81 FR 38732 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Request for Comments

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
U.S. Geological Survey

Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 114 (June 14, 2016)

We (the U.S. Geological Survey) will ask the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve the information collection (IC) described below. As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, and as part of our continuing efforts to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, we invite the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on this IC.

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 114 (Tuesday, June 14, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38732-38733]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2016-14033]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

U.S. Geological Survey

[GX.16.CG00.GDQ03.00]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Request for Comments

AGENCY: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Interior.

[[Page 38733]]


ACTION: Notice of a new information collection, Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta 
Berry Outlook.

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SUMMARY: We (the U.S. Geological Survey) will ask the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) to approve the information collection (IC) 
described below. As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 
1995, and as part of our continuing efforts to reduce paperwork and 
respondent burden, we invite the general public and other Federal 
agencies to take this opportunity to comment on this IC.

DATES: To ensure that your comments are considered, we must receive 
them on or before August 15, 2016.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on this information collection to 
the Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Geological Survey, 
12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, MS 807, Reston, VA 20192 (mail); (703) 648-
7197 (fax); or [email protected] (email). Please reference 
`Information Collection 1028-NEW, Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta Berry Outlook' 
in all correspondence.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nicole Herman-Mercer, Social 
Scientist, at (303) 236-5031 or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract

    The Yukon-Kuskokwim (YK) Delta Berry Outlook is a data and 
observer driven ecological monitoring and modeling framework that 
forecasts changes in berry habitat and abundance with climate and 
environmental change. In order to create a monitoring protocol and 
modeling framework we will solicit local knowledge of berry 
distribution and abundance from members of Yukon-Kuskokwim 
communities. Participants from the communities will take part in a 
survey that asks yes or no questions about the timing, abundance, 
and distribution of three types of berries that are important in 
their communities. Personally Identifiable Information (PII) will be 
limited to four elements: Names, phone numbers, emails, and the name 
of the village they reside in. This PII will be collected in order 
to communicate project results and solicit feedback on the project 
itself for evaluation purposes. Statistical analysis will be 
performed on the survey responses in order to ascertain if a 
consensus exists among participants within villages and among 
villages. The survey results will be one source of information used 
to create a model forecasting changes in Tribal food sources.
    The USGS mission is to serve the Nation by providing reliable 
scientific information to describe and understand the Earth. This 
project will collect information from individuals to better 
understand the abundance, distribution, and variability of berry 
resources in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta region of Alaska. The people 
of the YK delta rely on wild berries for a substantial part of their 
diet and hold information about the long term distribution and 
abundance of berries that is useful for understanding current and 
future changes to berry habitat due to climate change impacts that 
will effect both human and wildlife populations of the Yukon Delta 
region and the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge.

II. Data

    OMB Control Number: 1028--NEW.
    Title: Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta Berry Outlook.
    Type of Request: New information collection.
    Affected Public: Individuals; Tribal members that reside in the 
villages of Chevak, Hooper Bay, Kotlik, and Emmonak, Alaska.
    Respondent's Obligation: None, participation is voluntary.
    Frequency of Collection: One-time.
    Estimated Annual Number of Respondents: Forty.
    Estimated Total Number of Annual Responses: Forty.
    Estimated Time per Response: One hour.
    Estimated Annual Burden Hours: Forty hours.
    Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Non-Hour Cost'' Burden: 
None.
    Public Disclosure Statement: The PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501, et seq.) 
provides that an agency may not conduct or sponsor and you are not 
required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a 
currently valid OMB control number and current expiration date.

III. Request for Comments

    We are soliciting comments as to: (a) Whether the proposed 
collection of information is necessary for the agency to perform its 
duties, including whether the information is useful; (b) the accuracy 
of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of 
information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, usefulness, and clarity 
of the information to be collected; and (d) how to minimize the burden 
on the respondents, including the use of automated collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology.
    Please note that the comments submitted in response to this notice 
are a matter of public record. Before including your personal mailing 
address, phone number, email address, or other personally identifiable 
information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire 
comment, including your personally identifiable information, may be 
made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your 
comment to withhold your personally identifiable information from 
public view, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.

Kenna Butler,
Acting Branch Chief, National Research Program--Central Branch.
[FR Doc. 2016-14033 Filed 6-13-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4338-11-P