Notice2026-09896
Agency Information Collection Activities; Northeast Region Alaska Native Handicrafts
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
May 18, 2026
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentFish and Wildlife Service
Abstract
In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, we, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, are proposing to renew an information collection without change.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 95 (Monday, May 18, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 95 (Monday, May 18, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28617-28618]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-09896]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[Docket No. FWS-R7-MB-2026-1884; FXMB12310700000-267-FF07M01000; OMB
Control Number 1018-0168]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Northeast Region Alaska
Native Handicrafts
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, we, the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service, are proposing to renew an information
collection without change.
DATES: Comments will be accepted on or before July 17, 2026. Comments
submitted electronically using the Federal eRulemaking Portal (see
ADDRESSES, below) must be received by 11:59 p.m. eastern time on the
closing date. To ensure your comment is received and considered, you
must submit it using one of the methods identified in the ADDRESSES
section of this document. Comments submitted through any method not
authorized in this document, or sent to an address not listed here,
will not be considered.
ADDRESSES: Comment submission: All submissions must include the docket
number [FWS-R7-MB-2026-1884] for this document. You must submit
comments using one of the following methods:
<bullet> Electronic submission: Federal eRulemaking Portal at:
<a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>. In the Search box, enter FWS-R7-MB-2026-
1884, which is the docket number for this action. Then click the Search
button. On the resulting page, you may submit a comment by clicking on
``Comment.'' Please ensure that you have found the correct document
before submitting your comments.
<bullet> U.S. mail: Service Information Collection Clearance
Officer, Attn: Docket No. FWS-R7-MB-2026-1884, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, MS: PRB (JAO/3W), 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-
3803.
Comments submitted through any method not authorized in this
document, or sent to an address not listed here, will not be
considered. We will not accept comments via email, fax, or hand
delivery. We are not required to consider comments that are submitted
after the comment period ends or that are submitted via a method
outside of these instructions. Comments containing profanity,
vulgarity, threats, or other inappropriate content will not be
considered. We will post all comments at <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Madonna Baucum, Service Information
Collection Clearance Officer, by email at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#622b0c040d3d210d0e0e220415114c050d14"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="40092e262f1f032f2c2c002637336e272f36">[email protected]</span></a>, or by
telephone at (703) 358-2503. Individuals who are hearing or speech
impaired may call the Federal Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339 for TTY
assistance. You may also view the information collection request (ICR)
at <a href="http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain">http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain</a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction
Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.) and 5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1), we provide
the general public and other Federal agencies with an opportunity 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.
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. As part of our continuing effort to
reduce paperwork and respondent burdens, we are soliciting comments
from the public and other Federal agencies on the proposed ICR
described below. We are especially interested in public comments
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 personally identifiable information in your comment,
you should be aware that your entire comment--including your personally
identifiable information--may be publicly available at any time. While
you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personally identifiable
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be
able to do so.
Abstract: The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 (16 U.S.C. 712(1))
authorizes the Secretary of the Interior, in accordance with the
treaties with Canada, Mexico, Japan, and Russia, to ``issue such
regulations as may be necessary to assure that the taking of migratory
birds and the collection of their eggs, by the indigenous inhabitants
of the State of Alaska, shall be permitted for their own nutritional
and other essential needs, as determined by the Secretary of the
Interior, during seasons established so as to provide for the
preservation and maintenance of stocks of migratory birds.'' Article
II(4)(b) of the Protocol between the United States and Canada amending
the 1916 Convention for the Protection of Migratory Birds in Canada and
the United States (Protocol) provides a legal basis for Alaska Native
people to be able to sell handicrafts that contain the inedible parts
of birds taken for food during the Alaska spring and summer migratory
bird subsistence harvest. The Protocol also dictates that sales would
be allowed in strictly limited situations, pursuant to a regulation by
a competent authority in cooperation with management bodies. The
Protocol does not authorize the taking of migratory birds for
commercial purposes.
In 2017, we issued a final rule (July 24, 2017, 82 FR 34263),
developed under a co-management process
[[Page 28618]]
involving the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and Alaska Native
representatives, that amended the permanent migratory bird subsistence
harvest regulations at 50 CFR 92.6 to enable Alaska Native people to
sell authentic native articles of handicraft or clothing that contain
inedible byproducts from migratory birds that were taken for food
during the Alaska migratory bird subsistence harvest season. The sale
by Alaska Native people of a limited number of handicrafts containing
inedible migratory bird parts provides a small source of additional
income that we conclude is necessary for the ``essential needs'' of
Alaska Native people in predominantly rural Alaska. This limited
opportunity for sale is consistent with the language of the Protocol
and is expressly noted in the Letter of Submittal dated May 20, 1996,
for the Treaty Protocol, specifically Article II(4)(b) of the Protocol,
to be consistent with the customary and traditional uses of Alaska
Native people. The activity by Alaska Native people is also consistent
with the preservation and maintenance of migratory bird stocks.
Alaska Native artists will show eligibility with a Tribal
enrollment card, Bureau of Indian Affairs card, or membership in the
Silver Hand program. The State of Alaska Silver Hand program helps
Alaska Native artists promote their work in the marketplace and enables
consumers to identify and purchase authentic Alaska Native art. The
Silver Hand insignia indicates that the artwork on which it appears is
created by hand in Alaska by an individual Alaska Native artist. Only
original contemporary and traditional Alaska Native artwork, not
reproductions or manufactured work, may be identified and marketed with
the Silver Hand insignia. To be eligible for a 2-year Silver Hand
permit, an Alaska Native artist must be a full-time resident of Alaska,
be at least 18 years old, and provide documentation of membership in a
federally recognized Alaska Native tribe. The Silver Hand insignia may
only be attached to original work that is produced in the State of
Alaska.
The final rule requires that FWS Form 3-2484 (a simple
certification which is not subject to the PRA) or a Silver Hand
insignia accompany each Alaska Native article of handicraft or clothing
that contains inedible migratory bird parts. It also requires all
consignees, sellers, and purchasers to retain this documentation with
each item and produce it upon the request of a law enforcement officer.
The final rule also requires that artists maintain adequate records of
the certification or Silver Hand insignia with each item and requires
artists and sellers/consignees to provide the documentation to buyers.
These recordkeeping and third-party notification requirements are
subject to the PRA and require OMB approval.
The public may request copies of a Form 3-2484 contained in this
information collection by sending a request to the Service Information
Collection Clearance Officer (see ADDRESSES).
Title of Collection: Alaska Native Handicrafts, 50 CFR 92.6.
OMB Control Number: 1018-0168.
Form Numbers: 3-2484.
Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals and private sector
(businesses).
Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 2 (placeholder of 1
respondent associated with the regulatory requirement for each
respondent category).
Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 2.
Estimated Completion Time per Response: 5 minutes.
Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 0.
Respondent's Obligation: Required to obtain or retain a benefit.
Frequency of Collection: On occasion.
Total Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden Cost: None.
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. 2026-09896 Filed 5-15-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P
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