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OMB Control No:	ICR Reference No: 202311-1018-003
Status: Received in OIRA	Previous ICR Reference No:
Agency/Subagency: DOI/FWS	Agency Tracking No:
Title: Yukon River Clearinghouse: A Culturally Responsive Monitoring Program
Type of Information Collection: New collection (Request for a new OMB Control Number)	Common Form ICR: No
Type of Review Request: Regular	Date Submitted to OIRA: 03/21/2024

	Requested	Previously Approved
Expiration Date	36 Months From Approved
Responses	420	0
Time Burden (Hours)	210	0
Cost Burden (Dollars)	0	0

Abstract: Under the authority of the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act (16 U.S.C. 661-666), the Service cooperates with Federal, State, and public or private agencies and organizations in the development, protection, rearing, and stocking of all species of fish and wildlife, resources thereof, and their habitat, in controlling losses of the same from disease or other causes, in minimizing damages from overabundant species. In order to accomplish this purpose, the Service has the authority to conduct surveys and investigations of the wildlife of the public domain, including lands and waters or interests therein acquired or controlled by any agency of the United States. This work will focus on Yukon River Pacific Salmon, which is an interjurisdictional fish and thus a federal trust species of the public domain. The Yukon River travels ~2,000 miles from its headwaters in British Columbia to the Bering Sea, passing through dozens of communities and an international border along the way. Wild, native salmon have been a mainstay of the diet of local people since time immemorial and are vital to supporting the health, culture, and economy of rural communities in the Yukon Watershed today. Salmon stock declines resulting in subsistence fishery closures are therefore of grave concern; habitat alteration, climate change, and fishing are likely contributing factors. The scale of the problem posed by a watershed the size of Texas necessitates a thoughtful approach to watershed restoration. The goal of this project is to prepare a watershed ecosystem action plan which is directed by local communities, informed by Traditional Ecological Knowledge, reviewed by experts, and catalyzes meaningful action. The people of the Yukon River rely heavily on the watershed’s natural resources to feed their families and support their culture. Annual Chinook and Chum salmon harvest is essential for the livelihood of the 76 small, rural villages scattered around the ~330,000 square mile watershed. Since 1997, Chinook salmon runs and harvest have declined. In recent years, both Chinook and Chum salmon runs failed completely with devastating consequences to Yukon River watershed people, families, community and culture. Significant habitat alteration has occurred throughout portions of the Yukon river watershed that could be impacting salmon recruitment, yet no comprehensive assessment of these alterations and their potential impact to wild salmon runs has been completed. The Yukon River Drainage Fisheries Association (YRDFA) will consult directly with Yukon river watershed communities and incorporate Traditional Ecological Knowledge to complete a comprehensive assessment and prioritization of habitat restoration needs documented in a watershed-wide action plan. This project will employ residents of the rural Yukon villages to carry out this effort to the greatest extent possible. This project will take place over a 4 year time period and will result in a watershed ecosystem action plan (WEAP) that can be used to understand and develop actions to address the ongoing crisis of salmon declines. The primary goal of the YRDFA will be to engage non-profit organizations, Alaska Native Tribal entities, local communities and resource agencies to develop a WEAP that can form the framework for understanding and addressing the threats to the health of the watershed. The YRDFA will rely on established landscape scale conservation planning processes to guide this effort. Value focused landscape scale conservation planning has been shown to result in on the ground actions that improve the health of ecosystems (Romanach et al. 2016).

Authorizing Statute(s): US Code: 16 USC 661-666 Name of Law: Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act

Citations for New Statutory Requirements: None

Associated Rulemaking Information
RIN:	Stage of Rulemaking:	Federal Register Citation:	Date:
	Not associated with rulemaking

Federal Register Notices & Comments
60-day Notice:	Federal Register Citation:	Citation Date:
	88 FR 56044	08/17/2023
30-day Notice:	Federal Register Citation:	Citation Date:
	89 FR 20231	03/21/2024
Did the Agency receive public comments on this ICR? Yes

Number of Information Collection (IC) in this ICR: 2

IC Title	Form No.	Form Name
Yukon Watershed Community Survey (Individuals)
Yukon Watershed TEK Interviews (Individuals)

ICR Summary of Burden

	Total Request	Change Due to Agency Discretion
Annual Number of Responses	420	420
Annual Time Burden (Hours)	210	210
Annual Cost Burden (Dollars)	0	0

Burden increases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: Yes

Burden Increase Due to: Miscellaneous Actions

Burden decreases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: No

Burden Reduction Due to:

Short Statement: This is a request for a new control number.

Annual Cost to Federal Government: $16,308

Does this IC contain surveys, censuses, or employ statistical methods? No

Does this ICR request any personally identifiable information (see OMB Circular No. A-130 for an explanation of this term)? Please consult with your agency's privacy program when making this determination. No

Does this ICR include a form that requires a Privacy Act Statement (see 5 U.S.C. §552a(e)(3))? Please consult with your agency's privacy program when making this determination. No

Is this ICR related to the Affordable Care Act [Pub. L. 111-148 & 111-152]? No

Is this ICR related to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, [Pub. L. 111-203]? No

Is this ICR related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)? No

Is this ICR related to the Pandemic Response? No

Agency Contact: Madonna Baucum 202 354-1916 madonna_baucum@nps.gov

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