1018-0132 Supporting Statement A.rtf

Supporting Statement A for

Paperwork Reduction Act Submission

OMB Control Number 1018-0132

Research to Support Outdoor Recreation Management at

Lake Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge - Phase 2

FWS Forms 3-2330 and 3-2330A

1. Explain the circumstances that make the collection of information necessary.

The National Wildlife Refuge Improvement Act of 1997, which amended the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act (16 U.S.C. 668dd-668ee), guides planning and management of the National Wildlife Refuge System. The law identifies six priority wildlife-dependent recreational uses and provides a process for ensuring that these and other activities do not conflict with the management purpose and goals of each refuge. The Act also requires that the Fish and Wildlife Service develop a comprehensive conservation plan (CCP) for every refuge by the year 2012. A refuge CCP outlines goals, objectives, and management strategies for the refuge. It provides a vision and describes desired future conditions for the refuge. Development of a CCP for Lake Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) is ongoing and requires information on appropriate recreational use levels and use patterns at the refuge. Since recreational use at this refuge is dispersed, the only feasible way to collect this information is through an onsite visitor survey and a mailback survey to adjacent camp and home owners. (Note: For purposes of this survey, camp and home owners include any person (e.g., renter) residing at the mailing address.) This type of information is important, especially at Lake Umbagog NWR. U.S. Senate Report 108-341 notes increasing concern at this refuge over growing recreational use and its potential impacts on sensitive wildlife populations.

2. Indicate how, by whom, how frequently, and for what purpose the information is to be used. If the information collected will be disseminated to the public or used to support information that will be disseminated to the public, explain how the collection complies with all applicable Information Quality Guidelines.

The purpose of this proposed program of research is to gather information that will help support application of visitor carrying capacity at Lake Umbagog NWR. The proposed study is the next phase in a study begun in 2006. In the 2006 study, we conducted a survey of visitors to Lake Umbagog NWR to determine relevant indicators of quality for the visitor experience. Indicators of quality are measurable, manageable variables that reflect the essence or meaning of management objectives. We used information gathered during the 2006 survey to formulate questions for the 2007 survey.

Study objectives for the 2007 survey of visitors and nearby camp/home owners will focus on identifying standards of quality for relevant indicator variables, and determining attitudes toward management actions that might be used to ensure that the standards of quality are maintained. Standards of quality are the minimum acceptable levels of indicators of quality.

We plan to conduct two separate surveys during the months of July and August 2007. One survey will include a sample of visitors to Lake Umbagog NWR. The second survey will include camp/home owners adjacent to the refuge. The same information will be collected during both surveys; however, the camp/home survey will ask for additional information about the frequency of use of the refuge.

Data from the surveys will provide refuge managers information about current use and users of the refuge and potential resource and social impacts associated with this use (see table below). Managers at Lake Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge will use the information to make management and policy decisions.

Questions about ...	Provide information to managers about ...
Visitor experience	Relative impact and extent of problem behaviors that visitors and camp/home owners notice, including conflicting activities.
Wildlife disturbance	Whether or not visitors and camp/home owners adjacent to the refuge understand what types of behavior cause negative impacts to wildlife.
Acceptable levels and types of use	What types and levels of use are acceptable to visitors and camp/home owners. Different types and levels of use have different potential for wildlife disturbance and disruption of the visitor experience.
Fishing	Most commonly fished species and species that are most desirable to visitors and camp/home owners.
Support for management actions	Which potential management actions visitors and camp/home owners are most likely to support or oppose.

3. Describe whether, and to what extent, the collection of information involves the use of automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology; e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses, and the basis for the decision for adopting this means of collection. Also describe any consideration of using information technology to reduce burden [and specifically how this collection meets GPEA requirements.].

For the visitor survey, we will collect survey responses onsite without the use of automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology. We believe collecting this information onsite will enhance the accuracy of the information. We will conduct the camp/home survey as a mailback survey, sending a cover letter, copy of the questionnaire, and a postage-free return envelope.

4. Describe efforts to identify duplication.

There is no other comparable source of information on recreational use of Lake Umbagog NWR.

5. If the collection of information impacts small businesses or other small entities, describe the methods used to minimize burden.

The proposed information collection does not impact small businesses or other small entities.

6. Describe the consequence to Federal program or policy activities if the collection is not conducted or is conducted less frequently, as well as any technical or legal obstacles to reducing burden.

Lake Umbagog NWR contains significant natural and recreational resources. We estimate that there are over 50,000 visits to the refuge per year, which can result in significant resource and social impacts. Visitor use management frameworks are aimed at maintaining the quality of the visitor experience and protecting natural resources in the face of increasing visitor use. To carry out these frameworks, we need to collect information about standards of quality for desired future conditions so that we can:

(1) Make informed management decisions.

(2) Develop a comprehensive conservation plan.

(3) Protect important natural and recreational resources.

7. Explain any special circumstances that would cause an information collection to be conducted in a manner:

* requiring respondents to report information to the agency more often than quarterly;

* requiring respondents to prepare a written response to a collection of information in fewer than 30 days after receipt of it;

* requiring respondents to submit more than an original and two copies of any document;

* requiring respondents to retain records, other than health, medical, government contract, grant-in-aid, or tax records, for more than three years;

* in connection with a statistical survey, that is not designed to produce valid and reliable results that can be generalized to the universe of study;

* requiring the use of a statistical data classification that has not been reviewed and approved by OMB;

* that includes a pledge of confidentiality that is not supported by authority established in statute or regulation, that is not supported by disclosure and data security policies that are consistent with the pledge, or which unnecessarily impedes sharing of data with other agencies for compatible confidential use; or

* requiring respondents to submit proprietary trade secrets, or other confidential information unless the agency can demonstrate that it has instituted procedures to protect the information's confidentiality to the extent permitted by law.

No special circumstances exist that require us to collect the information in a manner inconsistent with OMB guidelines.

8. Provide the date and page number of publication in the Federal Register of the agency's notice, required by 5 CFR 1320.8(d), soliciting comments on the information collection prior to submission to OMB. Summarize public comments received in response to that notice (or in response to a PRA statement) and describe actions taken by the agency in response to these comments.

Describe 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. [Please list the names, titles, addresses, and phone numbers of persons contacted.]

On February 22, 2007, we published a notice in the Federal Register (72 FR 8003) that we intended to request OMB approval for phase 2 of our information collection associated with outdoor recreation management at Lake Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge. In that notice, we solicited public comments for 60 days ending on April 23, 2007. We received comments from one individual.

The commenter objected to the use of Lake Umbagog NWR for hunting, trapping, and related recreational uses. However, legislation creating this and other units of the fish and wildlife refuge system specifically allows for these public uses. The commenter also suggested that we use results from a nationwide survey about the recreational habits of citizens of the United States instead of the proposed survey. While the survey mentioned by the commenter may be useful for tracking national recreational trends, information about appropriate use levels for specific indicators of quality at Lake Umbagog NWR can only be obtained from the proposed survey.

We have made substantive efforts to involve representatives inside and outside the

Fish and Wildlife Service to identify the types of information needed for planning and management at Lake Umbagog NWR. The following people provided input into questionnaire design:

David Capen – The University of Vermont, [email protected]

Carol Foss – New Hampshire Audubon Society, [email protected]

Judith Silverberg – New Hampshire Fish and Wildlife, [email protected]

William Valliere – The University of Vermont, [email protected]

Jeffrey Hallo – The University of Vermont, [email protected]

Rebecca Stanfield McCown – The University of Vermont, [email protected]

All of these people reviewed the resulting questionnaire and agreed that our estimate of burden is correct.

9. Explain any decision to provide any payment or gift to respondents, other than remuneration of contractors or grantees.

We do not make any payments or gifts to respondents.

10. Describe any assurance of confidentiality provided to respondents and the basis for the assurance in statute, regulation, or agency policy.

We will ask respondents some demographic questions as well as questions about the type of recreation activities they engage in, but will not collect any personal identifying information. We will aggregate all information collected and use it only for statistical purposes.

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.

We do not ask questions of a sensitive nature.

12. Provide estimates of the hour burden of the collection of information.

Total sample size for the surveys will be 500 respondents (250 for each survey). We will ask each respondent to complete the survey questionnaire once. We estimate the time needed to complete the visitor survey to be 15 minutes and the camp/home survey to be 20 minutes, for a total burden of 146 hours. We estimate the dollar value for the burden hours to be $3,650, based on $25.00 per hour for salary/benefits.

ACTIVITY	ANNUAL NO. OF RESPONDENTS	TOTAL ANNUAL RESPONSES	COMPLETION TIME PER RESPONSE	TOTAL ANNUAL BURDEN HRS	TOTAL BURDEN COST TO PUBLIC ($25/HR)
Visitor Survey	250	250	15 minutes	63	$1,575
Camp/Home Survey	250	250	20 minutes	83	2,075
Totals	500	500		146	$3,650

13. Provide an estimate of the total annual [nonhour] cost burden to respondents or recordkeepers resulting from the collection of information.

There are no nonhour costs to respondents.

14. Provide estimates of annualized costs to the Federal Government.

We estimate the total cost to the Federal Government for this data collection to be $55,000. This includes salaries and benefits, supplies, travel, and associated operating costs (communications, postage/shipping, printing, photocopying, indirect cost assessment), for all phases of the study (questionnaire design and review, field data collection, and statistical analysis and reporting).

15. Explain the reasons for any program changes or adjustments.

We are requesting 146 burden hours, or an increase of 21 hours, for phase 2 of the study. The number of responses (500) is the same as for phase 1. However, during phase 2, we plan to conduct two surveys, each with 250 responses. We will survey visitors to the refuge and camp/home owners adjacent to the refuge. The increase in burden hours is a result of the slight increase in completion time for the camp/home survey, estimated at 20 minutes vs. 15 minutes for the visitor survey.

16. For collections of information whose results will be published, outline plans for tabulation and publication.

The principal investigator will collect the data in July and August, code and tabulate the data in September and October, and report the results to refuge staff by December 31, 2007.

17. If seeking approval to not display the expiration date for OMB approval of the information collection, explain the reasons that display would be inappropriate.

We will display the OMB control number and expiration date.

18. Explain each exception to the certification statement identified in Item 19, "Certification for Paperwork Reduction Act Submissions," of OMB Form 83-I.

There are no exceptions to the certification statement.