Notice2026-06778
Agency Information Collection Activities; Revisions to the U.S. Geological Survey's Bird Banding and Marking Permit Application
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
April 8, 2026
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentGeological Survey
Abstract
In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is proposing to renew an information collection with early revisions.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 67 (Wednesday, April 8, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 67 (Wednesday, April 8, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17811-17813]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-06778]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Geological Survey
[Docket No. USGS-2025-0006; OMB Control Number 1028-0082;
GX25LB00TZ901]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Revisions to the U.S.
Geological Survey's Bird Banding and Marking Permit Application
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 (PRA) of 1995,
the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is proposing to renew an information
collection with early revisions.
DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before
June 8, 2026.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by one of the following methods:
[ssquf] Internet: <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>. Search for and
submit comments on Docket No. USGS-2025-0006.
[ssquf] U.S. Mail: USGS, Information Collections Clearance Officer,
12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, MS 159, Reston, VA 20192.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Antonio Celis-Murillo by email at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#bedfdddbd2d7cd93d3cbccd7d2d2d1fecbcdd9cd90d9d1c8"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="99f8fafcf5f0eab4f4ecebf0f5f5f6d9eceafeeab7fef6ef">[email protected]</span></a>, or by telephone at 301-497-5808. 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.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with the PRA of 1995 (44
U.S.C. 3501 et seq.) and 5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1), all information
collections require approval under the PRA.
As part of our continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent
burdens, we invite 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 the agency might 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. 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 can ask us in your comment to withhold your PII from public review,
we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
Abstract: Bird banding is a vital scientific and management tool
that allows researchers to monitor migratory bird populations, estimate
survival and
[[Page 17812]]
harvest rates, and track long-term ecological trends. Under the
authority of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (16 U.S.C. 703-12), the U.S.
Department of the Interior delegates oversight of the national bird
banding program to the USGS. This responsibility resides within the
Bird Banding Laboratory (BBL) at the Eastern Ecological Science Center,
which oversees more than 9,000 federally permitted banders and manages
the national database of banding and encounter records. The success of
this program depends on effective coordination between permitted
banders and individuals who later encounter marked birds, ensuring that
critical data remain available for long-term scientific analysis. The
data are used by varying interest groups that depend on these data to
reach effective management decisions and achieve collaborative outcomes
for bird-related challenges.
To meet these requirements, the BBL collects information such as
the Federal Bird Banding and Marking Permit Application and other
forms. With the proposed revisions to information collection control
#1028-0082, the BBL aims to provide essential clarity, enhance
efficiency, and eliminate duplication, thereby further reducing the
administrative burden for both the public and the USGS.
Current information collection control #1028-0082: In addition to
the standardized information required by 50 CFR 13.12, the current Bird
Banding and Marking Permit Application requirements include submission
of the following information:
(1) Height, Weight, Hair Color, Eye Color, Gender (Male/Female).
(2) Type of Permit.
(3) Current and previous federal migratory permits possessed,
previously possessed, or pending.
(4) If blood sampling is being requested, the master permit holder
and permit number of the person requiring permission, species, site of
the blood draw or technique, the volume of blood, why is blood sampling
needed, how it will be used, and the applicant's qualifications for
such blood sampling.
(5) If feather sampling is being requested, the master permit
holder and permit number of the person requiring permission, species,
what feathers and how many are needed, why is feather sampling needed,
how it will be used, and the applicant's qualifications for feather
sampling.
(6) Species proposed to band or mark based on groups.
(7) Trapping techniques proposed: mist nets, rocket nets, and
cannon nets, or list of other intended techniques.
(8) Auxiliary marking being requested and the master permit holder
and permit number of the person requiring permission, species,
techniques used, type of marker used, why are aux markers needed, how
it will they be used, and the applicant's qualifications for feather
sampling.
(9) Description of what an applicant hopes to accomplish by banding
birds.
(10) References--names, email, addresses in which whom the BBL may
consult with regarding an applicant's qualifications.
Proposed revisions to information collection control #1028-0082: In
the proposed early revisions to information collection control #1028-
0082, we removed outdated or irrelevant questions, consolidated several
inquiries to strengthen the scientific justification for banding and
marking, and eliminated the application checklist to reduce redundant
information requests. Specifically, the following revisions are
proposed:
(1) Type of Permit. We removed ``Renewal Permit'' as this is
outdated information. Renewals are submitted by permitted banders
through the Bander Portal and do not require this form. We added the
options, of ``Master Station,'' ``Master Personal,'' and ``Change in
Responsible Individual'' to this section. These options were
consolidated from other sections to provide clarity to the BBL on the
type of permit being requested.
(2) (NEW) Applicant Type. A section on Applicant Type, was added to
provide clarity to the BBL and ensure consistency with the program's
database. Applicant Types include Federal, State, Tribal, Local
Government, Non-governmental Organization, University, Avocational
Biologist, Business, and Other.
(3) Personal information such as Height, Weight, Hair Color, Eye
Color were removed from the application. This information is irrelevant
to BBL permitting.
(4) Gender was modified to Sex and added an option for
``undisclosed.''
(5) Contact Information. We consolidated home and business
addresses into one address section. The applicant is now only required
to provide one address to the BBL for correspondence and have the
option to include an organization, if applicable.
(6) Species. We eliminated the pre-selected species groups and
instead allow the applicant to list their proposed species groups or
individual species for banding.
(7) Capture techniques. We eliminated the pre-selected techniques
and instead allow the applicant to list their proposed capture
techniques.
(8) Auxiliary marking. We removed requests for information in this
section that were redundant. Species, techniques, and purposes for
auxiliary marking are already required as part of the applicant's
Comprehensive Project Description as part of the scientific
justification for banding and marking. An applicant's skills and
qualifications for auxiliary marking are already required as part of
their banding resume.
(9) Blood and Feather Sampling. We removed requests for information
in this section that were redundant. Species, techniques, and purposes
for blood and feather sampling are already required as part of the
applicant's Comprehensive Project Description as part of the scientific
justification for banding and marking. An applicant's skills and
qualifications for blood and feather sampling are already required as
part of their banding resume.
(10) (NEW) Biological Sampling. We added a new section that allows
an applicant to request other types of biological sampling that would
be completed as part of banding or marking birds. Species, techniques,
and purposes for additional biological sampling are now required as
part of the applicant's Comprehensive Project Description as part of
the scientific justification for banding and marking. An applicant's
skills and qualifications for additional biological sampling are now
required as part of their banding resume.
(11) Removed section. Description of what an applicant hopes to
accomplish by banding birds. We replaced this section with a yes/no
option if the applicant has included a Comprehensive Project
Description as part of their application package. The Comprehensive
Project Description should include all the necessary details for the
BBL to properly evaluate a proposal as a scientifically justifiable
banding or marking project.
(11) (NEW) Banding Resume. We added a yes/no option if the
applicant has included a banding resume as part of their application
package and that that it should include previous bird banding and
marking experiences for the BBL to properly evaluate an applicant's
skills and formal training for capturing and banding or marking of
birds.
(12) References. We modified the References section to simply state
that three letters of recommendation must be received by the BBL before
any application will be considered and that a minimum of two references
should be from a bird bander that has worked
[[Page 17813]]
directly with the applicant and can confirm their experience and
abilities. Applicants no longer need to provide names, emails,
addresses as that information is redundant to the information provided
by their references who submit letters of recommendation.
(13) (NEW) Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). This section was
added to the application to protect applicants that are not covered by
the Privacy Act and allow for the identification of any information
that should be considered privileged and confidential business
information to the USGS to meet its responsibility under FOIA. This
section is informational and does not require any additional input or
effort from the applicant.
Copies of the draft forms are available to the public by submitting
a request to the Service Information Collection Clearance Officer using
one of the methods identified in ADDRESSES.
Title of Collection: Bird Banding and Marking Permit Application.
OMB Control Number: 1028-0082.
Form Number: None.
Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
Respondents/Affected Public: General Public.
Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 80.
Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 80.
Estimated Completion Time per Response: up to 30 minutes.
Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 80 responses/40
hours.
Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
Frequency of Collection: On occasion.
Total Estimated Annual Non-hour Burden Cost: We have not identified
any ``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.).
Antonio Celis-Murillo,
Program Manager, USGS Bird Banding Laboratory.
[FR Doc. 2026-06778 Filed 4-7-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4388-11-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on April 8, 2026.
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