[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 154 (Friday, August 8, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46322-46323]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-18338]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R7-R-2008-NO182] [70138-1263-0000-4A]


Information Collection Sent to the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) for Approval; Alaska Guide Service Evaluation

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: We (Fish and Wildlife Service) have sent an Information 
Collection Request (ICR) to OMB for review and approval. The ICR, which 
is summarized below, describes the nature of the collection and the 
estimated burden and cost. We 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.

DATES: You must submit comments on or before September 8, 2008.

ADDRESSES: Send your comments and suggestions on this ICR to the Desk 
Officer for the Department of the Interior at OMB-OIRA at (202) 395-
6566 (fax) or <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection" class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="7f30362d3e203b303c343a2b3f30323d511a100f51181009">[email protected]</a> (e-mail). Please provide a copy 
of your comments to Hope Grey, Information Collection Clearance 
Officer, Fish and Wildlife Service, MS 222-ARLSQ, 4401 North Fairfax 
Drive, Arlington, VA 22203 (mail); (703) 358-2269 (fax); or hope_
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection" class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="b9decbdcc0f9dfceca97ded6cf">[email protected]</a> (e-mail).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information 
about this ICR, contact Hope Grey by mail, fax, or e-mail (see 
ADDRESSES) or by telephone at (703) 358-2482.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    OMB Control Number: None. This is a new collection.
    Title: Alaska Guide Service Evaluation.
    Service Form Number(s): 3-2349.
    Type of Request: New collection.
    Affected Public: Clients of permitted commercial guide service 
providers.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Frequency of Collection: One time following use of commercial guide 
services.
    Estimated Annual Number of Respondents: 396.
    Estimated Total Annual Responses: 396.
    Estimated Time Per Response: 15 minutes.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 99.
    Abstract: We are proposing to collect information to help us 
evaluate commercial guide services on our national wildlife refuges in 
the State of Alaska (State). The National Wildlife Refuge 
Administration Act of 1966, as amended (16 U.S.C. 668dd-ee), authorizes 
us to permit uses, including commercial visitor services, on national 
wildlife refuges when we find the activity to be compatible with the 
purposes for which the refuge was established. With the objective of 
making available a variety of quality visitor services for wildlife-
dependent recreation on National Wildlife Refuge System lands, we issue 
permits for commercial guide services, including big game hunting, 
sport fishing, wildlife viewing, river trips, and other guided 
activities. We plan to use FWS Form 3-2349 (Alaska Guide Service 
Evaluation) as a method to:
    (1) Monitor the quality of services provided by commercial guides.
    (2) Gauge client satisfaction with the services.
    (3) Assess the impacts of the activity on refuge resources.
    The client is the best source of information on the quality of 
commercial guiding services. We plan to collect:
    (1) Client name.
    (2) Guide name(s).
    (3) Type of guided activity.
    (4) Dates and location of guided activity.
    (5) Information on the services received such as the client's 
expectations, safety, environmental impacts, and client's overall 
satisfaction.
    We will encourage respondents to provide any additional comments 
that they wish regarding the guide service or refuge experience, and 
ask whether or not they wish to be contacted for additional 
information.
    The above information, in combination with State-required guide 
activity reports and contacts with guides and clients in the field, 
will provide a comprehensive method for monitoring permitted commercial 
guide activities. A regular program of client evaluation will help 
refuge managers detect potential problems with guide services so that 
we can take corrective actions promptly. In addition, we will use this 
information during the competitive selection process for big game and 
sport fishing guides to evaluate an applicant's

[[Page 46323]]

ability to provide a quality guiding service.
    We will provide the evaluation form to clients by one of several 
methods:
    (1) The refuge may mail the form to the clients.
    (2) On websites of refuges where guide services are permitted.
    (3) Upon request.
    Comments: On January 22, 2008, we published in the Federal Register 
(73 FR 3752) a notice of our intent to request that OMB approve this 
information collection. In that notice, we solicited comments for 60 
days, ending on March 24, 2008. We received one comment, which did not 
address issues surrounding the proposed collection of information. The 
commenter objected to the issuing of permits for guided hunting 
services on national wildlife refuges. We did not make any changes to 
our information collection requirements as a result of this comment.
    We again invite comments concerning this information collection on:
    (1) whether or not the collection of information is necessary, 
including whether or not the information will have practical utility;
    (2) the accuracy of our estimate of the burden for this 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.
    Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of 
public record. 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 OMB in your comment to withhold your personal 
identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that it 
will be done.

    Dated: June 23, 2008
Hope Grey,
Information Collection Clearance Officer, Fish and Wildlife Service.
FR Doc. E8-18338 Filed 8-7-08; 8:45 am
BILLING CODE 4310-55-S


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