NPS GMP DRAFT Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad NHP (2026)

Share your thoughts on the draft General Management Plan

The National Park Service wants your feedback on the draft General Management Plan for Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park. This plan is an important first step in guiding how the park will be managed in the future.

What the draft General Management Plan (GMP) includes
It describes the long-term goals, or aspirational "desired conditions," that park leaders will work toward in the future through many implementation steps. Park leaders will use the plan to make consistent, well-informed decisions over time as they work toward the park's vision and goals. The draft plan meets the requirements for these plans set by federal law. It focuses on four main parts:

• A vision for the whole park

• Desired conditions: long-term goals for the park's resources and visitor experiences

• Management areas: zones within the park, each managed in its own way to achieve the desired conditions over time through many future implementation actions

• Broad strategies for reaching the park's goals

What the plan does not do
The plan does not propose specific projects, and nothing will change on the ground because of it. When the park later proposes specific projects, each one will get its own environmental Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) reviews.

Proposed National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) pathway for the draft GMP
Federal law requires the park to consider how its plans could affect the environment.² The National Park Service proposes 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.

How to comment
Please answer the 5 questions below. Instructions are included with each question. You may answer all or only some questions.

How to view the plan
The draft plan below is a PDF file. If you can't open it, you can download Adobe Acrobat Reader for free at https://get.adobe.com/reader/.


Notes
1. 54 U.S.C. 100502; Public Law 113-291, Section 3035(d)(1).
2. National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.

Topic Questions:

1. Question 1: Management vision: Please read the

2. Question 2: Parkwide desired conditions: Please read the

3. Question 3: Management areas: Please read the descriptions of the

4. Question 4: Desired conditions for each management area: Please read

5. Question 5: Management strategies and actions: Please read the Management Strategies starting on page 43. They are organized into two parts: For the whole park (pages 43-45); and for each of the four management areas (pages 46-51). Are these broad strategies appropriate to help the park incrementally fulfill its management vision and desired conditions for resource preservation, visitor experience and support facilities?

Document Content:

NPS_TubmanMD_GMP DRAFT_Oct2026.pdf   (5.9 MB, PDF file) Disclaimer: Links within the above document(s) were valid as of the date published. Note: Some of the files may be in PDF format and can be viewed using the Adobe Acrobat Reader software. You may download a free copy of from Adobe Systems.