact information at
any time, and contact information will be redacted from researcher's
files once data collections are completed.
Participation will be strictly voluntary. The information could be
collected and analyzed by FLMA personnel, private contractors, other
government agency partners, or universities or other educational
institutions conducting the information collection on behalf of the
FLMAs. All results will be aggregated so specific responses cannot be
connected to specific respondents. The data collected would provide
managers with statistically reliable visitor data necessary to help
FLMA units provide their customers with better service and coordinate
more effectively across jurisdictions. More specifically, the collected
information can better inform strategic planning; allocations of
physical, fiscal, or human resources; modification or refinement of
various program management goals and objectives or management plan
revisions; and future planning efforts focused on developing more
effective and efficient delivery of program services, whether on one or
several unit(s) or at an interagency, cross-jurisdictional scope. This
information may also help FLMAs respond to queries from the general
public and organizations including Congressional staffs, newspapers,
magazines, and transportation or recreational trade organizations.
Without these joint, coordinated information collections, the FLMAs
will lack the information necessary to identify and implement feasible
and publicly accepted transportation, facility, and service
improvements that protect public land resources and enhance visitor
experience. These joint information collections will become more
important as demand for access to FLMA recreation sites and
opportunities continues to grow. Information from these collections
will improve management of FLMA resources and visitor experiences while
helping the FLMAs meet their various resource, recreation, and
transportation management mandates.
Estimate of Burden: Public reporting burden for this collection of
information is estimated to average 0.25 hours for surveys, 1.5 hours
for focus groups, 1 hour for interviews, and 0.05 hours for comment
cards.
Respondents: Respondents would include visitors and potential
visitors to FLMA units or subunits, and residents of communities in or
near FLMA units. Additionally, respondents may include state or local
agency/organization staff who are involved with public lands, as well
as, businesses near FLMA lands.
Affected Public: Individuals and Households, Businesses and Non-
Profit Organizations, and/or State, Local or Tribal Government.
[[Page 68036]]
Estimated Number of Respondents: The estimated total number of
respondents and non-respondent contacts over three years is 139,875.
Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent and non-respondent
contact: 1.
Estimated Total Annual Burden over three years on Respondents and
non-respondent contacts: 16,830 hours.
Comments are invited on: (1) 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; (2) 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; (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 those who
are to respond, including the use of appropriate automated, electronic,
mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms
of information technology.
All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the
request for OMB approval. All comments will become a matter of public
record.
Christopher B. French,
Deputy Chief, National Forest System.
[FR Doc. 2020-23758 Filed 10-26-20; 8:45 am]
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