FELL SS part A rev

SUPPORTING STATEMENT
Evaluation of the NOAA Coastal Management Fellowship Program
Coastal Services Center
National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration
Department of Commerce
OMB CONTROL NO. 0648-xxxx

A.

JUSTIFICATION

1. Explain the circumstances that make the collection of information necessary.
Explain the circumstances that make the collection of information necessary
As one of five NOAA Line Offices, NOAA's National Ocean Service (NOS) works to observe,
understand, and manage our nation's coastal and marine resources. NOS measures and predicts
coastal and ocean phenomena, protects large areas of the oceans, works to ensure safe
navigation, and provides tools and information to protect and restore coastal and marine
resources and supports states in protecting resources and guiding economic development in
coastal areas. NOS also supports training for state coastal managers.
The NOAA Coastal Services Center (Center) is one of eight program offices within NOS. One
of the hallmarks of the CSC is the support provided to coastal managers and natural resource
agencies to enhance awareness, understanding, and employment of the latest technology,
information, and management strategies available in the field of coastal resource management.
As one component of its efforts to build capacity within the coastal management community, the
Center established the NOAA Coastal Management Fellowship Program in 1996. The program
provides professional on-the-job education and training opportunities for post-graduate students
in coastal resource management and policy. In addition, state coastal zone management programs
receive technical assistance specific to their needs. NOAA Coastal Management Fellows
provide states with assistance on projects that address pressing needs within the state, therefore
enhancing NOAA’s ability to continue to serve as the nation’s premiere resource for coastal zone
management issues. Through the fellowship program, NOAA is able to provide assistance to
states in critical areas of need and also train future professionals who are qualified to work at the
state and federal level.
Several features of the fellowship program make it attractive to both potential fellows and states.
Fellows, who have recently earned masters or doctoral degrees, are matched with a federally
approved state coastal zone management program and spend two years working onsite with state
program staff. State coastal zone management programs, selected as fellowship hosts, receive a
fellow to assist them in responding to coastal management issues that otherwise might go
unaddressed. Fellows are afforded the opportunity to gain experience addressing state level

coastal resource management issues and dealing with federal management policies and
regulations. Since its inception in 1996, the NOAA Coastal Management Fellowship Program
has provided training to 52 fellows and assisted 19 state coastal zone management programs in
addressing high priority state coastal zone issues.
Without input from fellowship stakeholders (current and past fellows and mentors, and Center
partners), the Center would not be able to identify aspects of the program that enhance state
coastal zone management programs nor determine how the fellowship impacts a fellow’s choice
to work in the coastal resource management and policy field at the state or federal level.
Conducting this assessment will provide the Center with consistent information from
stakeholders and enable Center staff to efficiently pursue their objectives, described above. The
Center will be better positioned to develop fellowship requirements that meet the needs and
requirements of stakeholders.
About the Proposed Data Collection
The Center requests a new, one-year clearance to conduct an assessment of the NOAA Coastal
Management Fellowship Program. The proposed assessment will involve the following
respondents: current and past fellows, current and past state coastal zone management program
mentors, and Center partners affiliated with the program. The objectives of the assessment are
to: (1) assess the Coastal Management Fellowship Program’s process and structures and (2)
determine if the program is successful in meeting its goals and objectives. The results of the
assessment will be used by the Center to increase the quality, and possibly the number, of coastal
resource management and policy professionals and better meet the high priority coastal zone
management needs of states.
This assessment represents the first comprehensive assessment of the NOAA Coastal
Management Fellowship Program. This is a new data collection. No other offices within NOAA
and the National Ocean Service (NOS) have collected information from the universe of
respondents this assessment will include. This assessment will provide the Center with an
objective assessment of the implementation and outcomes of the fellowship program, the results
of which will identify strengths and weaknesses of the program and recommendations for
program enhancement.
This data collection supports the requirements of the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) of
1972. The Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (OCRM), National Ocean
Service, is responsible for implementing the CZMA, which Congress passed to address the
growing concerns about the health of the nation’s coastal resources. OCRM works to advance
national coastal management initiatives, and to maintain and strengthen state coastal
management through financial, policy and technical assistance. Additionally, the office works
with state and territorial governments to implement their coastal management programs and find
local solutions to problems that occur throughout the entire nation. Thirty-four states and
territories have active coastal management programs.
As a project within the organizational structure of NOS, the projects assigned to CSC fellows
supports the CZMA by enhancing the understanding of critical technical and/or policy-related

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coastal management issues within their assigned states. While not legislatively mandated, this
data collection supports enacted legislation. The results of this data collection will strengthen the
fellowship program, which in turn supports requirements of the CZMA.

2. Explain how, by whom, how frequently, and for what purpose the information will be
used. If the information collected will be disseminated to the public or used to support
information that will be disseminated to the public, then explain how the collection
complies with all applicable Information Quality Guidelines.
Through working with state coastal zone management programs and other partners, the Center
remains abreast of coastal management issues, compiles and disseminates data, and provides
partners with current, relevant information pertinent to the management of coastal resources.
The purpose of this information collection is to identify strengths and weaknesses of the current
fellowship program, including planning and implementation processes, to permit CSC to make
program improvements and enhancements. The results of this information collection will permit
the Center to help improve the nation’s coastal zone management programs by building capacity
among future coastal resource management and policy professionals and adding to the body of
knowledge concerning coastal zone management. This effort will also provide the Coastal
Services Center with valuable baseline data regarding fellowship program for use in future
evaluations.
For example, this assessment will help CSC answer the following questions:
1. How effective was the Coastal Management Program in providing training to postgraduate
students in coastal resource management and policy?
2. How effective was the assistance to the state coastal programs in improving, enhancing or
augmenting coastal resource management and policy for the state?
3. What are the long-term benefits of the fellowship program? For example, did fellows tend to
work for state or federal agencies after their fellowship?
4. Did projects performed in one state generalize to other states?
The proposed assessment is a new, one-time only data collection that will be completed within
one year. Respondents will be asked to provide information only once. The assessment will
begin as soon as OMB clearance is received. The majority of respondents are limited to
individuals involved in the implementation of the fellowship program, including current and past
fellows, current and past state coastal zone management program mentors, and Center partners—
including: NOAA’s Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management, the Coastal States
Organization, NOAA National Sea Grant, State Sea Grant College Programs, and the
Environmental Careers Organization. A separate survey has been developed for each group of
respondents: fellows, state coastal zone management program mentors, Center partners affiliated
with the fellowship program, and Sea Grant College Program directors. Sea Grant directors
serve a unique role by receiving, filtering, and endorsing fellow applications during the
application and review process. Respondents will be encouraged to complete surveys
electronically, however surveys will be sent via conventional postal mail to respondents who do
not have email. The questions asked of respondents in the instruments pertain specifically to the
objectives of the assessment. As mentioned above, the assessment objectives are as follows: (1)

3

SUPPORTING STATEMENT
Evaluation of the NOAA Coastal Management Fellowship Program
Coastal Services Center
National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration
Department of Commerce
OMB CONTROL NO. 0648-xxxx

A.

JUSTIFICATION

1. Explain the circumstances that make the collection of information necessary.
Explain the circumstances that make the collection of information necessary
As one of five NOAA Line Offices, NOAA's National Ocean Service (NOS) works to observe,
understand, and manage our nation's coastal and marine resources. NOS measures and predicts
coastal and ocean phenomena, protects large areas of the oceans, works to ensure safe
navigation, and provides tools and information to protect and restore coastal and marine
resources and supports states in protecting resources and guiding economic development in
coastal areas. NOS also supports training for state coastal managers.
The NOAA Coastal Services Center (Center) is one of eight program offices within NOS. One
of the hallmarks of the CSC is the support provided to coastal managers and natural resource
agencies to enhance awareness, understanding, and employment of the latest technology,
information, and management strategies available in the field of coastal resource management.
As one component of its efforts to build capacity within the coastal management community, the
Center established the NOAA Coastal Management Fellowship Program in 1996. The program
provides professional on-the-job education and training opportunities for post-graduate students
in coastal resource management and policy. In addition, state coastal zone management programs
receive technical assistance specific to their needs. NOAA Coastal Management Fellows
provide states with assistance on projects that address pressing needs within the state, therefore
enhancing NOAA’s ability to continue to serve as the nation’s premiere resource for coastal zone
management issues. Through the fellowship program, NOAA is able to provide assistance to
states in critical areas of need and also train future professionals who are qualified to work at the
state and federal level.
Several features of the fellowship program make it attractive to both potential fellows and states.
Fellows, who have recently earned masters or doctoral degrees, are matched with a federally
approved state coastal zone management program and spend two years working onsite with state
program staff. State coastal zone management programs, selected as fellowship hosts, receive a
fellow to assist them in responding to coastal management issues that otherwise might go
unaddressed. Fellows are afforded the opportunity to gain experience addressing state level

collect similar data is being conducted within the agency. Additionally, no data collection efforts
outside the agency have been made to collect this data.
5. If the collection of information involves small businesses or other small entities, describe
the methods used to minimize burden.
Respondents are neither small businesses nor small entities.
6. Describe the consequences to the Federal program or policy activities if the collection is
not conducted or is conducted less frequently.
The NOAA Coastal Management Fellowship Program has been in effect for ten years and this
project is the first assessment of the fellowship program. Without input from fellowship stakeholders
(current and past fellows and mentors, and Center partners), the Center would neither be able to
identify aspects of the program that enhance state coastal zone management programs nor determine
how the fellowship impacts a fellow’s decision to work in the coastal resource management and
policy field at the state or federal level. Conducting this assessment will provide the Center with
consistent information from stakeholders and enable Center staff to efficiently pursue their objectives,
described above. The Center will be better positioned to develop fellowship requirements that meet the
needs and requirements of stakeholders.
Also, during the period that clearance is requested, data collection will only occur once for each
respondent. This is the least frequent data collection option. This one-time data collection will
allow respondents to provide valuable information that will be used to evaluate and improve the
fellowship program.

7. Explain any special circumstances that require the collection to be conducted in a
manner inconsistent with OMB guidelines.
The collection will be conducted in a manner consistent with OMB guidelines.
8. Provide a copy of the PRA Federal Register notice that solicited public comments on the
information collection prior to this submission. Summarize the public comments received
in response to that notice and describe the actions taken by the agency in response to those
comments. Describe the efforts to consult with persons outside the agency to obtain their
views on the availability of data, frequency of collection, the clarity of instructions and
recordkeeping, disclosure, or reporting format (if any), and on the data elements to be
recorded, disclosed, or reported.
The data collection notice for the Evaluation of the Coastal Fellowship Program was published in
the Federal Register, volume 71, number 94, page 28307, on May 16, 2006. A copy of the Federal
Register notice is included as Appendix A. There were no comments received from the public
regarding this data collection.

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Additionally, the Center engaged GEARS, an evaluation consulting firm, to assist in the
development of survey instruments and methodology for this assessment. GEARS is
experienced in managing and conducting assessments and provided expertise on issues including
the availability of data, frequency of collection, clarity of instructions, recordkeeping,
confidentiality, disclosure of data, reporting format, and necessary data elements.
Surveys to be used in this assessment were developed collaboratively by GEARS and the Center.
Both GEARS staff and Center staff reviewed surveys to assess the clarity of instructions, the
adequacy of questions, the format of survey questions, and the length of the surveys.
9. Explain any decisions to provide payments or gifts to respondents, other than
remuneration of contractors or grantees.
This information collection effort will not make any payments, gifts, or reimbursements to
survey respondents.
10. Describe any assurance of confidentiality provided to respondents and the basis for
assurance in statute, regulation, or agency policy.
The proposed assessment does not collect personal data of a sensitive nature and therefore no
assurance of confidentiality is required. Surveys do not ask respondents for nor contain any
personal information. Any personal identifiers mistakenly placed on surveys by respondents will
be deleted immediately upon receipt of the survey.
A statement is included on the first page of surveys that informs participants that their survey
responses will be combined with other surveys and only aggregate information will be reported
in findings. In addition, respondents will be informed that all survey data will be secured in a
locked file cabinet at GEARS and protected to the extent allowed by the law. This statement will
also assure participants that their participation in the assessment is voluntary and they may
withdraw participation at any time without negative consequences. The assessment team will
maintain data in the strictest confidence.
11. Provide additional justification for any questions of a sensitive nature, such as sexual
behavior and attitudes, religious beliefs, and other matters that are commonly considered
private.
The questionnaire contains no questions of a sensitive nature.
12. Provide an estimate in hours of the burden of the collection of information.
This assessment will be conducted for one year with an estimated 74 burden hours. The assessment
will be targeted to approximately 161 respondents: current fellows, past fellows, current state
coastal zone management program mentors, past coastal zone management program mentors, Center
partners, and Sea Grant directors. Exhibit A.1 presents the hourly burden breakdown.
.

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T
Exhibit A-1

Estimated Hourly Burden

Respondent Type

Current fellows

Activity

Number of
respondents
to receive
surveys
Opinion Survey
10

Response
rate
expected
100%

Number
expected
to
respond
10

Responses
per
respondent

Time per
response

Total
Burden

1

35 min

6

Past fellows
Current State
Coastal Zone
Management
Program mentors
Past State Coastal
Zone
Management
Program mentors
Center partners

Opinion Survey
Opinion Survey

52
10

75%
100%

39
10

1
1

35 min
40 min

23
7

Opinion Survey

52

75%

39

1

40 min

26

Opinion Survey

4

100%

4

1

25 min

2

Sea Grant
Directors
Total

Opinion Survey

33

75%

25

1

25 min

10

161

127

74

13. Provide an estimate of the total annual cost burden to the respondents or recordkeepers resulting from the collection (excluding the value of the burden hours in #12
above).
Responding to the questionnaire requires no recordkeeping. Return postage will be pre-paid by
the Center. There are no additional respondent costs associated with start-up or capital
investments. Additionally, there are no operational, maintenance or equipment respondent costs
associated with continued participation in the assessment.
14. Provide estimates of annualized cost to the Federal government.
The Center engaged GEARS to design, implement and report results for this assessment for
$73,351.72. This information collection effort is supported through external contract services for
data collection and analysis and in-house staff time. The estimated total cost for this information
collection is $73,568. (i.e., contract services @$73,351.72; 8 hours in-house staff time
@$216.00).

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15. Explain the reasons for any program changes or adjustments reported in Items 13 or
14 of the OMB 83-I.
This is a new program.
16. For collections whose results will be published, outline the plans for tabulation and
publication.
There are no plans to publish the results of this information collection.
Publication
Assessment findings will be summarized in a comprehensive Assessment Report and Executive
Summary developed by GEARS for the Center. However, this assessment will not be published.
Analysis Plan
Data analysis will be supervised by Dr. Deborah Brome, Lead Project Evaluator, in consultation
with Dr. Marie Mesidor, Evaluator. Data entry, file organization and data access and
management will be supervised by Dr. Deborah Brome.
The assessment instruments will consist of both qualitative and quantitative data. An assessment
coding manual will be developed by a two person team who will create and validate the coding
system for the qualitative data. Qualitative data will be coded according to themes and reported
using descriptive statistics and narratives. All data (qualitative coding and quantitative) entered
into the database will be checked for its accuracy. This database will be used to both organize the
data and provide statistical analyses (e.g., means, standard deviations, frequencies, etc.) where
appropriate. The analytical software that will most likely be used is SPSS. For all quantitative
data, means, standard deviations and frequencies will be computed. In addition, for those
quantitative items measuring similar constructs, correlation matrices will be computed in the
event that subscales are developed. Reliability coefficients will be computed for all subscales
developed. For categorical or nonparametric variables, chi-square analyses will be conducted in
comparing information obtained between groups. With appropriate sample sizes (n > 10), a
comparison of mean scores will be conducted across respondent categories using analysis of
variance or t-tests. GEARS final analysis will be reviewed by a senior statistician for statistical
rigor and appropriateness.
17. If seeking approval to not display the expiration date for OMB approval of the
information collection, explain the reasons why display would be inappropriate.
The expiration date and OMB Control Number will be displayed on surveys.
18. Explain each exception to the certification statement identified in Item 19 of the OMB
83-I.
There are no exceptions to the certification statement identified in Item 19.

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