Notice2023-16617
Agency Information Collection Activities; USA National Phenology Network-The Nature's Notebook Plant and Animal Observing Program
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
August 4, 2023
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentGeological Survey
Abstract
In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is proposing to renew an information collection.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 149 (Friday, August 4, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 149 (Friday, August 4, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51851-51853]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-16617]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Geological Survey
[GX23BA000AD0100; OMB Control Number 1028-0103]
Agency Information Collection Activities; USA National Phenology
Network--The Nature's Notebook Plant and Animal Observing Program
AGENCY: U.S. Geological Survey, Department of the Interior.
ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA),
the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is proposing to renew an information
collection.
DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before
October 3, 2023.
ADDRESSES: Send your comments on the information collection request
(ICR) by mail to the U.S. Geological Survey, Information Collections
Clearance Officer, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive MS 159, Reston, VA 20192;
or by email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#5631257b3f3830390935393a3a3335223f393825162325312578313920"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="e88f9bc581868e87b78b8784848d8b9c8187869ba89d9b8f9bc68f879e">[email protected]</span></a>. Please reference Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) Control Number 1028-0103 in the subject
line of your comments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information
about this ICR, contact Melanie J. Steinkamp by email at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#93fee0e7f6fafdf8f2fee3d3e6e0f4e0bdf4fce5"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="abc6d8dfcec2c5c0cac6dbebded8ccd885ccc4dd">[email protected]</span></a>, or by telephone at 703-261-3128.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with the PRA, we 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.
We are soliciting comments on the proposed ICR that is described
below. We are especially interested in public comment addressing the
following questions: is the collection necessary to the proper
functions of the USGS? Will this information be processed and used in a
timely manner? Is the estimate of burden accurate? How might the USGS
enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be
collected? How might the USGS minimize the burden of this collection on
the respondents, including through the use of information technology?
[[Page 51852]]
Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of
public record. We will include or summarize each comment in our request
to OMB to approve this ICR. Before including your address, phone
number, email address, or other personally identifiable information
(PII) in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment--
including your PII--may be made publicly available at any time. While
you may ask us in your comment to withhold your PII from public review,
we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
Abstract: The USA National Phenology Network (NPN) is a program
sponsored by the USGS that uses standardized forms for tracking plant-
and animal activity as part of a project called Nature's Notebook. The
Nature's Notebook forms are used to record phenology (e.g., timing of
leafing or flowering of plants and reproduction or migration of
animals) as part of a nationwide effort to understand and predict how
plants and animals respond to environmental variation and changes in
weather and climate. Contemporary data collected through Nature's
Notebook are quality-checked, described, and made publicly available
and are used to inform decision-making in a variety of contexts
including agriculture, drought monitoring, and wildfire-risk
assessment. Phenological information is also critical for the
management of wildlife, invasive species, and agricultural pests, as
well as for understanding and managing risks to human health and
welfare, including allergies, asthma, and vector-borne diseases.
Participants may contribute phenology information to Nature's Notebook
through a browser-based web application or via mobile applications for
iPhone and Android operating systems which meet Government Paperwork
Elimination Act (GPEA) and Privacy Act requirements. The web-
application interface consists of several components: user
registration, a searchable list of 1,756 observable plant and animal
species, and a ``profile'' that contains information about each species
including its description and the appropriate monitoring protocols. The
application also consists of a series of interfaces for registering an
observer, a site, and plants and animals found at a site, and a data-
entry page that mimics downloadable datasheets that can be taken into
the field.
Title of Collection: USA National Phenology Network--The Nature's
Notebook Plant and Animal Observing Program.
OMB Control Number: 1028-0103.
Form Number: None.
Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
Respondents/Affected Public: Members of the public registered with
Nature's Notebook, state cooperative extension employees, and Tribal
members.
Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 6,640.
Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 4,094,800.
Estimated Completion Time per Response: When joining the program,
responders spend 13 minutes each to register and read guidelines, and
210 minutes to complete the Observer Certification Course. After that,
responders may spend about two minutes on each observation and
submission of a phenophase status record.
Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 141,418.
Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
Frequency of Collection: On occasion; depends on the seasonal
activity of plants and animals.
Total Estimated Annual Non-hour Burden Cost: $11,484
Table: Annual Responses and Burden Hours: 4,102,436 responses,
141,418 burden hours.
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Annual
Response type responses Completion time per response Annual burden
(projected) (minutes) (hours)
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Registrations.............................. 6,640 13 minutes (3 minutes to register + 1,439
10 minutes to read guidelines).
Certification Course *..................... 996 210 minutes (to complete the 3,486
Observer Certification Course).
Observation records........................ 4,094,800 2 minutes (includes observation and 136,493
reporting time).
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Total.................................. 4,102,436 ................................... 141,418
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* Note that the Certification Course is optional, and we estimate a completion rate of 15% during the clearance
period.
Table--Annual Non-Hour Burden Costs
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Estimated number of respondents Non-hour
Cost per unit expected to use burden cost
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Clipboard..................................... $2.23 1,328........................... $2,961
Pencils....................................... 0.10 1,328........................... 133
Flags......................................... 0.05 1,328........................... 66
Markers....................................... 0.10 1,328........................... 133
Stakes........................................ 0.30 1,328........................... 398
Tags.......................................... 0.30 1,328........................... 398
Popsicle Sticks............................... 0.30 1,328........................... 398
Average Marking Material Cost................. 0.19 ................................ ..............
Cost Per Response............................. 2.52 Total Non-Hour Burden Cost...... 4,489
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[[Page 51853]]
An agency may not conduct or sponsor, nor is a person required to
respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently
valid OMB control number.
The authorities for this action are the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501, et
seq.).
Melanie J. Steinkamp,
Program Coordinator, USGS Species Management Research Program.
[FR Doc. 2023-16617 Filed 8-3-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4338-11-P
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