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Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad NHP General Management Plan
Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad NHP » Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad NHP General Management Plan
The National Park Service has written a draft General Management Plan for Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park. This plan will guide how the park is managed in the years ahead. This project represents the first steps towards the completion of priority general management planning needs for new national park system units: development of management zones, desired conditions, and initial visitor capacity analysis.
What the plan does
As a newer national park, the park needs a basic plan in place. The draft plan takes the first steps by:
• Dividing the park into management zones
• Describing the conditions the park wants to reach and maintain over time
• Estimating how many visitors the park can welcome while still protecting its resources
The plan also meets the requirements for these plans set by federal law,¹ and it went through the appropriate level of environmental review.²
About the park
The park honors the life, work, and legacy of Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad. It protects and shares the history, culture, and natural places connected to her story.
The park was first created as a national monument in 2013.³ Congress made it a national historical park in 2014.⁴
Who owns and manages the land
The park covers about 11,750 acres in Caroline, Dorchester, and Talbot Counties, Maryland. Many different owners hold this land:
• About half is part of Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
• 17 acres make up Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park. The Maryland Park Service runs it in partnership with the National Park Service.
• 480 acres are the Jacob and Dinah Jackson Home Site on Route 16, southwest of Madison. The National Park Service owns and manages this land.
• The rest is owned and managed by private landowners and nonprofit groups.
What happens next
This plan sets direction only. It does not include any specific projects, and nothing will change on the ground because of it.
The draft general management plan addresses the four requirements of general management planning defined in 54 USC 100502 and PL 113-291 SEC 3035 (d)(1). The plan does not include implementation proposals, and no on-the-ground effects will occur during this project. Actions to implement the finalized general management plan will be subject to later compliance as the park proposes and implements individual actions.
The park which was established as a national monument by Proclamation 8943 on March 25, 2013 and then as a national historical park by PL 113-291 SEC 3035 on December 19, 2014. The park's purpose is to preserve and interpret the historical, cultural and natural resources associated with the life, work and legacy of Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad. The park boundary encompasses 11,750 acres of federal, state, and private lands in Caroline, Dorchester, and Talbot Counties, Maryland, although about half of the park's acreage is part of Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge which is administered by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). The park's boundary also includes the 17-acre Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park administered by the Maryland Park Service and co-managed in partnership with the NPS. The NPS owns and directly manages the 480-acre Jacob and Dinah Jackson Home Site on Route 16 southwest of Madison. The rest of expansive park boundary is owned and directly managed by nongovernmental or private landowners.
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.
3. Presidential Proclamation 8943, March 25, 2013.
4. Public Law 113-291, Section 3035, December 19, 2014.
What the plan does
As a newer national park, the park needs a basic plan in place. The draft plan takes the first steps by:
• Dividing the park into management zones
• Describing the conditions the park wants to reach and maintain over time
• Estimating how many visitors the park can welcome while still protecting its resources
The plan also meets the requirements for these plans set by federal law,¹ and it went through the appropriate level of environmental review.²
About the park
The park honors the life, work, and legacy of Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad. It protects and shares the history, culture, and natural places connected to her story.
The park was first created as a national monument in 2013.³ Congress made it a national historical park in 2014.⁴
Who owns and manages the land
The park covers about 11,750 acres in Caroline, Dorchester, and Talbot Counties, Maryland. Many different owners hold this land:
• About half is part of Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
• 17 acres make up Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park. The Maryland Park Service runs it in partnership with the National Park Service.
• 480 acres are the Jacob and Dinah Jackson Home Site on Route 16, southwest of Madison. The National Park Service owns and manages this land.
• The rest is owned and managed by private landowners and nonprofit groups.
What happens next
This plan sets direction only. It does not include any specific projects, and nothing will change on the ground because of it.
The draft general management plan addresses the four requirements of general management planning defined in 54 USC 100502 and PL 113-291 SEC 3035 (d)(1). The plan does not include implementation proposals, and no on-the-ground effects will occur during this project. Actions to implement the finalized general management plan will be subject to later compliance as the park proposes and implements individual actions.
The park which was established as a national monument by Proclamation 8943 on March 25, 2013 and then as a national historical park by PL 113-291 SEC 3035 on December 19, 2014. The park's purpose is to preserve and interpret the historical, cultural and natural resources associated with the life, work and legacy of Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad. The park boundary encompasses 11,750 acres of federal, state, and private lands in Caroline, Dorchester, and Talbot Counties, Maryland, although about half of the park's acreage is part of Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge which is administered by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). The park's boundary also includes the 17-acre Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park administered by the Maryland Park Service and co-managed in partnership with the NPS. The NPS owns and directly manages the 480-acre Jacob and Dinah Jackson Home Site on Route 16 southwest of Madison. The rest of expansive park boundary is owned and directly managed by nongovernmental or private landowners.
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.
3. Presidential Proclamation 8943, March 25, 2013.
4. Public Law 113-291, Section 3035, December 19, 2014.