Notice2026-01900
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Bison Donations Request 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
January 30, 2026
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentFish and Wildlife Service
Abstract
In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), are proposing to renew a currently approved information collection without change.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 20 (Friday, January 30, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 20 (Friday, January 30, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4095-4097]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-01900]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-HQ-NWRS-2025-N039; FXRS126109WH000-267-FF09R23000; OMB Control
Number 1018-0190]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the
Office of Management and Budget; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Bison
Donations Request Program
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 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. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), are proposing to renew a
currently approved information collection without change.
DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before
March 2, 2026.
ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed
[[Page 4096]]
information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of
this notice to <a href="https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain">https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain</a>. Find this
particular information collection by selecting ``Currently under
Review--Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search function.
Please provide a copy of your comments to the Service Information
Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS: PRB
(JAO/3W), 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803 (mail); or by
email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#99d0f7fff6c6daf6f5f5d9ffeeeab7fef6ef"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="f6bf989099a9b5999a9ab6908185d8919980">[email protected]</span></a>. Please reference ``1018-0190'' in the
subject line of your comments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Madonna L. Baucum, Service Information
Collection Clearance Officer, by email at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#4801262e27170b272424082e3f3b662f273e"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="e0a98e868fbfa38f8c8ca0869793ce878f96">[email protected]</span></a>, or by
telephone at (703) 358-2503. Individuals in the United States who are
deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability may dial
711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay
services. Individuals outside the United States should use the relay
services offered within their country to make international calls to
the point-of-contact in the United States. You may also view the
information collection request at <a href="https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain">https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain</a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction
Act (PRA; 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.) and its implementing regulations at 5
CFR part 1320, all information collections require approval under the
PRA. We may not conduct or sponsor, and you are not required to respond
to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number.
On September 11, 2025, we published in the Federal Register (90 FR
44083) a notice of our intent to request that OMB approve this
information collection. The Service published the Federal Register
notice on <a href="http://Regulations.gov">Regulations.gov</a> (Docket No. FWS-HQ-NWRS-2025-0023) to provide
the public with an additional method to submit comments (in addition to
the typical email and U.S. mail submission methods). In that notice, we
solicited comments for 60 days, ending on November 10, 2025. We
received two comments in response to that notice; however, neither
comment addressed the information collection requirements, and no
response is required.
As part of our continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent
burdens, we are again inviting the public and other Federal agencies to
comment on new, 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 especially interested in public comment addressing the
following:
(1) Whether or not the collection of information is necessary for
the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including
whether or not the information will have practical utility;
(2) The accuracy of our estimate of the burden for this 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) How might the agency minimize the burden of the collection of
information on those who are to respond, including through the use of
appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological
collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g.,
permitting electronic submission of response.
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 publicly available at any time. While
you can 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 Service's ``Bison Donations Transfer Protocol''
(protocol) describes the process for the donation of the available
surplus bison from the Service to eligible organizations, Tribes, or
intertribal organizations as outlined in regulations at 50 CFR 30.1, as
well as in Service Manual chapters 701 FW 5 and 701 FW 8. Surplus bison
are offspring that exceed the ecological carrying capacity of the
Service bison metapopulation. The primary purposes of donating these
bison are to support conservation of the species as native North
American wildlife and to assist in the restoration of bison herds on
conservation partner lands, with special emphasis on restoring
conservation herds to Tribal lands. Our authorities governing the
Protocol include:
<bullet> National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act, as
amended (16 U.S.C. 668dd and 668ee);
<bullet> American Indian Religious Freedom Act (Pub. L. 95-341, as
amended);
<bullet> Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act
(Pub. L. 93-638, as amended);
<bullet> Surplus Range Animals (50 CFR 30.1);
<bullet> Disposition of Surplus Range Animals (50 CFR 30.2);
<bullet> Native American Policy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service (510 FW 1);
<bullet> Range-Limited American Plains Bison Management policy (701
FW 8); and
<bullet> Collections, Donations, and Disposals policy (701 FW 5).
In 2020, the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) Bison Working
Group published the Department of the Interior Bison Conservation
Initiative 2020 (initiative), recognizing bison as a wildlife species
in need of conservation. Consistent with this initiative, Service
policy identifies the ecological and cultural values of bison as
nationally and/or historically significant animals.
The Bison Conservation Genetics Workshop: Report and
Recommendations (2010 report) identifies DOI bison herds as a valuable
source with which to start new conservation herds proposed by other
Federal, State/provincial, or Tribal governments. The DOI Bison Report:
Looking Forward (2014 report) acknowledges the challenges to achieving
bison restoration on DOI lands and emphasizes the importance of
partnerships for achieving bison conservation and ecological
restoration. Both the 2010 and 2014 reports also identify the potential
for bison herds maintained by Indian Tribes to contribute to species
conservation, and the Service recognizes that such bison may also
support Tribal cultural rights and practices.
Periodic reduction in the size of Service bison herds is required
to remain within the ecological carrying capacity of Service lands.
Live bison capture and removal assist in the restoration of bison to
Tribal lands, support the efforts of States and other conservation
organizations, and ensure that the ecological needs of other species
are met on refuges of limited size. To support maximum conservation of
genetic diversity within and across Service herds, selection of young
bison available for donation is coordinated across all refuges. From
the surplus bison made available for donation from refuges, requests
will be prioritized for bison restoration and conservation purposes.
[[Page 4097]]
We use Form 3-2555, ``Bison Donations Request Form,'' to request
surplus bison. Respondents will generally be from Tribal governments
and intertribal organizations, although we do expect to receive a small
number of requests from States and private sector organizations
(nonprofit and educational/research organizations). The request form
provides details governing the protocol and collects the following
information:
<bullet> Name of requesting Tribe, intertribal organization, State,
or private sector organization.
<bullet> Documentation that the proposed project or program meets
the definition of a conservation herd.
<bullet> Demonstration of the educational contribution of the
donation to increasing public knowledge and appreciation of the
wildlife values of bison (for educational and research organizations
only).
<bullet> Total number (or percentage of total donation request) of
bison and purpose of request:
--Establish a free-ranging conservation herd;
--Supplement or augment a free-ranging conservation herd;
--Establish a self-sustaining herd for non-conservation purposes;
--Supplement or augment a self-sustaining herd for non-conservation
purposes;
--Public display, educational purposes, and/or research;
--Tribal spiritual or cultural purposes; or
--A description if ``Other'' purpose.
<bullet> Signature of requesting Tribe, intertribal organization,
State, or private sector organization official.
In addition to the completion of Form 3-2555, recipients of donated
bison must inform the Service of the destination State for donated
bison no fewer than 30 days prior to a scheduled bison capture
operation, to allow the Service time to meet interstate transport
regulatory testing requirements. Recipients of donated bison must also
inform the Service of the physical destination address for donated
bison no fewer than 10 days prior to scheduled bison loadout, to
facilitate timely completion of required interstate veterinary permit
applications and veterinary inspection certificates.
The public may request a copy of Form 3-2555 by sending a request
to the Service Information Collection Clearance Officer (see ADDRESSES,
above).
Title of Collection: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Bison Donations
Request Program.
OMB Control Number: 1018-0190.
Form Number: 3-2555.
Type of Review: Extension without change of a currently approved
collection.
Respondents/Affected Public: Private sector organizations and
State/local/Tribal governments.
Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 22.
Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 33.
Estimated Completion Time per Response: Varies from 30 minutes to 1
hour, depending on activity.
Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 22.
Frequency of Collection: On occasion.
Total Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden Cost: None.
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.).
Madonna Baucum,
Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service.
[FR Doc. 2026-01900 Filed 1-29-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on January 30, 2026.
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