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Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 184 / Monday, September 25, 2023 / Notices
Permit
record No.
Applicant
PER3115282 ..........
Karraker,
Nancy; Kingston, Rhode
Island.
PER3856727 ..........
City of Austin—
Watershed
Protection
Department;
Austin, Texas.
PER3324977 ..........
Savarino, Patrick; Dripping
Springs,
Texas.
Turtles Fly Too;
Boise, Idaho.
PER4208629 ..........
Species
Location
Activity
Jemez Mountains salamander (Plethodon
neomexicanus).
New Mexico .....
Harass, harm,
capture.
Renew.
Barton Springs salamander (Eurycea sosorum),
Austin blind salamander (Eurycea
waterlooensis), Tooth Cave spider
(Tayshaneta myopica), Tooth Cave
pseudoscorpion (Tartarocreagris texana), Bee
Creek Cave harvestman (Texella reddelli),
Kretschmarr Cave mold beetle (Texamaurops
reddelli), Tooth Cave ground beetle (Rhadine
persephone), Bone Cave harvestman (Texella
reyesi), Coffin Cave mold beetle (Batrisodes
texanus), ground beetle (Rhadine exilis),
ground beetle (Rhadine infernalis), Helotes
mold beetle (Batrisodes venyivi),
Cokendolpher Cave harvestman (Texella
cokendolpheri), Robber Baron Cave
meshweaver (Cicurina baronia), Madla Cave
meshweaver (Cicurina madla), Government
Canyon Bat Cave meshweaver (Cicurina
vespera), Government Canyon Bat Cave spider (Neoleptoneta microps).
Lesser prairie chicken (Tympanuchus
pallidicinctus).
Texas ...............
Presence/absence surveys, capture,
handle, biosample, and
release.
Presence/absence surveys, handling, capture,
voucher specimen collection.
Harass, harm,
kill, capture.
Renew.
Presence/absence surveys, habitat
assessments.
Transport .........
Harass, harm ...
New.
Harass, harm ...
New.
Kemp’s ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys kempii);
leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea);
Olive ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea);
hawskbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata).
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Public Availability of Comments
All comments we receive become part
of the public record associated with this
action. Requests for copies of comments
will be handled in accordance with the
Freedom of Information Act, National
Environmental Policy Act, and Service
and Department of the Interior policies
and procedures. 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 to withhold your
personal identifying information from
public review, we cannot guarantee that
we will be able to do so. All
submissions from organizations or
businesses, and from individuals
identifying themselves as
representatives or officials of
organizations or businesses, will be
made available for public disclosure in
their entirety.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
20:11 Sep 22, 2023
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Colorado, Kansas, New
Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas.
Arizona, New
Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas.
Authority
We provide this notice under section
10 of the Endangered Species Act (16
U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).
Amy Lueders,
Regional Director, Southwest Region, U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2023–20614 Filed 9–22–23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333–15–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[Docket No. FWS–HQ–NWRS–2023–0135;
FF09M21200–234–FXMB1231099BPP0;
OMB Control Number 1018–0193]
Agency Information Collection
Activities; U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service Agreements With Friends
Organizations
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of information collection;
request for comment.
AGENCY:
In accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we,
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
(Service), are proposing to renew an
information collection with revisions.
DATES: Interested persons are invited to
submit comments on or before
November 24, 2023.
SUMMARY:
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Type of take
Permit action
Send your comments on the
information collection request (ICR) by
one of the following methods (please
reference 1018–0193 in the subject line
of your comments):
• Internet (preferred): https://
www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments
on Docket No. FWS–HQ–NWRS–2023–
0135.
• U.S. mail: Service Information
Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service, 5275 Leesburg
Pike, MS: PRB (JAO/3W), Falls Church,
VA 22041–3803.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To
request additional information about
this ICR, contact Madonna L. Baucum,
Service Information Collection
Clearance Officer, by email at Info_
[email protected], or by telephone at (703)
358–2503. Individuals in the United
States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of
hearing, or have a speech disability may
dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to
access telecommunications relay
services. Individuals outside the United
States should use the relay services
offered within their country to make
international calls to the point-ofcontact in the United States.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In
accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act (PRA, 44 U.S.C. 3501 et
seq.) and its implementing regulations
at 5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1), all information
ADDRESSES:
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ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
65742
Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 184 / Monday, September 25, 2023 / Notices
collections require approval under the
PRA. We may not conduct or sponsor
and you are not required to respond to
a collection of information unless it
displays a currently valid OMB control
number.
As part of our continuing effort to
reduce paperwork and respondent
burdens, we invite the public and other
Federal agencies to comment on new,
proposed, revised, and continuing
collections of information. This helps us
assess the impact of our information
collection requirements and minimize
the public’s reporting burden. It also
helps the public understand our
information collection requirements and
provide the requested data in the
desired format.
We are especially interested in public
comment addressing the following:
(1) Whether or not the collection of
information is necessary for the proper
performance of the functions of the
agency, including whether or not the
information will have practical utility;
(2) The accuracy of our estimate of the
burden for this collection of
information, including the validity of
the methodology and assumptions used;
(3) Ways to enhance the quality,
utility, and clarity of the information to
be collected; and
(4) How might the agency minimize
the burden of the collection of
information on those who are to
respond, including through the use of
appropriate automated, electronic,
mechanical, or other technological
collection techniques or other forms of
information technology, e.g., permitting
electronic submission of response.
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 ICR. 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.
Abstract: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service (Service) enters into agreements
and partnerships with nonprofit Friends
groups to facilitate and formalize
collaboration between the parties in
support of mutual goals and objectives
as authorized by:
(1) The Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956
(16 U.S.C. 742a–742j);
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20:11 Sep 22, 2023
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(2) The National Wildlife Refuge
System Administration Act of 1966 (16
U.S.C. 668dd–ee), as amended;
(3) The Refuge Recreation Act of 1962
(16 U.S.C. 460k et seq.), as amended;
(4) The Anadromous Fish
Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 757a–757g),
as amended;
(5) The Fish and Wildlife
Coordination Act of 1934 (16 U.S.C.
661–667e), as amended;
(6) The National Wildlife Refuge
System Volunteer and Community
Partnership Enhancement Act of 1998
(16 U.S.C. 742f), as amended; and
(7) The National Fish Hatchery
System Volunteer Act of 2006 (16 U.S.C.
760aa), as amended.
In September 2020, the Office of
Inspector General (OIG) at the
Department of the Interior (DOI)
delivered its final audit report of the
Service’s Friends Program. The audit
outlined six recommendations,
including a requirement for Friends
group to report related data to the
Service on a regular basis. In order to
collect this information legally, we must
complete the Information Collection
Clearance process. The Service
addressed and completed all audit
recommendations and commitments
(other than completion of the
Information Collection Clearance
process). For example, the Service
amended and reissued agency policies
(Service Manual chapters 633 FW 1, 633
FW 2, 633 FW 3, and 633 FW 4,
available at https://www.fws.gov/
program/policy-regulations/library)
which guide the program. We also
trained Service staff and Friends on the
new policies.
The Service uses the information
collected to establish efficient and
effective partnerships and working
relationships with nonprofit Friends
organizations. The agreements provide a
method for the Service to legally accept
donations of funds and other
contributions by people and
organizations through partnerships with
nonprofit (and non-Federal) Friends
organizations. The partnership
agreements identify roles and
responsibilities and identify mutual
projects over the term of the agreement.
Quarterly reviews provide an
opportunity to update contact and
financial information. Annual reporting
documents contributions to the Service.
The Service utilizes a standardized
agreement which describes the
substantial involvement of both parties
in mutually agreed-upon activities and
ensures that both parties have a mutual
understanding of their respective roles,
responsibilities, rights, expectations,
and requirements within the
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partnership. The agreement, preapproved by the Department of the
Interior (DOI) Office of the Solicitor,
provides the suggested language
common to most Service Friends
partnerships. The content is based on
DOI and Service policies, but the
Friends and Service sites/programs may
thoughtfully add and delete certain
language to meet their varying
partnership roles and responsibilities
wherever Department and Service
policies do not dictate otherwise. We
also use a supplemental partnership
agreement for use of Service property,
which provides additional terms and
responsibilities beyond the general
terms of the partnership agreement and
is required only for those Friends
groups that use Service land, facilities,
or equipment.
The partnership agreement and
supplemental agreement are effective for
5 years, with four annual modification
options during the 5-year period of
performance. Each time the agreement is
up for its 5-year renewal, the Refuge or
Fish Hatchery Project Leader and the
Friends President or Board will meet to
review, modify, and sign the agreement
as described above. To become effective,
the Regional Director (or designee) must
review, approve, and sign a new
agreement every 5 years.
The Service collects the information
listed below in conjunction with the
administration of the Friends Program
to verify compliance with agency policy
and to allow the Service to gauge the
impact of the program as a whole. All
information collected will be kept in a
secure manner by the Service and will
not be shared except as an aggregate
report. If the Service wishes to share
specific details to illustrate the strength
of the Friends program, individual
groups will be asked for their
permission to do so.
In addition to the partnership
agreement and supplemental agreement,
and subsequent renewals of the
agreements, the Service collects the
following information in conjunction
with the administration of the Friends
Program:
• Basic program information
documentation, to include documents
such as IRS determination letters
recognizing an organization as tax
exempt, submission of IRS Form 990series forms, bylaws, articles of
incorporation, etc.;
• Internal financial control
documentation for the organization;
• Recordkeeping requirements
documenting accountability for
donations and expenditures;
• Assurance documentation that
donations, revenues, and expenditures
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Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 184 / Monday, September 25, 2023 / Notices
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benefit the applicable refuge or
hatchery;
• Annual performance reporting
(donations, revenues, and expenditures)
and number of memberships (if
applicable);
• Additional information that may be
included as part of quarterly, annual,
and in-depth program reviews; and
• Information related to fundraising
agreements for activities described in
212 FW 8.
Over the life of this clearance, the
Service plans to develop a digital
platform and process to collect
information directly from Friends
groups. Until that occurs, Friends
groups will submit information through
form and non-form responses.
Proposed Revisions to This Information
Collection
With this submission, we are
proposing the following revisions to the
existing information collection:
1. (New) National Friends Program:
Friends Academy Application (Form 3–
TBD)—The Service uses the Friends
Academy Application form with the
Friends Academy, an advanced training
program for board members and staff of
Friends organizations who are beyond
the formative stages of development.
The overarching purpose of the
Academy is to cultivate emerging
Friends leaders by providing a broader
understanding of the Service and
enhancing skills to increase the
effectiveness of Friends/Service
partnerships.
This program is exclusively offered to
Friends board members and staff who
have been serving for at least 1 year. In
addition, people who have at least 2
years of involvement as Friends
members or volunteers may be
considered. People eligible for the
program fall into two application
pools—Service staff or other Friends
may nominate a Friend, or a Friend may
self-nominate. These application forms
will be completed and submitted
directly to the National Friends
Coordinator specified in the
‘‘Application Submission Instructions’’
section.
• Part I (Region and Application
Type) of each application simply
gathers the servicing USFWS regional
office and specifies the type of
nomination (Self-nomination or Staff
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20:11 Sep 22, 2023
Jkt 259001
nominating a Friend) that dictates
which sections will be filled out.
• Part II (Self-Nomination) and Part
III (Nominating a Friend) both gather
basic information to identify the
nominee (name, address, phone
number, email address) and specify the
nominee’s baseline credentials for
gaining entry to the Academy program
(Friends organization affiliation, years
of affiliation, Service programs
supported, volunteer history, board
position, committees served). In
addition, these sections also solicit
professional information that helps the
Academy’s selection personnel evaluate
the nominee’s merits as a candidate.
Each of these parts gather identical
information regarding the nominee.
• Part IV (Required Service Site or
Program Manager Endorsement and
Signature) requires gathering
endorsements and signatures from both
the nominee’s Service Site Program
Manager and from a member of the
nominee’s Friends Organization.
• Part V (Required Service Site or
Program Manager Endorsement and
Signature Continued) compiles the
signatures of all the individuals
involved in preparing the application:
self-applicant or nominating official,
project leader or manager, and Friends
Organization representative.
2. (New) National Friends Program
Mentor Application (Form 3–TBD)—The
National Friends Mentoring Program is
open to both Service staff and members
of the public (e.g., retired Service
Employees, Friends members).
Applicants volunteer to serve in a cadre
of trained mentor professionals. These
professionals use the National Friends
Program Mentor Application form to
apply to enter into mentoring
relationships with current Friends
groups who request this service. The
mentor relationship typically lasts for
one full year and involves an on-site
visit to the Friends group and Service
site which the Friends group supports
in an official capacity (i.e., has a Friends
Partnership Agreement). The Service
generally issues a call for mentor
applications every 3 to 5 years, at most.
3. (New) Mentoring Visit Form (Form
3–TBD)—Friends groups use the
Mentoring Visit Form to request a
mentor visit. The form is completed by
the Friends group, but the Service staff
at the field station which the Friends
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65743
support must be consulted and must
sign the form before it is submitted to
Service headquarters.
4. (New) Internal Financial Control
Documentation (Forms 990–N or
Postcard Filers)—About 80 percent of
the Service’s Friends groups are very
small, with annual gross receipts
totaling $50,000 or less. This means that
they do not file a 990 or 990–EZ (the
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) forms on
which organizations must declare all
donations and revenues). Rather, these
smaller groups, which represent most of
our partners, are only required to file
the 990–N, or ‘‘e-Postcard.’’ The 990–N
or e-Postcard simply asks for
confirmation that the organization has
annual gross receipts totaling $50,000 or
less. Collection of this information, per
the Office of Inspector General audit,
from Friends groups filing the 990–N or
ePostcard is not duplicative of what the
IRS requires from 80 percent of our
Friends groups, nor is it publicly
available information on the IRS
website. Therefore, we need to request
this information on our Annual Report
(for only those small entities filing the
990–N or e-Postcard).
5. (Revised) Internal Financial Control
Documentation (Forms 990 or 990–EZ
Filers)—We reduced the number of
respondents specific to this requirement
to reflect only those Friends groups that
file Forms 990 or 990–EZ. Tax
information for this collection will be
retrieved by Service members from
information published on the IRS
website and not requested from Friends
groups.
Title of Collection: U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service Agreements with
Friends Organizations.
OMB Control Number: 1018–0193.
Form Numbers: To be determined.
Type of Review: Revision of a
currently approved collection.
Respondents/Affected Public:
Individuals/households; private sector;
and State, local, and Tribal
governments.
Respondent’s Obligation: Required to
obtain or retain a benefit for monitoring
and annual reports and voluntary for
surveys.
Frequency of Collection: On occasion.
Total Estimated Annual Nonhour
Burden Cost: None.
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Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 184 / Monday, September 25, 2023 / Notices
Average
number
of annual
respondents
Requirement
Average
number of
responses
each
Average
number of
annual
responses
Average
completion
time per
response
Estimated
annual
burden hours *
Partnership Agreement
Reporting ..............................................................................
Recordkeeping .....................................................................
50
........................
50
........................
50
........................
35
5
1,750
250
150
........................
5.5
2.5
825
375
50
........................
3
1
150
50
150
........................
1.5
0.5
225
75
30
........................
10
10
300
300
15
15
600
600
160
........................
15
15
2,400
2,400
200
........................
20
20
4,000
4,000
1.5
0.5
1,200
400
2.5
17.5
25
175
2
60
10
80
Renewal of Partnership Agreement
Reporting ..............................................................................
Recordkeeping .....................................................................
150
........................
1
........................
Supplemental Agreement
Reporting ..............................................................................
Recordkeeping .....................................................................
50
........................
1
........................
Renewal of Supplemental Agreement
Reporting ..............................................................................
Recordkeeping .....................................................................
150
........................
1
........................
Fundraising Agreement
Reporting ..............................................................................
Recordkeeping .....................................................................
30
........................
1
........................
Internal Financial Control Documentation (Forms 990 or 990–EZ Filers) (REVISED)
Reporting ..............................................................................
Recordkeeping .....................................................................
40
........................
1
........................
40
........................
Internal Financial Control Documentation (Forms 990–N or Postcard Filers) (NEW)
Reporting ..............................................................................
Recordkeeping .....................................................................
160
........................
1
........................
Assurance Documentation
Reporting ..............................................................................
Recordkeeping .....................................................................
200
........................
1
........................
Supplemental Documentation Requirements: Quarterly Review
Reporting ..............................................................................
Recordkeeping .....................................................................
200
........................
4
........................
800
........................
Supplemental Documentation Requirements: Annual Review
Reporting ..............................................................................
Recordkeeping .....................................................................
10
........................
1
........................
10
........................
National Friends Program: 2022 Friends Academy Application (Form 3–TBD) (NEW)
Reporting ..............................................................................
30
1
30
National Friends Program: 2022 Mentoring Application (Form 3–TBD) (NEW)
Reporting ..............................................................................
8
1
8
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National Friends Program: 2020 Friends Mentor Application (Form 3–TBD) (NEW)
Reporting ..............................................................................
15
1
15
3
45
Totals ............................................................................
1,093
........................
1,693
........................
20,285
* Rounded.
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Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 184 / Monday, September 25, 2023 / Notices
An agency 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.
The authority for this action is the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44
U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).
Madonna Baucum,
Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2023–20710 Filed 9–22–23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333–15–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS–HQ–IA–2023–N068;
FXIA167109CWT01/234/FF09A40000; OMB
Control Number 1018–New]
Agency Information Collection
Activities; Submission to the Office of
Management and Budget; CITES
Master’s Course
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of information collection;
request for comment.
AGENCY:
In accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we,
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
(Service), are proposing a new
information collection in use without
Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) approval.
DATES: Interested persons are invited to
submit comments on or before October
25, 2023.
ADDRESSES: Written comments and
recommendations for the proposed
information collection should be
submitted within 30 days of publication
of this notice at https://
www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain.
Find this particular information
collection by selecting ‘‘Currently under
Review—Open for Public Comments’’ or
by using the search function. Please
provide a copy of your comments to the
Service Information Collection
Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, MS: PRB (JAO/3W),
5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA
22041–3803 (mail); or by email to Info_
[email protected]. Please reference ‘‘1018–
CITES’’ in the subject line of your
comments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Madonna L. Baucum, Service
Information Collection Clearance
Officer, by email at [email protected],
or by telephone at (703) 358–2503.
Individuals in the United States who are
deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have
ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
SUMMARY:
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20:11 Sep 22, 2023
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a speech disability may dial 711 (TTY,
TDD, or TeleBraille) to access
telecommunications relay services.
Individuals outside the United States
should use the relay services offered
within their country to make
international calls to the point-ofcontact in the United States.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In
accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act (PRA, 44 U.S.C. 3501 et
seq.) and its implementing regulations
at 5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1), all information
collections require approval under the
PRA. We may not conduct or sponsor
and you are not required to respond to
a collection of information unless it
displays a currently valid OMB control
number.
On February 14, 2023, we published
in the Federal Register (88 FR 9533) a
notice of our intent to request that OMB
approve this information collection. In
that notice, we solicited comments for
60 days, ending on April 17, 2023. In an
effort to increase public awareness of,
and participation in, our public
commenting processes associated with
information collection requests, the
Service also published the Federal
Register notice on Regulations.gov
(Docket No. FWS–HQ–IA–2022–0142)
to provide the public with an additional
method to submit comments (in
addition to the typical Info_Coll@
fws.gov email and U.S. mail submission
methods). We received two comments
in response to that notice. However,
neither comment addressed the
information collection requirements, so
no response is required.
As part of our continuing effort to
reduce paperwork and respondent
burdens, we invite the public and other
Federal agencies to comment on new,
proposed, revised, and continuing
collections of information. This helps us
assess the impact of our information
collection requirements and minimize
the public’s reporting burden. It also
helps the public understand our
information collection requirements and
provide the requested data in the
desired format.
We are especially interested in public
comment addressing the following:
(1) Whether or not the collection of
information is necessary for the proper
performance of the functions of the
agency, including whether or not the
information will have practical utility;
(2) The accuracy of our estimate of the
burden for this collection of
information, including the validity of
the methodology and assumptions used;
(3) Ways to enhance the quality,
utility, and clarity of the information to
be collected; and
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(4) How might the agency minimize
the burden of the collection of
information on those who are to
respond, including through the use of
appropriate automated, electronic,
mechanical, or other technological
collection techniques or other forms of
information technology, e.g., permitting
electronic submission of response.
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 ICR. 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.
Abstract: Wildlife trafficking ranks as
the second greatest threat to species
survival after habitat destruction. The
United States recognizes wildlife
trafficking as a serious transnational
crime that threatens thousands of plant
and animal species and undermines
U.S. priorities, including national
security, human health, and economic
growth. The Service employs a sciencebased approach to counter wildlife
trafficking, including through the
implementation of the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered
Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
(CITES). CITES is the sole global treaty
dedicated to preventing the
unsustainable trade in plants and
animals and is an essential component
to counter illegal wildlife trade as it
provides mechanisms and incentives to
effectively manage natural resources.
The United States has been a Party to
CITES since 1973. Under the
Endangered Species Act, the Service has
been designated to carry out the
provisions of CITES for the United
States.
As one of the largest and oldest
environmental treaties in the world,
CITES is a key conservation tool for the
protection of 35,000 plant and animal
species. Currently 183 countries have
agreed to implement CITES. However,
realizing the full conservation impact of
CITES remains challenging and is
highly dependent on each country’s
financial and technical capacity. Even
when a Party has the political will and
desire to implement CITES, it may not
have the resources, systems, or
personnel to effectively follow CITES’
mandates, such as evaluating permit
E:\FR\FM\25SEN1.SGM
25SEN1
| File Type | application/pdf |
| File Modified | 2023-09-23 |
| File Created | 2023-09-23 |