Information Collection Submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Approval Under the Paperwork Reduction Act

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

Information Collection Submitted to the Office of Management and

Budget (OMB) for Approval Under the Paperwork Reduction Act

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The information collection requirements to evaluate visitor

response to the recreation fee demonstration program in the U.S. Fish

and Wildlife Service's National Wildlife Refuges has been submitted to

OMB for approval under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of

1995.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before April 8, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Comments and suggestions on specific requirements should be

sent directly 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

a copy to the Service's Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S.

Fish and Wildlife Service, [MS 222 ARLSQ], 1849 C Street, NW.,

Washington, DC 20240.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Stephens R. Vehrs, Refuge Specialist, Division of Refuges, 703/358-

2397; or Phadrea Ponds, Wildlife Biologist, U.S. Geological Survey,

Fort Collins, CO, 970/226-9445.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Service submitted the following proposed

information collection clearance requirement to OMB for review and

approval under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13.

Comments are invited on (1) whether the 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 burden, including the validity of

the methodology and assumptions used; (3) ways to enhance 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 through the use of appropriate automated,

electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or

other forms of information technology.

Congress authorized a recreation fee demonstration program in

Public Law 104-134. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was one of the

four agencies mandated to implement the program and evaluate its impact

on the visiting public. This study is designed to scientifically

evaluate visitor reactions impact of the fees on visitation to the

national wildlife refuges (NWR); it will be conducted by the U.S.

Geological Survey, Biological Resources Division, Social Economic and

Institutional Analysis Section in Fort Collins, Colorado under a

cooperative agreement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

To represent the various types of fee changes, as well as fee

demonstration refuges, six distinct fee programs and ten refuges were

selected for inclusion in the study. These include (1) new entrance

fees (Sacramento NWR, CA and Aransas NWR, TX); (2) increased entrance

fees (Dungeness NWR, WA); (3) new annual passes (Chincoteaque NWR, VA

and Crab Orchard NWR, IL); (4) new hunt fees (St. Catherine's Creek

NWR, MS and Balcones NWR, TX); (5) non-hunt use permits (Buenos Aires

NWR, AZ and Fort Niobrara NWR, NE), and (6) non-fee adjustments

(Piedmont NWR, GA). Random samples of individuals using these refuges

will be surveyed.

The Service plans to use as part of the evaluation process a survey

questionnaire to assess the different fee programs. An on-site

questionnaire will be distributed during the peak season to a random

sample of the visiting public. A minimum of 400 completed surveys will

be obtained for each fee type. An additional 200 surveys will be

obtained from Sacramento NWR to allow for generation of a statistic on

credit card entrances. Overall, this will result in a total sample of

2,600 respondents. The margin of error for each fee type is

5% at the 95% confidence level. The information gained from

this survey will provide a scientific basis for evaluating the

viability of the fee program among the visiting public. The lead

project officer is Dr. Jonathan G. Taylor, Research Social Scientist,

phone 970-226-9438, 4512 McMurry Avenue, Fort Collins, CO 80525-3400.

Title: Evaluation of visitor responses to recreation fee

demonstration program.

Bureau form number: None.

Frequency of collection: Annual.

Description of respondents: Individuals and households.

Number of respondents: 2,600.

Estimated completion time: 10 minutes.

Burden estimate: 433 hours.

Paul R. Schmidt,

Acting Assistant Director for Refuges and Wildlife.

[FR Doc. 98-5999 Filed 3-6-98; 8:45 am]

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