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A comment period for this project closes
Dec 18, 2026:
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Plan Process
Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad NHP » Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad NHP General Management Plan » Plan Process
How the plan is being developed
The National Park Service is writing a General Management Plan for Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park. The plan will guide how the park cares for its natural and historic resources, its buildings and services, and the experiences it offers visitors.
Timeline
• Spring 2022: Planning began with an in-person workshop and several site visits. Participants included staff from Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service), the Maryland Park Service, the Harriet Tubman Initiative, and National Park Service experts from many fields.
• 2022-2024: National Park Service staff kept working on the plan through online meetings. They shared updates with workshop participants, and those partners and park leaders reviewed parts of the draft along the way.
• 2025: Public review was put on hold when the park superintendent retired.
• Late 2026: Public review of the draft plan is now underway.
What the plan includes
The draft plan meets the requirements for these plans set by federal law.¹ It describes the long-term goals, or "desired conditions," that park leaders will work toward in the future.
The plan does not propose specific projects. Nothing has changed on the ground because of this planning, and nothing will. When the park later proposes specific projects, each one will be studied and will get its own environmental review.
Environmental review
Federal law requires the park to consider how its plans could affect the environment.² In 2026, the U.S. Department of the Interior updated its guidance on these reviews. That guidance confirmed that this plan qualifies for a "categorical exclusion." This means it is the type of action that does not need a detailed environmental study, because the plan itself does not change anything on the ground.
Notes
1. 54 U.S.C. 100502; Public Law 113-291, Section 3035(d)(1).
2. NEPA, 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.
The draft GMP document is available to the public for review and comment from 10/19/2026 - 11/19/2026.
The National Park Service is writing a General Management Plan for Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park. The plan will guide how the park cares for its natural and historic resources, its buildings and services, and the experiences it offers visitors.
Timeline
• Spring 2022: Planning began with an in-person workshop and several site visits. Participants included staff from Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service), the Maryland Park Service, the Harriet Tubman Initiative, and National Park Service experts from many fields.
• 2022-2024: National Park Service staff kept working on the plan through online meetings. They shared updates with workshop participants, and those partners and park leaders reviewed parts of the draft along the way.
• 2025: Public review was put on hold when the park superintendent retired.
• Late 2026: Public review of the draft plan is now underway.
What the plan includes
The draft plan meets the requirements for these plans set by federal law.¹ It describes the long-term goals, or "desired conditions," that park leaders will work toward in the future.
The plan does not propose specific projects. Nothing has changed on the ground because of this planning, and nothing will. When the park later proposes specific projects, each one will be studied and will get its own environmental review.
Environmental review
Federal law requires the park to consider how its plans could affect the environment.² In 2026, the U.S. Department of the Interior updated its guidance on these reviews. That guidance confirmed that this plan qualifies for a "categorical exclusion." This means it is the type of action that does not need a detailed environmental study, because the plan itself does not change anything on the ground.
Notes
1. 54 U.S.C. 100502; Public Law 113-291, Section 3035(d)(1).
2. NEPA, 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.
The draft GMP document is available to the public for review and comment from 10/19/2026 - 11/19/2026.