83 FR 18083 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Phragmites Adaptive Management Framework

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
U.S. Geological Survey

Federal Register Volume 83, Issue 80 (April 25, 2018)

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) are proposing a new information collection.

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 80 (Wednesday, April 25, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18083-18084]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2018-08674]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

U.S. Geological Survey

[GR17ND00GCT2800; OMB Control Number 1028-New]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Phragmites 
Adaptive Management Framework

AGENCY: U.S. Geological Survey, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we, 
the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) are proposing a new information 
collection.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
May 25, 2018.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments on this information collection request 
(ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget's Desk Officer for the 
Department of the Interior by email at [email protected]; or 
via facsimile to (202) 395-5806. Please provide a copy of your comments 
to USGS, Information Collections Clearance Officer, 12201Sunrise Valley 
Drive, MS 159, Reston, VA 20192; or by email to [email protected]. Please reference `OMB Information Collection 
1028-NEW: Phragmites Adaptive Management Framework' in the subject line 
of your comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information 
about this ICR, contact Clint Moore, Research Wildlife Biologist, U.S. 
Geological Survey, Georgia Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, 
Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of 
Georgia, Athens, GA 30602 (mail); 706-542-1166 (phone); or 
[email protected] (email). You may also view the ICR at www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the USGS, in accordance with the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, provide the general public and other 
Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed, revised, 
and continuing collections of information. This helps us assess the 
impact of our information collection requirements and minimize the 
public's reporting burden. It also helps the public understand our 
information collection requirements and provide the requested data in 
the desired format.
    A Federal Register notice with a 60-day public comment period 
soliciting comments on this collection of information was published on 
November 28, 2017 (82 FR 56262). No comments were received.
    We are again soliciting comments on the proposed ICR that is 
described below. We are especially interested in public comment 
addressing the following issues: (1) Is the collection necessary to the 
proper functions of the USGS; (2) will this information be processed 
and used in a timely manner; (3) is the estimate of burden accurate; 
(4) how might the USGS enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and (5) how might the USGS minimize the 
burden of

[[Page 18084]]

this collection on the respondents, including through the use of 
information technology.
    Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of 
public record. Before including your address, phone number, email 
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 may 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.
    Abstract: The Phragmites Adaptive Management Framework (PAMF) is a 
collaborative effort to confront and reduce the spread of invasive 
Phragmites grass in the Great Lakes watershed. Phragmites is associated 
with reduced water quality, loss of biodiversity, reduced recreational 
opportunities, and increased fire hazards. Reducing or eliminating 
Phragmites throughout the region will reverse these deleterious effects 
and help achieve the comprehensive restoration goals for the Great 
Lakes basin (see the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative at https://www.glri.us/). The PAMF initiative uses the principles of adaptive 
management, a learning-based form of management in which data gathered 
following a treatment action are used to improve the predictive models 
that inform the decision-making process itself. Identified as a 
priority by the multi-national Great Lakes Phragmites Collaborative 
(http://www.greatlakesphragmites.net/), PAMF is a network of public and 
private cooperators who share a common desire to reduce or eradicate 
invasive Phragmites on lands that they manage. Membership in PAMF is 
voluntary and occurs after the cooperator has decided to treat 
Phragmites. A process is being developed to deliver site-specific 
guidance to participants that will both help them understand what 
treatment approach is most likely to achieve their management 
objectives and support regional adaptive learning through improvements 
and feedbacks to underlying scientific models. Cooperators will monitor 
and report vegetation characteristics on lands enrolled in the program, 
and they will report attributes about treatments applied. The data will 
be used in analytical routines that will indicate a best treatment 
action to apply based on measured conditions and will update the set of 
predictive models that underlie the decision support tool. USGS is 
providing scientific leadership to the initiative through the 
development of models, monitoring design, data systems, and a workflow 
to process the collected data into management guidance.
    Title: Phragmites Adaptive Management Framework.
    OMB Control Number: 1028-NEW.
    Form Number: None.
    Type of Review: New.
    Respondents/Affected Public: General public, NGOs, governmental 
entities (Federal, State, Local, Tribal, Provincial).
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 100.
    Total Estimated Total Number of Annual Responses: 200.
    Estimated Completion Time per Response: We estimate that it will 
take 1.5 hours per person to review training materials, traverse the 
property to observe conditions, and enter information into a web-based 
form.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 300.
    Respondent's Obligation: None, participation is voluntary.
    Frequency of Collection: Information is collected twice annually 
for each enrolled parcel, for as long as participant is enrolled in the 
program.
    Total Estimated Annual Non-Hour Cost: There are no ``non-hour 
cost'' burdens associated with this collection of information.
    An agency 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 authority for this action is the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501, et seq.).

 Russell Strach,
Center Director, USGS Great Lakes Science Center.
[FR Doc. 2018-08674 Filed 4-24-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4338-11-P