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. 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 question instructions here and then click on each question at the bottom. You may answer all or only some questions.

Instructions
Question 1: Management vision: See Management Vision on pages 25-27. The vision describes, in broad terms, what park leaders will work toward over time. It does not include specific projects.

Question 2: Parkwide desired conditions: See Parkwide Desired Conditions on pages 27-29. Desired conditions are long-term goals for how the park should look and work. They are grouped into four categories: Cultural and Natural Resources; Facilities; Visitor Experience; Partnerships. You may comment on any or all of the categories.

Question 3: Management areas
See "Management Areas" on pages 29-30 and see the map on page 32. Management areas are zones within the park. Each is managed in its own way and shown in its own color on the map:

• Orange - Natural Area: mostly USFWS land and some of the NPS Jackson Home Site
• Purple - Historic Area: part of the NPS Jackson Home Site
• Green - Community Area: mostly private land inside the park boundary
• Yellow - Visitor Services Area: the two visitor centers 1. USFWS Refuge and 2. Maryland Park Service/NPS

Question 4: Desired conditions for each management area
See "Table 1. Desired Conditions by Management Area" on pages 34-42. Each column covers one management area. Each row covers one topic:

• Management area concepts (page 34)
• Administration: who manages the land in each area (page 35)
• Cultural resources (pages 35-36)
• Natural resources (pages 36-37)
• Visitor use and experience (pages 37-39)
• Visitor activities, services, and other allowed uses (page 40)
• Facilities and operations (pages 40-42)

Question 5: Management strategies and actions
See Management Strategies starting on page 43 organized into two parts:

• For the whole park (pages 43-45)
• For each of the four management areas (pages 46-51)

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/.

Topic Questions:

1. Question 1. Management vision: Does the draft management vision describe the right long-term direction for the park? (see instructions above)

2. Question 2. Parkwide desired conditions: Do the parkwide desired conditions describe what the park should aim to be, and how it should work, to achieve the management vision? You may comment on any or all of the categories. (See instructions above)

3. Question 3. Management areas: Do the management areas fit the resources, visitor experiences, and facilities that could be found in each area? (see instructions above)

4. Question 4. Desired conditions for each management area: Do the desired conditions for each management area fit the resources, visitor experiences, and facilities that could be found there? (see instructions above)

5. Question 5. Management strategies and actions: 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? (see instructions above)

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.