This bill would create the Fort Ontario Holocaust Refugee Shelter National Historical Park in New York as a unit of the National Park System. The park’s stated purpose is to preserve, protect, and interpret resources connected to the 982 refugees who were housed at Fort Ontario from August 1944 until February 1946. A named map (dated September 2024) defines a proposed boundary and will be kept on file for public inspection.
The park will not be officially established until the Secretary of the Interior determines that enough land or land interests shown on the map have been acquired to make a manageable unit. Within 30 days of that determination, the Secretary must publish notice of establishment in the Federal Register. The Secretary may acquire land by donation, purchase with donated or appropriated funds, or exchange, but land owned by the State or a political subdivision may be acquired only by donation. The Secretary must manage the park under applicable National Park Service laws and may enter into cooperative and restoration agreements with state, local, and private partners. Any agreement to assist non-Federal land must provide for reasonable public access. A general management plan must be completed within 3 fiscal years after funds are made available.
If the park is established, the site would be managed by the National Park Service to preserve and interpret the history of the Fort Ontario refugee shelter. The public could expect formal preservation work, educational interpretation, and the potential for public access to lands within the park boundary. State or local lands could only be added if donated. Local, state, and private partners may help provide services and access through cooperative agreements.
No publicly available information on estimated costs is included in the bill text. The bill says purchases may be made with donated or appropriated funds and requires a management plan to be completed within 3 fiscal years after funds are made available, but it does not provide cost estimates or funding amounts.
The bill’s text says the park’s purpose is to preserve, protect, and interpret the stories and resources linked to the 982 World War II refugees who stayed at Fort Ontario, for the benefit of present and future generations. It authorizes the Secretary to work with state and non-Federal partners, and to acquire land by donation, purchase, or exchange to create a manageable park unit.
No publicly available information on opposition or objections is included in the bill text or provided metadata.