Supporting Statement for Paperwork Reduction Act Submission

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Supporting Statement A
for paperwork reduction act submission

Endangered and Threatened Wildlife,
Experimental Populations – Colorado Gray Wolf (50 CFR 17.84)
OMB Control Number 1018-0197

Terms of Clearance:  None.

1.	Explain the circumstances that make the collection of information necessary.  Identify any legal or administrative requirements that necessitate the collection.

Individuals of designated experimental populations for species listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA, 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) are categorically protected.  Documentation of human-related mortalities, recovery of dead specimens, animal husbandry actions necessary to manage the population, and other types of take related to the status of experimental populations is important for monitoring the success of reintroduction efforts and recovery efforts in general.  To minimize potential conflict with humans that could undermine recovery efforts, livestock depredations connected with experimental populations of listed species require prompt attention for purposes of determining the location, timing, and nature of the predatory behavior involved, accurate determination of the species responsible for a livestock kill, and the timely application of necessary control measures.  We collect information in nonform format.  The information collection requirements are in 50 CFR 17.84.

On November 8, 2023, we published final regulations (88 FR 77014) establishing a nonessential experimental population (NEP) of the gray wolf (Canis lupus) in the State of Colorado, under section 10(j) of the ESA.  The State of Colorado (Colorado Parks and Wildlife or CPW) requested the Service establish the NEP in conjunction with their State-led gray wolf reintroduction effort. Establishment of this NEP will provide for allowable, legal, purposeful, and incidental taking of the gray wolf within a defined NEP area while concurrently providing for the conservation of the species.  Designation of this NEP, at the request of CPW, facilitated their planned reintroduction of gray wolves to the State (codified as Colorado Revised Statute 33-2-105.8), which directed the CPW Commission to take the steps necessary to reintroduce gray wolves to lands west of the Continental Divide by December 23, 2023.

2.	Indicate how, by whom, and for what purpose the information is to be used.  Except for a new collection, indicate the actual use the agency has made of the information received from the current collection.  Be specific.  If this collection is a form or a questionnaire, every question needs to be justified.

Experimental populations established under section 10(j) of the ESA, as amended, require information collection and reporting to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service, we).  We collect information on the experimental populations listed in 50 CFR 17.84 to help further the recovery of the species and to assess the success of the reintroduced populations.  The respondents notify us when an incident occurs, so there is no set frequency for collecting the information.  We use the information to:

    • Document the locations of reintroduced animals.
    • Determine causes of mortality and conflict with human activities so that Service managers can minimize conflicts with people.
    • Improve management techniques for reintroduction.  

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.  Reporting parties include, but are not limited to, individuals or households, businesses, farms, nonprofit organizations, and State/local/tribal governments.  We collect the information by means of telephone calls or facsimiles from the public to Service offices specified in the individual regulations.  Standard information collected includes:

    • Name, address, and phone number of reporting party.
    • Species involved.
    • Type of incident.
    • Take (quantity).
    • Location and time of reported incident.
    • Description of the circumstances related to the incident.  

There are no forms associated with this information collection.  We propose to collect the following information where we have authorized harassment or lethal take of experimental animals (e.g., livestock depredation or in defense of human life):

    • 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 requested designated agent status.  The letter includes a proposal for the work to be completed and resume of qualifications for the work they wish to perform.  The Service will then respond to the requester with a letter authorizing them to complete the work. 

    • Request for written take authorization – After receiving confirmation of wolf activity on private land, on a public land grazing allotment, or on a Tribal reservation, we or the designated agent may issue 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.

    • Request for “repeatedly depredating wolf or wolves” written take authorization – At the Service’s or our designated agents’ direction, the Service or designated agent may issue a “repeated depredation” written take authorization of limited duration (45 days or less) to a landowner or their employees to take up to a specified (by the Service or our designated agent) number of wolves on their private land if:  (1) The landowner has had at least one depredation by wolves on livestock that has been confirmed by the Service or our designated agent within the last 30 days; and (2) the Service or our designated agent has determined that repeatedly depredating wolves are routinely present on the private land and present a significant risk to the health and safety of livestock; and (3) the Service or our designated agent has authorized lethal removal of wolves from that same private land.  These authorizations may be terminated at any time once threats have been resolved or minimized.  Any lethal or injurious take must be reported to the Service or a designated agent within 24 hours.  We will allow additional reasonable time if access to the site is limited.  This exception does not apply if there is evidence of unusual attractants or artificial or intentional feeding.  Based on public comments, we changed “shoot-on-sight” to be “repeated depredation.”

    • Reporting requirements – Except as otherwise specified in this rule or in an 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):

        ◦ Lethal take must be reported within 24 hours.
        ◦ Opportunistic or intentional harassment must be reported within 7 days.
        ◦ 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.

    • Annual report – To evaluate progress toward achieving State downlisting and delisting criteria, the Service will summarize monitoring information in an annual report by Colorado Parks and Wildlife.  The report, due by June 30 of each year, will describe wolf conservation and management activities that occurred in Colorado each calendar or biological year.  The annual report may include, but not be limited to: 

    • post-release wolf movements and behavior; 
    • wolf minimum counts or abundance estimates; 
    • reproductive success and recruitment; 
    • territory use and distribution; 
    • cause-specific wolf mortalities; and 
    • a summary of wolf conflicts and associated management activities to minimize wolf conflict risk.

    • 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.  

    • 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 ungulate population decline;  
(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)	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 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 be used to 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.

We will use 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 threatened and endangered species involved.

3.	Describe whether, and to what extent, the collection of information involves the use of automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses, and the basis for the decision for adopting this means of collection.  Also describe any consideration of using information technology to reduce burden and specifically how this collection meets GPEA requirements.

Each reported incident is unique and those individuals responding generally are able to communicate details verbally via telephone, facsimile, or in writing.  Due to limitations in funding and staff time, we do not have plan to create a system for electronic submission of reported incidents, or to make the information available to the public over the internet, which might actually take longer to use than a simple telephone call for most responders.

4.	Describe efforts to identify duplication.  Show specifically why any similar information already available cannot be used or modified for use for the purposes described in Item 2 above.

Requested information is not available from any other source.  We work with the U.S. Department of Agriculture/APHIS Division of Wildlife Damage Management, and other Federal agencies as necessary, when investigating or confirming information received regarding any of the experimental populations.  There is some potential for duplication if someone contacts both the Service and another agency regarding an experimental animal, but generally there is sufficient information available to the public through interagency outreach efforts to make reporting well known.  We work closely with cooperating agencies to minimize any duplication in reporting.  

5.	If the collection of information impacts small businesses or other small entities, describe any methods used to minimize burden.

This collection will not have a significant impact on small entities.  There are no required forms or formats for the information we collect.  We collect only the minimum information necessary to describe the reported incident.

6.	Describe the consequence to Federal program or policy activities if the collection is not conducted or is conducted less frequently, as well as any technical or legal obstacles to reducing burden.

The current frequency and extent of information collection are necessary to collect sick, injured, or dead individuals where appropriate in order to aid sick or injured individuals or determine the cause of death and assess health of the individual and the status of the experimental populations that have been introduced to suitable habitat as part of the species’ recovery goals.  The consequence of not collecting the information or reduced information collection would result in our inability to address the individuals’ needs and/or measure the implementation of these particular recovery goals.  There is no information already available that can be used in lieu of that supplied by the respondent.

7.	Explain any special circumstances that would cause an information collection to be conducted in a manner:
	*	requiring respondents to report information to the agency more often than quarterly;
	*	requiring respondents to prepare a written response to a collection of information in fewer than 30 days after receipt of it;
	*	requiring respondents to submit more than an original and two copies of any document;
	*	requiring respondents to retain records, other than health, medical, government contract, grant-in-aid, or tax records, for more than three years;
	*	in connection with a statistical survey that is not designed to produce valid and reliable results that can be generalized to the universe of study;
	*	requiring the use of a statistical data classification that has not been reviewed and approved by OMB;
	*	that includes a pledge of confidentiality that is not supported by authority established in statute or regulation, that is not supported by disclosure and data security policies that are consistent with the pledge, or which unnecessarily impedes sharing of data with other agencies for compatible confidential use; or
	*	requiring respondents to submit proprietary trade secrets, or other confidential information, unless the agency can demonstrate that it has instituted procedures to protect the information's confidentiality to the extent permitted by law.

We rely on prompt public reporting on the location of sick, injured, or orphaned individuals in order to implement the necessary animal husbandry and specimen collection activities.  In cooperation with the USDA/APHIS Division of Wildlife Damage Management, or other cooperating Federal agencies, we rely on prompt public reporting of depredation in order to 
resolve livestock-related problems.  Therefore, a time sensitive requirement for reporting problems (varies between 24 hours to 7 days, depending on type of report) to the appropriate Service office is necessary.  

8.	If applicable, provide a copy and identify the date and page number of publication in the Federal Register of the agency's notice, required by 5 CFR 1320.8(d), soliciting comments on the information collection prior to submission to OMB.  Summarize public comments received in response to that notice and in response to the PRA statement associated with the collection over the past three years, and describe actions taken by the agency in response to these comments.  Specifically address comments received on cost and hour burden.

Describe efforts to consult with persons outside the agency to obtain their views on the availability of data, frequency of collection, the clarity of instructions and recordkeeping, disclosure, or reporting format (if any), and on the data elements to be recorded, disclosed, or reported.

Consultation with representatives of those from whom information is to be obtained or those who must compile records should occur at least once every three years — even if the collection of information activity is the same as in prior periods.  There may be circumstances that may preclude consultation in a specific situation.  These circumstances should be explained.

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-2025-1464).  We received the following comments in response to that notice:

Comment ID
Name
Date Submitted
Responsive to the IC?
FWS-HQ-ES-2025-1464-0009
Woodruff, Dana
March 19, 2026
No
FWS-HQ-ES-2025-1464-0016
Mikita , Zayne
March 13, 2026
No
FWS-HQ-ES-2025-1464-0022
Barnes, Sheryl
March 19, 2026
No
FWS-HQ-ES-2025-1464-0023
Smith, Megan
March 20, 2026
Yes
FWS-HQ-ES-2025-1464-0035
Harris, Arthur
March 26, 2026
Yes
FWS-HQ-ES-2025-1464-0038
Lemoine, Kathryn
March 26, 2026
Yes
FWS-HQ-ES-2025-1464-0047
Stoic Wolf OverWatch
April 2, 2026
No
FWS-HQ-ES-2025-1464-0048
Buck, Janet
April 5, 2026
No
FWS-HQ-ES-2025-1464-0068
Meuter, Aimee
April 23, 2026
Yes
FWS-HQ-ES-2025-1464-0071
Anonymous
May 4, 2026
No
FWS-HQ-ES-2025-1464-0072
Anonymous
May 9, 2026
No
FWS-HQ-ES-2025-1464-0073
Anonymous
May 9, 2026
Yes
FWS-HQ-ES-2025-1464-0074
Gunnison County Stockgrowers' Association
May 9, 2026
Yes
FWS-HQ-ES-2025-1464-0075
Gunnison County Stockgrowers' Association
May 9, 2026
Yes
FWS-HQ-ES-2025-1464-0076
Team Wolf
May 11, 2026
Yes
FWS-HQ-ES-2025-1464-0077
Hopkins, Becca
May 11, 2026
No

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 “depredation-related 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 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 real-time 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 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 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.

In addition to the Federal Register notice, we consulted with the Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the sole organization that provides the information under this collection, to validate our time burden estimate. We asked for comments on the questions below:  

“Whether or not the collection of information is necessary, including whether or not the information will have practical utility; whether there are any questions they felt were unnecessary”
	
	Comments:	The individual felt that the collection of information is necessary and adequate.

	Agency Response/Action Taken: The Service appreciates the acknowledgement of the necessity of this collection. 

“The accuracy of our estimate of the burden for this collection of information”
	
	Comments:	The individual stated that the burden time estimates were accurate.

	Agency Response/Action Taken: The Service appreciates the assessment of the accuracy of the burden.

“Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected”

	Comments:	The individual suggested that opportunistic or intentional harassment could occur without a method to report this to the Designated Agent or directly to the Service. They suggested that an online portal to catalog these reports might be created to collect these reports.

	Agency Response/Action Taken:  The Service appreciates the individual identifying this gap and will take this idea into consideration as the Service continues to collaborate with the organization on the Colorado wolf 10(j).

	And

“Ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents”

Comments:  The individual did not respond to this question.

	Agency Response/Action Taken:  No action necessary.

9.	Explain any decision to provide any payment or gift to respondents, other than remuneration of contractors or grantees.

We do not provide payments or gifts to respondents.

10.	Describe any assurance of confidentiality provided to respondents and the basis for the assurance in statute, regulation, or agency policy.

We do not provide any assurances of confidentiality.  This collection does not constitute a system of records under the Privacy Act of 1974 because the records are not retrieved by a unique identifier assigned to an individual.  We will maintain the information in a secure System of Records – Interior/FWS-27, Correspondence Control System (May 28, 1999; 64 FR 29055 – modified June 4, 2008 (73 FR 31877) and March 16, 2023 (88 FR 16277)).

FWS handles all Personally Identifiable Information (PII) in accordance with the Federal Fair Information Practice Principles (FIPPs) on which the Privacy Act is based, and as described in the Privacy Impact Assessment for FWS’ Environmental Conservation Online System (ECOS).  A copy of the PIA is provided to OMB as a supplementary document via ROCIS.

11.	Provide additional justification for any questions of a sensitive nature, such as sexual behavior and attitudes, religious beliefs, and other matters that are commonly considered private.  This justification should include the reasons why the agency considers the questions necessary, the specific uses to be made of the information, the explanation to be given to persons from whom the information is requested, and any steps to be taken to obtain their consent.

We do not ask questions of a sensitive nature.

12.	Provide estimates of the hour burden of the collection of information.  The statement should:
	*	Indicate the number of respondents, frequency of response, annual hour burden, and an explanation of how the burden was estimated.  Unless directed to do so, agencies should not conduct special surveys to obtain information on which to base hour burden estimates.  Consultation with a sample (fewer than 10) of potential respondents is desirable.  If the hour burden on respondents is expected to vary widely because of differences in activity, size, or complexity, show the range of estimated hour burden, and explain the reasons for the variance.  Generally, estimates should not include burden hours for customary and usual business practices.
	*	If this request for approval covers more than one form, provide separate hour burden estimates for each form and aggregate the hour burdens.
	*	Provide estimates of annualized cost to respondents for the hour burdens for collections of information, identifying and using appropriate wage rate categories.  The cost of contracting out or paying outside parties for information collection activities should not be included here.  

We anticipate receiving approximately 25 responses annually, totaling 25 annual burden hours (rounded).  We estimate the total dollar value of the annual burden hours for this collection to be $1,365 (rounded).  

We used Table 1 from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) News Release USDL-26-0827, June 12, 2026, Employer Costs for Employee Compensation—March 2026, to calculate the total annual burden. 

    • Individuals – the hourly rate for all workers is $49.32, including benefits.
    • Private Sector – the hourly rate for all workers is $46.60, including benefits.
    • Government – the hourly rate for all workers is $66.41, including benefits.  

						$ Value
	Number of	Number of	Total	Average		of Annual
	Annual	Responses	Annual	Completion	Total Annual	Burden
	Respondents	Each	Responses	Time (Hours)	Burden Hours*	Hours
Appointment of Designated Agent
	Individuals	1	1	1	30 mins (Reporting)	1	$49.32
					30 mins (Recordkeeping)
	Private Sector	1	1	1	30 mins (Reporting)	1	46.60
					30 mins (Recordkeeping)
	State/Local/Tribal Govt	1	1	1	30 mins (Reporting)	1	66.41
					30 mins (Recordkeeping)
Request for Written Take Authorization
	Individuals	1	1	1	30 mins (Reporting)	1	$ 49.32
					30 mins (Recordkeeping)
	Private Sector	1	1	1	30 mins (Reporting)	1	46.60
					30 mins (Recordkeeping)
	State/Local/Tribal Govt	1	1	1	30 mins (Reporting)	1	66.41
					30 mins (Recordkeeping)
Request for “Shoot-on-Sight” Written Take Authorization
	Individuals	1	1	1	30 mins (Reporting)	1	$ 49.32
					30 mins (Recordkeeping)
	Private Sector	1	1	1	30 mins (Reporting)	1	46.60
					30 mins (Recordkeeping)
	State/Local/Tribal Govt	1	1	1	30 mins (Reporting)	1	66.41
					30 mins (Recordkeeping)
Reporting Requirement – Lethal Take
	Individuals	1	1	1	30 mins (Reporting)	1	$ 49.32
					30 mins (Recordkeeping)
	Private Sector	1	1	1	30 mins (Reporting)	1	46.60
					30 mins (Recordkeeping)
	State/Local/Tribal Govt	1	1	1	30 mins (Reporting)	1	66.41
					30 mins (Recordkeeping)
Reporting Requirement – Opportunistic or Intentional Harassment
	Individuals	1	1	1	30 mins (Reporting)	1	$ 49.32
					30 mins (Recordkeeping)
	Private Sector	1	1	1	30 mins (Reporting)	1	46.60
					30 mins (Recordkeeping)
	State/Local/Tribal Govt	1	1	1	30 mins (Reporting)	1	66.41
					30 mins (Recordkeeping)
Reporting Requirement – Captivity for Care or to be Euthanized
	Individuals	1	1	1	30 mins (Reporting)	1	$ 49.32
					30 mins (Recordkeeping)
	Private Sector	1	1	1	30 mins (Reporting)	1	46.60
					30 mins (Recordkeeping)
	State/Local/Tribal Govt	1	1	1	30 mins (Reporting)	1	66.41
					30 mins (Recordkeeping)
Annual Report
	Individuals	1	1	1	30 mins (Reporting)	1	$ 49.32
					30 mins (Recordkeeping)
	Private Sector	1	1	1	30 mins (Reporting)	1	46.60
					30 mins (Recordkeeping)
	State/Local/Tribal Govt	1	1	1	30 mins (Reporting)	1	66.41
					30 mins (Recordkeeping)
Notification – Recovery or Reporting of Dead Specimen and Specimen Collection
	Individuals	1	1	1	30 mins (Reporting)	1	$ 49.32
					30 mins (Recordkeeping)
	Private Sector	1	1	1	30 mins (Reporting)	1	46.60
					30 mins (Recordkeeping)
	State/Local/Tribal Govt	1	1	1	30 mins (Reporting)	1	66.41
					30 mins (Recordkeeping)
Proposal – Take of Gray Wolfes on Tribal Lands
	Tribal Govt	1	1	1	30 mins (Reporting)	1	66.41
					30 mins (Recordkeeping)
TOTALS:	25		25			25	$ 1,365.05
*Rounded to match ROCIS

13.	Provide an estimate of the total annual non-hour cost burden to respondents or recordkeepers resulting from the collection of information.  (Do not include the cost of any hour burden already reflected in item 12.)
	*	The cost estimate should be split into two components: (a) a total capital and start-up cost component (annualized over its expected useful life) and (b) a total operation and maintenance and purchase of services component.  The estimates should take into account costs associated with generating, maintaining, and disclosing or providing the information (including filing fees paid for form processing).  Include descriptions of methods used to estimate major cost factors including system and technology acquisition, expected useful life of capital equipment, the discount rate(s), and the time period over which costs will be incurred.  Capital and start-up costs include, among other items, preparations for collecting information such as purchasing computers and software; monitoring, sampling, drilling and testing equipment; and record storage facilities.
	*	If cost estimates are expected to vary widely, agencies should present ranges of cost burdens and explain the reasons for the variance.  The cost of purchasing or contracting out information collection services should be a part of this cost burden estimate.  In developing cost burden estimates, agencies may consult with a sample of respondents (fewer than 10), utilize the 60-day pre-OMB submission public comment process and use existing economic or regulatory impact analysis associated with the rulemaking containing the information collection, as appropriate.
	*	Generally, estimates should not include purchases of equipment or services, or portions thereof, made: (1) prior to October 1, 1995, (2) to achieve regulatory compliance with requirements not associated with the information collection, (3) for reasons other than to provide information or keep records for the government, or (4) as part of customary and usual business or private practices.  

The only foreseeable nonhour burden cost to respondents would be a small cost for making a telephone call or sending a facsimile.  However, we do not expect that this would occur often, and any costs would be negligible.  

14.	Provide estimates of annualized cost to the Federal government.  Also, provide a description of the method used to estimate cost, which should include quantification of hours, operational expenses (such as equipment, overhead, printing, and support staff), and any other expense that would not have been incurred without this collection of information. 

We estimate that the total cost to the Federal Government for receiving and processing the notifications as a result of this collection of information is $8,499 (rounded).  We multiplied the hourly weighted salary rate ($75.55) x total hours for Federal Government review (25 responses x 4.5 hours = 112.5 hours) which results in an estimated cost to the Federal Government of $8,499 (rounded).  We increased the total hours for Federal Government review based on the addition of the new IC for submission of Tribal proposals for take of gray wolves on Tribal lands.

	These costs are primarily for staff time to receive the notifications via phone calls or facsimiles, and to process the information contained in the notification.  For each telephone call, we will write up a record of the telephone conversation.  We will then process the information received in the facsimile or telephone call, and analyze the information to determine whether or not it has any significant impact on the affected experimental population.  The time required for Federal Government employees to process and analyze the information contained in the notification will vary, but we estimate it will take an average of 4.5 hours per response (25 responses).

	Depending upon their geographic location, some employees are paid under a Federal salary table that includes locality pay.  We used the Office of Personnel Management’s Salary Table 2026-DCB as an average wage rate for employees Nationwide.  To calculate benefits, we multiplied the hourly rate by 1.62 in accordance with the BLS News Release USDL-26-0505.  

Position/Grade
Hourly Rate
Hourly Rate, Incl. Benefits (x 1.62)
Time Spent on Collection
Weighted Average
Clerical - GS-07/05 
$ 31.35
$ 50.79
5%
$ 2.54
Professional/technical - GS-11/05  
46.40
75.17
90%
67.65
Management – GS-13/05 
66.14
107.15
5%
5.36
Weighted Average ($/hr)
$ 75.55
		
15.	Explain the reasons for any program changes or adjustments in hour or cost burden.

We are not reporting any program changes or adjustments in hour or cost burden.

16.	For collections of information whose results will be published, outline plans for tabulation and publication.  Address any complex analytical techniques that will be used.  Provide the time schedule for the entire project, including beginning and ending dates of the collection of information, completion of report, publication dates, and other actions.

The information is only for internal tracking and use.  No publication of information is anticipated.

17.	If seeking approval to not display the expiration date for OMB approval of the information collection, explain the reasons that display would be inappropriate.

This is a regulatory requirement.  We will display the OMB Control Number and expiration date on appropriate documents.

18.	Explain each exception to the topics of the certification statement identified in "Certification for Paperwork Reduction Act Submissions."

There are no exceptions to the certification statement.