National Park Service plans to consolidate, streamline research permits

Background:  Under the National Park Service's new Natural Resources Action Plan, the NPS plans to increase science-based management of the natural resources found in the national parks.  This Plan includes fostering scientific research in the parks, in part by consolidating and streamlining the permit application process.

Details, including deadline for comments, appear below.  Note deadline for comments:  25 October 1999.

The National Park Service (NPS) invites public comments on a proposed collection of information. NPS specifically requests comments on: (1) The need for the information being collected, including whether the information has practical  utility; (2) the validity and accuracy of the reporting burden estimate; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) ways to minimize the burden of the information collection on respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

NPS requests comments on a proposed research and collecting permit and reporting system that will consolidate and streamline an existing array of information collection instruments used by applicants to apply to parks for research and collecting permits for natural or social science activities that require permits. NPS will use the information you submit to determine whether or not to make modifications to the proposed research and collecting permit and reporting system. Once NPS makes any modifications that it may decide to adopt, NPS plans to submit a proposed collection of information package to OMB with a request that OMB approve the package and assign an OMB clearance number to the two collection of information forms that are part of this system.

You may obtain copies of the proposed application form, permit form, reporting form, and related guidance and explanatory material from the NPS website at: http://www.nature.nps.gov/ResearchPermit/. You also may obtain copies of the documents and additional information from the source identified below.

DATES: Public comments on the proposed ICR will be accepted on or before October 25, 1999.

SEND COMMENTS TO: John G. Dennis, Natural Resources, National Park Service, 1849 C Street NW., Room 3223-MIB, Washington, DC 20240. Voice: 202-208-5193. Fax. 202-208-4620. Email: researchcoll@nps.gov.

If you wish to comment, you may submit your comments by any one of several methods. You may mail comments to the postal address given here. You may also comment via the Internet to the email address given here. Please submit Internet comments as an ASCII file avoiding the use of special characters and any form of encryption. Please also include ``Attn: NPS Research and Collecting Permit and Reporting System'' and your name and return address in your Internet message. If you do not receive a confirmation from the system that we have received your Internet message, contact us directly at the phone number given here. Finally, you may hand-deliver comments to the address given here. Our practice is to make comments, including names and home addresses of respondents, available for public review during regular business hours. Individual respondents may request that we withhold their home address from the record, which we will honor to the extent allowable by law. There also may be circumstances in which we would withhold from the record a respondent's identity, as allowable by law. If you wish us to withhold your name and/or address, you must state this prominently at the beginning of your comment. However, we will not consider anonymous comments. We will make all submissions from organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, available for public inspection in their entirety.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John G. Dennis, Natural Resources, National Park Service, 1849 C Street NW, Room 3223-MIB, Washington, DC 20240. Voice: 202-208-5193. Fax: 202-208-4620. Email: researchcoll@nps.gov.

TO REQUEST PRINTED COPIES OF THE DOCUMENTS CONTACT: Tim Goddard, National Park Service, 1201 Oak Ridge Dr., Suite 250, Fort Collins, CO
80525. Fax: 970-225-9965. Email: tim__goddard@nps.gov.

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