The vast network of trails in the city could soon get an overhaul.
New York City's Department of Parks and Recreation and its City Council are split on the state of NYC's trails. The department recently mapped 450 miles of trails. But the council says they need to be officially maintained, improved or expanded.
Ryan Schulte, a staff member at Riverside Park, holds a shovel after planting dogwoods and removing poison ivy from the park.
The council proposed a bill Wednesday to formalize 300 miles of city trails in the next three years. The main goal is to give low to middle income residents access to nature.
A man clears leaves along a sidewalk leading to Riverside Park.
"Our local natural areas are extremely valuable for passive recreation, environmental education, and mental well-being," said Marit Larson, commissioner of the Parks department, at Wednesday's hearing.
A man walks along a sidewlak near the park.
The bill to make trails official is just one of the council's four annual Earth Day bills, meant to make the city parks safer and more accessible. The Parks Department says they already are.
A trail through Riverside Park.
The Parks deparment is close to having its goal of 85% of residents living within walking distance of a park by 2030. But 63,000 New Yorkers remain "without close access to open space," said Larson.
A promenade of trees at Riverside Park.