Human-Use Resources Shown on ESI Maps

Under the Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) method, human-use resources that may be either negatively impacted by an oil spills or used as access points for oil spill cleanup are typically marked on ESI maps with a symbol. The table below lists all of the categories for human-use resources, and it also includes some information about how they are displayed on ESI maps.

Category	Symbol	Comments
Access		Vehicular access to the shoreline
Airport/Heliport
Aquaculture		Hatcheries, ponds, and pens
Archaeological Site		Water-, coastal-, or wetland-associated
Beach		High-use recreational beaches
Boat Ramp
Camping
Coast Guard
Commercial Fishing
Critical Habitat
Diving		High-use recreational areas
ESI/RSI Change
Equipment
Facility
Factory
Ferry
Hazardous Waste Site
Historical Site		Water-, coastal-, or wetland-associated
Hoist
Indian Reservation/Tribal Land
Lock/Dam
Logging
Management Area		Managed areas (including nature conservancies)
Marina
Marine Sanctuary
Mining		Intertidal/subtidal mining leases
National Park
NOAA Data Buoy
Park		State and regional parks
Recreational Fishing		High-use recreational areas
Special Management Areas		Usually water-associated
Subsistence Fishing		Designated harvest sites
Surfing
Village
Washover
Water Discharge
Water Intake		Industrial; drinking water; cooling water, aquaculture
Water Quality
Water Supply
Wildlife Refuge

For More Information

Anatomy of ESI Maps Brief introduction to the basic elements of ESI maps.

Shoreline Rankings Shorelines are ranked according to their sensitivity to oil, the natural persistence of oil, and the expected ease of cleanup after an oil spill.

Biological Resources Oil-sensitive animals and their habitats, and habitats that are themselves sensitive to spilled oil (such as coral reefs).