NPS 1024-0224 Annual Report (FY09)

National Park Service
U.S. Department of the Interior
Social Science Division

Expedited Review for NPS-Sponsored Public Surveys
(OMB # 1024-0224)
Fiscal Year 2009 Annual Report

Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Yellowstone National Park

July 2010

Background on Expedited Review for
NPS-Sponsored Public Surveys
The National Park Service (NPS) preserves the
nation’s natural and cultural heritage and
provides for its enjoyment by citizens and
visitors from throughout the world. An
accurate understanding of the relationship
between people and parks is critical to
achieving the mission of the National Park
System: protecting resources unimpaired and
providing for public enjoyment, education,
and inspiration. Such understanding requires
a sound scientific basis. Hence, social science
research is a necessary and important
function of the National Park Service.

of expedited review. That extension request
expanded the program to include surveys of park
visitors, potential park visitors, and residents of
communities near parks. OMB clearance was
granted in September 2001. Clearance of a
second three-year extension was granted in
January 2005 (OMB# 1024-0224, expiration
1/31/08). In Fiscal Year (FY) 2008, the expedited
review program was renewed for another threeyear period (OMB #1024-0224, expiration
6/30/2011).

As part of its social science research, the NPS
sponsors surveys of the public to provide park
managers with information for improving the
quality and utility of NPS programs. All
information collection activities funded or
sponsored by the NPS must be conducted in
compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of
1995 (P.L. 104-13) and implementing rules (5
CFR 1320) overseen by the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB).

Annual reports are required as a component of
the review. This is the ninth annual report,
summarizing activities in FY09. In this report, the
program is referred to as the Expedited Review
for NPS-Sponsored Public Surveys.

Because many of the NPS surveys are similar in
terms of the populations being surveyed, the
types of questions being asked, and research
methodologies, the NPS, in cooperation with the
Department of the Interior (DOI), proposed to
OMB and received clearance for a program of
approval for NPS visitor surveys (OMB# 10240224, expiration 8/31/2001). The program
presented an alternative approach to complying
with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) and was
designed to provide several specific benefits. First,
it would improve the opportunity for meaningful
public comment by offering one public review
period for the entire program of similar surveys.
Second, it would increase federal government
efficiency by reducing the personnel time and
funding necessary to prepare and review the
proposed collections of information. Third, it
would assist researchers by simplifying the review
process for social science research. Fourth, it
would improve the timely delivery of usable
knowledge to NPS managers.

The NPS Visiting Chief Social Scientist, Dr. James
Gramann, provided guidance for submissions and
reviewed all proposals for compliance with
technical standards and program guidelines. For
FY09, the staff responsibility for the expedited
review for NPS-Sponsored Public Surveys was
assigned to Megan McBride, Senior Research
Associate. This position became vacant in June
2009, and responsibilities shifted to the Visiting
Chief Social Scientist.

In 2001, the NPS Social Science Program
submitted an extension request for the program

The positive result is more savings in time and
cost to the federal government (NPS and DOI)
and principal investigators, and a further
reduction in burden on the public.

Management and Oversight
Separate management, oversight, and approval
responsibilities are held by the NPS Social Science
Division, DOI, and OMB.

For submissions that complied with program
requirements, the Visiting Chief Social Scientist
determined the appropriate number of burden
hours, certified that the survey instrument and
research methodology were technically
acceptable and in compliance with the PRA, and
transmitted the individual survey packages to
OMB for final approval. If the NPS received
approval from OMB, the NPS assigned the OMB
control number and an NPS tracking number,
survey expiration date, and designated burden
hours, and authorized the principal investigator
to use the approved instrument.

The DOI office responsible for oversight of
information collection activities (the Office of
Policy Analysis) monitors NPS activities within the
program, provides policy guidance, and reviews
annual reports.

from FY08 were conducted in FY09 in 9 units.
The total estimated burden on the public for all
surveys approved in FY09 was 3,082 hours. The
average survey approved in FY09 placed a burden
on the public of 140 hours.

The NPS Social Science Division developed
guidelines describing the authorities, scope, and
submission process for the program. The current
document, Guidelines and Approval Form for
Expedited Review for NPS-Sponsored Public
Surveys, Focus Groups, and Field Experiments,
was published and widely disseminated in
January 2005 and revised in June 2006. The
guidelines and associated forms are available on
the NPS Social Science Division Web site at:

Effects of the Expedited Review Process
There are several immediate effects derived from
this program. These include time savings, cost
savings, reduction in burden on the public, and
increased peer review. The standard PRA survey
review process takes approximately eight months
once the first Federal Register notice is published.
Through FY07 under the expedited review
program, this review time was reduced to 60
days or less. However, challenges experienced in
FY08 continued in FY09. These included a
significant slowdown in review times by OMB
and the requirement to use an electronic
submission system that limited the number of
proposals that OMB would accept at any one
time. This significantly increased review times and
reduced the submissions that NPS transmitted to
OMB. As a result, some studies received by NPS
in FY09 could not be approved in time to meet
their proposed field dates. Many of these studies
were postponed and not conducted until FY10
(see Table 1).

http://www.nature.nps.gov/socialscience/expedited.cfm

Fiscal Year 2009 Activities
FY09 activities under the Expedited Review for
NPS-Sponsored Public Surveys are summarized in
Table 1. In FY09, 27 surveys were received, and
22 were approved. Two of the approved surveys
were postponed until the next fiscal year because
clearance was received too late to field the study
as planned. This reflects a continued decline in
approvals, from 57 per year in FY02-FY07 and 32
in FY08. Twenty surveys approved and conducted
in FY09 were done in 18 units of the National
Park System. In addition, seven surveys delayed

Table 1 – Fiscal Year 2009 Activities
NPS
Survey #
09-E-001
09-E-002
09-E-003
09-E-004
09-E-005
09-E-006
09-E-007
09-E-008
09-E-009
09-E-010

Survey Title
Reducing Visitor Conflict and Improving
Resource Protection During Lehman Caves Tours
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Backcountry Visitor Survey
Monitoring Visitor Behaviors on Acadia National
Park Carriage Roads
Gulf Islands National Seashore Formative Testing
of Audio Interpretation
Grand Teton National Park Interpretive Study
Stakeholders’ Perceptions of Fire Ecology and
Smoke Management in Yosemite National Park
Acadia National Park Cadillac Mountain Visitor
Survey
Fisheries Harvest Survey in Two Hawaiian
National Parks
Visitor Management and Transportation System
Use at Cumberland Island National Seashore
Assessing Backcountry Campers' Adoption of
Leave No Trace Technologies

Start Date

End Date

Expiration

Burden
Hours

APPROVED FY09, CONDUCTED FY10

89

5/1/2009

8/31/2009

3/21/2010

55

7/1/2009

8/31/2009

12/31/2010

34

APPROVED FY09, CONDUCTED FY10

33

WITHDRAWN BY PI
8/15/2009

8/15/2010

8/15/2010

25

7/1/2009

8/31/2009

1/31/2010

28

10/1/2009

12/31/2010

1/31/2011

75

APPROVED AND CONDUCTED IN FY10
APPROVED AND CONDUCTED IN FY10

Expedited Review for NPS-Sponsored Public Surveys (OMB #1024-0224) FY 2009 Annual Report

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09-E-011

Monitoring Indicators in Denali National Park
and Preserve

5/28/2009

9/5/2010

12/31/2010

285

09-E-012

Fort Larned National Historic Site Visitor Survey

5/25/2009

6/13/2009

6/30/2011

109

09-E-013

Assessing Hispanic Recreational Use Patterns,
Attitudes, and Needs in Clark County, NV

09-E-014

Yosemite Wilderness Visitor Travel Patterns

09-E-015

Denali Stated Choice Visitor Survey

09-E-016
09-E-017
09-E-018
09-E-019

Homestead National Monument of America
Visitor Survey
Minuteman Missile National Historic Site Visitor
Survey
Perry’s Victory & International Peace Memorial
Visitor Survey
Women’s Rights National Historical Park Survey

POSTPONED TO FY11
APPROVED AND CONDUCTED IN FY10
8/17/2009

10/15/2009

12/31/10

177

5/25/2009

6/13/2009

6/30/2011

109

5/25/2009

6/13/2009

6/30/2011

109

6/24/2009

6/30/2009

6/30/2011

162

7/1/2009

7/10/2010

6/30/2011

99

7/5/2009

7/25/2009

6/30/2011

94

09-E-021

Klondike Gold Rush National Historical ParkSeattle Survey
Yosemite National Park Visitor Survey

7/8/2009

7/14/2009

6/30/2011

337

09-E-022

James A Garfield Historic Site Visitor Survey

7/24/2009

8/1/2009

6/30/2011

104

09-E-023

Boston National Historical Park Visitor Survey

7/26/2009

8/1/2009

6/30/2011

293

09-E-024

Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore Visitor Survey

8/1/2009

8/7/2009

6/30/2011

317

09-E-025

Acadia National Park Visitor Survey

8/2/2009

8/8/2009

6/30/2011

312

8/9/2009

8/20/2009

6/30/2011

132

8/9/2009

8/22/2009

6/30/2011

104

09-E-020

09-E-026
09-E-027

Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve (Grand Teton
National Park) Visitor Survey
Martin Van Buren National Historic Site Visitor
Survey

3,082

TOTAL

A conservative estimate nets a time savings of
approximately six months per survey. In FY09, 22
surveys were approved under the program with
an estimated time savings of 132 months. On
average, it took 44 calendar days from initial
submission to OMB to receive approval for the
studies.
The expedited review process provides substantial
cost savings for the federal government by
reducing staff time required to review
submissions. Table 2 shows that the review
process saves approximately $1,611 per study.
This eleventh year of the program yielded a direct
cost savings to the federal government of
approximately $35,442 (22 studies X $1,611 per
study). In addition to these direct cost savings,
principal investigators also benefit by a significant
reduction in labor required to prepare review
packages.

The project manager for the NPS-sponsored
Visitor Services Project (VSP) estimates a savings
of 15 hours at an estimated cost of $446 per
study. The VSP conducted 13 studies in FY09 for
a total cost savings of approximately $5,798.
Estimating similar time savings to principal
investigators for the 9 remaining studies
submitted and approved in FY09, an additional
cost savings of approximately $4,014 was
realized. The total cost savings to principal
investigators is estimated to be $9,812. Hence,
the total amount of dollars saved by the federal
government and principal investigators in FY09 is
estimated to be at least $45,254.
In eleven years, a total of 483 studies have been
approved, providing the federal government and
principal investigators a time and cost saving
estimated to be at least $937,272.
Burden on the public has been reduced by
eliminating the repetitive Federal Register
publications for substantially similar survey

Expedited Review for NPS-Sponsored Public Surveys (OMB #1024-0224) FY 2009 Annual Report

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research. Extensive public review of the program
as a whole resulted in effective and efficient
public comment. Those comments were
incorporated into the final submission to OMB.

Finally, the expedited review process encourages
principal investigators to have their survey
instruments peer-reviewed prior to submission.
This has resulted in higher quality studies that
reduce burden on the public and ensure more
accurate data.

Yosemite National Park Hybrid Shuttle (courtesy of the NPS Visitor Services
Project)

Table 2 – Fiscal Year 2009 Costs and Savings
Activity

Regular Review
Average
Cost Per
Review
Study
Time Per
Study

Expedited Review
Average
Cost Per
Review Time Study
Per Study

$32.54/hr*

12.5 hours

$406.75

6 hours

$195.24

$211.51

$54.80/hr*

7.5 hours

$411.00

3 hours

$164.40

$246.60

$45.05/hr*

3 hours

$135.15

None

None

$135.15

$71.39/hr*

2 hours

$142.78

None

None

$142.78

$62.62/hr*

3 hours

$187.86

1 hour

$62.62

$125.24

$75 per
page
(∼5 pages)

2 per study

$750.00

None

None

$750.00

Approx.
Salary

Review and handling by Social
Science Program staff (GS-11 Step
6)
Review by Chief Social Scientist
(GS-14 Step 6)
Review by NPS Information
Collection Clearance Officer (GS-13
Step 5)
Review by DOI Information
Collection Clearance Officer (GS-15
Step 10)
Review by OMB OIRA Desk Officer
for DOI (GS-15 Step 5)
Federal Register Notice Publication

Total Cost Savings Per Study

Cost
Savings

$1,611.28

* Salary estimates based on 2008 OPM Salary Tables for Washington, DC Area

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Progress on NPS Initiatives
The NPS Social Science Division has undertaken
several initiatives as part of this review program.
The major initiative undertaken in FY09 included
continued development of an archive of survey
results.
The NPS Social Science Division has established a
social science data and information archival
system in consultation with scientists conducting
NPS-sponsored public surveys and NPS library
programs. The Social Science Studies Collection
has been established with hard copies of reports
housed in libraries in the NPS Social Science
Division Washington, DC office and the Harpers
Ferry Center (HFC) in Harpers Ferry, West
Virginia. To date, 331 reports have been digitized

and made available on the NPS Focus Digital
Library and Research Station. In FY06, NPS Focus
(including the Social Science Studies Collection)
became available to the public at
http://npsfocus.nps.gov/

The NPS Visitor Services Project (VSP) based at the
University of Idaho Park Studies Unit has
developed an archival portion of their Web site,
providing access to survey instruments, executive
summaries, and full reports. The VSP Web site is
located at http://www.psu.uidaho.edu.
The NPS Social Science Division Web site at
http://www.nature.nps.gov/socialscience/activities.cfm

includes links to the Social Science Studies
Collection on NPS Focus and the VSP website.

______________________
Surveys Delayed from FY08
Surveys delayed from FY08 and approved and conducted in
FY09 included: 1) Understanding and Managing
Soundscapes in Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Parks; 2)
Assessing the Visitor Experience and Value Based
Management at Chaco Culture National Historical Park; 3)
Social Research in Support of Impact Mitigation on
Restoration of the Going to the Sun Road in Glacier National

Park; 4) Colonial National Historical Park Shuttle Service
Visitor Survey; 5) Roosevelt-Vanderbilt National Historic Sites
Roosevelt Ride Passenger Survey; 6) Preliminary Study of the
Tread Lightly! Off-Highway Vehicle Visitor Education Efforts
on NPS Lands (Big Cypress National Preserve, Canyonlands
National Park); 7) Petrified Forest National Park and Nez
Perce National Historical Park VSP Formative Studies.

For Additional Information
Dr. James H. Gramann
Visiting Chief Social Scientist
Telephone: (202) 513-7189
Email: [email protected]

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