Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.
PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Emily Walker, Senior Manager of External Affairs at Natural Areas Conservancy
2:53:01
ยท
144 sec
Emily Walker from the Natural Areas Conservancy urges the NYC City Council to restore $5 million in funding for 76 staff positions in forest and trails management. She emphasizes the critical need for this investment due to recent challenges like brush fires and the vulnerability of urban forests.
- Highlights the loss of 80% of staff lines caring for NYC's natural areas and the subsequent strain on park management.
- Stresses the importance of urban forests in absorbing carbon, managing stormwater, and providing ecosystem services.
- Calls for city leadership in climate and resiliency issues, especially in light of potential federal funding cuts.
Emily Walker
2:53:01
Alright.
2:53:01
Good afternoon.
2:53:02
My name is Emily Walker, I'm the senior manager of external affairs at the Natural Areas Conservancy.
2:53:07
Thank you to the chair and the members of the committee for the opportunity to speak today.
2:53:11
Despite the strong support of the council last year, NYC Parks lost nearly 80% of the staff lines that care for our 12,000 acres of natural forests, wetlands, and trails.
2:53:21
The timing, as it turned out, could not have been worse.
2:53:24
Last fall, we experienced a drought that resulted in hundreds of brushfires throughout our forested natural areas citywide.
2:53:30
The unprecedented scale of these fires caused a strain on our park staff, conservancy partners and the FDNY when managing the spread of these dangerous blazes and assessing the damage.
2:53:41
We are here today to state in the strongest terms possible that the mayor's office must restore and baseline $5,000,000 to make permanent 76 staff lines for forest and trails management.
2:53:52
These positions would add urgently needed capacity for the Parks Department's Natural Resources Group to ensure that our forest and natural areas are better managed and restored and that our public nature trails are better maintained for safe public access.
2:54:05
We urge the City Council to throw their full weight behind this investment in NYC Parks and its natural areas.
2:54:10
This is both a watershed and vulnerable moment for our urban forest.
2:54:14
Under the new federal administration, it's clear that cities will need to take strong leadership on climate and resiliency issues.
2:54:21
There are currently 22 natural area staff whose positions are being covered through federal funding that's currently imperiled, now at risk due to the budget cuts and the grant freezes coming from DC.
2:54:32
We are also now working closely with our partners including the mayor's office for climate and environmental justice on the creation of New York City's First ever urban forest plan.
2:54:40
Disappointingly, the level of funding allocated to our forests and the FY '26 preliminary budget makes clear that city hall is not meeting the moment with the urgency and investment it requires.
2:54:51
Despite the immeasurable benefits they provide, our forest and natural areas are at an ecological tipping point.
2:54:57
Our forests contain 5,000,000 of our city's 7,000,000 trees, absorb 70% of our carbon, absorb 22% of our city storm water and provide critical ecosystem services for the thousands of unique flora and fauna that despite all odds call New York City home, but they require more on the ground management to remain healthy in the long term.
2:55:14
This year, the mayor and the council have the opportunity to be true climate leaders by investing in our forest.
2:55:19
It's not a large investment to make and would result in outsized positive benefits for our urban forest and the public.
2:55:24
Thank you.