Request for Approval

Request for Approval under the “DOI Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery”

OMB Control Number: 1090-0011

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION:

Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Programs Communications Phone Interview

PURPOSE:

The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration (WSFR) Programs Strategic Communications Planning Team is designing messages for key audiences (i.e. industry and state partners) to achieve greater awareness and understanding of WSFR, including the accomplishments that are achieved by the state, federal, and industry partnership. Firsthand knowledge from industry and state partners will help ensure the messages and strategies in our communication plan are on target. The interviews with industry and state partners will give our team feedback on our draft messages and provide insight on which messages are a priority for our audience. The interviews will also reveal if we have missed any important topics that should be included in our communication planning. Interviews will be conducted by a contractor, DJ Case and Associates. Additional research activities with these audiences may include focus groups and surveys which will be subject to additional OMB review and clearance.

These interviews will systematically provide clarity and insights into the following topics so that draft messages can be refined. The following message topics will be explored:

• Key audiences’ current awareness and understanding of WSFR.

● The value they place on WSFR programs.

● Perception of how well WSFR supports their objectives.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS:

We will interview a maximum of 56 people across industry and state fish and wildlife agency audiences.

Industry (30-36 interviews): Industry includes firearm and ammunition, archery, fishing equipment and recreational boat manufacturers. These industries manufacture the products that are taxed to provide the funds for WSFR grants through the Wildlife Restoration Act and Sport Fish Restoration Act, and their customers and markets benefit from WSFR-funded projects. We will interview people from various positions within these companies, and will draw from companies with membership in the following trade organizations: National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), American Sportfish Association (ASA), Archery Trade Association (ATA) and National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA).

State Fish and Wildlife Agencies (15-20 interviews): These agencies are the primary recipients of WSFR grants and administer and/or implement most of the projects funded by WSFR grants. We will interview people from various position descriptions including directors, project leaders, communicators, and federal aid coordinators.

TYPE OF COLLECTION: (Check one)

[ ] Customer Comment Card/Complaint Form [ ] Customer Satisfaction Survey

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

[ ] Focus Group [X] Other: Phone Interview

CERTIFICATION:

I certify the following to be true:

1. The collection is voluntary.

2. The collection is low-burden for respondents and low-cost for the Federal Government.

3. The collection is non-controversial and does not raise issues of concern to other federal agencies.

4. The results are not intended to be disseminated to the public.

5. Information gathered will not be used for the purpose of substantially informing influential policy decisions.

6. The collection is targeted to the solicitation of opinions from respondents who have experience with the program or may have experience with the program in the future.

Name: Melissa A. Clark 04/11/2018

To assist review, please provide answers to the following questions:

Personally Identifiable Information:

1. Is personally identifiable information (PII) collected? [ ] Yes [X] No

2. If Yes, is the information that will be collected included in records that are subject to the Privacy Act of 1974? [ ] Yes [ ] No

3. If Applicable, has a System or Records Notice been published? [ ] Yes [ ] No

Gifts or Payments:

Is an incentive (e.g., money or reimbursement of expenses, token of appreciation) provided to participants? [ ] Yes [X] No (If yes, please explain.)

BURDEN HOURS

Category of Respondents	No. of Respondents	Participation Time	Burden
Private Industry	30-36	35 min	21
State Government	15-20	35 min	12
Totals:	45-56		33

FEDERAL COST: DJ Case and Associates is conducting the interviews for cost of $13,340.

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

The selection of your targeted respondents

1. Do you have a customer list or something similar that defines the universe of potential respondents and do you have a sampling plan for selecting from this universe? [X] Yes [ ] No

If the answer is yes, please provide a description of both below (or attach the sampling plan). If the answer is no, please provide a description of how you plan to identify your potential group of respondents and how you will select them.

See attached Sampling Plan.

Administration of the Instrument

1. How will you collect the information? (Check all that apply)

[ ] Web-based or other forms of Social Media

[X] Telephone

[ ] In-person

[ ] Mail

[ ] Other, Explain

2. Will interviewers or facilitators be used? [X] Yes [ ] No

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

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