30-Day Notice

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Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 220 / Tuesday, November 15, 2011 / Notices
from becoming so imperiled that they
meet the definition of a threatened or
endangered species under the ESA.
The Policy for Evaluation of
Conservation Efforts When Making
Listing Decisions (PECE) (68 FR 15100)
encourages the development of
conservation agreements/plans and
provides certainty about the standard
that an individual conservation effort
must meet for us to consider whether it
contributes to forming a basis for
making a decision about the listing of a
species. PECE applies to ‘‘formalized
conservation efforts’’ that have not been
implemented or have been implemented
but have not yet demonstrated if they

are effective at the time of a listing
decision.
Under PECE, formalized conservation
efforts are defined as conservation
efforts (specific actions, activities, or
programs designed to eliminate or
reduce threats or otherwise improve the
status of a species) identified in a
conservation agreement, conservation
plan, management plan, or similar
document. The development of such
agreements/plans is voluntary. There is
no requirement that the individual
conservation efforts included in such
documents be designed to meet the
standard in PECE.
II. Data
OMB Control Number: 1018–0119.
Number of
respondents

Activity

Completion
time per
response
(hours)

Number of
responses

Total annual
burden hours

Original Agreement ..........................................................................................
Monitoring ........................................................................................................
Reporting .........................................................................................................

4
7
7

4
7
7

2,000
600
120

8,000
4,200
840

Totals ........................................................................................................

18

18

........................

13,040

III. Comments

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Title: Policy for Evaluation of
Conservation Efforts When Making
Listing Decisions (PECE).
Service Form Number(s): None.
Type of Request: Extension of
currently approved collection.
Description of Respondents: Primarily
State, local, or tribal governments.
However, individuals, businesses, and
not-for-profit organizations could
develop agreements/plans or may agree
to implement certain conservation
efforts identified in a State agreement/
plan.
Respondent’s Obligation: Required to
obtain or retain a benefit.
Frequency of Collection: On occasion.

We invite comments concerning this
information collection on:
• Whether or not the collection of
information is necessary, including
whether or not the information will
have practical utility;
• The accuracy of our estimate of the
burden for this collection of
information;
• Ways to enhance the quality, utility,
and clarity of the information to be
collected; and
• Ways to minimize the burden of the
collection of information on
respondents.
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 IC. Before
including your address, phone number,
email address, or other personal
identifying information in your
comment, you should be aware that
your entire comment, including your
personal identifying information, may
be made publicly available at any time.
While you can ask us in your comment
to withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we
cannot guarantee that we will be able to
do so.

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Dated: November 7, 2011.
Tina A. Campbell,
Chief, Division of Policy and Directives
Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2011–29387 Filed 11–14–11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–55–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS–R9–MB–2011–N238; 91100–3740–
GRNT–7C]

Information Collection Request Sent to
the Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) for Approval; Migratory Birds
and Wetlands Conservation Grant
Programs
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice; request for comments.
AGENCY:

We (U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service) have sent an Information
Collection Request (ICR) to OMB for
review and approval. We summarize the
ICR below and describe the nature of the
collection and the estimated burden and
cost. This information collection is
scheduled to expire on December 31,
2011. We 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. However, under OMB
regulations, we may continue to

SUMMARY:

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conduct or sponsor this information
collection while it is pending at OMB.
DATES: You must submit comments on
or before December 15, 2011.
ADDRESSES: Send your comments and
suggestions on this information
collection to the Desk Officer for the
Department of the Interior at OMB–
OIRA at (202) 395–5806 (fax) or
[email protected] (email).
Please provide a copy of your comments
to the Service Information Collection
Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, MS 2042–PDM, 4401
North Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA
22203 (mail), or [email protected]
(email). Please include ‘‘1018–0100’’ in
the subject line of your comments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To
request additional information about
this ICR, contact Hope Grey at
[email protected] (email) or (703) 358–
2482 (telephone). You may review the
ICR online at http://www.reginfo.gov.
Follow the instructions to review
Department of the Interior collections
under review by OMB.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
OMB Control Number: 1018–0100.
Title: Migratory Birds and Wetlands
Conservation Grant Programs.
Service Form Number(s): None.
Type of Request: Revision of a
currently approved collection.
Description of Respondents: Domestic
and foreign individuals, businesses and
other for-profit organizations;

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70750

Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 220 / Tuesday, November 15, 2011 / Notices

educational organizations; not-for-profit
institutions; and Federal, State, local,
and/or tribal governments.

Respondent’s Obligation: Required to
obtain or retain a benefit.
Frequency of Collection: On occasion.
Number of
respondents

Activity

Completion time
per response
(hours)

Total annual
burden hours

NAWCA Small Grants—Applications ..............................................
NAWCA Small Grants—Reports .....................................................
NAWCA U.S. Standard Grants—Applications .................................
NAWCA Canadian and Mexican Standard Grants—Applications ...
NAWCA Standard Grants—Reports ................................................
NMBCA Grant Applications .............................................................
NMBCA Reports ..............................................................................

87
109
77
32
188
106
71

87
109
77
32
188
106
71

58
33
215
80
43
62
42

5,046
3,597
16,555
2,560
8,084
6,572
2,982

TOTALS ....................................................................................

670

670

............................

45,396

Abstract: The Division of Bird Habitat
Conservation administers grant
programs associated with the North
American Wetlands Conservation Act
(NAWCA), Public Law 101–233, and the
Neotropical Migratory Bird
Conservation Act (NMBCA), Public Law
106–247. Currently, information that we
collect for NMBCA grants is approved
under OMB Control No. 1018–0113,
which expires March 31, 2012. We are
proposing to consolidate NAWCA and
NMBCA grants under OMB Control No.
1018–0100. If OMB approves this
request, we will discontinue OMB
Control Number 1018–0113.

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Number of
responses

North American Wetlands
Conservation Act Grants
NAWCA provides matching grants to
organizations and individuals who have
developed partnerships to carry out
wetlands conservation projects in the
United States, Canada, and Mexico for
the benefit of wetlands-associated
migratory birds and other wildlife.
There is a Standard and a Small Grants
Program. Both are competitive grants
programs and require that grant requests
be matched by partner contributions at
no less than a 1-to-1 ratio. Funds from
U.S. Federal sources may contribute to
a project, but are not eligible as match.
The Standard Grants Program
supports projects in Canada, the United
States, and Mexico that involve longterm protection, restoration, and/or
enhancement of wetlands and
associated uplands habitats. In Mexico,
partners may also conduct projects
involving technical training,
environmental education and outreach,
organizational infrastructure
development, and sustainable-use
studies.
The Small Grants Program operates
only in the United States. It supports the
same types of projects and adheres to
the same selection criteria and
administrative guidelines as the U.S.
Standard Grants Program. However,

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project activities are usually smaller in
scope and involve fewer project dollars.
Grant requests may not exceed $75,000,
and funding priority is given to grantees
or partners new to the NAWCA Grants
Program.
We publish notices of funding
availability on the Grants.gov Web site
at http://www.grants.gov as well as in
the Catalog of Federal Domestic
Assistance at http://cfda.gov. To
compete for grant funds, partnerships
submit applications that describe in
substantial detail project locations,
project resources, future benefits, and
other characteristics that meet the
standards established by the North
American Wetlands Conservation
Council and the requirements of
NAWCA. Materials that describe the
program and assist applicants in
formulating project proposals are
available on our Web site at http://
www.fws.gov/birdhabitat/Grants/
NAWCA. Persons who do not have
access to the Internet may obtain
instructional materials by mail. We have
not made any major changes in the
scope and general nature of the
instructions since the OMB first
approved the information collection in
1999.
Neotropical Migratory Bird
Conservation Act
NMBCA establishes a matching grant
program to fund projects that promote
the long-term conservation of
neotropical migratory birds and their
habitats in the United States, Canada,
Latin America, and the Caribbean.
Principal conservation actions
supported are the protection and
management of populations;
maintenance, management, protection
and restoration of habitat; research and
monitoring; law enforcement; and
community outreach and education. We
publish notices of funding availability
on the Grants.gov Web site as well as in
the Catalog of Federal Domestic

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Assistance. To compete for grant funds,
partnerships submit applications that
describe in substantial detail project
locations, project resources, future
benefits, and other characteristics that
meet the standards established by the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the
requirements of NMBCA.
Materials that describe the program
and assist applicants in formulating
project proposals for consideration are
available on our Web site at http://
www.fws.gov/birdhabitat/Grants/
NMBCA/index.shtm. Persons who do
not have access to the Internet may
obtain instructional materials by mail.
We have not made any major changes in
the scope and general nature of the
instructions since the OMB first
approved the information collection in
2002.
Comments: On May 24, 2011, we
published in the Federal Register (76
FR 30186) a notice of our intent to
request that OMB approve this
information collection. In that notice,
we solicited comments for 60 days,
ending on July 25, 2011. We received
one comment. The commenter opposed
these grant programs, but did not
address the information collection
requirements. We did not make any
changes as a result of this comment.
We again invite comments concerning
this information collection on:
• Whether or not the collection of
information is necessary, including
whether or not the information will
have practical utility;
• The accuracy of our estimate of the
burden for this collection of
information;
• Ways to enhance the quality, utility,
and clarity of the information to be
collected; and
• Ways to minimize the burden of the
collection of information on
respondents.
Comments that you submit in
response to this notice are a matter of
public record. Before including your

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Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 220 / Tuesday, November 15, 2011 / Notices
address, phone number, email address,
or other personal identifying
information in your comment, you
should be aware that your entire
comment, including your personal
identifying information, may be made
publicly available at any time. While
you can ask OMB in your comment to
withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we
cannot guarantee that it will be done.
Dated: November 7, 2011.
Tina A. Campbell,
Chief, Division of Policy and Directives
Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2011–29386 Filed 11–14–11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–55–P

TAMWG. The meeting will include
discussion of the following topics:
• Key questions for Restoration
Program guidance and assessment,
• Channel rehabilitation program
review and planning,
• Gravel augmentation program,
• Watersheds work program,
• TRRP budget update,
• Hatchery practices review,
• Fish marking,
• Executive Director’s report,
• Trinity Management Council
Chair’s report, and
• Designated Federal Officer topics.
Completion of the agenda is
dependent on the amount of time each
item takes. The meeting could end early
if the agenda has been completed.
Dated: November 8, 2011.
Randy A. Brown,
Deputy Field Supervisor, Arcata Fish and
Wildlife Office, Arcata, CA.

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS–R8–FHC–2011–N237;
FXFR1334088TWG0W4]

[FR Doc. 2011–29420 Filed 11–14–11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–55–P

Trinity Adaptive Management Working
Group
AGENCY:

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service,

Interior.
Notice of meeting.

Geological Survey

ACTION:

[GX12RB00CMF2400]

The Trinity Adaptive
Management Working Group (TAMWG)
affords stakeholders the opportunity to
give policy, management, and technical
input concerning Trinity River
(California) restoration efforts to the
Trinity Management Council (TMC).
The TMC interprets and recommends
policy, coordinates and reviews
management actions, and provides
organizational budget oversight. This
notice announces a TAMWG meeting,
which is open to the public.
DATES: TAMWG will meet from 9:30
a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, December 9,
2011.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at
the Trinity County Library, 351 Main
Street, Weaverville, CA 96093.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Meeting Information: Randy A. Brown,
TAMWG Designated Federal Officer,
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1655
Heindon Road, Arcata, CA 95521;
telephone: (707) 822–7201. Trinity River
Restoration Program (TRRP)
Information: Robin Schrock, Executive
Director, Trinity River Restoration
Program, P.O. Box 1300, 1313 South
Main Street, Weaverville, CA 96093;
telephone: (530) 623–1800; email:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under
section 10(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory
Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.), this
notice announces a meeting of the

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SUMMARY:

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Agency Information Collection
Activities: Proposed Information
Collection; Economic Contribution of
Federal Investments in Restoration of
Degraded, Damaged, or Destroyed
Ecosystems
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS),
Interior.
ACTION: Notice; request for comments for
a new information collection.
AGENCY:

We (the U.S. Geological
Survey) will ask the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) to
approve the information collection (IC)
described below. As required by the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and
as part of our continuing efforts to
reduce paperwork and respondent
burden, we invite the general public and
other Federal agencies to take this
opportunity to comment on this IC. We
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.
DATES: To ensure that we are able to
consider your comments on this IC we
must receive them on or before January
17, 2012.
ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments
on this IC to Shari Baloch, Information
Collection Clearance Officer, U.S.
Geological Survey, 12201 Sunrise Valley
SUMMARY:

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70751

Drive mail stop 807 (mail) or
[email protected] (email). Please
reference IC 1028–NEW (ECFIRA) in the
subject line.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr.
Lynne Koontz, U.S. Geological Survey,
2150–C Centre Ave, Fort Collins, CO
80526 (mail); [email protected] (email);
or: (970) 226–9384 (phone).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Abstract
Under the American Restoration and
Recovery Act (ARRA) (Pub. L. 111–5)
and via U.S. Department of the Interior
(DOI) and U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) management
agencies, restoration projects to mitigate
environmental damages and to improve
the health and resiliency of terrestrial,
freshwater and marine ecosystems are
currently in progress. Federal
investments in ecosystem restoration
and monitoring protect Federal trusts,
ensure public health and safety, and
preserve and enhance essential
ecosystem services; furthermore, these
investments create jobs. An emphasis on
quantifying the relationship between job
creation and investments in ecological
restoration is evident in the goals of the
ARRA, Agriculture Secretary Vilsack’s
emphasis on tying management actions
to rural jobs (Farm Service Agency
Office of Communications, 2010), and
Interior Secretary Salazar’s annual
report on the Department’s economic
contribution to the Nation’s economy
(Department of the Interior, 2009). The
need to better understand the
connection between restoring the health
and productivity of ecosystems and the
resulting economic benefits to local
communities is also illustrated in a
recent report by the President’s Council
of Advisors on Science and Technology,
which calls on the federal government
to better prioritize the approximately
$10 billion it spends each year on
ecological restoration and biodiversity
preservation. Though a few small,
localized studies have been carried out
to measure jobs created or supported by
investments in certain types of
ecosystem restoration, they are not
useful at a national scale due to regional
variations and variations in study
methods and objectives. Without data
on the proportion of restoration costs
typically spent on labor, equipment,
supplies and other expenditures, the
economic contribution generated by
federal investments in restoration
cannot be estimated.
The USGS plans to conduct a
nationwide telephone survey to elicit
expenditure pattern information from
contractors that conduct restoration

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