Van Cortlandt Park advocates are calling for more funding as the Parks Department faces budget cuts.

The Van Cortlandt Park Alliance says $20 million was cut from the city’s Parks budget for fiscal year 2025, resulting in 800 positions being eliminated and a hiring freeze.

It says these cuts have slowed recovery from recent brush fires that burned nearly 8 acres of land.

The mayor’s office says it continues to invest in parks through training programs and containerization of trash, adding that parks are safer and better maintained than this time last year.