Request for Approval

Request for Approval under the “DOI Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery”

(OMB Control Number: 1090-0011)

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION:

Hawksbill Sea Turtle Demand Reduction Campaign in the Dominican Republic (as part of JetBlue – USFWS Partnership)

PURPOSE:

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has a formal partnership with JetBlue Airways focused on combating wildlife trafficking in the Caribbean. In 2016, as the first major accomplishment in our collaboration, JetBlue released a short film on their flights nationwide that discussed how travelers can play a role in helping to protect endangered wildlife by asking questions before buying items that could potentially be derived from endangered wildlife.

In the next phase of the partnership, we aim to launch route-based campaigns to specific destinations in the Caribbean where data indicate that travelers (most likely without knowing it) are more likely to purchase souvenirs, clothing, jewelry, décor, art, food, pets, and other items that threaten the survival of endangered wildlife. Our analysis of available data indicated that the high volume of hawksbill sea turtle shell items sold in the Dominican Republic make it an excellent choice for an initial campaign that aim to change traveler behavior that ultimately will help protect hawksbill sea turtles and other species. Approximately 1.3 million U.S. travelers visit the Dominican Republic each year and the country’s government has expressed a desire to curtail the purchase of hawksbill sea turtle items to tourists.

To refine our communications strategy, messaging, and tactics for the campaign, we plan to ask travelers going from JFK Airport in New York City to the Dominican Republic via JetBlue flights some specific questions about their awareness of endangered wildlife and intent to buy items potentially derived from wildlife while traveling. We also aim to learn more about what kinds of information delivery methods would be most effective.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS:

On Friday, December 15^th, a representative from JetBlue and a representative from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will approach travelers waiting at gates for flights to the Dominican Republic in JFK airport. We know that several direct JetBlue flights to the Dominican Republic will be leaving that day. We generally believe that in December many of the travelers going to the Dominican Republic will be going for vacations.

TYPE OF COLLECTION: (Check one)

Customer Comment Card/Complaint Form Customer Satisfaction Survey

Usability Testing (e.g., Website or Software Small Discussion Group

Focus Group Other: We will interview passengers and directly record their responses on a printed data sheet.

CERTIFICATION:

I certify the following to be true:

1. The collection is voluntary.

2. The collection is low-burden for respondents and low-cost for the Federal Government.

3. The collection is non-controversial and does not raise issues of concern to other federal agencies.

4. The results are not intended to be disseminated to the public.

5. Information gathered will not be used for the purpose of substantially informing influential policy decisions.

6. The collection is targeted to the solicitation of opinions from respondents who have experience with the program or may have experience with the program in the future.

Name: Levi Novey, Outreach & Education Specialist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – International Affairs Program – Office of Outreach and Communication

Personally Identifiable Information:

1. Is personally identifiable information (PII) collected? Yes No

2. If Yes, is the information that will be collected included in records that are subject to the Privacy Act of 1974? Yes No

3. If Applicable, has a System or Records Notice been published? Yes No If “Yes”, please include the SORN title, number, and Federal Register citation for the publication:

Gifts or Payments:

Is an incentive (e.g., money or reimbursement of expenses, token of appreciation) provided to participants? Yes No An item of nominal value (e.g. a sticker) will be given to all participants.

BURDEN HOURS

Category of Respondent	No. of Respondents	Participation Time	Total Hour Burden*
Individual	30 - 40	1 min	1

*Rounded

FEDERAL COST: The estimated annual cost to the Federal government is $82 (Rounded).

We plan to interview between 30 – 40 people, but space them out across 3-4 flights going to the Dominican Republic over a period of several hours on Friday, December 15^th. In addition to the time spent interviewing travelers, a small amount of time (1 – 2 hours) would be needed for me to organize the data and distill the key findings for internal review and purposes. We calculated the burden based on a GS-13/05 ($51.48 x 1.6 = 82.37 x 1 hour = $82.37).

The selection of your targeted respondents

1. Do you have a customer list or something similar that defines the universe of potential respondents and do you have a sampling plan for selecting from this universe? Yes No

If the answer is yes, please provide a description of both below (or attach the sampling plan).

If the answer is no, please provide a description of how you plan to identify your potential group of respondents and how you will select them.

We will find travelers at gates who will be traveling on JetBlue direct flights to the Dominican Republic. We will approach customers and ask them if they will be willing to give us a minute of their time to answer a few questions. We will try to choose a variety of people to ask, and get a diversity of traveler types (families, individuals, couples, older / younger, etc…)

Administration of the Instrument

1. How will you collect the information? (Check all that apply)

Web-based or other forms of Social Media

Telephone

In-person

Mail

Other, Explain

On Friday, December 15^th, a representative from JetBlue and a representative from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will approach travelers waiting at gates for flights to the Dominican Republic in JFK airport. We know that several direct JetBlue flights to the Dominican Republic will be leaving that day. Our aim is to spend approximately 1 minute per person we approach and ask them each three questions from a list we are submitting for approval. We will aim to meet people from a total of 3-4 different flights to broaden the diversity of the sample.

2. Will interviewers or facilitators be used? Yes No

Please make sure that all instruments, instructions, and scripts are submitted with the request.

Please see the attached.

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