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:

John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge – Transportation Feedback Form

PURPOSE: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which manages John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge, is working with local partners to provide equitable access to green spaces and engage communities and youth in conservation and outdoor recreation. Through informal feedback, transportation stood out as a major barrier to engagement for many residents. The isolation of neighborhoods from green spaces and a lack of accessible public transportation near the refuge contribute to this issue. To improve transportation access, the refuge has made several enhancements; however, there is still a lack of clarity about exactly what the transportation barriers are and if existing transportation programs are effective.

We will use this survey as a preliminary assessment tool of the transportation options and access at John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge. This will help us understand what transportation barriers exist for residents and gauge audience satisfaction with transportation options at the refuge. This preliminary information could also show what additional information may be needed to evaluate and improve transportation access to, from and at the refuge.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS: Respondents will be adults who live in Philadelphia and surrounding counties and states, who visit the refuge regularly and those who also do not. In 2017, about 180,000 people visited the refuge. We are assuming annual visitation will be similar in the future. Since this is a voluntary survey, we estimate that about 5 percent of potential respondents will participate. This gives us about 9,000 respondents over the course of one year.

TYPE OF COLLECTION:

Customer Comment Card/Complaint Form Customer Satisfaction Survey

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

Focus Group Other: ______________

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: Tylar Greene

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

BURDEN HOURS

Category of Respondent	No. of Respondents	Participation Time	Total Hour Burden
Individuals/Households	9,000	5 mins	750

FEDERAL COST: The estimated annual cost to the Federal government is $8,456. One USFWS employee will be the one primarily responsible for handing out, collecting, reviewing surveys and conveying feedback to the refuge manager. We estimate this to take about 160 hours. To reach the estimated annual cost to the federal government, we multiplied the 160 hours by the fully burdened hourly pay for a GS-11/05 employee $52.85 (OPM 2018-RUS $33.24 x 1.59 to account for benefits x 160 hours = $8,456).

If you are conducting a focus group, survey, or plan to employ statistical methods, please provide answers to the following questions:

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.

In 2017, about 180,000 people visited the refuge. We are assuming annual visitation will be similar in the future. Since this is a voluntary survey, we estimate that about 5 percent of potential respondents will participate. This gives us about 9,000 respondents over the course of one year. The population targets for the survey are adults who live in Philadelphia and surrounding counties and states. People living in southwest Philadelphia neighborhoods and in Delaware County, which neighbor the refuge are the priority target populations. In those populations, responses from people who frequently visit the refuge and those who do not (or who have never visited) will be useful for reviewing the responses.

The sampling plan and procedure will be largely convenience. The survey will be distributed at high traffic areas at the refuge during events with expected high attendance (registration and check-in stations). The survey will also be distributed at the refuge on days when attendance is higher and at high traffic locations (fishing dock, boardwalk, visitor center and main loop trail). The survey will also be distributed at high traffic community locations near the refuge, like community meetings that the refuge attends. Participation in the survey is completely voluntary.

A majority of the survey administration that takes place at the refuge and offsite will be conducted as in-person intercept surveys at the locations mentioned in the sampling plan/procedure, and will be self-administered. 

There will likely be opportunity for presentations to FWS staff, partners and university professors, faculty and students about the results generally and what is learned about the quality of transportation at the refuge in terms of providing valuable visitation and conservation experiences.

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 (by FWS staff member)

Mail

Other, Explain

2. Will interviewers or facilitators be used? Yes No

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

4