40728 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 146 /Thursday, July 30, 1998 / Notices

Name and Number of Animals:

Manatee (Trichecus manatus), up to 20.

Summary of Activity to be

Authorized: The applicant requests

amendment of PRT–766146 to provide

two new researchers authorization to

work under the permit to take captive

manatees at facilities in Florida for the

purpose of scientific research.

Source of Marine Mammals: Captive

manatees at facilities in Florida.

Period of Activity: Up to 5 years from

issuance date of permit, if issued.

Concurrent with the publication of

this notice in the Federal Register, the

Office of Management Authority is

forwarding copies of this application to

the Marine Mammal Commission and

the Committee of Scientific Advisors for

their review.

Written data or comments, requests

for copies of the complete application,

or requests for a public hearing on this

application should be sent to the U.S.

Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of

Management Authority, 4401 N. Fairfax

Drive, Room 700, Arlington, Virginia

22203, telephone 703/358–2104 or fax

703/358–2281 and must be received

within 30 days of the date of publication

of this notice. Anyone requesting a

hearing should give specific reasons

why a hearing would be appropriate.

The holding of such a hearing is at the

discretion of the Director.

Documents and other information

submitted with these applications are

available for review, subject to the

requirements of the Privacy Act and

Freedom of Information Act, by any

party who submits a written request for

a copy of such documents to the

following office within 30 days of the

date of publication of this notice: U.S.

Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of

Management Authority, 4401 North

Fairfax Drive, Room 700, Arlington,

Virginia 22203. Phone: (703/358-2104);

FAX: (703/358–2281).

Dated: July 24, 1998.

Karen Anderson,

Acting Chief, Branch of Permits, Office of

Management Authority.

[FR Doc. 98–20336 Filed 7–29–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Geological Survey

Request for Public Comments on

Proposed Three-Year Program of

Customer Satisfaction Information

Collection—to be Submitted to the

Office of Management and Budget for

Review Under the Paperwork

Reduction Act

A plan for the three-year proposed

information collection program

described herein will be submitted to

the Office of Management and Budget

for approval under the provisions of the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44

U.S.C. Chapter 35). Copies of the

proposed information collection plan

may be obtained by contacting the U.S.

Geological Survey’s (USGS) Clearance

Officer at the phone number listed

below or e-mail

customer@www.usgs.gov. Comments

and suggestions on the plan are

encouraged and should be made within

60 days directly to the Bureau Clearance

Officer, USGS, National Center, 12201

Sunrise Valley Drive, M.S. 807, Reston,

Virginia 20192. Telephone 703/648–

7313.

Specific Public comments are

requested as to:

1. Whether the collection of

information is necessary for the proper

performance of the functions of the

USGS, including whether the

information will have practical utility;

2. The accuracy of the USGS estimate

of the burden of the collection of

information, including the validity of

the methodology and assumptions used;

3. The quality, utility, and clarity of

the information to be collected; and

4. How to minimize the burden at the

collection of information on those who

respond, including the use of

appropriate automated, electronic,

mechanical, or other forms of

information technology.

Title: ‘‘Three-Year Program of

Voluntary Customer Satisfaction

Information Collections in Accordance

with Executive Order 12862, ‘Setting

Customer Service Standards,’ Within

the U.S. Geological Survey.’’

OMB approval number: New

collection.

Abstract: The USGS provides science

for a changing world by delivering

reliable and impartial information that

describes the Earth, its natural

processes, and its natural species. Much

of this information is used to minimize

the loss of life and property from natural

disasters; manage water, biological,

energy, and mineral resources; enhance

and protect quality of life; and to

contribute to wise societal, economic,

and physical development. The USGS

recognizes that excellent customer

service is a key component of good

government and that its interface with

customers reflects the effectiveness of

its organization. USGS is committed to

engaging customers in a dialog to

identify customer needs and satisfaction

levels, and to deliver USGS products,

information and services to customers

in a timely and accurate manner.

Under the proposed three year

information collection program,

voluntary customer surveys will be

conducted to ascertain customer

satisfaction with the products,

information and services of the USGS.

Measures such as timeliness,

accessibility, accuracy, availability,

product and service quality, service

responsiveness, and courtesy of service

will serve as the focus of these surveys.

The surveys will involve individuals

who interact directly with the USGS to

use or to request its products,

information and/or services. Over the

three-year period, the USGS will focus

on encouraging and obtaining

satisfaction feedback from customers

involved in three areas of effort:

partnerships and cooperative

agreements, technical assistance, and

public inquiries and requests for

publications, information, services,

maps, and/or other products. This last

area will also include a survey of our

web-page customers to ensure that our

web pages are useful and easy to access

and read. For the partnerships and

cooperative agreements area, the USGS

will ask its partners and cooperators

(many of them work for State

government agencies) for feedback about

our service and whether or not we are

meeting their needs. For the technical

assistance area, USGS will ask

customers who have requested scientific

technical assistance if this assistance

has been provided in a timely manner,

with courtesy, and whether or not the

assistance met the customer’s

expectations. In the public inquiries and

requests for information, products, and

services area, customers of USGS web

pages, Information Centers, and map

sales centers will be asked if the service

was satisfactory and if the product was

delivered in a timely manner.

To minimize burden on respondents,

the surveys will be conducted using a

variety of mechanisms ranging from

questionnaires, comment cards,

electronic queries and web-based

feedback systems to focus groups.

Customer information gathered from the

surveys will be used to evaluate and

improve satisfaction levels and to better

meet customer needs. The average
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 146 /Thursday, July 30, 1998 / Notices 40729

burden per response for these activities

is estimated to range from 5 minutes for

a simple card to 1 hour for a focus

group. Summarized results of customer

satisfaction surveys will be published

annually by the USGS in a Report to

Customers, which will be made

available to customers through USGS

information centers and through its web

pages.

Bureau form number: None.

Frequency: An estimated 10–20

surveys (ranging from comment cards,

web-based and electronic surveys, and

mail-out questionnaires) and 5–10 focus

groups per year to evaluate customer

satisfaction with specific products,

information and services.

Description of respondents:

Representatives of state, local, and tribal

government agencies; universities and

schools; non-government and nonprofit

natural resource organizations; and

some private citizens.

Estimated completion time: Varies

depending upon the mechanism used:

approximately 5 minutes for a comment

card to one hour for a focus group

session.

Annual responses: Approximately 20

surveys each with 500 responses and 10

focus groups each with 25 responses.

Annual burden hours: 2250 hours. (20

surveys)(500 responses)(0.2 hours)+(10

focus groups)(25 responses)(1 hour)

Bureau clearance officer: John

Cordyack, 703/648–7313.

Dated: July 23, 1998.

Michael P. McDermott,

Chief, Office of Outreach.

[FR Doc. 98–20291 Filed 7–29–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–Y7–M

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[ES–930–08–1430–00 Michigan]

Notice of Disclaimer of Interest

SUMMARY: The purpose of this notice is

to inform claimants, the State of

Michigan, and the general public of a

decision by the United States Sixth

Circuit Court of Appeals affecting the

processing of claims to certain islands

under the Michigan Public Lands

Improvement Act (MPLIA) of October

28, 1998, Pub. L. No. 100–537, 102 Stat.

2711. The court’s decision in the case of

Barbara W. Wolff and Janice Wheeler

Tinker v. United States (Wheeler), 967

F. 2nd 222 (1992), held that, under

Michigan law, title to islands which had

been omitted from the original Federal

survey passed to the littoral land owner

when the littoral lands were patented.

This is because the government did not

survey the islands prior to the original

conveyance, nor did the United States

make any reservations of the islands in

the patents for the littoral lands. Upon

advice from the Department of the

Interior’s Office of the Solicitor, in

accordance with the above Sixth Circuit

Court of Appeals decision, it has been

determined that the United States has

no claim or interest in the islands listed

below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Deputy State Director, Walter Rewinski,

at (703) 440–1727, Eastern States,

Division of Resources Planning, Use and

Protection, 7450 Boston Boulevard,

Springfield, VA 22153.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

Federal land policy has long held that

lands, including islands, that were

omitted from the original Federal survey

remain the property of the United States

until the United States officially patents

the lands out of Federal ownership. In

1988, the MPLIA was enacted to transfer

unsurveyed islands in Michigan to the

State of Michigan unless a valid claim

by a private party to an island exists.

Section 3 of the MPLIA allows islands

to be sold by the Secretary of the

Interior to parties who could

demonstrate valid claims. The rights,

title, and interest of the United States to

any islands not purchased by claimants

within 10 years after the date of

enactment of the MPLIA would be

transferred by the Secretary of the

Interior to the State of Michigan under

and subject to this Act. Following the

passage of the MPLIA, the BLM received

claims for a number of unsurveyed

islands. In the early 1990’s, the BLM

transferred ownership of all unsurveyed

islands that did not receive claims to the

State of Michigan in accordance to the

MPLIA. The BLM then began

adjudicating the claims filed under the

MPLIA. Before adjudication could be

completed, however, the Sixth Circuit

decided Wheeler. The court held that

under Michigan law, the unsurveyed

islands had passed to the owners of the

adjacent littoral land because the

Government did not survey the island

prior to the conveyance of the adjacent

littoral lands, nor had the United States

made any reservation of the islands in

the patents for the littoral lands.

According to Wheeler, the United States

no longer has jurisdiction to sell islands

to qualified claimants or to transfer

islands to the State of Michigan.

Therefore, the United States disclaims

any interest in the islands listed below

subject to Wheeler. Seventeen islands

were surveyed by the United States after

the MPLIA was enacted but before the

Wheeler decision was made. These

islands are subject to Wheeler and the

United States disclaims interest in these

islands also.

UNSURVEYED ISLANDS SUBJECT TO WHEELER

[All are in Michigan Meridian]

County CCN TNP RNG SEC Acres Location

Alpena ................................. 001 31N 6E 3 0.80 Island in Thunder Bay River.

002 31N 6E 3 1.50 Island in Thunder Bay River.

003 31N 6E 11 0.30 Island in Thunder Bay River.

004 31N 6E 3 0.20 Island in Thunder Bay River.

005 32N 6E 36 0.20 Island in Thunder Bay River.

006 31N 8E 7 1.50 Island in Thunder Bay River.

007 31N 8E 7 0.20 Island in Thunder Bay River.

008 31N 8E 7 0.30 Island in Thunder Bay River.

009 31N 8E 7 0.40 Island in Thunder Bay River.

009 31N 8E 7 0.40 Island in Thunder Bay River.

010 31N 8E 18 0.30 Island in Thunder Bay River.

Barry .................................... 004 1N 10W 7 1.30 Island In Pine Lake.

005 1N 10W 15 2.80 Island In Crooked Lake.

Berrien ................................. 005 6S 18W 1 0.80 Island in St. Joseph River.

Branch ................................. 002 7S 5W 5 1.50 Island in Marble Lake.