This bill, titled the Fort Ontario Holocaust Refugee Shelter National Historical Park Establishment Act, seeks to establish a new unit of the National Park System in New York. The primary purpose of this National Historical Park is to preserve, protect, and interpret the significant history of the 982 World War II refugees who found shelter at Fort Ontario between August 1944 and February 1946. Its creation aims to ensure these stories are accessible for present and future generations. The establishment of the park is conditional, requiring the Secretary of the Interior to first determine that a sufficient quantity of land within the proposed boundary has been acquired to form a manageable unit, after which notice must be published in the Federal Register. The Secretary will administer the park according to general National Park System laws, with authority to acquire land by donation, purchase, or exchange, though state-owned land can only be acquired by donation. Additionally, the bill allows for cooperative agreements with state and private entities for interpretive services and the restoration of historic resources, and mandates the development of a general management plan within three fiscal years.
Geography and mappingMonuments and memorialsNew York StateParks, recreation areas, trailsPublic-private cooperation
Fort Ontario Holocaust Refugee Shelter National Historical Park Establishment Act
USA119th CongressHR-1031| House
| Updated: 2/5/2025
This bill, titled the Fort Ontario Holocaust Refugee Shelter National Historical Park Establishment Act, seeks to establish a new unit of the National Park System in New York. The primary purpose of this National Historical Park is to preserve, protect, and interpret the significant history of the 982 World War II refugees who found shelter at Fort Ontario between August 1944 and February 1946. Its creation aims to ensure these stories are accessible for present and future generations. The establishment of the park is conditional, requiring the Secretary of the Interior to first determine that a sufficient quantity of land within the proposed boundary has been acquired to form a manageable unit, after which notice must be published in the Federal Register. The Secretary will administer the park according to general National Park System laws, with authority to acquire land by donation, purchase, or exchange, though state-owned land can only be acquired by donation. Additionally, the bill allows for cooperative agreements with state and private entities for interpretive services and the restoration of historic resources, and mandates the development of a general management plan within three fiscal years.