Lake Ontario 2023 ESI Parks and Managed Areas Polygons

Vector polygons represent parks and managed areas as part of the Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) for the Lake Ontario system. The data set includes thirteen management areas, such as state forests, state parks, and Nature Conservancy lands, covering the U.S. portion of Lake Ontario and its associated islands and bays. It was created by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and last updated in March 2026.

Use Cases

• Mapping human-use resources for environmental risk assessments based on the described parks and managed areas.
• Integrating socio-economic data layers for coastal zone management based on the described SOCECON Feature Data Set.
• Analyzing spatial distribution of protected lands near Lake Ontario based on the listed islands and bays.
• Supporting oil spill response planning by characterizing shoreline sensitivity based on the ESI framework mentioned.

Strengths

• Data is part of a standardized Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) framework for oil spill sensitivity.
• Covers thirteen specific management area types, including state forests, state parks, and Nature Conservancy lands.
• Includes a detailed study area listing major islands and bays in the U.S. portion of Lake Ontario.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• The primary file format is PDF, which may limit direct geospatial analysis.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Likely compiled from governmental and conservation organization sources for the ESI geodatabase.

Time Range

2023

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 22:25:04.824395; freshness should be verified.

Geography

United States portion of Lake Ontario, including specified islands and bays in New York.