Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 78 / Tuesday April 24, 2007 / Notices 20363 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

National Park Service 

60-Day Notice of Intention To Request 

Clearance of Collection of Information; 

Opportunity for Public Comment 

AGENCY: Department of the Interior, 

National Park Service 

ACTION: Notice and request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: Under the provisions of the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and 5 

CFR part 1320, Reporting and Record 

Keeping Requirements, the National 

Park Service (NPS) invites public 

comments on a proposed new collection 

of information (1024–xxxx). 

DATES: Public comments will be 

accepted on or before June 25, 2007. 

ADDRESSES: Send Comments To: Dr. 

Wayne Freimund, Department of 

Society and Conservation, University of 

Montana, Missoula, MT 59801; Phone: 

(406) 243–5184; Fax (406) 243–6656, email: wayne.friemund@umontana.edu. 

Also, you may send comments to 

Leonard Stowe, NPS Information 

Collection Clearance Officer, 1849 C St., 

NW. (2605), Washington, DC 20240, or 

by e-mail at Leonard_stowe@nps.gov All 

responses to this notice will be 

summarized and included in the request 

for the Office of Management and 

Budget (OMB) approval. All comments 

will become a matter of public record. 

To Request a Draft of Proposed 

Collection of Information Contact: 

Wayne Freimund, Department of 

Society and Conservation, University of 

Montana, Missoula, MT 59801; Phone: 

(406) 243–5184; e-mail: 

wayne.freimund@umontana.edu 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. 

Michael Patterson, Department of 

Society and Conservation, University of 

Montana, Missoula, MT 59801; Phone: 

(406) 243–6614; Fax (406) 243–6656; 

e-mail: michael.patterson@ 

umontana.edu. You are entitled to a 

copy of the entire ICR package free of 

charge. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Title: Winter Visitor Experiences in 

Yellowstone National Park. 

Bureau Form Number: None. 

OMB Number: To be requested. 

Expiration Date: To be requested. 

Type of Request: New collection. 

Description of Need: The proposed 

study would provide key information 

for implementation of a decision on 

winter use planning in Yellowstone 

National Park. The purpose of this 

research is to assist Park managers in 

identifying efficient, salient and 

effective dimensions of the visitor 

experience for applications in 

monitoring efforts. Those monitoring 

efforts can then be tailored to the 

evaluation of NPS policy and 

management actions. 

Winter use activities in the park are 

guided by monitoring, mitigation and 

adaptive management. As such, 

‘‘Scientific studies and monitoring of 

winter visitor use and park resources 

(including air quality, natural 

soundscapes, wildlife, employee health 

and safety, water quality, and visitor 

experience) will continue. Selected 

areas of the parks, including sections of 

roads, may be closed to visitor use if 

studies indicate that human presence or 

activities have unacceptable effects on 

wildlife or other park resources that 

could not otherwise be mitigated.’’ (NPS 

Winter Use EIS, 2007 P. 32) No winterspecific social science research has been 

conducted since the managed winter 

program went into effect in 2002; this 

was identified as a weakness during 

scoping and in cooperating agency 

discussions. This proposed research 

will provide needed information by 

evaluating three components: (1) The 

role of the natural soundscape in visitor 

experiences, (2) visitor perceptions of 

human-wildlife interactions, and (3) 

snowcoach and snowmobile guides’

perceptions of the effectiveness of the 

guide-only policy. 

1. The Role of the Natural Soundscape 

in Visitor Experiences 

Yellowstone National Park (YNP) has 

requested research into visitor 

experiences of natural sounds. The 

recent changes in winter use motorized 

access in YNP require snowmobiles in 

the park to use clean and quiet 

technology. These changes have led to 

the need to better understand the role of 

natural sounds in the winter visitor 

experience. The purpose of this study is 

to provide park managers with specific 

information on visitor perceptions of the 

experience of the natural soundscape 

and on visitor willingness to support 

management actions that affect the 

natural soundscape in Yellowstone 

National Park. The purpose of the 

interview approach for soundscape 

research is to obtain an in-depth 

understanding of visitor experiences of 

the natural soundscape and to better 

understand the context within which 

soundscape policies affect the visitor 

experience. 

Previous research in Yellowstone 

National Park has documented the 

existence of differing values held among 

visitors for the park itself. Strong 

relationships between perceived park 

values and visitor willingness to 

support park management activities 

have been previously documented. The 

research proposed for the next winter 

use season will build on this 

knowledge, expanding it to include the 

natural soundscape resource, providing 

the park with information on the status 

of visitor perceptions of park values, 

visitor perceptions of the importance of 

natural sounds to their experience, and 

visitor willingness to support 

management actions affecting the 

natural soundscape. In addition to the 

in-depth interviews, an on-site 

questionnaire will be utilized for this 

portion of the soundscape research. 

2. Visitor Perceptions of HumanWildlife Interactions 

This study seeks to provide park 

managers with specific information on 

visitor perceptions of wildlife 

interactions that occur in Yellowstone 

National Park. The recent changes in 

winter use policy require the 

snowmobile experience to be guided, 

which leads to different types of visitorwildlife interactions. YNP has requested 

research exploring how winter visitors 

appraise the human-bison interactions 

they observe during their visit. The 

primary goals are to explore snowcoach 

and snowmobile passengers’ appraisals 

of the human-bison interactions they 

witness during their visits, to analyze 

situational and visitor characteristics 

that might influence those appraisals, 

and to explore visitors’ judgments about 

when consequences of winter use for 

bison are serious enough to warrant 

management intervention regulating 

these interactions. 

3. The Effectiveness of the Guide-Only 

Policy in Yellowstone National Park: 

The Perspective of Snowcoach and 

Snowmobile Guides 

Recent winter use plans at 

Yellowstone National Park have 

required that each snowmobile comply 

with best available technology, that all 

groups be guided, and that the total 

number of daily winter visitors be 

capped. These restrictions were 

implemented to reduce impacts to 

wildlife, improve compliance with 

winter use rules, reduce visitor conflict, 

and address visitor carrying capacity. 

This study will look at the effectiveness 

of these managerial interventions 

through the eyes of the professional 

guides. Many guides have been working 

in the park on a daily basis for years; 

thus, they offer a unique perspective on 

how the conditions in the park have 

changed and what seems to be working 

best within the new winter use system. 

Interviews, to be conducted during the 


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20364 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 78 / Tuesday April 24, 2007 / Notices 

winter use season, will rely on an openended, in-depth process. 

Comments are invited on: (1) The 

practical utility of the information being 

gathered; (2) the accuracy of the burden 

hour estimate; (3) ways to enhance the 

quality, utility, and clarity of the 

information to be collected; and (4) 

ways to minimize the burden to 

respondents, including use of 

automated information collection 

techniques or other forms of information 

technology. Before including your 

address, phone number, e-mail address, 

or other personal identifying 

information in your comment, you 

should be aware that your entire 

comment—including your personal 

identifying information—may be made 

publicly available at any time. While 

you can ask us in your comment to 

withhold your personal identifying 

information from public review, we 

cannot guarantee that we will be able to 

do so. 

Automated data collection: This 

information will be collected via inperson interviews and surveys. No 

automated data collection will take 

place. 

Description of respondents: 

Components 1 and 2: Visitors stopping 

at the Old Faithful Snow Lodge and Old 

Faithful Geyser on 20 days during the 

2007–2008 winter use season. 

Component 3: Snowmobile and 

snowcoach guides in Yellowstone 

National Park. 

Estimated average number of 

respondents: Component 1: 165 (120 

respondents for on-site survey; 45 

respondents for interviews). Component 

2: 400. Component 3: 30. 

Estimated average number of 

responses: Component 1: 165 (120 

respondents for on-site survey; 45 

respondents for interviews). Component 

2: 400. Component 3: 30. 

Estimated average burden hours per 

response: Component 1: 25 minutes for 

on-site survey respondents; 30 minutes 

for interview respondents. Component 

2: 25 minutes. Component 3: 33 

minutes. 

Frequency of Response: 1 time per 

respondent. 

Estimated annual reporting burden: 

256 hours. 

Dated: April 16, 2007. 

Leonard E. Stowe, 

NPS, Information Collection Clearance 

Officer. 

[FR Doc. 07–2019 Filed 4–23–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4312–CT–M 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

National Park Service 

Final General Management Plan/ 

Environmental Impact Statement, 

Badlands National Park, North Unit, 

South Dakota 

AGENCY: National Park Service, 

Department of the Interior. 

SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(C) 

of the National Environmental Policy 

Act of 1969, the National Park Service 

(NPS) announces the availability of the 

Record of Decision (ROD) for the Final 

General Management Plan/ 

Environmental Impact Statement (GMP/ 

EIS) for Badlands National Park, North 

Unit (park). A separate GMP is being 

developed for the guidance and 

management of the South Unit of 

Badlands National Park, and is 

scheduled to be completed in three 

years. Specifically, the NPS has selected 

the preferred alternative as described in 

the Final GMP/EIS. Under the selected 

action, the NPS will provide expanded 

opportunities for visitors to use the 

North Unit of the park. The number of 

locations where visitors could obtain 

park information and orientation will be 

increased with new visitor contact 

stations added near Pinnacles and in the 

town of Scenic. In addition, more hiking 

trails and routes will be designated in 

various parts of the park. Education 

pavilions will be added in the Conata 

picnic area and west of County Road 

502 along with a group campground. 

Additional studies and environmental 

documents will be developed, as 

appropriate, to examine alternative road 

alignments for the Loop Road at Cedar 

Pass. Finally, the NPS will recommend 

expanding the park’s boundaries in two 

locations to enhance resource protection 

and offer additional visitor experiences. 

One boundary expansion will 

incorporate approximately 5,400 acres 

along South Dakota Highway 44. The 

other recommended addition will be 

4,500 acres along the western edge 

adjacent to the wilderness area. 

The selected action and three other 

alternatives were analyzed in the draft 

and final GMP/EIS. The full range of 

foreseeable environmental 

consequences was assessed. Among the 

alternatives the NPS considered, the 

selected action best achieves a high 

standard of natural and cultural 

resource protection with improved 

opportunities for visitors in the park. 

Furthermore, the selected action 

responds to the changing visitation 

pattern the park has been experiencing. 

In the recent years, western South 

Dakota has become more of a 

destination for visitors with Rapid City 

serving as the hub for this visitation. 

This shift in tourism patterns has 

increased the number of park visitors 

entering the park through the western 

entrances. The selected action also 

provides needed improvements for park 

operations, such as areas for additional 

park housing and research support. The 

park is located in a rural area and 

housing for employees is limited in the 

surrounding communities. In addition, 

the park has developed a good 

relationship with the natural resources 

research community but has limited 

facilities for supporting these efforts. 

The selected action would address the 

need to provide facilities for park 

operations and research. The selected 

action also meets national 

environmental policy goals will not 

result in the impairment of resources 

and values. 

The ROD includes a statement of the 

decision made, synopses of other 

alternatives considered, the basis for the 

decision, the rationale for why the 

selected action is the environmentally 

preferred alternative, a finding of no 

impairment of park resources and 

values, and an overview of public 

involvement in the decisionmaking 

process. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Superintendent Paige Baker, Badlands 

National Park, 25216 Ben Reifel Road, 

P.O. Box 6, Interior, South Dakota 

57750, telephone 605–433–5361. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Copies of 

the Record of Decision may be obtained 

from the contact listed above or may be 

viewed online at http:// 

parkplanning.nps.gov/. 

Dated: December 14, 2006. 

Ernest Quintana, 

Regional Director, Midwest Region. 

This document was received at the Office 

of the Federal Register on April 19, 2007. 

[FR Doc. E7–7744 Filed 4–23–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4312–AD–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

National Park Service 

Notice of Intent To Prepare a General 

Management Plan and Environmental 

Impact Statement for the South Unit of 

Badlands National Park, South Dakota. 

AGENCY: National Park Service, 

Department of the Interior. 

SUMMARY: Under the provisions of the 

National Environmental Policy Act of 

1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the 

National Park Service (NPS) in 


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