Climate Change
New York’s Chronically Underfunded Parks Department Is Losing the Fight Against Invasive Species, Disrepair and Climate Change
Mayor Adams’ proposed budget cuts may place an outsized burden on park conservancies and small volunteer groups. With less than 1 percent of the city budget spent on parks, they’re finding it harder and harder to keep up.
NEW YORK—On a warm Wednesday morning in June, half a dozen volunteers slip on waders and gloves provided by the Van Cortlandt Park Alliance, a small nonprofit dedicated to preserving and supporting the Bronx park. They are preparing to go to war with the water chestnut, an aquatic invasive species that has spread a dense canopy across a large portion of the park’s large main pond.