Land Swap in Harpers Ferry: CBP Gains 25 Acres for Training, National Park Grows by 71 Acres

This legislation is essentially a federal land swap in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, designed to adjust the administrative boundaries between the Department of the Interior (DOI), which manages the National Historical Park, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The bill moves administrative control of approximately 25 acres of federal land from the DOI to CBP, specifically so CBP can use it for its Advanced Training Center. In exchange, CBP transfers about 71.51 acres of federal land back to the DOI, which will be added to and managed as part of the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park.

The Bureaucratic Boundary Adjustment

Think of this as two federal agencies trading office space to better suit their needs. The bill formalizes this exchange using a specific map titled Harpers Ferry National Historical Park Proposed Land Transfers, dated May 2021. The key takeaway is that CBP gets a slightly smaller piece (25 acres) to expand its training operations, while the National Park gains a significantly larger piece (71.51 acres) for preservation and management. Crucially, the bill specifies that no money changes hands in this transfer—it’s purely an administrative shift of control.

What Happens to the Park and the Training Center?

For the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, the most important provision is that the Secretary of the Interior must adjust the Park’s boundaries to include the 71.51 acres received from CBP. This ensures the land is managed for historical preservation and public access. For CBP, the 25 acres transferred will be incorporated into their Advanced Training Center. This means federal law enforcement training activities will expand into this new area.

However, there’s a safety net built into the deal: the reversion clause. If the CBP Commissioner decides that any part of the 25 acres transferred to them is no longer needed for the training center, that land automatically reverts back to the Secretary of the Interior and becomes part of the National Historical Park. This prevents the land from sitting unused or being repurposed outside of the Park’s mission if CBP’s needs change.

Cutting Through the Red Tape

There’s one final detail that’s important for land management nerds: The bill explicitly waives a specific acreage limit (found in 16 U.S.C. 450bb(d)) that usually applies to the Park. This means that the Park can accept the 71.51 acres without hitting a statutory ceiling, and any land that reverts back to the Park from CBP in the future can also be accepted, ensuring this land exchange doesn't get tangled up in existing size restrictions. Essentially, this legislation cleans up the map, gives the training center the space it needs, and ensures a larger chunk of land is permanently dedicated to the National Park, all without costing taxpayers extra money for the transfer itself.