Published 30-day FRN (91 FR 56460)

Status: Original and derived artifacts are available for this document.

Download: pdf

56460

Federal Register / Vol. 91, No. 169 / Wednesday, September 2, 2026 / Notices

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[Docket Nos. FWS–HQ–ES–2026–2741
(OMB Control Number 1018–0095)
FXES11130900000–267–FF09E32000, FWS–
HQ–ES–2026–2742 (OMB Control Number
1018–0197) FXES11130600000–267–
FF06E00000, and FWS–HQ–ES–2026–2743
(OMB Control Number 1018–0199)
FXES11130100000–267–FF01E00000]

Agency Information Collection
Activities; Submission to the Office of
Management and Budget; Endangered
and Threatened Wildlife, Experimental
Populations
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service,

Interior.
ACTION: Notice of information collection;

request for comment.
SUMMARY: In accordance with the

lotter on DSK8BHNXB4PROD with NOTICES1

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we,
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
(Service), are proposing to renew three
information collections without change.
DATES: Interested persons are invited to
submit comments on or before October
2, 2026.
ADDRESSES: Written comments and
recommendations for the proposed
information collection should be sent
within 30 days of publication of this
notice to 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 [email protected]. Please
reference the corresponding OMB
Control Number in the subject line of
your email:

—OMB Control Number 1018–0095,
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife,
Experimental Populations (50 CFR
17.84),
—OMB Control Number 1018–0197,
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife,
Experimental Populations—Colorado
Gray Wolf (50 CFR 17.84), and/or
—OMB Control Number 1018–0199,
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife,
Experimental Populations—Grizzly
Bear (50 CFR 17.84).
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
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 (ICs) 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
Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) control number.
Solicitation of Public Comments for
OMB Control No. 1018–0095
On March 12, 2026, we published in
the Federal Register (91 FR 12211) a
notice of our intent to request that OMB
approve this information collection. In
that notice, we solicited comments for
60 days, ending on May 11, 2026. We
also published the Federal Register

notice on Regulations.gov (Docket No.
FWS–HQ–ES–2025–1463) and received
the following comment in response to
that notice:
Comment 1: Electronic comment
received May 12, 2026, via
Regulations.gov (FWS–HQ–ES–2025–
1463–0024) from Michael Robinson,
Senior Conservation Advocate, with the
Center for Biological Diversity. This
comment suggested two additional
categories of information collection
under this renewal related to
depredation-related take. Specifically,
Mr. Robinson suggested collecting
information on preventative measures
taken by landowners to protect livestock
prior to implementing lethal take, and to
measure the amount of time between a
depredation-related take of an
individual of an experimental
population and renewed depredation of
the same landowner’s livestock.
Agency Response to Comment 1: Mr.
Robinson’s suggestions for information
collection include data that are already
collected and tracked by Service
employees as specified in 50 CFR part
17 Subpart H (existing data collections
approved under this Control Number),
as well as in each species-specific final
rule issued by the Service establishing
the experimental population. If we issue
a permit for take of a listed animal of an
experimental population relative to
depredation prevention, the reporting
requirements would be specified under
the permit’s terms and conditions and
be covered under OMB Control Number
1018–0094. Additionally, the Service
acknowledges the usefulness of this
type of information and will continue to
consider the usefulness of this
information in future rulemaking
actions.
The remaining comments listed below
did not address the information
collection requirements and therefore,
no response is required:

Comment ID

Name

FWS–HQ–ES–2025–1463–0003 ............................................
FWS–HQ–ES–2025–1463–0004 ............................................
FWS–HQ–ES–2025–1463–0005 ............................................
FWS–HQ–ES–2025–1463–0009 ............................................
FWS–HQ–ES–2025–1463–0010 ............................................
FWS–HQ–ES–2025–1463–0015 ............................................
FWS–HQ–ES–2025–1463–0016 ............................................
FWS–HQ–ES–2025–1463–0018 ............................................
FWS–HQ–ES–2025–1463–0019 ............................................
FWS–HQ–ES–2025–1463–0020 ............................................
WS–HQ–ES–2025–1463–0026 ..............................................

Brown, Dan ............................................................................
Gereb, Barry ..........................................................................
Anonymous ............................................................................
Calcione, Marissa ..................................................................
Butkus, Joann ........................................................................
Dub, J .....................................................................................
Anonymous ............................................................................
Anonymous ............................................................................
Kappelman, John ...................................................................
Pettus, Dave ..........................................................................
WhoPoo App M ......................................................................

VerDate Sep<11>2014

17:09 Sep 01, 2026

Jkt 268001

PO 00000

Frm 00046

Fmt 4703

Sfmt 4703

E:\FR\FM\02SEN1.SGM

Date submitted

02SEN1

March 16, 2026.
March 17, 2026.
March 18, 2026.
March 21, 2026.
March 23, 2026.
April 15, 2026.
April 23, 2026.
May 4, 2026
May 11, 2026.
May 10, 2026.
May 11, 2026.

56461

Federal Register / Vol. 91, No. 169 / Wednesday, September 2, 2026 / Notices
Solicitation of Public Comments for
OMB Control No. 1018–0197

notice of our intent to request that OMB
approve this information collection. In
that notice, we solicited comments for
60 days, ending on May 11, 2026. We
also published the Federal Register

On March 12, 2026, we published in
the Federal Register (91 FR 12211) a
Comment ID

Name

Date submitted

FWS–HQ–ES–2025–1464–0009 ................
FWS–HQ–ES–2025–1464–0016 ................
FWS–HQ–ES–2025–1464–0022 ................
FWS–HQ–ES–2025–1464–0023 ................
FWS–HQ–ES–2025–1464–0035 ................
FWS–HQ–ES–2025–1464–0038 ................
FWS–HQ–ES–2025–1464–0047 ................

Woodruff, Dana ..........................................
Mikita, Zayne ..............................................
Barnes, Sheryl ............................................
Smith, Megan .............................................
Harris, Arthur ..............................................
Lemoine, Kathryn .......................................
Stoic Wolf ...................................................
OverWatch
Buck, Janet .................................................
Meuter, Aimee ............................................
Anonymous .................................................
Anonymous .................................................
Anonymous .................................................
Gunnison County Stockgrowers’ Association.
Gunnison County Stockgrowers’ Association.
Team Wolf ..................................................
Hopkins, Becca ...........................................

March 19, 2026 ......................
March 13, 2026 ......................
March 19, 2026 ......................
March 20, 2026 ......................
March 26, 2026 ......................
March 26, 2026 ......................
April 2, 2026 ..........................

No.
No.
No.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes
No.

April 5, 2026 ..........................
April 23, 2026 ........................
May 4, 2026 ...........................
May 9, 2026 ...........................
May 9, 2026 ...........................
May 9, 2026 ...........................

No.
Yes.
No.
No.
Yes
Yes.

May 9, 2026 ...........................

Yes.

May 11, 2026 .........................
May 11, 2026 .........................

Yes.
No.

FWS–HQ–ES–2025–1464–0048 ................
FWS–HQ–ES–2025–1464–0068 ................
FWS–HQ–ES–2025–1464–0071 ................
FWS–HQ–ES–2025–1464–0072 ................
FWS–HQ–ES–2025–1464–0073 ................
FWS–HQ–ES–2025–1464–0074 ................
FWS–HQ–ES–2025–1464–0075 ................
FWS–HQ–ES–2025–1464–0076 ................
FWS–HQ–ES–2025–1464–0077 ................

lotter on DSK8BHNXB4PROD with NOTICES1

notice on Regulations.gov (Docket No.
FWS–HQ–ES–2025–1464). We received
the following comments in response to
that notice:

Comment 1: Two commenters (FWS–
HQ–ES–2025–1464–0023, FWS–HQ–
ES–2025–1464–0073) supported the
information collection and
recommended that the estimated burden
be increased from 30 minutes for
reporting and 30 minutes for
recordkeeping to 1 hour for each.
Agency Response to Comment 1:
Because the organization that reports
this information to the Service affirmed
(below) that the burden estimate is
accurate, the Service declines to update
the burden estimates based on these
comments.
Comment 2: Two commenters (FWS–
HQ–ES–2025–1464–0035, FWS–HQ–
ES–2025–1464–0076) recommended
that we prioritize data collection for
non-lethal deterrents prior to any
‘‘depredation-related take’’ incidents.
Agency Response to Comment 2: We
appreciate the recommendation to
prioritize data collection for non-lethal
deterrents prior to any ‘‘depredationrelated take’’ incidents. The Service
recognizes the importance of non-lethal
deterrents in mitigating depredation and
reducing the need for lethal
management actions. Currently, our data
collection efforts include information on
the use and effectiveness of non-lethal
deterrents as part of the reporting
process. At this time, no additional
action is being taken to further prioritize
data collection for non-lethal deterrents,
as the existing process already captures
relevant information. However, we will
continue to review and evaluate the
effectiveness of our data collection
procedures and consider future

VerDate Sep<11>2014

17:09 Sep 01, 2026

Jkt 268001

enhancements as necessary to ensure
comprehensive reporting and utility.
Comment 3: Two commenters (FWS–
HQ–ES–2025–1464–0023, FWS–HQ–
ES–2025–1464–0035) recommended an
electronic reporting system to track data
in real time.
Agency Response to Comment 3: We
appreciate the suggestion to implement
an electronic reporting system for realtime data tracking. The Service
recognizes the potential benefits of such
a system, including improved
efficiency, accuracy, and timely access
to information. Currently, our reporting
process utilizes traditional methods, but
in the future, we may consider
enhancements to improve data
collection and management. The
feasibility of transitioning to an
electronic system will be evaluated in
terms of cost, technical requirements,
and compatibility with existing
procedures. We will continue to explore
opportunities to modernize our
reporting infrastructure and welcome
ongoing input from stakeholders to
ensure that any future system meets the
needs of both the agency and reporting
organizations.
Comment 4: Two commenters (FWS–
HQ–ES–2025–1464–0023, FWS–HQ–
ES–2025–1464–0068) suggested using a
standardized form for the data
collection.
Agency Response to Comment 4: The
Service appreciates this comment and
may consider adding a standardized
form in the future. However, currently
only one organization provides data
under this collection, so creating a new

PO 00000

Frm 00047

Fmt 4703

Sfmt 4703

Responsive?

form would create an additional burden
on the single organization.
Comment 5: Multiple comments
(FWS–HQ–ES–2025–1464–0038, FWS–
HQ–ES–2025–1464–0068, FWS–HQ–
ES–2025–1464–0072) supported the
information collection overall but did
not provide any suggestions on ways to
change the information collection itself.
Agency Response to Comment 5: The
Service appreciates the public’s interest
in this information collection.
Comment 6: Another commenter
(FWS–HQ–ES–2025–1464–0074,
duplicate comment FWS–HQ–ES–2025–
1464–0075) supports renewing the
information collection, emphasizing
that comprehensive reporting is
essential for evaluating wolf-livestock
conflicts and management effectiveness.
They provided recommendations for
what the annual report should include.
They also recommended timely agency
action and transparent documentation
of denied or delayed requests and that
the information collection shows
whether producers receive prompt
notice of wolf presence and depredation
history.
Agency Response to Comment 6: The
Service appreciates this comment
supporting renewing the information
collection and recognizes the
importance of comprehensive reporting
in evaluating wolf-livestock conflicts
and management effectiveness. Your
recommendations regarding the
contents of the annual report, timely
agency action, and transparent
documentation of denied or delayed
requests are valuable. Our current

E:\FR\FM\02SEN1.SGM

02SEN1

56462

Federal Register / Vol. 91, No. 169 / Wednesday, September 2, 2026 / Notices

reporting procedures are designed to
capture relevant data, and we will
continue to assess opportunities for
improving transparency and
responsiveness. The Service will take
these recommendations under
consideration to ensure that this
information collection supports
effective management.
The remaining comments received
did not address the information
collection requirements and therefore,
no response is required.

lotter on DSK8BHNXB4PROD with NOTICES1

Solicitation of Public Comments for
OMB Control No. 1018–0199
On March 12, 2026, we published in
the Federal Register (91 FR 12211) a
notice of our intent to request that OMB
approve this information collection. In
that notice, we solicited comments for
60 days, ending on May 11, 2026. We
also published the Federal Register
notice on Regulations.gov (Docket No.
FWS–HQ–ES–2025–1465). We received
the following comment in response to
that notice:
Comment 1: Electronic comment
received from Michael Robinson, Senior

Conservation Advocate, with the Center
for Biological Diversity submitted via
Regulations.gov (FWS–HQ–ES–2025–
1465–0014) on May 12, 2026. The
commenter suggested that we collect
information related to instances of take
that occur incidental to, and not as the
purpose of, the carrying out of an
otherwise lawful activity, such as
incidental take that is authorized in the
10(j) rule for grizzly bears in the North
Cascades Ecosystem. For such
incidental take, in addition to the
information currently required to be
reported pertaining to lethal or
permanently-injurious take, the Service
should collect the following three
categories of information:
(1) Occurrences of non-lethal,
temporarily-injurious incidental take.
(2) The detailed circumstances
surrounding each occurrence of
incidental take.
(3) Any measures undertaken or
intended to be undertaken to reduce the
likelihood of such incidental take in the
future.
Agency Response to Comment 1: We
appreciate the suggestion to collect

additional information related to
incidental take; however, collecting
additional information on minor or
temporary incidental take events would
not provide data that meaningfully
improves management of the
experimental population. The Service’s
reporting requirements are intentionally
focused on information that is directly
relevant to conservation and conflict
management, such as lethal take,
injurious non-lethal take, recovery of
dead individuals, and management
actions conducted under MOUs.
Expanding reporting to include detailed
documentation of incidental take would
create unnecessary burden for the
public and cooperating agencies without
adding value to population monitoring
or recovery efforts. For these reasons,
the Service is not adopting the
suggested changes.
The remaining comments identified
below received did not address the
information collection requirements and
therefore, no response is required:

Comment ID

Name

FWS–HQ–ES–2025–1465–0002 ............................................
FWS–HQ–ES–2025–1465–0003 ............................................
FWS–HQ–ES–2025–1465–0004 ............................................
FWS–HQ–ES–2025–1465–0005 ............................................
FWS–HQ–ES–2025–1465–0006 ............................................
FWS–HQ–ES–2025–1465–0007 ............................................
FWS–HQ–ES–2025–1465–0008 ............................................
FWS–HQ–ES–2025–1465–0009 ............................................
FWS–HQ–ES–2025–1465–0011 ............................................
FWS–HQ–ES–2025–1465–0012 ............................................
FWS–HQ–ES–2025–1465–0013 ............................................
FWS–HQ–ES–2025–1465–0015 ............................................

Friel, Bob ................................................................................
Anonymous ............................................................................
Woodruff, Dana ......................................................................
High Country Observations ....................................................
Smith, Randy .........................................................................
Lykins, Denny ........................................................................
Scharin, Lisa ..........................................................................
Anonymous ............................................................................
Anonymous ............................................................................
Kappelman, John ...................................................................
Grover, Herb ..........................................................................
Int’l Wildlife Coexistence Network .........................................

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 IC
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;

VerDate Sep<11>2014

17:09 Sep 01, 2026

Jkt 268001

(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.

PO 00000

Frm 00048

Fmt 4703

Sfmt 4703

Date submitted
March 13, 2026.
March 18, 2026.
March 19, 2026.
March 20, 2026.
March 26, 2026.
March 27, 2026.
March 30, 2026.
April 30, 2026.
April 30, 2026.
May 11, 2026.
May 11, 2026.
May 10, 2026.

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.
Renewal, Without Change, of OMB
Control No. 1018–0095
Title of Collection: Endangered and
Threatened Wildlife, Experimental
Populations (50 CFR 17.84).
Form Numbers: None.
Type of Review: Extension without
change of a currently approved
collection.
Respondents/Affected Public:
Individuals and households, private
sector, and State/local/Tribal
governments.
Respondent’s Obligation: Voluntary.
Frequency of Collection: On occasion.
Total Estimated Annual Nonhour
Burden Cost: None.

E:\FR\FM\02SEN1.SGM

02SEN1

56463

Federal Register / Vol. 91, No. 169 / Wednesday, September 2, 2026 / Notices

Requirement

Annual number
of respondents

Total annual
responses

Completion time
per response
(mins.)

Total annual
burden hours *

12
7
29

12
7
29

30
30
30

6
4
15

25
2
9

25
2
9

30
30
30

13
1
5

3
2
16

3
2
16

30
30
30

2
1
8

105

105

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

55

Notification—General Take or Removal:
Individuals ...................................................................................
Private Sector .............................................................................
Government ................................................................................
Notification—Depredation-Related Take:
Individuals ...................................................................................
Private Sector .............................................................................
Government ................................................................................
Notification—Specimen Collection:.
Individuals ...................................................................................
Private Sector .............................................................................
Government ................................................................................
Totals ...................................................................................
Rounded.

Abstract: Section 10(j) of the
Endangered Species Act of 1973, as
amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.),
authorizes the Secretary of the Interior
to establish experimental populations of
endangered or threatened species.
Because the ESA protects individuals of
experimental populations, the
information we collect is important for
monitoring the success of reintroduction
and recovery efforts. This is a nonform
collection (meaning there is no
designated form associated with this
collection). Regulations at 50 CFR 17.84
contain information collection
requirements for experimental
populations of vertebrate endangered
and threatened species. These
regulations identify and describe the
three categories of information we
collect, which include:
1. General take or removal. ‘‘Take’’ is
defined by the ESA as ‘‘[to] harass,
harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill,
trap, capture, or collect, or to attempt to
engage in any such conduct.’’ In this
information collection, take most
commonly is considered to be in the
form of human-related mortality,
including:
a. Unintentional taking incidental to
otherwise lawful activities (e.g.,
highway mortalities);
b. Animal husbandry actions
authorized to manage the population

(e.g., translocation or providing aid to
sick, injured, or orphaned individuals);
c. Take in defense of human life;
d. Take related to defense of property
(if authorized); or
e. Take in the form of authorized
harassment.
2. Depredation-related take. Involves
take for management purposes of
documented livestock depredation, and
may include authorized harassment or
authorized lethal take of experimental
population animals in the act of
attacking livestock. See 50 CFR 17.84 for
specific provisions of harassment for
each species within this section.
The information that we collect
includes:
a. Name, address, and phone number
of reporting party;
b. Species involved;
c. Type of incident;
d. Quantity of take;
e. Location and time of the reported
incident; and
f. Description of the circumstances
related to the incident.
3. Specimen collection, recovery, or
reporting of dead individuals. This
information documents incidental or
authorized scientific collection. Most of
the information collected addresses the
reporting of sightings of experimental
population animals or the inadvertent
discovery of an injured or dead
individual.

Renewal, Without Change, of OMB
Control No. 1018–0197
Title of Collection: Endangered and
Threatened Wildlife, Experimental
Populations—Colorado Gray Wolf (50
CFR 17.84).
Form Numbers: None.
Type of Review: Extension without
change of a currently approved
collection.
Respondents/Affected Public:
Individuals; private sector; and State/
local/Tribal governments.
Respondent’s Obligation: Required to
obtain or retain a benefit.
Frequency of Collection: Annually for
annual report and on occasion for other
requirements.
Total Estimated Annual Non-hour
Burden Cost: None.

Number of
annual
respondents

Number of
annual
responses
each

Total annual
responses

Appointment of Designated Agent:
Individuals ............................................................................................

1

1

1

Private Sector .......................................................................................

1

1

1

Government ..........................................................................................

1

1

1

Request for Written Take Authorization:
Individuals ............................................................................................

1

1

1

Private Sector .......................................................................................

1

1

1

Requirement

lotter on DSK8BHNXB4PROD with NOTICES1

Service recovery specialists use this
information to determine the success of
reintroductions in relation to
established recovery plan goals for the
experimental populations of vertebrate
endangered and threatened species
involved. In addition, this information
helps us to assess the effectiveness of
control activities in order to develop
better means to reduce problems with
livestock for those species where
depredation is a problem.

VerDate Sep<11>2014

17:09 Sep 01, 2026

Jkt 268001

PO 00000

Frm 00049

Fmt 4703

Sfmt 4703

E:\FR\FM\02SEN1.SGM

Average completion time

Total annual
burden hours

30 min (reporting) ................
30 min (recordkeeping).
30 min (reporting) ................
30 min (recordkeeping).
30 min (reporting) ................
30 min (recordkeeping).

1

30 min (reporting) ................
30 min (recordkeeping).
30 min (reporting) ................
30 min (recordkeeping).

1

02SEN1

1
1

1

56464

Federal Register / Vol. 91, No. 169 / Wednesday, September 2, 2026 / Notices
Number of
annual
respondents

Number of
annual
responses
each

Total annual
responses

Government ..........................................................................................

1

1

1

30 min (reporting) ................
30 min (recordkeeping).

1

Request for ‘‘Shoot-on-Sight’’ Written Take Authorization:
Individuals ............................................................................................

1

1

1

1

Private Sector .......................................................................................

1

1

1

Government ..........................................................................................

1

1

1

30 min (reporting) ................
30 min (recordkeeping).
30 min (reporting) ................
30 min (recordkeeping).
30 min (reporting) ................
30 min (recordkeeping).

Reporting Requirement—Lethal Take:
Individuals ............................................................................................

1

1

1

1

Private Sector .......................................................................................

1

1

1

Government ..........................................................................................

1

1

1/

30 min (reporting) ................
30 min (recordkeeping).
30 min (reporting) ................
30 min (recordkeeping).
30 min (reporting) ................
30 min (recordkeeping).

Reporting Requirement—Opportunistic or Intentional Harassment:
Individuals ............................................................................................

1

1

1

1

Private Sector .......................................................................................

1

1

1

Government ..........................................................................................

1

1

1

30 min (reporting) ................
30 min (recordkeeping).
30 min (reporting) ................
30 min (recordkeeping).
30 min (reporting) ................
30 min (recordkeeping).

Reporting Requirement—Captivity for Care or to be Euthanized:
Individuals ............................................................................................

1

1

1

1

Private Sector .......................................................................................

1

1

1

Government ..........................................................................................

1

1

1

30 min (reporting) ................
30 min (recordkeeping).
30 min (reporting) ................
30 min (recordkeeping).
30 min (reporting) ................
30 min (recordkeeping).

Annual Report:
Individuals ............................................................................................

1

1

1

1

Private Sector .......................................................................................

1

1

1

Government ..........................................................................................

1

1

1

30 min (reporting) ................
30 min (recordkeeping).
30 min (reporting) ................
30 min (recordkeeping).
30 min (reporting) ................
30 min (recordkeeping).

Notification—Recovery or Reporting of Dead Specimen and Specimen
Collection:
Individuals ............................................................................................

1

1

1

1

Private Sector .......................................................................................

1

1

1

Government ..........................................................................................

1

1

1

30 min (reporting) ................
30 min (recordkeeping).
30 min (reporting) ................
30 min (recordkeeping).
30 min (reporting) ................
30 min (recordkeeping).

Proposal—Take of Gray Wolfes on Tribal Lands:
Government ..........................................................................................

1

1

1

30 min (reporting) ................
30 min (recordkeeping).

1

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

25

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

25

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

25

lotter on DSK8BHNXB4PROD with NOTICES1

Requirement

Abstract: Experimental populations
established under section 10(j) of the
Act, as amended, require information
collection and reporting to the Service.
We collect information on the gray wolf
nonessential experimental population
(NEP) to help further the recovery of the
species and to assess the success of the
reintroduced populations. There are no
forms associated with this information
collection. The respondents notify us
when an incident occurs, so there is no
set frequency for collecting the
information. Other Federal agencies
provide us with the vast majority of the
information on experimental
populations under cooperative
agreements for the conduct of the
recovery programs. However, the public
also provides some information to us.
The information collection requirements

VerDate Sep<11>2014

17:09 Sep 01, 2026

Jkt 268001

identified below require approval by
OMB:
1. Appointment of designated agent—
A designated agent is an employee of a
Federal, State, or Tribal agency that is
authorized or directed by the Service to
conduct gray wolf management. A
prospective designated agent submits a
letter to the Service requesting
designated agent status. The letter
includes a proposal for the work to be
completed, a list of individuals that may
perform the work, and a resume (or
similar) demonstrating qualifications of
each individual to competently perform
the work. The Service then responds to
the requester with a letter authorizing
them to complete the work.
2. Request for written take
authorization—After receiving
confirmation of wolf activity on private
land, on a public land grazing allotment,

PO 00000

Frm 00050

Fmt 4703

Sfmt 4703

Average completion time

Total annual
burden hours

1
1

1
1

1
1

1
1

1
1

1
1

or on a Tribal reservation, we or the
designated agent may issue a written
take authorization valid for not longer
than 1 year, with appropriate
conditions, to any landowner or public
land permittee to intentionally harass
wolves. The harassment must occur in
the area and under the conditions as
specifically identified in the written
take authorization.
3. Request for ‘‘repeatedly
depredating wolf or wolves’’ written take
authorization—The Service or
designated agent may issue a
‘‘repeatedly depredating wolf or
wolves’’ written take authorization of
limited duration (45 days or fewer) to a
landowner or their employees, or to a
public land grazing permittee, to take up
to a specified (by the Service or our
designated agent) number of wolves.

E:\FR\FM\02SEN1.SGM

02SEN1

Federal Register / Vol. 91, No. 169 / Wednesday, September 2, 2026 / Notices
4. Reporting requirements—Except as
otherwise specified in this rule or in a
take authorization, any take of a gray
wolf must be reported to the Service, or
our designated agent as follows
(additional reasonable time will be
allowed if access to the site is limited):
a. Lethal take must be reported within
24 hours. We will allow additional
reasonable time if access to the site is
limited.
b. Opportunistic or intentional
harassment must be reported within 7
days.
c. Gray wolves taken into captivity for
care or to be euthanized must be
reported to the Service within 24 hours,
or as soon as reasonably appropriate.
5. Annual report—To evaluate
progress toward achieving State
downlisting and delisting criteria,
Colorado Parks and Wildlife
summarizes monitoring information in
an annual report. The report, due by
June 30 of each year, will describe wolf
conservation and management activities
that occurred in Colorado for as long as
the gray wolf is federally listed during
any portion of a calendar or biological
year. The annual report includes, but is
not limited to:
a. post-release wolf movements and
behavior;
b. wolf minimum counts or
abundance estimates;
c. reproductive success and
recruitment;
d. territory use and distribution;
e. cause-specific wolf mortalities; and
f. a summary of wolf conflicts and
associated management activities to
minimize wolf conflict risk.
6. Recovery or reporting of dead
individuals and specimen collection
from experimental populations—This

type of information is for the purpose of
documenting incidental or authorized
scientific collection. Specimens are to
be retained or disposed of only in
accordance with directions from the
Service. Most of the contacts with the
public deal primarily with the reporting
of sightings of experimental population
animals, or the inadvertent discovery of
an injured or dead individual.
7. Proposal—Take of Gray wolves on
Tribal Lands—The exception to allow
take of gray wolves that are contributing
to unacceptable impacts to wild
ungulate population or herds on Tribal
land requires Tribes to develop a
science-based proposal that must, at a
minimum, include the following
information:
a. The basis of ungulate population or
herd management objectives;
b. Data indicating that the ungulate
herd is below management objectives;
c. Data indicating that wolves are a
major cause of the unacceptable impact
to the ungulate population;
d. Why wolf removal is a warranted
solution to help restore the ungulate
herd to management objectives;
e. The level and duration of wolf
removal being proposed;
f. How ungulate population response
to wolf removal will be measured and
control actions adjusted for
effectiveness; and
g. A demonstration that attempts were
and are being made to address other
identified major causes of ungulate herd
or population declines or of Tribal
government commitment to implement
possible remedies or conservation
measures in addition to wolf removal.
The proposal must be subjected to both
public and peer review prior to it being
finalized and submitted to the Service

lotter on DSK8BHNXB4PROD with NOTICES1

for review. At least three independent
peer reviewers with relevant expertise
in the subject matter that are not staff of
the Tribe submitting the proposal must
review the proposal. Upon Service
review, and before wolf removals can be
authorized, the Service will evaluate the
information provided by the requesting
Tribe and provide a written
determination to the requesting Tribal
game and fish agency on whether such
actions are scientifically based and
warranted.
The Service uses the information
described above to assess the
effectiveness of control activities and
develop means to reduce problems with
livestock where depredation is a
problem. Service recovery specialists
use the information to determine the
success of reintroductions in relation to
established recovery plan goals for the
species involved.
Renewal, Without Change, of OMB
Control No. 1018–0199
Title of Collection: Endangered and
Threatened Wildlife, Experimental
Populations—Grizzly Bear (50 CFR
17.84).
Form Numbers: None.
Type of Review: Extension without
change of a currently approved
collection.
Respondents/Affected Public:
Individuals; private sector; and State/
Tribal governments.
Respondent’s Obligation: Required to
obtain or retain a benefit.
Frequency of Collection: Annually for
annual report and on occasion for other
requirements.
Total Estimated Annual Nonhour
Burden Cost: None.

Number of
annual
respondents

Number of
annual
responses
each

Total
annual
responses

Notification—Lethal Take:
Individuals ............................................................................................

1

1

1

Private Sector .......................................................................................

1

1

1

State/Tribal Gov’t .................................................................................

1

1

1

Notification—Nonlethal Take:
Individuals ............................................................................................

1

1

1

Private Sector .......................................................................................

1

1

1

State/Tribal Gov’t .................................................................................

1

1

1

Notification—Recovery or Reporting of Dead Specimen and Specimen
Collection:
Individuals ............................................................................................

1

1

1

Private Sector .......................................................................................

1

1

1

State/Tribal Gov’t .................................................................................

1

1

1

Requirement

Average completion time

17:09 Sep 01, 2026

Jkt 268001

PO 00000

Frm 00051

Fmt 4703

Sfmt 4703

E:\FR\FM\02SEN1.SGM

Total annual
burden hours

30 min (reporting) ................
30 min (recordkeeping).
30 min (reporting) ................
30 min (recordkeeping).
30 min (reporting) ................
30 min (recordkeeping).

1

30 min (reporting) ................
30 min (recordkeeping).
30 min (reporting) ................
30 min (recordkeeping).
30 min (reporting) ................
30 min (recordkeeping).

1

30 min (reporting) ................
30 min (recordkeeping).
30 min (reporting) ................
30 min (recordkeeping).
30 min (reporting) ................
30 min (recordkeeping).

1

Memorandums of Understanding—Relocation of Bears:

VerDate Sep<11>2014

56465

02SEN1

1
1

1
1

1
1

56466

Federal Register / Vol. 91, No. 169 / Wednesday, September 2, 2026 / Notices
Number of
annual
respondents

Number of
annual
responses
each

Total
annual
responses

State/Tribal Gov’t .................................................................................

1

1

1

30 min (reporting) ................
30 min (recordkeeping).

1

Memorandums of Understanding—Removal of Grizzly Bears:
State/Tribal Gov’t .................................................................................

1

1

1

30 min (reporting) ................
30 min (recordkeeping).

1

Written Authorization—Conditioned Lethal Take:
Individuals ............................................................................................

1

1

1

30 min (reporting) ................
30 min (recordkeeping).

1

Obtaining Landowner/Land Management Entity Authorization:
Individuals ............................................................................................

1

1

1

1

Private Sector .......................................................................................

1

1

1

State/Tribal Gov’t .................................................................................

1

1

1

30 min (reporting) ................
30 min (recordkeeping).
30 min (reporting) ................
30 min (recordkeeping).
30 min (reporting) ................
30 min (recordkeeping).

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

15

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

15

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

15

lotter on DSK8BHNXB4PROD with NOTICES1

Requirement

Abstract: Experimental populations
established under section 10(j) of the
Act, as amended, require information
collection and reporting to the Service.
The Service would collect information
on the grizzly bear NEP to help further
the recovery of the species and to assess
the success of the reintroduced
populations. There are no forms
associated with this information
collection. The respondents would
notify the Service when an incident
occurs, so there would be no set
frequency for collecting the information.
Federal, State, and participating Tribal
agencies would provide the Service
with the vast majority of the information
on grizzly bears within the NEP.
However, the public also would provide
some information to the Service. The
information collection requirements
identified below require approval by
OMB:
1. Reporting Requirements—The
respondents would notify the Service
when an incident occurs and annually
report the number of grizzly bears
relocated and removed. The State and
other Federal agencies would provide
the Service with the vast majority of the
information on experimental
populations under interagency
agreements for the conduct of the
recovery programs. However, the public
also would provide some information to
the Service. Reporting parties would
include, but would not be limited to,
individuals or households, businesses,
farms, nonprofit organizations, and
State/Tribal governments. The Service
would collect the information by means
of telephone calls or emails from the
public to Service offices specified in the
individual regulations. Standard
information collected would include:
a. Name, address, and phone number
of reporting party;
b. Species involved;
c. Type of incident;

VerDate Sep<11>2014

17:09 Sep 01, 2026

Jkt 268001

d. Take (quantity);
e. Location and time of reported
incident; and
f. Description of the circumstances
related to the incident.
Some of these contacts would be
necessary follow-up reports under
where the Service has authorized lethal
take of experimental animals (e.g.,
livestock depredation).
The Service would collect
information in three categories:
i. Lethal take must be reported by
individuals within 24 hours to the
Service’s Ecological Services point of
contact in the final rule Endangered and
Threatened Wildlife and Plants;
Establishment of a Nonessential
Experimental Population of Grizzly Bear
in the North Cascades Ecosystem,
Washington State (May 3, 2024, 89 FR
36982). Lethal take must be reported by
a Federal, State, or Tribal authority of an
authorized agency within 24 hours by
following the reporting instructions as
described in the authorized agency’s
MOU.
ii. Nonlethal take that results in injury
by an individual must be reported
within 5 days to the Service’s Ecological
Services point of contact as specified
above. Nonlethal take that results in
injury by a Federal, State, or Tribal
authority of an authorized agency must
be reported within 5 days by following
the reporting instructions as described
in the authorized agency’s MOU.
Incidental take that results from indirect
activities such as incidental take in the
form of harm resulting from habitat
modification does not need to be
reported.
iii. Recovery or reporting of dead
individuals and specimen collection
from experimental populations. This
type of information is for the purpose of
documenting incidental or authorized
scientific collection. Most of the
contacts with the public would deal

PO 00000

Frm 00052

Fmt 4703

Sfmt 4703

Average completion time

Total annual
burden hours

1
1

primarily with the reporting of sightings
of experimental population animals, or
the inadvertent discovery of an injured
or dead individual.
2. Memorandums of Understanding
(MOUs)—The Service would enter into
MOUs with Federal, State, or Tribal
agencies to authorize grizzly bear
management consistent with the final
rule. The Service does not expect to
enter into MOUs with local
governments or authorities. The Service
would collect information in two
general categories from the relevant
agencies in relation to these MOUs:
a. Relocation of bears. With prior
approval from the Service, a Federal,
State, or Tribal authority may livecapture any grizzly bear occurring in the
NEP area and transport and release in a
remote location agreed to by the Service,
the Washington Department of Fish and
Wildlife, and the applicable landmanaging agency.
b. Removal of grizzly bears involved
in conflict. Authorized Service, Federal,
State, or Tribal authorities may lethally
take a grizzly bear in the NEP area with
prior approval from the Service if the
Service or an authorized agency
determines it is not reasonably possible
to otherwise eliminate the threat by
nonlethal deterrence or live-capturing
and releasing the grizzly bear
unharmed, and if the taking is done in
a humane manner. Grizzly bears may be
taken in self-defense or in defense of
other persons, based on a good-faith
belief that the actions taken were to
protect the person from bodily harm.
3. Written Authorization—
conditioned lethal take—With prior
written agreement from the Service,
individuals may lethally take a grizzly
bear within 200 yards (183 meters) of
legally present livestock in Management
Areas B and C if a depredation has been
confirmed by the Service or an
authorized agency and it has been

E:\FR\FM\02SEN1.SGM

02SEN1

lotter on DSK8BHNXB4PROD with NOTICES1

Federal Register / Vol. 91, No. 169 / Wednesday, September 2, 2026 / Notices
determined that it is not reasonably
possible to eliminate the threat through
nonlethal deterrence or live-capturing
and releasing the grizzly bear
unharmed. Additionally, the Service
may issue written authorization to an
individual to kill a grizzly bear in
Management Area C if the Service or an
authorized agency identifies the grizzly
bear as an ongoing threat to human
safety, livestock, or other property (e.g.,
compost, chickens, beehives), and it is
not reasonably possible to eliminate the
threat through nonlethal deterrence or
live-capturing and releasing the grizzly
bear unharmed.
4. Recovery or reporting of dead
individuals and specimen collection
from experimental populations—This
type of information would be for the
purpose of documenting incidental or
authorized scientific collection and
surrender of grizzly bear carcasses as the
result of lethal take. Most of the contacts
with the public primarily would be with
the reporting of sightings of
experimental population animals, or the
inadvertent discovery of an injured or
dead individual.
5. Obtaining Landowner/Land
Management Entity Authorization—
Individuals requesting the written
authorizations mentioned above must
also obtain or confirm authorization
from the landowner or land
management entity, where appropriate.
The Service would use the
information described above to
document the locations of reintroduced
animals, determine causes of mortality
and conflict with human activities so
that Service managers could minimize
conflicts with people, and improve
management techniques for
reintroduction. The information would
help the Service assess the effectiveness
of management activities and develop
means to reduce problems with
livestock for those species where
depredation is a problem. Service
recovery specialists would use the
information to determine the success of
reintroductions in relation to
established recovery plan goals for the
species.
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. 2026–17936 Filed 9–1–26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333–15–P

VerDate Sep<11>2014

17:09 Sep 01, 2026

Jkt 268001

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[Docket No. FWS–HQ–NWRS–2026–3631;
OMB Control Number 1018–0162;
FXRS12610900000–267–FF09R24000]

Agency Information Collection
Activities; Submission to the Office of
Management and Budget; Non-Federal
Oil and Gas Operations on National
Wildlife Refuge System Lands
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service,

Interior.
ACTION: Notice of information collection;

request for comment.
SUMMARY: In accordance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we,
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
(Service), are proposing to renew an
existing information collection without
change.
DATES: Interested persons are invited to
submit comments on or before October
2, 2026.
ADDRESSES: Written comments and
recommendations for the proposed
information collection should be sent
within 30 days of publication of this
notice to 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 [email protected]. Please
reference ‘‘1018–0162’’ 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
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. You may
also view the information collection
request at https://www.reginfo.gov/
public/do/PRAMain.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In
accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act (PRA; 44 U.S.C. 3501 et
seq.) and its implementing regulations
at 5 CFR part 1320, all information

PO 00000

Frm 00053

Fmt 4703

Sfmt 4703

56467

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 Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) control
number.
On April 13, 2026, we published in
the Federal Register (91 FR 18869) a
notice of our intent to request that OMB
approve this information collection. In
that notice, we solicited comments for
60 days, ending on June 12, 2026. We
also published the Federal Register
notice on Regulations.gov (Docket No.
FWS–HQ–NWRS–2026–0562). We
received the following comments in
response to that notice:
Comment 1: Electronic comment
received from Ashton Murrey submitted
via Regulations.gov (FWS–HQ–NWRS–
2026–0562–0003) on April 21, 2026.
The commenter recommended a hybrid
information collection system—paper
capture in the field (where connectivity
may limit electronic access), followed
by later transfer to an electronic
database.
Agency Response to Comment 1: We
appreciate this practical
recommendation. The Service supports
electronic submission wherever feasible
to reduce burden and improve records
management; the PRA notice explicitly
invites suggestions to enhance quality,
utility, clarity, and to minimize burden
through appropriate technologies. At the
same time, we recognize field
constraints on refuges and accept paperbased materials when necessary,
provided they contain the information
required under 50 CFR part 29, subpart
D and Form 3–2469. The Service will
continue to accept hybrid submissions
and continue to expand electronic
options consistent with the PRA notice.
Comment 2: Anonymous electronic
comment submitted via Regulations.gov
(FWS–HQ–NWRS–2026–0562–0004) on
April 27, 2026. The commenter opposes
any corporate or private oil and gas
operations on wildlife refuges, urging a
permanent stop.
Agency Response to Comment 2: We
acknowledge the commenter’s policy
view. This docket is a PRA information
collection renewal—it does not establish
or revise substantive policy or the
underlying authority for operations.
Under existing law and regulations, the
Service’s role is to allow the continued
exercise of non-Federal oil and gas
rights within refuge boundaries while
avoiding or minimizing unnecessary
impacts on refuge resources and uses.
The information we collect through
Form 3–2469 enables FWS to evaluate
proposed operations, apply mitigation,
and ensure compliance with applicable

E:\FR\FM\02SEN1.SGM

02SEN1