Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 196 / Tuesday, October 12, 2004 / Notices 60637

respondent for the Parts Collection 

Survey. 

We again 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)).

Dated: September 30, 2004. 

Hope G. Grey, 

Information Collection Clearance Officer, 

Fish and Wildlife Service.

[FR Doc. 04–22846 Filed 10–8–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P

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; Sandhill 

Crane Harvest Survey

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior.

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service has submitted the collection of 

information listed below to OMB for 

approval under the provisions of the 

Paperwork Reduction Act. If you wish 

to obtain copies of the proposed 

information collection requirement, 

related forms, or explanatory material, 

contact the Service Information 

Collection Clearance Officer at the 

address listed below.

DATES: OMB has up to 60 days to 

approve or disapprove information 

collection but may respond after 30 

days. Therefore, to ensure maximum 

consideration, you must submit 

comments on or before November 12, 

2004.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments on 

this information collection to the Desk 

Officer for the Department of the 

Interior at OMB-OIRA via facsimile or 

electronic mail: (202) 395–6566 (fax); or 

OIRA_DOCKET@omb.eop.gov

(electronic mail). Please provide a copy 

of your comments to the Fish and 

Wildlife Service’s Information 

Collection Clearance Officer via postal 

mail, electronic mail, or facsimile: 4401 

N. Fairfax Dr., MS 222 ARLSQ, 

Arlington, VA 22203; 

Hope_Grey@fws.gov (electronic mail); or 

(703) 358–2269 (fax).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To 

request a copy of the information 

collection request, explanatory 

information, or related forms, contact 

Hope Grey at (703) 358–2482, or 

electronically to Hope_Grey@fws.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Office 

of Management and Budget (OMB) 

regulations at 5 CFR parts 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 be 

given an opportunity to comment on 

information collection and record 

keeping activities (see 5 CFR 1320.8(d)). 

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

(we) have submitted a request to OMB 

to renew its approval of the collection 

of information for the Sandhill Crane 

Harvest 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 1018–0023. 

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 

harvest. Knowledge attained by 

determining harvests and harvest rates 

of migratory game birds is used to 

regulate populations (by promulgating 

hunting regulations) and to encourage 

hunting opportunity, especially where 

crop depredations are chronic and/or 

lightly harvested populations occur. 

Based on information from harvest 

surveys, hunting regulations can be 

adjusted as needed to optimize harvests 

at levels that provide a maximum of 

hunting recreation while keeping 

populations at desired levels. 

This information collection renewal 

request seeks approval for us to 

continue conducting the Sandhill Crane 

Harvest Survey. This is an annual 

questionnaire survey of people who 

obtained a sandhill crane hunting 

permit. At the end of the hunting 

season, we randomly select a sample of 

permit holders and send those people a 

questionnaire that asks them to report 

the date, State, county, and number of 

birds harvested for each of their sandhill 

crane hunts. Their responses provide 

estimates of the temporal and 

geographic distribution of the harvest as 

well as the average harvest per hunter, 

which, combined with the total number 

of sandhill crane permits issued, 

enables the Service to estimate the total 

harvest of sandhill cranes. 

The Sandhill Crane Harvest Survey 

enables us to annually estimate the 

magnitude of the harvest and the 

portion it constitutes of the total midcontinent sandhill crane population. 

Based on information from this survey, 

hunting regulations are adjusted as 

needed to optimize harvest at levels that 

provide a maximum of hunting 

recreation while keeping populations at 

desired levels. 

On March 29, 2004, we published in 

the Federal Register (69 FR 16282) a 

notice informing the public that we 

planned to submit the forms described 

below to OMB for approval under the 

Paperwork Reduction Act. We requested 

public comment on the information 

collection for 60 days, ending May 28, 

2004. By that date, we did not receive 

any comments in response to the notice. 

Title: Sandhill Crane Harvest Survey. 

Approval Number: 1018–0023. 

Service Form Number: 3–2056N. 

Frequency of Collection: Annually. 

Description of Respondents:

Individuals and households. 

Number of Respondents: About 7,500 

hunters will respond to the Sandhill 

Crane Harvest Survey annually. 

Total Annual Burden Hours: We 

estimate the reporting burden to average 

5 minutes per respondent. Total annual 

burden is 625 hours. 

We again 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)).

60638 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 196 / Tuesday, October 12, 2004 / Notices 

Dated: September 30, 2004. 

Hope G. Grey, 

Information Collection Clearance Officer, 

Fish and Wildlife Service.

[FR Doc. 04–22847 Filed 10–8–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service 

Bayou Cocodrie National Wildlife 

Refuge

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability of Final 

Comprehensive Conservation Plan for 

Bayou Cocodrie National Wildlife 

Refuge located in Concordia Parish, 

Louisiana. 

SUMMARY: The Fish and Wildlife Service 

announces that a Final Comprehensive 

Conservation Plan for Bayou Cocodrie 

National Wildlife Refuge is available for 

distribution. The plan was prepared 

pursuant to the National Wildlife Refuge 

System Improvement Act of 1997, and 

in accordance with the National 

Environmental Policy Act of 1969, and 

describes how the refuge will be 

managed for the next 15 years. The 

compatibility determinations for 

recreational hunting, recreational 

fishing, wildlife observation and 

photography, environmental education 

and interpretation, forest habitat 

management, trapping of selected 

furbearers, and all-terrain vehicle use 

are available within the plan.

ADDRESSES: A copy of the plan may be 

obtained by writing to the Bayou 

Cocodrie National Wildlife Refuge, P.O. 

Box 1772, Ferriday, Louisiana 71334. 

The plan may also be accessed and 

downloaded from the Service’s Internet 

Web site: http://southeast.fws.gov/

planning/.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Bayou 

Cocodrie National Wildlife Refuge, 

located in east-central Louisiana, 

consists of 13,168 acres within a 22,269-

acre acquisition boundary. The refuge 

includes bottomland hardwood forests, 

marsh or herbaceous wetlands, swamps, 

streams, and lakes/deep-water habitats 

typical of the ridge and swale 

topography associated with bottomland 

hardwoods. The high quality forests, 

long growing season, abundant rainfall, 

and geographical proximity to the 

Mississippi River provide habitat for a 

diversity of resident species, including 

migratory songbirds and black bears. 

Annually, more than 5,500 visitors 

participate in refuge activities. 

The availability of the Draft 

Comprehensive Conservation Plan and 

Environmental Assessment, for a 60-day 

public review and comment period, was 

announced in the Federal Register on 

June 12, 2001, Volume 68, Number 98. 

The draft plan and environmental 

assessment identified and evaluated 

three alternatives for managing the 

refuge over the next 15 years. Under 

Alternative A, the ‘‘No Action 

Alternative,’’ current management of the 

refuge would continue, and all lands 

within the acquisition boundary would 

be purchased. Under Alternative B, the 

‘‘Preferred Alternative,’’ 42,269 acres of 

refuge lands would be protected, 

maintained, and enhanced for migratory 

nongame birds, threatened and 

endangered species, resident wildlife, 

waterfowl, and shorebirds. Under 

‘‘Alternative C,’’ 59,269 acres of refuge 

lands would be protected, restored, and 

enhanced for migratory nongame birds, 

threatened and endangered species, and 

resident wildlife. Based on the 

environmental assessment and the 

comments received, the Service adopted 

Alternative B, the ‘‘Preferred 

Alternative,’’ minus the large 

acquisition component. Internal 

reviewers questioned the utility of the 

large land acquisition component of 

Alternative B relative to Region-wide 

funding and priorities. The Service 

concluded that if the lands within the 

existing refuge acquisition boundary 

were prioritized for land protection and 

acquisition, as analyzed in Alternative 

A, it would best achieve national, 

ecosystem, and refuge-specific goals and 

objectives. This would include meeting 

source population objectives of 

migratory songbirds and protecting 

Louisiana black bear habitat within 

anticipated funding and staffing levels. 

In addition, the action positively 

addresses significant issues and 

concerns expressed by the public.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Refuge Manager, Bayou Cocodrie 

National Wildlife Refuge, telephone: 

318/336–7119; fax: 318/336–5610;

e-mail: bayoucocodrie@fws.gov; or mail 

(write to Refuge Manager at address in 

ADDRESSES section).

Authority: This notice is published under 

the authority of the National Wildlife Refuge 

System Improvement Act of 1997, Public 

Law 105–57.

Dated: August 7, 2004. 

J. Mitch King, 

Acting Regional Director.

[FR Doc. 04–22822 Filed 10–8–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–55–M

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management 

[ES–960–1910–BJ–4489; ES–052439, Group 

No. 26, Illinois] 

Eastern States: Filing of Plat of Survey

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior.

ACTION: Notice of filing of plat of survey; 

Illinois. 

SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land 

Management (BLM) will file the plat of 

survey of the lands described below in 

the BLM–Eastern States, Springfield, 

Virginia, 30 calendar days from the date 

of publication in the Federal Register.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Bureau of Land Management, 7450 

Boston Boulevard, Springfield, Virginia 

22153. Attn: Cadastral Survey.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This 

survey was requested by the U.S. Army 

Corps of Engineers. 

The lands we surveyed are:

Third Principal Meridian, Illinois 

T. 4 N., R. 9 W.

The plat of survey represents the 

survey of an amended portion of the 

Locks and Dam No. 27 acquisition 

boundary, in Township 4 North, Range 

9 West, of the Third Principal Meridian, 

in the State of Illinois, and was accepted 

on September 22, 2004. 

We will place a copy of the plat we 

described in the open files. It will be 

made available to the public as a matter 

of information.

Dated: September 22, 2004. 

Stephen D. Douglas, 

Chief Cadastral Surveyor.

[FR Doc. 04–22807 Filed 10–8–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–GJ–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management 

[ES–960–1910–BJ–4489; ES–052438, Group 

No. 18, Illinois] 

Eastern States: Filing of Plat of Survey

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management.

ACTION: Notice of filing of plat of survey; 

Illinois. 

SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land 

Management (BLM) will file the plat of 

survey of the lands described below in 

the BLM-Eastern States, Springfield, 

Virginia, 30 calendar days from the date 

of publication in the Federal Register.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Bureau of Land Management, 7450