Notice2021-14857
Information Collection; Clearance for the Stewardship Mapping and Assessment Project (STEW-MAP)
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
July 13, 2021
Issuing agencies
Agriculture DepartmentForest Service
Abstract
In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Forest Service is seeking comments from all interested individuals and organizations on the extension without revisions of a currently approved information collection, Information Collection Clearance for the Stewardship Mapping and Assessment Project (STEW-MAP).
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 131 (Tuesday, July 13, 2021)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 131 (Tuesday, July 13, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36698-36700]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-14857]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Information Collection; Clearance for the Stewardship Mapping and
Assessment Project (STEW-MAP)
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice; request for comment.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the
Forest Service is seeking comments from all interested individuals and
organizations on the extension without revisions of a currently
approved information collection, Information Collection Clearance for
the Stewardship Mapping and Assessment Project (STEW-MAP).
DATES: Comments must be received in writing on or before September 13,
2021 to be assured of consideration. Comments received after that date
will be considered to the extent practicable.
ADDRESSES: Comments concerning this notice should be addressed to Erika
Svendsen, USDA Forest Service, NYC Urban Field Station, 431 Walter Reed
Rd., Bayside, NY 11359.
Comments also may be submitted via email to:
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#0762756e6c66297471626963746269477274636629606871"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="0366716a68622d7075666d6770666d43767067622d646c75">[email protected]</span></a>. Please put ``Comments RE: STEW-MAP'' in the
subject line.
Comments submitted in response to this notice may be made available
to the public through relevant websites and upon request. For this
reason, please do not include in your comments information of a
confidential nature, such as sensitive personal information or
proprietary information. If you send an email comment, your email
address will be automatically captured and
[[Page 36699]]
included as part of the comment that is placed in the public docket and
made available on the internet. Please note that responses to this
public comment request containing any routine notice about the
confidentiality of the communication will be treated as public comments
that may be made available to the public notwithstanding the inclusion
of the routine notice.
The public may inspect the draft supporting statement and/or
comments received at USDA Forest Service, NYC Urban Field Station, 431
Walter Reed Road, Bayside, NY 11359 during normal business hours.
Visitors are encouraged to call ahead to 718-225-3061 to facilitate
entry to the building. The public may request an electronic copy of the
draft supporting statement and/or any comments received be sent via
return email. Requests should be emailed to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#1a7f6873717b34696c7f747e697f745a6f697e7b347d756c"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="a6c3d4cfcdc788d5d0c3c8c2d5c3c8e6d3d5c2c788c1c9d0">[email protected]</span></a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Erika Svendsen, Northern Research
Station, 718-225-3061 extension 102 or <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#016473686a602f7277646f6572646f41747265602f666e77"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="5e3b2c37353f702d283b303a2d3b301e2b2d3a3f70393128">[email protected]</span></a>.
Individuals who use telecommunication devices for the deaf (TDD) may
call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339
twenty-four hours a day, every day of the year, including holidays.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Information Collection Clearance for the Stewardship Mapping
and Assessment Project (STEW-MAP).
OMB Number: 0596-0240.
Expiration Date of Approval: November 30, 2021.
Type of Request: Extension without revisions.
Abstract: Local environmental stewardship groups are essential for
ensuring the vibrancy of natural areas in cities, suburbs, towns, and
rural areas, including National Forest lands and the surrounding areas.
Natural areas provide a range of benefits and services including storm
water management, air pollution removal, urban heat island mitigation,
carbon storage, wildlife habitat, recreation opportunities, stress
reduction, aesthetic beauty, noise reduction, increased property
values, and reduced energy use. The work of civic environmental
stewards leverages the efforts of governments in maintaining these
resources, especially in lean budget times. Civic stewardship
organizations, including nonprofit organizations, faith-based groups,
formal and informal community groups, and coalitions, are often
involved in environmental stewardship efforts. For example, these
groups often plant trees, organize community gardens, offer
environment-themed classes, engage with local officials on behalf of
the environment, monitor plants or animals, and clean up nearby parks
and/or natural areas. People who do this work are stewards of their
local environments, even if they do not normally use the word
``steward'' or think of what they do as ``stewardship.''
The roles of civic environmental stewards and their levels of
engagement and commitment are often not understood by land managers and
other decision makers. This means that the valuable services they
provide may not be recognized and built on to full advantage. In
addition, stewards themselves may not be aware of others doing similar
work in their area so there may be lost opportunities for collaboration
between groups.
The purpose of this research is to gather information on civic
stewardship groups and their efforts such as where they work, the types
of projects they focus on, and how they are organized. This information
will be summarized and made publicly available online for use by policy
makers, land managers, environmental professionals, the general public,
stewards themselves, and other natural resource management
stakeholders.
There are three phases to a STEW-MAP project:
<bullet> Phase One (Census) is a census of stewardship groups in
the target region, generating a master list of known stewardship groups
and their contact information.
<bullet> Phase Two (Survey) is a survey which is distributed to all
of the organizations identified in Phase One to collect information
about what they work on, how their group is structured, where they
work, and what other groups they collaborate with.
<bullet> Phase Three (Follow-Up Interviews) is follow-up interviews
with key responding organizations identified during Phase Two to
collect more detailed information about the organizations and their
histories.
A primary goal of STEW-MAP is to visualize stewardship activities,
which can span across the urban to rural landscape. The geographic
information provided by stewardship groups in Phase Two (Survey) will
allow the researchers to do a spatial analysis of where stewardship
groups are working, identify ``gaps'' where little to no stewardship is
being done, and provide locally relevant geographic information like
what kinds of stewardship groups are working in particular places. This
geographic information will be displayed on maps to show stewards,
local land managers, policy makers, and other interested stakeholders
how stewardship work is distributed across the region with the goal of
encouraging collaboration, building innovative partnerships, increasing
organizational capacities, and making stewardship efforts more
effective.
Information from STEW-MAP will help planners, natural resource
decision makers, land managers, and the general public work across
property jurisdictions, management regimes and political boundaries to
conserve, protect, and manage natural resources effectively. It will
also be used to enhance local resource management efforts by helping
public officials, land managers, and civic stewards connect to local
stewardship groups.
STEW-MAP is being led by Forest Service researchers in partnership
with researchers from universities and nongovernmental organizations.
The exact makeup of the research team will vary from location to
location where STEW-MAP is conducted. The Forest Service Research and
Development branch is authorized to conduct basic scientific research
to improve the health of forests and rangelands involving State,
Federal, Tribal agencies, and private landowners across multiple
jurisdictions including in urban areas. The study is aligned with
various collaborative approaches to landscape-scale resource management
that work across jurisdictions and land-use types, viewing forests as
social-ecological systems. Our project goals are also consistent with
the Forest Service's Urban and Community Forestry (UCF) program, which
focus on urban forest ecosystems and the role of stewardship and trail
connections to parks and public lands that promote health and
sustainability for urban residents. This study seeks to identify
opportunities for stewardship organizations to better collaborate and,
thus, be more effective in the stewardship of natural areas.
Due to local geographical and/or cultural differences, and to meet
the needs of any particular collaborative effort, we may tailor the
survey and interview questions to accommodate the unique requirements
of individual communities.
Affected Public: Representatives from civic environmental
stewardship groups, and from State, local, or Tribal Governments.
Estimate of Burden per Response: 15 to 60 minutes.
Estimated Annual Number of Respondents:
Phase One (Census): 600.
Phase Two (Survey): 15,000.
Phase Three (Follow-up Interviews): 300.
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Estimated Annual Number of Responses per Respondent: 1.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 7,925 hours.
Comment is Invited: Comment is invited on: (1) Whether this
collection of information is necessary for the stated purposes and the
proper performance of the functions of the Agency, including whether
the information will have practical or scientific utility; (2) the
accuracy of the Agency's estimate of the burden of the collection of
information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions
used; (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, including the use of
automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection
techniques or other forms of information technology.
All comments received in response to this notice, including names
and addresses if provided, will be a matter of public record. Comments
will be summarized and included in the submission request for Office of
Management and Budget approval.
Alexander L. Friend,
Deputy Chief, Research & Development.
[FR Doc. 2021-14857 Filed 7-12-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3411-15-P
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